Retro gems: From NES to the PS

Black Francis · 11-29-2016, 05:18 PM

For the most part I don't like reviewing popular games that have been reviewed to death but in some cases where I really like the game I make an exception but instead of regurgitating what other reviewers have said, when I do review a game like this I'm gonna be talking about my personal feelings/experience from the game instead of reviewing the game's story. Such is the case with this game.

Super Metroid (Snes)

Let's start from the beginning. That intro.. talk about setting the tone for a game. Not only do that intro sums up the previous games but its cinematic approach lets you know they were taking the metroid formula to the next level right away. The visuals and the music choice was so perfect and well crafted it it is one of the most memorable intro of the snes.

Your game starts by returning to the Ceres Space Colony when Samus picks up a distress signal coming from there. That's the place where she left the Metroid larva with the scientist from the intro. One thing about that first mission is that it is kinda similar to the first mission in A link to the past in the sense that first mission feels like the last mission of the game. It's sorta like they throw you in the last mission of the previous nes games to then give you a fresh start in a new one. Castlevania: Symphony of Darkness does this too. In this game though that first mission is also a silent tutorial level and a well crafted one at that. Even kids today who are too used to learning how to play through tutorials that hold their hands every step of the way can learn how to play the game without the game ever needing to use a text bubble to tell you exactly what to do.

(This vid is a testament to how well this game was programmed)

Another thing that is great about this game is how agile Samus feels. She's fast and athletic and just a treat to control and that's before she even gets her cool power ups which turns her into a beast. It's great they give you such an agile character because that makes exploring the world a lot more fun and this game has a great world full of secrets that are revealed to you as you progress and backtrack through the game. The music through out the game goes on par with the visuals to create a sense of isolation and eeriness through out your whole adventure and again it's so well crafted it just feels like a natural fit.

I never actually owned this game but a childhood friend did and he used to lend it to me all the time, I think I passed this game like 3 times and for awhile him and me knew it so well we could've written a strategy guide for it but that was a long time ago, now what I remember from it is not all the details in the story but rather my experience from playing it and if you played the game too back in the snes days chances are this game caused quite an impact on you too because there's really no other game like it in the Snes. I can't think of another Snes game that perfectly captured that Sci-fi ambience
with such graphical limitations and this game still holds up today as great game.

I could tell you how getting the grappling hook was awesome and when you got the speed power up and the freeze laser and all that cool sh*t but chances are you probably played this game and already know just awesome it is so I guess this is more of a shoutout to the game than it is a review lol

Oh, the last thing I wanna say about this game is that speed runners have found a way to completely break it. Don't ask me how they did this sh*t but they found a section in the game that has a glitch that takes you to the end of the game but to do it you gotta navigate through an invisible section through sound alone.

(The glitch starts around the 14:10 mark)

How did someone discover this? I have no f*ckin idea.

The Batlord · 11-29-2016, 05:27 PM

Space Jump + Screw Attack = most satisfying feeling of godliness of any game ever

Black Francis · 11-29-2016, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Space Jump + Screw Attack = most satisfying feeling of godliness of any game ever

Ikr? And that's just a basic jumping mechanic. I love the sounds it makes too and also the sound when you land. all those polished little details is why this game is such a classic.

I don't usually like games when your MC is physically handicapped by either not being able to jump or run fast or just feel clunky in its movements. F*ckin Shepard can save the universe but he can't jump a little step. I get that game is more about the story but that's why you're not that thrilled to use him in combat. Even the guy from assassin's creed which is pretty agile is restricted to his cinematic movements on contrast the guy from infamous is agile and you feel in total control of him.

The Batlord · 11-29-2016, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Francis

Ikr? And that's just a basic jumping mechanic. I love the sounds it makes too and also the sound when you land. all those polished little details it's why this game is such a classic.

I don't usually like games when your MC is physically handicapped by either not being able to jump or run fast or just feel clunky in its movements. F*ckin Shepard can save the universe but he can't jump a little step. I get that game is more about the story but that's why you're not that thrilled to use him in combat. Even the guy from assassin's creed which is pretty agile is restricted to his cinematic movements on contrast the guy from infamous is agile and you feel in total control of him.

