Incline Revisiting Old Games (Again)

[Falksi]

E-Swat - Megadrive

I remember this hitting the arcade as a kid and being fairly impressed by it and it's Robocop-esq action, then purchasing the very different Megadrive version and kinda enjoying that too. In fact I'd say I really liked it, but something never quite sat right too. It never threatened my classics list, and when I return to older games it always gets forgotten about. So let's see why.

Despite doing a lot of things right, it's gameplay is actually a bit crap. In fact let's get this out of the way first - off-screen bullets & attacks. One of the eras biggest crime, E-swat is rife with enemies & attacks which you only know are coming if you've played the game before. The odd one or two? Fine, but this happens constantly throughout the game, and it's incredibly annoying. It really bogs things down, and turns you from a strutting badass cyborgnator type dude into a limpo who has to cautiously plod his way through certain levels. Not to mention that enemies re-spawn, so even though you've endured the tedium once you might have to endure it again if you make a wrong move. No diagonal shot is a big miss too.

But it's got great presentation, in particular one of the far better endings of that era, and it's main strength lies within some of the level designs. In fact I'd say that the level design is some of the best I've seen in any game of that era. Several stand out for not only being aesthetically interesting, but containing interactive environmental elements which really add to the experience and keep things interesting. The bosses vary a fair bit too and have a certain amount of memorability about them.

Looking back on my experience with it, I actually quite fucking hate the game. But it's not really a bad game, it's more about how you're wired. It offers something different and, if you can tolerate the negatives there's some really good stuff in there. It's just getting over the fairly tall hurdles first.

 

[Falksi]

Toe Jam and Earl - Megadrive

^ An example of the game's "humour" *chortle*


One of the more bizarre games to have existed in the era, Toe Jam & Earl was one of those games which I was sold on as a kid because of it's trendyness. I wasn't enamored by it, but I remember liking it and spending enough time on it to finish it at least a handful of times. Now I'm an older man though, who doesn't have dreams of being a hip surfer dude any more, things are different.

And what a weird game. It's essentially a walking sim with a lot of obstacles to trip over en route. There's a ton of appeal still in the cool/fun/novel vibe mind, but it doesn't take long for that to wear off and the repetition of the gameplay begin to drag things down.

See each stage is randomly generated, which should keep things interesting. And it does a bit. But ultimately you're doing the same things over, and over, and over again, and none of those things are particularly exciting or fun tbh. It sorely lacks a satisfying form of attack to eliminate any enemies you come across, and each enemy or obstacle is more of a pain in the arse to hinder your progression than anything else. It feels like a game of snakes and ladders, where the snakes are plentiful & often punishing, but the ladders are sparse and small, and the game's lack of rewards and underlying feeling of skankyness ultimately actually make it very negative. Also, it's juts SO slow.

With all that said, it is far more of a laugh for 2 players. You're not really focusing on completing the game, you're just trying to get as far as you can whilst fucking around with one of your mates or the missus.

A throw away game which will serve OK as a party novelty piece for 20-30 min, but not really a good game in itself.

 

[Falksi]

Streets Of Rage - Megadrive

Well this series certainly needs no introduction. I remember it being touted as the challenger to Final Fight's crown, and which reigned supreme was one of the burning questions of the day. With the recent release of Streets of Rage 4 I thought it'd be a good time to return to it.

Well returning now I still thoroughly enjoyed it. What it lacks in Final Fight's weight & meatyness it more than makes up for with it's slick, stlyish, fast paced gameplay and deliberate combat instead. You've a real nice feel to the movement, and you face intelligent & aggressive enemies which don't mess about and which go in for the kill from the off. By stage 4 gangs of 6 enemies upwards regularly attack you, and rarely do they hang off screen in a boxing ring style jab-off like in some beat 'em ups, they're always at it ready to snipe at you, so it keeps it frenetic and exciting.

The player's actions also really count, with skill & timing in certain situations the difference between seeing a full health bar depleted, and you wiping out a group of several baddies instead. You can proper have some mint Bruce Lee Kung Fu fighting moments where 5 enemies rush you, yet expert timing sees you twat each one off with split second moves. It's very rewarding.

And then there's that soundtrack. The whole series is praised for it's cracking tunes, but this one is my personal fave of the 3, with each tune capturing the vibe of it's respective stage very well too. Graphics aren't quite as impressive as the sound though, mainly due to the size of the sprites, but they're still good and the backdrops are really cool.

The only real criticisms are that firstly it's all played at that one, intense pace. It's fucking great, but come stage 7 I did find myself in need of a breather & change from it. Would have been nice to have had a bonus round or a well done vehicle stage or two in there somewhere. Secondly, there's very, very little new to see on a replay. Once you've finished it you'll feel a bit burned out by it, and there's no need to return any time soon. Still, that's the nature of these games, and it shouldn't really be about the number of hours you get out of it & replays, but the level of excitement & fun you get out the short, sharp blasts on them.

