Retro Gaming

[JB0]

Of all the games to get another sequel...

 

I love the title progression(Ninja Warriors, Ninja Warriors Again, Ninja Warriors Once Again), but really... it just isn't all that notable aside from being stuffed in a giant 3-screen Darius cab originally.

[JetJockey]

The music was good in the game. At least I have a few tracks saved.

[ScrambledValkyrie]

Hmm. I never played the original Ninja Warriors -- on the SNES, was it? Maybe I need to check it out.

 

Edit: So... with current prices, I likely won't be checking it out anytime soon. Seems it's become a pricy one.

Edited September 8, 2018 by ScrambledValkyrie

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Zuntata's music always made Taito's games notable for me:

NinjaWarriors at the arcade was tough! The SNES adaption lacked the killer music, and it was more forgiving. It was still a great action game though, so I might have to get the Switch version too.

[JB0]

1 hour ago, ScrambledValkyrie said:

Hmm. I never played the original Ninja Warriors -- on the SNES, was it? Maybe I need to check it out.

 

Edit: So... with current prices, I likely won't be checking it out anytime soon. Seems it's become a pricy one.

Super Nintendo game is a sequel, as I understand things. It was a much diffrent game than the original arcade game, for the better.

The original arcade is a stiff and boring game once you get past the initial "omg three screens!" aspect.

[JetJockey]

I remember not being crazy about Darius either once I finally found an arcade that had the game. I thought R-Type was a better shooter. I think either Thunder Force II on Genesis or Life Force was my favorite shooter until Axelay came along. That's still tops for me.

[JB0]

Darius 1 is also kinda klunky. Limited shots on-screen, combined with VERY long screen, makes every missed shot very punishing.

Taito got better, obviously.

[jenius]

Favorite shooter for me was Gaiares.

[JB0]

Gaiares is a pretty interesting game, and definitely deserves a look.

Actually, the Genesis has several noteworthy shooters that simply don't get the respect they deserve. Gaiares, Gleylancer, the Thunder Force series... You can't throw a stone without hitting a shooter, and that quantity means there's a good few gems in there just waiting to be overlooked.

 

R-Type has style, but Irem's level design gets just hateful in the later stages. I've got a long-running love/hate relationship with that series.

The entire Gradius series is a big unfun dumpster fire. Sorry, Konami, you've stayed married to a terrible powerup system and refused to fix your broken game. Even had the audacity to shoehorn it into Salamander and ruin a perfectly good game that didn't do anything to anyone. </controversial_opinion>

 

Zanac on the NES, and the PS1 sequel Zanac Neo are both an interesting take on the genre.  Enemy spawns and behavior are dependent on what weapons you're carrying and how well you're playing.  There's something immensely satisfying when you're doing well and the game is throwing everything it can at you. It is almost like you can hear the computer shouting "Bullcrap, that shot hit, you cheating bastage!", and it is so nice to have the shoe on the other foot.  Compile, you guys had class.

 

But let's rock it EVEN older and get some Defender action going. That's a fun game, though the original arcade controls can be an obstacle. Especially now that everyone is used to playing the genre with an 8-way joystick. There's a lot of instincts that just don't work on a Defender cab. Fortunately, most home ports adapted the controls to something more normal.

 

But my nostalgia goes to Parsec, on the 99/4a computer. Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna get WEIRD up in this joint.

 

 

There's also some Robotech game on the TurboGrafX called Muhcrawss 2036. It's pretty cool.

[JetJockey]

1 hour ago, JB0 said:

Darius 1 is also kinda klunky. Limited shots on-screen, combined with VERY long screen, makes every missed shot very punishing.

Taito got better, obviously.

 

I heard the new Darius is good. I haven't played it yet but the cinema scenes were pretty cool.

 

1 hour ago, jenius said:

Favorite shooter for me was Gaiares.

 

I never finished Gaiares. I still own it and I'll try again as an adult. I could never defeat this armored knight girl. I could get up to her without dying too.

 

46 minutes ago, JB0 said:

Gaiares is a pretty interesting game, and definitely deserves a look.

Actually, the Genesis has several noteworthy shooters that simply don't get the respect they deserve. Gaiares, Gleylancer, the Thunder Force series... You can't throw a stone without hitting a shooter, and that quantity means there's a good few gems in there just waiting to be overlooked.

