Crispy™ So, console games...

[Cowboy Moment]

Literally the last gaming console I've had any real contact with was the Atari 2600. Such is the price and benefit of growing up in ass-backwards potato, in the middle of a total economic transformation, and getting exclusive access to a 386DX through an enthusiast uncle with connections, at a time when 99%+ of the population had no idea such machines existed. I have owned a PC ever since.

The other side of this, is that until the emergence of the internet, I literally had no idea about console gaming past like 1987. Why am I boring you with such a droll tale, you ask? Well, I bought and thoroughly enjoyed a furry platformer called Dust: An Elysian Tail, even though I was never much of a fan of platformers - having only vaguely been aware that this kind of gameplay structure is referred to as a metroidvania, but having never in my life played a Metroid or Castlevania.

Anyway, I have acquired a 360 gamepad, and I figure I could maybe look into this whole console gaming thing a bit. I've since finished Shadow of the Colossus (amazing in many ways, flawed in some, great overall, ICO is now on my list), am in the process of playing Symphony of the Night (very good thus far).

So the humble request for advice I'd like to direct towards my more console-experienced bros would go along these two lines:

1. I'm interested in good metroidvanias, or more open-ended platformers in general, as well as 3D action games - action adventures as well as beat 'em ups like DmC are fine. Twitchiness or difficulty aren't a problem.

2. I'd like to know which of the "classics" are actually good. Console peasants seem to obsess about games like Ocarina of Time, but in my experience of perusing neogaf, they like a lot of terrible shit, and their opinions cannot be trusted.

Obviously, I'm talking about games on emulatable systems, so anything below PS3/Fagbox. Presumably that was a better era for consoles as well.

 

[Cassidy]

Here my suggestions for classical platformers

- Jazz Jackrabbit
- Commander Keen
- Oddworld: Abe's Odyssee
- Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
- Duke Nukem 1
- Duke Nukem 2

 

[Clockwork Knight]

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Metroidvania

Trustworthy lists on that wiki.

 

[SCO]

Here my suggestions for classical platformers

- Jazz Jackrabbit
- Commander Keen
- Oddworld: Abe Odyssey
- Oddworld: Abe Exodus
- Duke Nukem 1
- Duke Nukem 2

Joke's on you, jazz jackrabbit was on a actual console


To the op; cave story is free, and ramps up the challenge gradually (until the last level and hell anyway).

Spoiler

There is also a paid version on steam (cave story+) that has some new stuff (not really critical thou)

Spoiler

Super metroid redesign is also a fine 'harder metroid' from when you can do bombjumps reliably.

 

[iqzulk]

Supermetroid is actually pretty good, varied and stylish (the whole main series - and no, NOT including Primes - are basically Japanese versions of Alien 1 for children in terms of imagery and overall mood). HOWEVER, there are significant drawbacks:
1) Controls are clunky and unoptimized; the horizontal jumps are slower than the running speed, which is extremely jarring and breaks the flow; Samus' height is, like, 1/4 of the screen so that the world overview area is really small; some moves are almost excruciating to pull off properly; the map is really not informative, etc. It takes as little as playing Metroid Zero Mission for an hour to see how horrendously dated some aspects of Supermetroid are (ZM, however, is not nearly as grimdark and atmosphetic, and has much worse graphics overall).
2) There are visible attempts in creating TEH CINEMATOGRAPHIC EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE in the beginning and in the end of the game; in my opinion, they are pathetically weak even when compared to, say, Another World - and due to their presence, the game seems extremely streamlined, sterile and dull until you get to the second big area (Brimstone);
3) The game has an extremely HEAVY emphasis upon finding Every Little Secret, OCD-style. HOWEVER:

a) the only stuff lying in really non-obvious secrets are basically +Yet_Another_Five_Rockets_Carrying_Capacity (gee, thanks, I can already carry 200 and don't use more than 30 before encountering sweet farming spot or rocket dispencer) and +Yet_Another_Energy_Tank (gee, thanks, I already have 8 of those + 2 refills; also because of health abundance, enemies aren't anything even remotely close to a threat 99% of the time)
b) the method for finding (almost) all of those is either by methodically scanning Every Bloody Wall with an X-Ray Scaner (which you get around midgame, so, if you are an OCD completionist, you'll need to methodically revisit Every Bloody Room you've already been up to that point and 360-degree-scan it) or methodically blowing a superbomb on every bloody screen (works also for Fusion and Zero Mission); you can easily guess the amount of fun in that crap. You know what's the worst thing?