SOR's quality still shines through today. You'll feel a bit sick and too full to eat another portion for a while once you've finish it, but actually devouring it is a blast. Even though the sequel gets the plaudits, you still shouldn't ignore this one.

 

[Great Deceiver]

ToeJam & Earl was a roguelite, not a walking sim.

SoR1 is decent enough but SoR2 shits on it from a great height in pretty much every respect. The only thing that still makes me boot it from time to time are the tunes.

 

[Tweed]

Streets Of Rage - Megadrive

Well this series certainly needs no introduction. I remember it being touted as the challenger to Final Fight's crown, and which reigned supreme was one of the burning questions of the day. With the recent release of Streets of Rage 4 I thought it'd be a good time to return to it.

Well returning now I still thoroughly enjoyed it. What it lacks in Final Fight's weight & meatyness it more than makes up for with it's slick, stlyish, fast paced gameplay and deliberate combat instead. You've a real nice feel to the movement, and you face intelligent & aggressive enemies which don't mess about and which go in for the kill from the off. By stage 4 gangs of 6 enemies upwards regularly attack you, and rarely do they hang off screen in a boxing ring style jab-off like in some beat 'em ups, they're always at it ready to snipe at you, so it keeps it frenetic and exciting.

The player's actions also really count, with skill & timing in certain situations the difference between seeing a full health bar depleted, and you wiping out a group of several baddies instead. You can proper have some mint Bruce Lee Kung Fu fighting moments where 5 enemies rush you, yet expert timing sees you twat each one off with split second moves. It's very rewarding.

And then there's that soundtrack. The whole series is praised for it's cracking tunes, but this one is my personal fave of the 3, with each tune capturing the vibe of it's respective stage very well too. Graphics aren't quite as impressive as the sound though, mainly due to the size of the sprites, but they're still good and the backdrops are really cool.

The only real criticisms are that firstly it's all played at that one, intense pace. It's fucking great, but come stage 7 I did find myself in need of a breather & change from it. Would have been nice to have had a bonus round or a well done vehicle stage or two in there somewhere. Secondly, there's very, very little new to see on a replay. Once you've finished it you'll feel a bit burned out by it, and there's no need to return any time soon. Still, that's the nature of these games, and it shouldn't really be about the number of hours you get out of it & replays, but the level of excitement & fun you get out the short, sharp blasts on them.

SOR's quality still shines through today. You'll feel a bit sick and too full to eat another portion for a while once you've finish it, but actually devouring it is a blast.

My problem with SOR 1 is that it's almost impossible to resist exploiting the damage system, you can keep entire groups of enemies stunned by timing your punches. Best stage is stage 7.

 

[Falksi]

Streets Of Rage - Megadrive

Well this series certainly needs no introduction. I remember it being touted as the challenger to Final Fight's crown, and which reigned supreme was one of the burning questions of the day. With the recent release of Streets of Rage 4 I thought it'd be a good time to return to it.

Well returning now I still thoroughly enjoyed it. What it lacks in Final Fight's weight & meatyness it more than makes up for with it's slick, stlyish, fast paced gameplay and deliberate combat instead. You've a real nice feel to the movement, and you face intelligent & aggressive enemies which don't mess about and which go in for the kill from the off. By stage 4 gangs of 6 enemies upwards regularly attack you, and rarely do they hang off screen in a boxing ring style jab-off like in some beat 'em ups, they're always at it ready to snipe at you, so it keeps it frenetic and exciting.

The player's actions also really count, with skill & timing in certain situations the difference between seeing a full health bar depleted, and you wiping out a group of several baddies instead. You can proper have some mint Bruce Lee Kung Fu fighting moments where 5 enemies rush you, yet expert timing sees you twat each one off with split second moves. It's very rewarding.

And then there's that soundtrack. The whole series is praised for it's cracking tunes, but this one is my personal fave of the 3, with each tune capturing the vibe of it's respective stage very well too. Graphics aren't quite as impressive as the sound though, mainly due to the size of the sprites, but they're still good and the backdrops are really cool.

The only real criticisms are that firstly it's all played at that one, intense pace. It's fucking great, but come stage 7 I did find myself in need of a breather & change from it. Would have been nice to have had a bonus round or a well done vehicle stage or two in there somewhere. Secondly, there's very, very little new to see on a replay. Once you've finished it you'll feel a bit burned out by it, and there's no need to return any time soon. Still, that's the nature of these games, and it shouldn't really be about the number of hours you get out of it & replays, but the level of excitement & fun you get out the short, sharp blasts on them.

SOR's quality still shines through today. You'll feel a bit sick and too full to eat another portion for a while once you've finish it, but actually devouring it is a blast.

My problem with SOR 1 is that it's almost impossible to resist exploiting the damage system, you can keep entire groups of enemies stunned by timing your punches. Best stage is stage 7.