 

R-Type has style, but Irem's level design gets just hateful in the later stages. I've got a long-running love/hate relationship with that series.

The entire Gradius series is a big unfun dumpster fire. Sorry, Konami, you've stayed married to a terrible powerup system and refused to fix your broken game. Even had the audacity to shoehorn it into Salamander and ruin a perfectly good game that didn't do anything to anyone. </controversial_opinion>

 

Zanac on the NES, and the PS1 sequel Zanac Neo are both an interesting take on the genre.  Enemy spawns and behavior are dependent on what weapons you're carrying and how well you're playing.  There's something immensely satisfying when you're doing well and the game is throwing everything it can at you. It is almost like you can hear the computer shouting "Bullcrap, that shot hit, you cheating bastage!", and it is so nice to have the shoe on the other foot.  Compile, you guys had class.

 

But let's rock it EVEN older and get some Defender action going. That's a fun game, though the original arcade controls can be an obstacle. Especially now that everyone is used to playing the genre with an 8-way joystick. There's a lot of instincts that just don't work on a Defender cab. Fortunately, most home ports adapted the controls to something more normal.

 

But my nostalgia goes to Parsec, on the 99/4a computer. Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna get WEIRD up in this joint.

 

 

There's also some Robotech game on the TurboGrafX called Muhcrawss 2036. It's pretty cool.

 

I never heard of Gleylancer. I'll check that one out. There was a slow shooter type game on Genesis that I forget the name of right now. But you flew a transforming jet that would turn into a robot. I think you could control the scrolling of the screen as well. The music was really good. It's on the tip of my tongue I just can't think of it. I think it had an X in the name somewhere. It came out towards the end of the Genesis lifecycle. It was reviewed fairly well. I still have it.

 

I don't think I was fond of NES Gradius. I still own it. I played Gradius 2 on Famicom with a converter thing. I thought that was better and couldn't believe we didn't get that in the States. I was glad that Gradius 3 on SNES was kind of a remake of Gradius 2. They all have really good music and I have some of the soundtracks. I have a few other Gradius games on Playstation. Gaiden was so so that I remember. Cool intro though. The arcade 3 & 4 release was almost unplayable. There is an early bubble stage in one of them and I just can't get through it with the slow down. Gradius V is probably the best one. That asteroid level is classic. The strange thing about the Gradius games is they never end on a satisfying note with a good final boss. I guess that's why I prefer Life Force and Axelay.

[JB0]

31 minutes ago, JetJockey said:

I never heard of Gleylancer. I'll check that one out.

For a while, it was one of the more famous examples of "great games Japan isn't releasing in America".

The only big flaw I see with it is that you can't change the AI for the two sidekick turrets without a game over/continue.

32 minutes ago, JetJockey said:

There was a slow shooter type game on Genesis that I forget the name of right now. But you flew a transforming jet that would turn into a robot. I think you could control the scrolling of the screen as well. The music was really good. It's on the tip of my tongue I just can't think of it. I think it had an X in the name somewhere. It came out towards the end of the Genesis lifecycle. It was reviewed fairly well. I still have it. 

That sounded like Arrow Flash until you said "towards the end".  That and Arrow Flash isn't exactly spectacular. It was good for early in the system's life when it came out, but against the entire library it's just average.

...

You're probably thinking of Ranger X.

 

But speaking of Genesis games with robots... I can't believe I forgot to mention MUSHA earlier.

[ScrambledValkyrie]

Gaiares is a fantastic game, just incredibly difficult, at least for me. Then again, I'm not super skilled at shooters. I think my brother finished it back in the day, but I've never been able to get very far.

(@jenius, did you ever complete Gaiares?)

I just discovered Musha Aleste this year, and it's amazing. Haven't gotten past stage 2, but also haven't put that much time into it. Compile definitely knows (or knew) that they're doing. Super Aleste (Space Megaforce) is probably my favorite shooter of all time. I've beaten it countless times since 1992. I got a Famicom copy of Gun Nac, and am looking forward to trying that out.

I never got into the Gradius series at all, and don't own any of them, unless you count Life Force (Salamander), which is pretty cool but I haven't played it lately. I'd say Konami's best shooter is Axelay.