Spoiler

you'll still miss a couple of secrets, since the respective passages simply don't show up on scans.

Now to the good part's I haven't already mentioned:
1) There are a lot of extremely varied obstacle courses seamlessly integrated into the ingame world, which make for a really fun, addictive and unpredictable exploring experience. THIS part of the game DOES still hold - and it holds remarkably well.
2) There are gazillion different semi-secret techniques, ways you can combine such and such powers in order to do something awesome. I don't think any other Metroid game managed to supersede this one in terms of "moveset".
3) The is a game heavily inspired by Ridley Scott's "Alien" specifically (in the sense that it's closer to Ridley's "Prometheus" than to Cameron's "Aliens" or any subsequent takes on that matter from other directors) - and it kinda understands what made it tick. How often do you see that in videogames?

So my take is that SM is not in a million years anything close to a 10/10 game, but it's still holds really well in some aspects - and I really recommend trying it. Just force yourself to the middle of Brimstone - and then the game will speak for itself.

 

[SCO]

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Metroidvania

Trustworthy lists on that wiki.

What do the castlevania fags have against order of ecclesia gameplay? Is that farming is needed instead of avoiding everything? It really seemed a very tight gameplay experience (character development was crap thou).

 

[Kz3r0]

I will let the others to suggest the obvious one and instead pointing you towards a not well known action adventure that it's very platform like in gameplay:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Bomber

 

[Renegen]

The best Metroidvanias are the Castlevania DS (and GBA if you really want) games and the Metroid games themselves. Sad the genre isn't bigger.

If you want to play a pretty cool platformer that shows what console gameplay can aspire to then play Beyond Good and Evil, also available on PC.

Metal Gear Solid is also a must.

 

[Kz3r0]

If you want to play a pretty cool platformer that shows what console gameplay can aspire to then play Beyond Good and Evil, also available on PC.

No, just no, the gameplay is terrible, the only thing going for that game is the whole government conspiracy thing and the role of free press.

 

[Kz3r0]

I was forgetting, one of the best platformer ever, Viewtiful Joe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viewtiful_Joe

 

[Renegen]

If you want to play a pretty cool platformer that shows what console gameplay can aspire to then play Beyond Good and Evil, also available on PC.

No, just no, the gameplay is terrible, the only thing going for that game is the whole government conspiracy thing and the role of free press.

Never heard anyone say Beyond Good and Evil has bad gameplay. It has really good pacing, never feeling too hard or too easy and you always get to do different things and taking pictures is fun.

 

[Kz3r0]

If you want to play a pretty cool platformer that shows what console gameplay can aspire to then play Beyond Good and Evil, also available on PC.

No, just no, the gameplay is terrible, the only thing going for that game is the whole government conspiracy thing and the role of free press.

Never heard anyone say Beyond Good and Evil has bad gameplay. It has really good pacing, never feeling too hard or too easy and you always get to do different things and taking pictures is fun.

The metal gear solid like sections while obviously being a parody were kid level stuff, the only difficult bit were the boat runs.
A fun trivia, they wasted money in licensing a song celebrating cocaine.

 

[Fat Dragon]

If you're into metroidvania-type games, look into playing Shadow Complex. It's a pretty cool mix of Metroid and Contra. Game is a bit on the short side, but it's also a download-only game so it doesn't cost that much.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

beat 'em ups like DmC are fine.

You mean DMC, right? Not the godawful wuboot, Dig my Cojones.