I found that less of an issue on the harder difficulty levels, simply because so many enemies swarmed you. In fact I found that's what added to the "Bruce Lee" nature of the game.

ToeJam & Earl was a roguelite, not a walking sim.

SoR1 is decent enough but SoR2 shits on it from a great height in pretty much every respect. The only thing that still makes me boot it from time to time are the tunes.

Horses for courses with the SOR games IMO. Each serves a purpose for a different mood, and my ratings here are really just based on my experience with them & the playthroughs.

Regardless of how good or bad SOR2 is, SOR1 is still definitely a supremely fun game IMO.

 

[Falksi]

Sonic The Hedgehog - Megadrive

^staggered platform levels underwater.......who the fuck thought that'd make for an exciting, speedy game?!?

So way back when I was a massive SEGA fanboy. The Master System had snagged me, and all the arcade hits had me firmly rooted in SEGA's corner. The NES was shit as far as I was concerned, and SEGA ruled the roost. Enter Sonic. Hyped up massively, this 100% pure SEGA fanboy here was anticipating his arrival like no other game. Mario? Who the fucks he? Look at Sonic! He's cool. He's edgy. He's bringing gaming into the 90's kicking and screaming. I raved on about this game like no other to everyone, and the day it landed I was buzzing. Fast forward a year and Final Fight snags me into buying a Famicom, I get Super Mario World as a free game with it, and my SEGA blinkers are duly smashed as I fall head over heels with Mario, and realize how utterly wank Sonic was in comparison.

I fucking hate it. I fucking detest the game. Always have, always will. After all that time spent waiting for it I was delivered an absolutely dull as dishwater platformer, with precious little to enjoy. It baffles me to this day how so many are/were in love with it. I forced myself to play it to finally lay it to rest, and whilst I've tried to be objective, let's not kid ourselves - this was a massive reason I became so open to the glories of Nintendo. It did the exact opposite to me as what it was designed for, it pushed me away from SEGA.

Anyway, why is it so bad? Well the big thing for me is that it's SO fucking SLOW. I mean this is a game which is meant to be all about speed, yet - apart from the early levels - all that running at speed tends to do is send you headfirst into some form of injury or death. The best way to progress is methodically, and it's just no fun. Sonic himself has a really horrid feel to his inertia, and if you compare him to Mario in Super Mario World he's sluggish as hell. Mario can fly and bounce around like lightening. Until he finally gets up to full speed, Sonic is like an iron ball by comparison. The levels are also designed to slow you down too, with Marble Zone & Labyrinth Zone being a painfully ponderous chore-some trek. I mean you're slow enough getting going as it is, who decided to then put you under water, or make you wait around for slow platform sequences to move around?!?

And throughout all this you're accompanied by some truly awful annoying music (EDIT: OK, so some of the tunes are actually good, but the constant repetition isn't). The graphics are good I'll definitely give the game that, but it's soundtrack is nothing short of torturous at times, constantly grating at you and mocking you as you try to get things moving, but wade your way through this treacle of a game. You've also the added glitches such as the spike glitch; if you jump onto a spike, and then fall onto another, you will die. Doesn’t matter if you are recovering from the other spike, you still die.

For a game that's meant to be all about excitement and speed, it's probably one of the greatest letdowns I've ever experienced. There are positive points to it, and it probably should get an objective 2 or 3 out of 5, but I hate the fucking thing so much that I'm running this one on emotion.

You couldn't get me to play it again if you injected me with a syringe full of horse spunk. Fuck off Sonic you blue faced cunt.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

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.

GA2 has arguably the best soundtrack.

 

[Falksi]

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.

GA2 has arguably the best soundtrack.

Personally I MUCH preferred the original games soundtrack, but each to their own.

 

[Dramart]

No way Streets of Rage 1 is 5 devils or whatever. It's not perfect, the second one is the best. You rated it with the nostalgia goggles obviously. The game is trash, a two is enough, even a three if you're a positive guy. And, you give Sonic 0/5 wtf. Okay, I read the review, you don't like the game, but is deserves at least 3 IMO. What? You don't like Contra Hardcorps pfff. Okay. This is a good platformer for Sega Genesis, bug bunny.

 

[Falksi]

No way Streets of Rage 1 is 5 devils or whatever. It's not perfect, the second one is the best. You rated it with the nostalgia goggles obviously. The game is trash, a two is enough, even a three if you're a positive guy. And, you give Sonic 0/5 wtf. Okay, I read the review, you don't like the game, but is deserves at least 3 IMO. What? You don't like Contra Hardcorps pfff. Okay. This is a good platformer for Sega Genesis, bug bunny.

SOR fully deserves a 5 IMO. Just because the 2nd is better doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly & absolutely enjoy my return playthrough to it now. I had a right blast. No nostalgia goggles.