I picked up Thunder Force 3 a while back, and it's pretty impressive as well. 

I've got the Macross 2036 PC Engine game. I haven't played it a lot, and it seems like it's just OK. I'm currently trying to finish Macross Scrambled Valkyrie on the Super Famicom. Incredible game, even apart from the Macross tie-in. I am having to play it on easy mode, though.

As I said, I'm not that excellent with shooter games. 

 

[davidwhangchoi]

how about Batsugun?

 

[jenius]

I sincerely doubt I finished Gaiares without resorting to cheating. There were a number of cheats available for that game.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Remember:

I remember looking forward to visit my cousin so I could play the heck out of Sol-Feace and Android Assault on his Sega CD-good times.

[jenius]

All this time, I pronounced it guy air res

[JetJockey]

15 hours ago, JB0 said:

For a while, it was one of the more famous examples of "great games Japan isn't releasing in America".

The only big flaw I see with it is that you can't change the AI for the two sidekick turrets without a game over/continue.

That sounded like Arrow Flash until you said "towards the end".  That and Arrow Flash isn't exactly spectacular. It was good for early in the system's life when it came out, but against the entire library it's just average.

...

You're probably thinking of Ranger X.

 

But speaking of Genesis games with robots... I can't believe I forgot to mention MUSHA earlier.

I'll check out Arrow Flash as well. But Ranger-X is it. I guess my memory is getting messed up or it was late last night. I thought it was a transforming robot but the Ranger-X character can enter or combine with his bike helper. That's a good game.

I have Musha too. Apparently it goes for a lot these days. It's probably my favorite vertical shooter. I need to think about it. Silpheed on Sega CD is fun. NES Jackal is also good but I don't know if you want to place all vertical shooting type games in the same category. Mercs on Genesis is another good one. But usually I'm not too fond of vertical shooters. Everyone loves Radiant Silvergun but I wasn't really impressed with it. I'm always tempted to sell it.

[JB0]

2 hours ago, JetJockey said:

I have Musha too. Apparently it goes for a lot these days.

It is a pretty well-regarded title, and it isn't among the most common Genesis games. Bad combination if you want to get it for a decent price.

 

2 hours ago, JetJockey said:

But usually I'm not too fond of vertical shooters. Everyone loves Radiant Silvergun but I wasn't really impressed with it. I'm always tempted to sell it. 

Oh, don't even get me started on Treasure fans.

I've never played Radiant Silvergun, but I've played Ikaruga( “Our frothing demand for this game increases!"), which is supposed to be a "spiritual successor"(and was "Project RS2" in development), and... it is kinda crappy. Pretty crap, but still just a boring memorization game. I remain convinced that most of the attention it got is just because it was a high-profile scrolling shooter at a time when there weren't a lot of scrolling shooters coming out. The standout Dreamcast shooter was Mars Matrix, but it wasn't from Treasure so it got ignored.

</controversial_opinions_2>

[JetJockey]

2 hours ago, JB0 said:

Oh, don't even get me started on Treasure fans.

I've never played Radiant Silvergun, but I've played Ikaruga( “Our frothing demand for this game increases!"), which is supposed to be a "spiritual successor"(and was "Project RS2" in development), and... it is kinda crappy. Pretty crap, but still just a boring memorization game. I remain convinced that most of the attention it got is just because it was a high-profile scrolling shooter at a time when there weren't a lot of scrolling shooters coming out. The standout Dreamcast shooter was Mars Matrix, but it wasn't from Treasure so it got ignored.

</controversial_opinions_2>

I'll check out Mars Matrix, it sounds familiar. I played the first level of Raystorm a while ago on a compilation disc and thought that was cool. I'll probably get to it soon. I'm trying to decide which game I'll play next.

 

I know there is a lot of hype for Treasure games. I missed a few that were supposed to be really good like Dynamite Headdy and Silhouette Mirage. People love Guardian Heroes but I sold that one. I didn't like it that much. I wish I kept it longer as I think that's another expensive one. But the two Gunstar Heroes games are awesome. I love those games. I'm waiting for Kokuga on 3DS to go on discount. It looks like an old school tank game. Might be fun.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

Gaiares  is still an awesome shoot'em up for the Genesis/ MD, Arrow Flash pretty neat , since its a transforming fighter.  For me nothing beats SALAMANDER. 