Yeah it's always goofy when a character can't jump AND THEN they make a one-foot high obstacle a legitimate barrier to an entire section of a level. But Mass Effect is too awesome for me to care so suck my nuts.

innerspaceboy · 11-29-2016, 08:23 PM

I'm not seeing any search results for Out of This World (aka Another World)

1991 cinematic platformer action-adventure game title by Delphine / Interplay

It was originally released for Amiga and Atari ST and later for the Apple IIGS and MS-DOS, but the first time I played it was the Sega Genesis and SNES ports.

The graphics and animation were breathtaking in 1991.

Black Francis · 11-29-2016, 08:52 PM

Mycaruba

I vaguely recall playing out of this world and I think I played Flashback in the genesis but I don't remember much of it. I've seen a play through of it and heard it was designed by just one guy.

innerspaceboy · 11-29-2016, 10:56 PM

That's right - Éric Chahi was responsible for the majority of the game. And Wiki indicates:

Quote:

[he was] impressed by the flat-color animations that the Amiga version of Dragon's Lair had and thought that it would be possible to use vector outlines to create a similar effect using much less computer storage.

Really remarkable stuff.

TockTockTock · 12-10-2016, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Francis

Panzer Dragoon is an RPG? I didn't know that, I thought it was a shooter. Did you ever get to play Guardian Heroes? That's the best Saturn game I've ever played.

You're half-right. There are four main installments in the series with the first, second, and fourth games being rail shooters. The third game, Panzer Dragoon Saga, was weirdly an RPG.

And yes, I've played Guardian Heroes — multiple times. It's one of the best multiplayer experiences I've ever had, and its branching narrative is unbelievably sophisticated.

Aux-In · 08-27-2018, 08:01 PM

*bumpity bump*

After finishing a recent round of Super Metroid, I felt myself wanting to revisit some personal favorites from the retro time period set out in this journal. I'm not going to get super in-depth, but I will write what I can of the games I want to mention. If anyone wants to co-opt any of these and do a more in-depth review, you're more than welcome to do so.

But we're talking about what? We're talking about Blast Corps, a game where your objective is to destroy buildings and blow **** up the entire time. Oh, I guess you destroy everything in sight so that the nuclear-missile carrier has a clear path and doesn't do it first, in much more dramatic and serious fashion.

Blast Corps (N64)

There are some racing elements throughout the game as well, but generally, you spend very little time being a human as you take control of dump trucks, bulldozers, missile-launch vehicles and futuristic mech bots with an appetite for demolition.

[The J-Bomb is my favorite. Super-fast jet packs, flies high, smooth navigation, destroys buildings easily]

There is a story to this game, as you are taking orders from Command, but it's not essential to gameplay. Your side missions include saving humans, finding all rdus (light beacons), and you do collect money along the way, but again, those are largely secondary to the insane fun you will have being your own wrecking crew. I don't recall off the top of my head if the money even matters (I think it's more of a tally than functional).

There are three medal rounds of completion -- bronze, silver, and gold -- with some of the levels having time countdowns. The faster the completion, the easier it is to obtain gold. And while getting the top medal for each level is challenging, the developers didn't make it impossible, so as a player it's actually fun to go back and get golds, which significantly adds to Blast Corps's replay value.

All in all, I think this is one of the N64's best and most underrated games.