Sonic probably does deserve a 2 or 3, but like I said with that one, I hate the game so much - back then & now - that I'm just hating on it. It's an emotional rating moer than an objective one.

Will add the Bugs game to the list of games to go through

 

[Machocruz]

Hmmm, Ive always liked Sonic 1 music the most. There's some forgettable rubbish, but the ones that stand out just sound better than anything in the following games to me. I'm not too up on musical terminology, but Sonic 1 has a warmer sound to me, reminding me of actual melodies you might hear from a top pop artist like Stevie Wonder. The rest of the series often sounds discordant, harsh, and purely gamey to me.

 

[Falksi]

Hmmm, Ive always liked Sonic 1 music the most. There's some forgettable rubbish, but the ones that stand out just sound better than anything in the following games to me. I'm not too up on musical terminology, but Sonic 1 has a warmer sound to me, reminding me of actual melodies you might hear from a top pop artist like Stevie Wonder. The rest of the series often sounds discordant, harsh, and purely gamey to me.

So I've gone back and had a listen to the tracks individually, and tbf you've a good point.

Firstly, Green Hill Zone is the one I hate the most. I do fucking detest that shite shower of a fluffy track. And seeing as that's what hits you first you'll hear it more than any other tune.

Secondly, a key thing is that you have to listen to these tunes over & over & over. Let's say an average player takes 3min per level (experts prob take 30sec), that means for your average player you've 9min of this music. Green Hill zone roughly repeats itself every min, so roughly you listen to the same repetition 9 times before you hear anything fresh. For me that's too long. Using Super Mario World as an example, you play one stage on that and usually the next stage has a different theme. It's rare that you'e subjected to 9min of the same recycled tunes. Even my fave tunes in the world get annoying on their 4th or 5th back to back play.

Having listened through the tracks individually on Youtube, yeah I think you're right I've been a bit too unkind, and there are some good tunes in there. But in the context of how they are presented, and for me personally, what they are associated with, I just hated on them.

Like I say in the initial post too, that's definitely one of my more emotional posts. Rarely do I get like that, but Sonic just stirs up shit in me which I want gone.

 

[Falksi]

Final Fantasy 4 (2) - SNES

^ Look at my ghoulies

Ah, FF4, I remember you. I think most people who play this series of games have something of a love/hate relationship with each entry. Personally I enjoyed most between 4 & 10, and fell in love with enough of them to hold the series dear. 4 (2) is very old school, so does it hold up?

Well despite being very old school, it's still more innovative & interesting that a lot of modern RPG's. It's core strengths come from a few key elements which really keep the game holding up in some ways even today. Firstly there's always something happening. It's very busy and carries a great balance between story, exploration & action. This really stops things from going stale, and shows up some modern RPG's and their more self-indulgent, bloated structures. There are secrets to find absolutely everywhere, and each screen feels like it will hold something of interest & value. Secondly the battles are really mini-puzzles, and they just stick around long enough to be sussed out, before being replaced by a fresh set. Such good pacing helps carry you through the game nicely and, although it can be a tad battle-heavy at times in dungeons, for the most part it's well balanced.

Where we start to hit some skids in the road though are with the translation. I played old school vanilla and by God it's awful. The game is directed well enough as a whole that you can still easily tell what's going off & enjoy it, but let's not kid ourselves, there's a shed load of dialogue which is jarringly bad. There's also some really outdated mechanics, such as having to buy equipment before you see how it affects your stats. That type of stuff is just basic now, and not having it available really stands out. We may have come too far with all the hand holding in modern games now, but this game displays some of the reasons we started walking down that path in the first place.

But it's charm, neatness, and quality just do enough to stop that row of skids overpowering the experience. How much you enjoy FF4 is really down to how much you can tolerate the annoyances which come with it's age, but I'd say it's definitely worth at least a look, and I think most will find some enjoyment in there still. If you're the type of peron that looks at the screenshot above with a sense of excitement, then defo give it a go.

Incidentally, I did try the GBA version too and whilst the translation is WAY better, I really just couldn't hack the vibe of the graphics & overall thing, and found this far more charming.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

hey, Falksi!

What are the chances of you trying Kenseiden on master system?

 

[Falksi]

hey, Falksi!

What are the chances of you trying Kenseiden on master system?

On it mate.

There's a few other recommendations from posters on here which I'm just about to get around to as well.

 

[Falksi]

Here's one for rusty_shackleford..........

Turtles in Time - SNES

I never really got into the Turtles. Whatever their appeal was, it just didn't snag me at all. So I remember owning this game back in the day, tons of folk raving about it, and never really connecting with it. Any different now?

Yeah actually. Unsurprisingly I think you've got to be into the Turtles to get the most out of this game, but with that said it's a decent enough in it's own right, it's just nowt too amazing either. One of it's biggest weakness is the spectacularly slow start. Despite a few nice touches, the first few levels are fairly bollocks, pretty challenge-less, and a bit of a waste of time. IMO the game would be better off losing one or two. But once you fight Shredder it starts to kick in to life thankfully. The music, enemy & attack variety, intensity & whole game just seems to ramp up several notches the further you continue, and come stage 7 and that's where I really started having some fun.