As far as that genre goes, there are relatively slim pickings for emulation; it's one of the genres the GAYSTATION3/FAGBOX360 generation didn't totally ravage.

That said here are some recommendations:

-Ninja Gaiden Black: I still think this holds up as the best in the genre, rivaled only by God Hand and DMC4. The problem you might have is that it is an original FAGBOX title; I don't know if you will be able to emulate it. If you can emulate it, do so. NGB is an incredibly polished game with an overwhelming amount of content (each difficulty level changes significantly, with whole new enemies/bosses added on higher difficulties, improved AI, different item placements, and increasingly difficult Fiend Challenges). The combat mechanics are tight, intuitive, fast, and fluid. It's difficult, but fair. Cheapness is so scarce in the game that the scantthree (or so) encounters that have any elements of bullshit in them stand out.

-God Hand: Imagine an old-school brawler in the vein of Final Fight, Double Dragon, or Streets of Rage brought into the 3d action-gaming genre. Now imagine that said game only had one selectable character, but the controller layout could be customized with about 75 unique attack animations (and a few "strictly better" versions of existing ones). Also imagine enemies that start out highly aggressive and become increasingly more aggressive as you "level up" the difficulty by playing well. You're imagining God Hand, one of the most unique titles out there. Put it this way, the first boss fight is against two flamboyantly-homosexual musclemen in Carnival outfits with other foes including a demonic Paris Hilton, a gorilla luchadora, and a bunch of midget Power Rangers. This game is fast, furious, and freakin' hilarious.

-Devil May Cry 1-3 (PS2): I'm assuming you've played these, but a quick rundown if you haven't.

DMC1: The progenitor of the series, though markedly different from what would follow. It's a very methodical, tactical game...more akin to Ninja Gaiden (FAGBOX) than DMC3&4. It has probably the best "balanced" weapons in any action game. Between the duo of Alastor and Ifrit, there's nary a useless move and both weapons feel just as comfortable on their own as they are complementing each other. Enemies are expertly design. They possess a bevy of techniques and are a real joy to figure out and fight (for the most part). It has a terribly lackluster ending sequence though. If the additionally unlocked difficulties weren't so masterfully done (they greatly change the encounters and AI), I would say to stop playing once you get to a certain LOLWTF sequence (Kamiya loves his SHMUP sequences...).

DMC2: Excellent soundtrack and a decent action title if you don't spam the guns and/or go for higher ranks. Better than the wuboot at least. Trish is really fun and so is Lucia. Sadly Dante is probably the worst character in his own series. I guess all the awesomeness of DMC2 Dante went to the Nocturne incarnation.

DMC3: What people think of when the think DMC; crazy combos done by an over-the-top hero. Most people mark this as the best in the series, but I disagree for reasons that are beyond the scope of this poast. That said, it's still an amazing action title, and certainly among the best the genre has to offer. Others are probably better at singing this game's praises.

-Shinobi (PS2): This is a bit of a niche recommendation. I adore this game, others loathe it. Basically, it seeks to project the playstyle of quick, two-dimensional platformers onto a three-dimensional space; it's all about economy of motion, rewarding efficient play and incentives it through a soul-sucking sword that both drains the player character's life if not sated as well as powers up with successive kills. Level design is very tight; there's no filler in levels, else the player character would expire as a result of his weapon. Good play in Shinobi is close to speed-running, and it makes for an exhilarating experience....well, for vidya gayming at least. Some might be turned off by the hardcore difficulty, extremely spartan graphics, and lack of complexity. It's not forgiving, isn't the best looking title, and emphasizes mastery over a small moveset. But it certainly has appeal to a certain crowd.

2. I'd like to know which of the "classics" are actually good. Console peasants seem to obsess about games like Ocarina of Time, but in my experience of perusing neogaf, they like a lot of terrible shit, and their opinions cannot be trusted.

Might be able to lend some assistance in certain genres. Any of the following interest you?

-(Casual) SHMUPS
-2d Platforming
-3d Platforming
-Action/Adventure Faggotry (less technical shit; e.g. Zelda)
-RPGs (mostly blobbers, but a few AKSHUN RPGS).