 

 

[davidwhangchoi]

what about Batsugun?

[JetJockey]

7 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

what about Batsugun?

First time hearing about it. Never played it.

 

I remember another good one. Philosoma. That is another one with mixed gameplay like Axelay. I want to get the sequel which never made it out in the States. The sequel isn't a shooter though.

[davidwhangchoi]

6 hours ago, JetJockey said:

First time hearing about it. Never played it.

 

I remember another good one. Philosoma. That is another one with mixed gameplay like Axelay. I want to get the sequel which never made it out in the States. The sequel isn't a shooter though.

i'll check out Philosoma, 

 

Batsugun is Saturn exclusive and expensive like radiant and Battle Garegga 

[ScrambledValkyrie]

Seems like the Saturn was home to several good shooters (and 2D games in general) especially when you consider the ones only released in Japan. I never had a Saturn. I focused on the PlayStation (and somewhat the N64) during that time.

[GabrielV]

On 9/9/2018 at 12:17 AM, JB0 said:

I've never played Radiant Silvergun, but I've played Ikaruga( “Our frothing demand for this game increases!"), which is supposed to be a "spiritual successor"(and was "Project RS2" in development), and... it is kinda crappy. Pretty crap, but still just a boring memorization game. I remain convinced that most of the attention it got is just because it was a high-profile scrolling shooter at a time when there weren't a lot of scrolling shooters coming out.

Yeah, I feel the same way.  I remember the hype when Ikaruga was coming to the GameCube.  I picked it up and was shocked at how bland and unfun I found it.  Yet, everyone else at the time was acting like it was the second coming of gaming and the greatest videogame every conceived by man.

I think Treasure is overrated.  They worked on Silpheed: The Lost Planet and it's not very good at all.  They also worked on Gradius V, which I used to think was spectacular, but when I played it again recently I was shocked at how uneven it played and how boring and bland it looked.

Not a fan of bullet hell.  The only bullet hell shooter I can think of which I like is Deathsmiles, and that's because of the art direction and the cool Halloween vibe it has.

I think shmups hit their apex in the 16-bit days.  Of those 16-bit shmups, I think Lightening Force (Thunder Force IV) is the apex.  Lightening Force kicks ass.

I also really like Raystorm.  It depends on the day you ask whether Lightening Force or Raystorm is my favorite shmup.

I remember Philosoma.  I think I have the disc somewhere, but it's been a decade or more since I played it.  I'm not particularly good at shmups, and I found Philosoma something of a vertical wall of difficulty.  It was kinda fun, worth me holding on to, but not a particularly great shooter.  The various perspective shifts in the game were somewhat jarring and disorienting.  It's not bad, just not fantastic or anything.  I think there was an invincibility code or something that allowed me to see the whole game.  IIRC, the game is somewhat front loaded with cool stuff and gets a bit lazy the further in you get.

 

[SuperDimensionalDave]

Border Down for DC is one of few shooters I never finished due to difficulty level. Haven't played in a coon's age but I remember it being a fave. 

[JetJockey]

7 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

i'll check out Philosoma, 

 

Batsugun is Saturn exclusive and expensive like radiant and Battle Garegga 

 

I think Battle Garegga was re-released recently. I saw something about it on NCSX. I didn't get it but I liked the soundtrack.

 

6 hours ago, GabrielV said:

Yeah, I feel the same way.  I remember the hype when Ikaruga was coming to the GameCube.  I picked it up and was shocked at how bland and unfun I found it.  Yet, everyone else at the time was acting like it was the second coming of gaming and the greatest videogame every conceived by man.

I think Treasure is overrated.  They worked on Silpheed: The Lost Planet and it's not very good at all.  They also worked on Gradius V, which I used to think was spectacular, but when I played it again recently I was shocked at how uneven it played and how boring and bland it looked.

Not a fan of bullet hell.  The only bullet hell shooter I can think of which I like is Deathsmiles, and that's because of the art direction and the cool Halloween vibe it has.

I think shmups hit their apex in the 16-bit days.  Of those 16-bit shmups, I think Lightening Force (Thunder Force IV) is the apex.  Lightening Force kicks ass.