The turtles themselves also feel significantly different to each other, which is a real nice touch. Leo is an all-rounder, Raph is fast, Mikey is powerful and Don has reach. Very simple, but if you aren't enjoying the game with your chosen Turtle, definitely try the others first before giving up on it.

Now beat 'em ups are notorious for recycling the same enemies, and for me the better ones do this in a clever way to try and keep things feeling fresh, so with that in mind - you best get used to fighting foot soldiers. Don't get me wrong, I know that it's being faithful to the show doing that, but fuck me is it tiresome. However the surfing style levels are nice break, and cool boss fights with Shredder's in particular being very original and noteworthy, help lift the game throughout. An unintentional highlight for me is the voicework between levels. So awful it's brilliant. "Let's kick shell!" lolz

It delivers a bit too little, a bit too late for me, but it did still deliver. If I was rating the game on it's first half it'd get 3/5, on the second half a 4/5. Overall I think it does deserve a 4/5 though simply because those time travelling levels really do contain a lot of fun.

 

[Machocruz]

So I've gone back and had a listen to the tracks individually, and tbf you've a good point.

Firstly, Green Hill Zone is the one I hate the most. I do fucking detest that shite shower of a fluffy track. And seeing as that's what hits you first you'll hear it more than any other tune.

Secondly, a key thing is that you have to listen to these tunes over & over & over. Let's say an average player takes 3min per level (experts prob take 30sec), that means for your average player you've 9min of this music. Green Hill zone roughly repeats itself every min, so roughly you listen to the same repetition 9 times before you hear anything fresh. For me that's too long. Using Super Mario World as an example, you play one stage on that and usually the next stage has a different theme. It's rare that you'e subjected to 9min of the same recycled tunes. Even my fave tunes in the world get annoying on their 4th or 5th back to back play.

Having listened through the tracks individually on Youtube, yeah I think you're right I've been a bit too unkind, and there are some good tunes in there. But in the context of how they are presented, and for me personally, what they are associated with, I just hated on them.

Like I say in the initial post too, that's definitely one of my more emotional posts. Rarely do I get like that, but Sonic just stirs up shit in me which I want gone.

Actually I agree that Green Hill isn't that great of a listen. It's the least of the ones I mentioned. But it does have that tone I was talking about. It's pleasant enough. Since Scrap Brain is an obvious homage to the end titles of Blade Runner, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole OST was designed based on other, established songs. There is a YT video that shows that Spring Yard Zone (my favorite in the entire series) sounds like a Bobby Brown melody. There's likely a psychological component as a result, with Sonic 1 providing the warmth of familiarity while the following games sound alien (to me) in comparison.

And I also think the compositions for Marble and Labyrinth Zone aren't too bad, but the limitations of the sound chip did them worse than the rest of the tracks.

 

[Falksi]

Kenseiden - Master System

Darth Slaughter how the hell did I never play this first time round? I remember seeing the game in plenty of shops, but neither me or any of my mates ever took a punt on it. With it's theme, graphics & boxart I'd have thought I'd have been straight on it. All I can think is that it wasn't an "Arcade hit", so we ignored it.

Anyway, straight away gave me a vibe of Dark Souls/Sekiro:SDT with it's Japanese horror theme. The game can be punishing at times until you get the patterns down, but then, like those games, it becomes way easier. Everything's nicely designed from the graphics to the level layouts, the sound serves it's purpose, and it plays pretty damn good too. It's also got a few nice additional aspects too, such as developing your character & path selection. Things we take for granted now, but when I was playing this I was surprised such stuff was included for a game of that era.

Where it did get on my tits was with the fact that no end of attacks are unavoidable, especially during boss battles. In isolation it's not really that bad, but the worst thing which this does is then prompt you to just accept taking the hits, and run past the enemies. That in turn makes the penny drop that actually the best way to progress through the game is simply learn how & when to avoid enemies & just accept a hit or two. After playing for a few hours I started using this method and found myself getting way further, and the game's appeal dwindling somewhat because of it as I just started to "bypass" levels.

But I still enjoyed it a fair amount. It was definitely worth playing, and it deserves a lot of kudos for implementing elements which set the standard for the deeper, better games to follow.

 

[Falksi]

The Story So Far.........

So after playing 66 games so far, here's how I'd currently rank them in order...........