11-29-2016, 05:18 PM	#151 (permalink)
Black Francis Out of Place Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: in an abstract house Posts: 4,111	For the most part I don't like reviewing popular games that have been reviewed to death but in some cases where I really like the game I make an exception but instead of regurgitating what other reviewers have said, when I do review a game like this I'm gonna be talking about my personal feelings/experience from the game instead of reviewing the game's story. Such is the case with this game. Super Metroid (Snes) Let's start from the beginning. That intro.. talk about setting the tone for a game. Not only do that intro sums up the previous games but its cinematic approach lets you know they were taking the metroid formula to the next level right away. The visuals and the music choice was so perfect and well crafted it it is one of the most memorable intro of the snes. Your game starts by returning to the Ceres Space Colony when Samus picks up a distress signal coming from there. That's the place where she left the Metroid larva with the scientist from the intro. One thing about that first mission is that it is kinda similar to the first mission in A link to the past in the sense that first mission feels like the last mission of the game. It's sorta like they throw you in the last mission of the previous nes games to then give you a fresh start in a new one. Castlevania: Symphony of Darkness does this too. In this game though that first mission is also a silent tutorial level and a well crafted one at that. Even kids today who are too used to learning how to play through tutorials that hold their hands every step of the way can learn how to play the game without the game ever needing to use a text bubble to tell you exactly what to do. (This vid is a testament to how well this game was programmed) Another thing that is great about this game is how agile Samus feels. She's fast and athletic and just a treat to control and that's before she even gets her cool power ups which turns her into a beast. It's great they give you such an agile character because that makes exploring the world a lot more fun and this game has a great world full of secrets that are revealed to you as you progress and backtrack through the game. The music through out the game goes on par with the visuals to create a sense of isolation and eeriness through out your whole adventure and again it's so well crafted it just feels like a natural fit. I never actually owned this game but a childhood friend did and he used to lend it to me all the time, I think I passed this game like 3 times and for awhile him and me knew it so well we could've written a strategy guide for it but that was a long time ago, now what I remember from it is not all the details in the story but rather my experience from playing it and if you played the game too back in the snes days chances are this game caused quite an impact on you too because there's really no other game like it in the Snes. I can't think of another Snes game that perfectly captured that Sci-fi ambience with such graphical limitations and this game still holds up today as great game. I could tell you how getting the grappling hook was awesome and when you got the speed power up and the freeze laser and all that cool sht but chances are you probably played this game and already know just awesome it is so I guess this is more of a shoutout to the game than it is a review lol Oh, the last thing I wanna say about this game is that speed runners have found a way to completely break it. Don't ask me how they did this sht but they found a section in the game that has a glitch that takes you to the end of the game but to do it you gotta navigate through an invisible section through sound alone. (The glitch starts around the 14:10 mark) How did someone discover this? I have no fckin idea. __________________ "Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!"* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A Last edited by Black Francis; 11-29-2016 at 07:26 PM.

11-29-2016, 08:52 PM	#156 (permalink)
Black Francis Out of Place Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: in an abstract house Posts: 4,111	Mycaruba I vaguely recall playing out of this world and I think I played Flashback in the genesis but I don't remember much of it. I've seen a play through of it and heard it was designed by just one guy. __________________ "Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

08-27-2018, 08:01 PM	#159 (permalink)
Aux-In Wrinkled Magazine Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: In Time Posts: 467	bumpity bump After finishing a recent round of Super Metroid, I felt myself wanting to revisit some personal favorites from the retro time period set out in this journal. I'm not going to get super in-depth, but I will write what I can of the games I want to mention. If anyone wants to co-opt any of these and do a more in-depth review, you're more than welcome to do so. But we're talking about what? We're talking about Blast Corps, a game where your objective is to destroy buildings and blow ** up the entire time. Oh, I guess you destroy everything in sight so that the nuclear-missile carrier has a clear path and doesn't do it first, in much more dramatic and serious fashion. Blast Corps (N64)** There are some racing elements throughout the game as well, but generally, you spend very little time being a human as you take control of dump trucks, bulldozers, missile-launch vehicles and futuristic mech bots with an appetite for demolition. [The J-Bomb is my favorite. Super-fast jet packs, flies high, smooth navigation, destroys buildings easily] There is a story to this game, as you are taking orders from Command, but it's not essential to gameplay. Your side missions include saving humans, finding all rdus (light beacons), and you do collect money along the way, but again, those are largely secondary to the insane fun you will have being your own wrecking crew. I don't recall off the top of my head if the money even matters (I think it's more of a tally than functional). There are three medal rounds of completion -- bronze, silver, and gold -- with some of the levels having time countdowns. The faster the completion, the easier it is to obtain gold. And while getting the top medal for each level is challenging, the developers didn't make it impossible, so as a player it's actually fun to go back and get golds, which significantly adds to Blast Corps's replay value. All in all, I think this is one of the N64's best and most underrated games. __________________ Reviews l YouTube Playlist: Another Dimension "All over a bowl of bitter beans."