 

[Ninjerk]

I'll second Metal Gear Solid.

I played a ton of Sonic the Hedgehog, so I'll save you the trouble of playing all of them; spring for Sonic&Knuckles (with Sonic 3 attached if you can do that). Ghouls 'n' Ghosts if you enjoy a challenge, Altered Beast if you don't. Super Mario World is timeless. Never mind, all my suggestions are linear. As you were (but you're missing out). If I may go outside your genre confines one teensy bit I'll recommend you play Soul Calibur (forget the later ones, they get weird and Soul Calibur's setting might just be one of the most interesting game settings period).

 

[Metro]

I'm assuming you've played Terraria.

 

[deuxhero]

First of all, I'd recommend getting a different controller. 360 is passable for 3D (not especially good even then. Build quality is on part with the syste), but it has a strong candidate the single worst d-pad in existence (I wish I was exaggerating but for starters, it can't consistently detect input), , which is hell for 2D games. PS3 controllers with the Xinput wrapper (side note: that wiki is pretty good for info on emulators) have an acceptable d-pad (not as great and clicky as the stuff Nintendo does, and nowhere near as ergonomic, but you can actually input the right direction consistently), and, naturally, it's perfect for PS1, PS2 and PSP games, and the primary issue with the wrapper (you need to resync it with the PS3 or PC whenever you wish to change between the two) doesn't matter if you don't have a PS3. Nintendo controllers are generally very comfy with nicely made buttons, but getting them to work on a PC is a bit of a pain (adapters tend to be a bit finky for me, CCP requires a Wii Remote and bluetooth dongle to attach and I'm not sure if the Pro Controller drivers ever got analog working)

As for games...

Gotcha Force and Custom Robo. Two underloved gems for the Gamecube (both high on my favorite games of all time) that work perfectly on modern versions of Dolphin (well, I can't entirely vouch for Gotcha Force's accuracy, as the game is so rare I've never actually had a physical copy of it, but I've seen no problems the remain in the latest SVN across 3 playthroughs).

Way of the Samurai 1/2 are nice C&C games.

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Metroidvania

Trustworthy lists on that wiki.

What do the castlevania fags have against order of ecclesia gameplay? Is that farming is needed instead of avoiding everything? It really seemed a very tight gameplay experience (character development was crap thou).

I think it's a combo of how linear it is, though in my personal opinion is that while it's great the PC is fragile and you can dodge everything if you are careful, the enemies have way too much HP for it, so it's a bit repetetive.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Edward_R_Murrow I think most people look down on PS2 Shinobi not because they think it's a bad game, but because Ninja Gaiden was released a short time after and immediately set new standards for the action genre. Shinobi looked like old hat almost immediately after it was released and was outclassed in almost every way. Both being ninja-themed games didn't help with the comparisons.

 

[sexbad?]

ahah shadow of the colossus

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Go play some Super Mario Bros. Wii

 

[Kz3r0]

Edward_R_Murrow I think most people look down on PS2 Shinobi not because they think it's a bad game, but because Ninja Gaiden was released a short time after and immediately set new standards for the action genre. Shinobi looked like old hat almost immediately after it was released and was outclassed in almost every way. Both being ninja-themed games didn't help with the comparisons.

True, there are similarities, on a side note, they were both renactment of old arcade games too, while Ninja Gaiden is probably the best action game ever Shinobi is bare essential old school goodness, they are fundamentally different in my opinion.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Alright, if serious, I can recommend some GameCube games:
- Killer7
- Lost Kingdoms (Rune)

And my N64 favourite:
- Perfect Dark

I'll post a bit more when I get home.

 

[Ninjerk]

No Pikmin or SSBM?

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

No Pikmin or SSBM?

I don't remember much about GameCube games I played, but I ignored Pikmin, Pokemon and some other series.

 

[procrastinator]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/help-me-incline-my-gaming-collection-bros.74475/