1. Golden Axe - Megadrive
2. Shining Force 2 - Megadrive
3. Actraiser - SNES
4. X-Com Apocalypse - PC
5. Thunderforce 3 - Megadrive
6. Batman - Megadrive
7. Streets Of Rage - Megadrive
8. F-Zero - SNES
9. The Combat Tribes - SNES
10. Dr Robotniks Mean Bean Machine/Puyo Puyo - SNES


11. Street Fighter 2 Turbo - SNES
12. Castlevania 4 - SNES
13. Contra 3 - SNES
14. Biometal - SNES
15. John Madden's 92 - Megadrive
16. Final Fight - SNES
17. Final Fantasy 4 (2) - SNES
18. Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel - Megadrive
19. Double Dragon - Master System
20. Cybernator/ASV - SNES
21. Ghostbusters - Master System
22. The Chaos Engine - PC/Amiga/SNES
23. Altered Beast - Megadrive
24. Golden Axe 3 - Megadrive
25. Turtles in Time - SNES


26. Buck Rogers Countdown to Doomsday - Megadrive
27. Chrono Trigger - SNES
28. Shining Force - Megadrive
29. Blackthorne - PC/Megadrive/SNES
30. Another World - PC
31. Golden Axe 2 - Megadrive
32. Batman Returns - SNES
33. Moonwalker - Megadrive
34. Alien Storm - Megadrive
35. Alien 3 - Megadrive
36. California Games - Master System
37. Alex Kidd in Miracle World - Master System
38. E-Swat - Megadrive
39. Scooby Doo - Megadrive
40. Crusader of Centy (a.k.a. Soleil) - SNES
41. Kenseiden - Master System
42. Brain Lord - SNES
43. Chase HQ 2 - SNES
44. Coach K Basketball - SNES


45. Toe Jam and Earl - Megadrive
46. Contra Hard Corps - Megadrive
47. Alisa Dragoon - Megadrive
48. Alien 3 - SNES
49. Crackdown - Megadrive
50. Wonderboy in Monster Land - Megadrive
51. Blades of Vengence - Megadrive
52. Choplifter 3 - SNES
53. Breath of Fire - SNES
54. Burning Force - Megadrive
55. Alchest - SNES
56. Cadash - Megadrive
57. Captain Commando - SNES
58. Brawl Brother (Rival Turf 2) - SNES


59. Full Throttle - PC
60. ACTRAISER 2 - SNES
61. Alien Soldier - Megadrive
62. Alex Kidd In The Enchanted Castle - Megadrive
63. John Madden '98 - Megadrive
64. Lagoon - SNES
65. Battletoads Vs Double Dragon - Megadrive/SNES



66. Sonic The Hedgehog - Megadrive

Still a LONG way to go, and when it comes to deciding the top 10-20 I'll possibly replay them too to see how I feel about them on return (I dare say some of the more intense, high octane stuff may suffer slightly if it lacks depth), but so far so good.

The RPG's will only trickle through as they take so much longer to play through, but I'll keep at them. Currently on Phantasy Star 4 and gonna start George Duroy's request of Golden Sun this next week too. but will be bashing through the quicker games on route.

One things for sure, it's REALLY highlighted just how much fun older games still are to this day. I've been playing other games alongside these such as Devil May Cry 5, Shadow of The Tomb Raider, Kingdom Come Deliverence etc. and I've genuinely found myself having may more fun with the older stuff on the whole.

 

[Thac0]

Final Fantasy 4 (2) - SNES

^ Look at my ghoulies

Ah, FF4, I remember you. I think most people who play this series of games have something of a love/hate relationship with each entry. Personally I enjoyed most between 4 & 10, and fell in love with enough of them to hold the series dear. 4 (2) is very old school, so does it hold up?

Well despite being very old school, it's still more innovative & interesting that a lot of modern RPG's. It's core strengths come from a few key elements which really keep the game holding up in some ways even today. Firstly there's always something happening. It's very busy and carries a great balance between story, exploration & action. This really stops things from going stale, and shows up some modern RPG's and their more self-indulgent, bloated structures. There are secrets to find absolutely everywhere, and each screen feels like it will hold something of interest & value. Secondly the battles are really mini-puzzles, and they just stick around long enough to be sussed out, before being replaced by a fresh set. Such good pacing helps carry you through the game nicely and, although it can be a tad battle-heavy at times in dungeons, for the most part it's well balanced.

Where we start to hit some skids in the road though are with the translation. I played old school vanilla and by God it's awful. The game is directed well enough as a whole that you can still easily tell what's going off & enjoy it, but let's not kid ourselves, there's a shed load of dialogue which is jarringly bad. There's also some really outdated mechanics, such as having to buy equipment before you see how it affects your stats. That type of stuff is just basic now, and not having it available really stands out. We may have come too far with all the hand holding in modern games now, but this game displays some of the reasons we started walking down that path in the first place.

But it's charm, neatness, and quality just do enough to stop that row of skids overpowering the experience. How much you enjoy FF4 is really down to how much you can tolerate the annoyances which come with it's age, but I'd say it's definitely worth at least a look, and I think most will find some enjoyment in there still. If you're the type of peron that looks at the screenshot above with a sense of excitement, then defo give it a go.