I also really like Raystorm.  It depends on the day you ask whether Lightening Force or Raystorm is my favorite shmup.

I remember Philosoma.  I think I have the disc somewhere, but it's been a decade or more since I played it.  I'm not particularly good at shmups, and I found Philosoma something of a vertical wall of difficulty.  It was kinda fun, worth me holding on to, but not a particularly great shooter.  The various perspective shifts in the game were somewhat jarring and disorienting.  It's not bad, just not fantastic or anything.  I think there was an invincibility code or something that allowed me to see the whole game.  IIRC, the game is somewhat front loaded with cool stuff and gets a bit lazy the further in you get.

 

I think I own Silpheed The Lost Planet. I can't remember it that much but I probably liked it because it was similar to the original game with better graphics. Gradius V is probably the only shooter where I felt fear in that I'll never get through that asteroid stage. I thought they were joking. But then I realized how small the hit box is. Still, the final boss is the ultimate downer. I recall it involves a time loop. I have the game in my PS2 quick play area. Perhaps I'll check it out again tonight.

 

I still haven't played Deathsmiles but perhaps I'll check it out soon since October is coming up. If Raystorm is one of your favorites perhaps I'll play it sooner or next. The music in the first stage reminds me of those old Japanese games I used to import like Valis.

 

I didn't think Philosoma was that difficult. I think Axelay on hard is far more difficult. I know I would play Axelay on normal first to get ready and more ships then move to hard mode. And hard had the true ending. I guess I like the various stage differences in Philosoma and other games just because I'm not crazy about playing full vertical shooters. I need those variations.

[davidwhangchoi]

yeah Garrega is on ps4 but it's still pricey on the saturn. that and Elevator Action Returns. 

[JetJockey]

On 9/11/2018 at 9:53 PM, davidwhangchoi said:

yeah Garrega is on ps4 but it's still pricey on the saturn. that and Elevator Action Returns. 

I missed Elevator Action Returns on Saturn but have it on that compilation disc. I think the music is supposed to be better or a new arrangement.

[Convectuoso]

Sony Playstation Classic is coming:

 

https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/19/17877898/playstation-classic-release-date-price-ps1-games

[GabrielV]

It will be interesting to see the full game list.

Final Fantasy 7 is to be expected.  But there are so many other ways to play that particular game.

Tekken 3 is a good choice.  It's the ultimate evolution of the Tekken series on the PS1.  Also, PS2s and PS3s don't run it properly.  So it will be good for it to be on here, assuming it's correctly implemented.

Jumping Flash is an excellent choice.  I don't think many people have played it, and it was a pretty cool little game.

Ridge Racer Type 4...  Not the one I would have chosen.  Even though it's much more primitive, I definitely feel the original Ridge Racer would have been far more iconic to include.

Wild Arms.  Meh.  whatever.  Legend of Dragoon would have been a far superior choice.

We know Crash Bandicoot will be on there.  I can't view the official announcement right now, but I'm sure it has a Crash Bandicoot screen pic even if they didn't formally say which game(s).

 

What would be some of my picks?

Soul Blade.  Another big signature title and iconic to the system.

Klonoa.  Not really obscure, but kind of one of those games everyone missed out on back in the day.

Raystorm.  I doubt this will happen.  If a shmup ends up on the system, it will more likely be Philosoma than anything else.

Ace Combat 2?  Maybe?

Front Mission 3.  Because more FM3 is a good thing.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy?  Doubtful, but it would be nice.

[Convectuoso]

Metal Gear Solid is a must 

[GabrielV]

3 minutes ago, Convectuoso said:

Metal Gear Solid is a must 

Agreed.  I never cared for it, but it's definitely one of the titles iconic to the PS1.  Tomb Raider and Twisted Metal are in the same category.

I guess Metal Gear Solid's potential inclusion will depend on how petulant Konami is being lately.

Oh, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

[JB0]

9 hours ago, GabrielV said:

Wild Arms.  Meh.  whatever.  Legend of Dragoon would have been a far superior choice.

I don't get WHY Wild Arms is there, but I'd argue it is a much better game than Legend of Dragoon.

Personally, I'd slot in Star Ocean 2. Diffrent flavor of RPG than FF7, without the dated presentation of Wild Arms.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

For the SNES CE/ MINI .