Incidentally, I did try the GBA version too and whilst the translation is WAY better, I really just couldn't hack the vibe of the graphics & overall thing, and found this far more charming.

On the money with that review, the fourth part definitly is the most well balanced FF. 3 is a bit too early and simplicistic, 5 is mechanically more interesting but lacks behind on story. Also it has the best exploration in the game.
I have huge Nostalgia goggles for this, since the GBA version is the first rpg I ever played and together with the Kotor games what got me into the genre in the first place.

Spoiler

Cecil turning into a Paladin at the mountain after defeating his Dark Knight self through pacifism blew my mind back then

Fun fact: Although the GBA version of the game isnt the hardest version of FFIV it is also not as easy as the Nort American versions. I bricked myself at a point of no return upon first playing at against Rubicante, and had to reset and start an entirely new run. Killing him was insnaely satisfying and the reason why my preferred game difficulty today is tough as nails.

 

[Falksi]

Final Fantasy 4 (2) - SNES

^ Look at my ghoulies

Ah, FF4, I remember you. I think most people who play this series of games have something of a love/hate relationship with each entry. Personally I enjoyed most between 4 & 10, and fell in love with enough of them to hold the series dear. 4 (2) is very old school, so does it hold up?

Well despite being very old school, it's still more innovative & interesting that a lot of modern RPG's. It's core strengths come from a few key elements which really keep the game holding up in some ways even today. Firstly there's always something happening. It's very busy and carries a great balance between story, exploration & action. This really stops things from going stale, and shows up some modern RPG's and their more self-indulgent, bloated structures. There are secrets to find absolutely everywhere, and each screen feels like it will hold something of interest & value. Secondly the battles are really mini-puzzles, and they just stick around long enough to be sussed out, before being replaced by a fresh set. Such good pacing helps carry you through the game nicely and, although it can be a tad battle-heavy at times in dungeons, for the most part it's well balanced.

Where we start to hit some skids in the road though are with the translation. I played old school vanilla and by God it's awful. The game is directed well enough as a whole that you can still easily tell what's going off & enjoy it, but let's not kid ourselves, there's a shed load of dialogue which is jarringly bad. There's also some really outdated mechanics, such as having to buy equipment before you see how it affects your stats. That type of stuff is just basic now, and not having it available really stands out. We may have come too far with all the hand holding in modern games now, but this game displays some of the reasons we started walking down that path in the first place.

But it's charm, neatness, and quality just do enough to stop that row of skids overpowering the experience. How much you enjoy FF4 is really down to how much you can tolerate the annoyances which come with it's age, but I'd say it's definitely worth at least a look, and I think most will find some enjoyment in there still. If you're the type of peron that looks at the screenshot above with a sense of excitement, then defo give it a go.

Incidentally, I did try the GBA version too and whilst the translation is WAY better, I really just couldn't hack the vibe of the graphics & overall thing, and found this far more charming.

On the money with that review, the fourth part definitly is the most well balanced FF. 3 is a bit too early and simplicistic, 5 is mechanically more interesting but lacks behind on story. Also it has the best exploration in the game.
I have huge Nostalgia goggles for this, since the GBA version is the first rpg I ever played and together with the Kotor games what got me into the genre in the first place.

Spoiler

Cecil turning into a Paladin at the mountain after defeating his Dark Knight self through pacifism blew my mind back then

Fun fact: Although the GBA version of the game isnt the hardest version of FFIV it is also not as easy as the Nort American versions. I bricked myself at a point of no return upon first playing at against Rubicante, and had to reset and start an entirely new run. Killing him was insnaely satisfying and the reason why my preferred game difficulty today is tough as nails.

Nicely 5 & 10 are my own personal fave FF games currently, so I'll return to 5 at some point for this thread. Although I played that a shit load as a kid, so I'm a bit wary of returning as I may already be burnt out by it lol.

 

[Thac0]

Nicely 5 & 10 are my own personal fave FF games currently, so I'll return to 5 at some point for this thread. Although I played that a shit load as a kid, so I'm a bit wary of returning as I may already be burnt out by it lol.

10 is my number one aswell, peak of the series and perfect example of what a Final Fantasy should be from mood, gameplay, story and production value.

I am neutral on 5 but I must concede it has one of the best tracks in the series.

 

[Falksi]

And on to the next.......

The Revenge of Shinobi - Megadrive

When I purchased my Megadrive it came witha free copy of Altered Beast, and alongside that I also bought ROS with it too. It was a day I'll never forget. Popping the cart into my newly aquired "16-bit powerhouse", that short but oh so sweet intro just absolutely fucking blew my fucking mind. Thunder, lightening, shurikens, ninjas and a rocking sound track......all thrown at you in the first 10 seconds. My jaw dropped and the Megadrive had arrived. I was a SEGA fanboy anyway, but this made me fall in love with them even more. ROS was the only game throughout my entire 16-bit era which I never swapped, sold or loaned out. Other games cycled back & forth, even the classics, but this one just had that special something. In fact I thrived on it so much that when I had to do a book review in English, I decided to be a cheeky twat and reviewed the instruction manual.

And so we return to it. Nothing's changed how I feel about this game. Even with years of hurt & bitterness now rooted deep in my core nothing can douse the thrive which ROS's purity brings. It's just such a complete package, and it rarely makes any missteps. You're greeted by perfectly weighted gameplay, an incredible balance of platforming and fighting action, and all that all complemented superbly with clever item/secret placement to ensure that you're always on your toes. The magic system also adds a great layer of RPG-style depth to the game, with each power having genuine uses, and creating an entire new layer to some levels & situations.

And the level design is simply amazing, with the game constantly throwing new things at you in an exciting & interesting way that doesn't jar one jot. Your journey REALLY feels like a journey, each stage is unique & almost perfectly designed exuding it's own character. You jump around waterfalls, fight in disco's, ride on the top of trains & nuclear missiles, traverse a puzzling maze etc. etc., it's just fucking flat out fantastic as no two levels are the same. And as you undertake your journey you are accompanied by some of THE most rocking tunes to have ever hit any system. The music here sticks it's wet tongue in your ear, nibbles at your lobe, rams a hand down your pants and strokes your shaft to ejac. And then there's also those bosses and that lush pop-culture tie in. The Terminator, Godzilla, Batman, Spiderman, Rambo etc. they're all in there (well in the original version of the game, not the censored one.) and each one feels unique & top notch. There's just so much creamy goodness crammed in there.

If I had to lay any criticisms at it's door it'd be that it's general overall pacing is 3rd gear, which may not suit some, and that it leans too much on enemy & stage memorization at times. It can also, on very rare occasions, feel like you're trying to beat the game's system & not the game itself (e.g. one enemy lowers his sword when you duck, and it feels cheap exploiting that from a higher level). But those faults are barely noticeable to me.

The whole game absolutely screams quality. It's a master-crafted piece of work, and stands up there with the best of them. It may be a bit too slow paced for some, but I don't think many will resist it's charms even to this day. Anyway, you want it in your collection, trust me!

 

[Falksi]

Final Fight 2

To say Final Fight was so massive, it's surprising that it took so many years for it to get a sequel. I only ever got to hear about this on emulation once I'd already squired my first PC, as the SNES was on it's way out and the doors were opening to more adult pursuits like beer & fanny. So I've played it a few times on emulation here & there, but all I remember is that it could never really light my fire no matter how much I played it.

And there's a reason for that, it's pretty lame. It's not a bad game, it just doesn't do enough to grab you or stand out. Even though the moveset is pretty much the same as the original, it just doesn't play as well or feel half as satisfying either. Most criminally of all the spinning piledriver doesn't do much extra damage than most other throw-type moves, which makes it seem pointless.

Bland, none-descript, charismaticaless enemies do absolutely fuck all to threaten you half the time, and serve mostly as punch fodder. It's such a relief when Andore turns up on level 2 to actually offer some challenge. The challenge does eventually ramp up though from around halfway onwards, but those first few levels are barely worth playing at all, and come the last few levels the same enemies have become really tiresome as you pretty much deal with them all in the same way. The new characters aren't particularly exciting either, with one dude carrying a sword but uses his fists to fight, which says it all.

It also feels weird doing a world-tour as opposed to fighting your way through the downtown alleys of Metro City. It's not as meaty or gritty as the original, and fuck me does it feel off facing off bad guys against the calm, scenic background of Dutch windmills or the Eiffel tower. It's all so out of place, like watching you're favourite porn actress get nailed by your dad.

There's a few nice nods to SF2, seeing Haggar there counts for something, and there are a few decent tunes in there too. It may sound like I hate the game and I think it's awful, I don't, I just think it's bland, lacking and pretty pointless. It doesn't bring anything new or noteworthy to the table, but it does lose elements of what made the original fun. You can pretty much play it in auto-pilot it's so predictable.

Not really worth your time.

 

[Machocruz]

Even back when it came out, you could feel the jump in quality between Revenge of Shinobi and other games at the time. Like a good summer blockbuster compared to a TV movie.

One things for sure, it's REALLY highlighted just how much fun older games still are to this day. I've been playing other games alongside these such as Devil May Cry 5, Shadow of The Tomb Raider, Kingdom Come Deliverence etc. and I've genuinely found myself having may more fun with the older stuff on the whole.

One of the nice things about playing really old games is that they are a known quantity. The hype and hate phases are well over, and opinions on the games have leveled out so you can get a fairly accurate impression of what they are like and whether they are up your alley. As such, it's rarer to be disappointed compared to D1P's that are riding on hype and first impressions.