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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 20, 2015 4:27:53 GMT
Good you liked it. Its nice having more options with your stunner.
I too like my MK games more than VF but I really like Fighting Vipers. Also worth a try.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 20, 2015 3:33:01 GMT
I popped it in today and played through the first 5 or so missions. I like the graphics. I always like seeing the Saturn do polygons and big bosses. Colorful too. ALthough not as good as alot of other stuff on the system.
It feels a bit bland. Levels are short and not super challenging. Even the bosses are pretty easy. Sorta has a Panzer Dragoon feel with the lock on etc but Panzer just plays 1000 times better. Ive been playing Layer Section (actually Galactic Attack) today and when you're playing a premium shmup you get used to more of a challenge in the bosses and levels.
All that said Sky Target is a neat little arcade airplane shooter. It doesnt resonate in anyway with people without any type of Arcade nostalgia. Weird they even brought it over. But its interesting. Might give it another go tonight. Im going to admit Ive never played Afterburner before but I wonder if Id get more enjoyment out of the Sega Ages version of that than Sky Target.
Lastly I have to agree with most, that 1st boss music is freaking epic.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 23:57:42 GMT
At the same time I don't want to set the bar high for AREA 51. Its the same developers thus basically the same game with different theme. Area 51 came out before. So if you don't like that particular style it might not appeal. However whats great about AREA 51 is that its aliens/zombies. Same digitized old school graphics. There are different weapons in Area 51. Grenades (blow up the whole screen), shotgun, machine gun etc. Shoot everything on screen to access secret rooms (one of the most fun things about the game in the Arcade) To me its the only "change of pace" light gun outside the 3 Sega ones. I havent given Crypt Killer a fair playthough so it perhaps needs another shot. Area 51 just happened to be the game I was obsessed with at the arcades when I got my Saturn as opposed to VC. I like them both the same these days. House of the Dead was my next love at the arcade. In fact my 3 favorite arcade games in the late 90s were Area 51, Die Hard Arcade and House of the Dead. Only console to play all 3 is the Saturn I played VC 1 and 2 last night and it just made me a little more upset that House of the Dead could have been at least as good as VC2. To be fair HOTD was much more graphically intense and a larger game but still. Regardless its still very good.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 17:12:21 GMT
Oh wow its night and day. Although a fairer comparison would be side by side in person. Youtube has all kinds of factors going against it like compression. However it seems the PAL version has alot of slowdown, even almost some ghosting. But Ill admit it looks like a poor quality upload as well. Kind of disappointing because DHA is one of the smoothest best looking arcade conversions on the system to me. To have it running less quality than it should is a crime
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 17:08:08 GMT
3 of these games have some odd attachment to me. Robotica is a game I used to rent (blockbuster sucked for Saturn games). Its fun for about 10-15 minute bursts just for the cool soundtrack. Nothing more. Sonic 3D Blast was one of the handful of games I got when I got my Saturn. I think its a good game. Not a great game but good. But the soundtrack puts it over the top. One of, if not my favorite soundtracks of all time. Its sorta soundscapey. Best way to describe it. Its a fun but average Sonic game with a great soundtrack and nice visuals. MYST is love or hate. I love Myst and its one of the Saturn games I got the most play out of back in the day. But its definitely a game with different pacing for most. Lastly CROW City of Angels was a weird game that I really wanted to play after reading a bad review of it in Gamepro (if that makes sense). I just liked the dark polygon visuals. AFter finally getting a copy years later I agree about all of its faults but its somewhat of a guilty pleasure. Yeah, I mean again, it's always subjective. I'm never going to say my opinion is better or more important than yours because I'm not a hipster lol. I generally dislike 3/4 view games, especially for a game like Sonic, and the Saturn version wasn't significantly better than the Genesis one so in my mind -1. Myst is COMPLETELY OPINION. You are right, that's love or hate. Robitica was one of my first Saturn games too, I played it because it was one of the few I had...never liked it. Crow City of Angels, that's a game I go back to in order to show one of the worst games of the period. But again, an opinion. So I decided because of this thread to pop in CROW again. I had never played it more than 20 minutes before. Now I should also mention before going any further Im a guy who likes bad games and somehow finds these odd likable qualities. So know that about me first and foremost Most of these games really are bad but Im sometimes that one guy who will enjoy it. Crow has a lot going for it that really appeals to me. I like the graphic style. Sort of like Resident Evil, pre rendered backgrounds and polygon characters. I personally like how the Saturn did the 3D here. I also like the detailed dark gritty backgrounds and models. However they dropped the ball hard on the gameplay itself. Player movement is sluggish like running through mud. Combat hit detection is very spotty. Also the small load times when simply going from screen to screen is really unacceptable. To me this game could have easily been very good. It has the graphics and atmosphere. It just needed smoother movement and slightly better hit detection. Could have easily been a solid 3D beat em up. I get more upset at how close a game like this could have been with a bit more play testing and refinement. Ill admit that after I got the hang of the combat I started to oddly enjoy it a bit. Gods honest truth . The round house kick is crucial. But the game is just flawed technically that it really should only appeal to big fans of the movie with patience.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 16:59:40 GMT
Robotica is a game a lot of people remember fondly, which I advise people getting back into the system not to replay it and spoil those memories as I did. Its kinda odd that we remember this game so fondly. May have something to do with how weak the First Person shooting lineup was around its release (Before we got a handful of solid titles.) I think the music really gives off the good nostalgia here. It also was fun for a bit of shooting back in the day. I bought a copy ($2-3) just to have on my shelf. I did play it again. The music brought me back. Played it for a few minutes. I would also never recommend the game to anyone these days. Its sort of just a piece of early 3D programming nostalgia ha.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 4:44:44 GMT
Ha yeah I was only 11 or 12 years old when I got my Saturn. I was just greatful for what I got. We were lucky enough to get Virtua Cop free with the Saturn (3 free games promo although VC was missing from our bundle lol, had to borrow from a friend). Area 51 my parents bought me along with Fighting Vipers and Sega Rally for my brother. Not a bad way to start out your Saturn days with 6 solid games. Also had Sonic 3D Blast which holds a spot in my heart regardless. Its kinda funny I just realized the 3 Free Games Pack was VC, VF2, Daytona. Then we bought Area 51, Sega Rally, FV. So we basically doubled up 2 fighters, 2 racers, 2 light gun But getting back on topic, playing with a controller, I didnt even know the Stunner existed. No job, car or internet back then made simple information like that lacking (and yes I get that there was a Stunner add on most of the manuals lol). I felt it would have been pushing it to ask for one. So with that I played Area 51 with the controllers. It was doable and we played through it no problem. I remember Virtua Cop being a little harder. I just so happened to pop in VC 1 and 2 tonight and they are dream like games with the Stunner. So smooth. To think I wasnt as into them when I was younger despite being into light gun games. Now they are just fantastic games to me.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 4:38:10 GMT
Well it depends where you are from t0bs. ARe you from North America or PAL regions? If you are in the States then pay the extra $ and get NTSC copy, why play at 50hz? linkt is probably right about the quick times being easier with any US version.
I know its more obvious to the UKers and PALers on this board but I personally have never witnessed the difference between 50hz and 60hz before. Ive been told by alot of gamers that its a big difference especially with games that have borderline slowdown or fighting games. I have no way of knowing myself. Either version you get you are getting an amazing game.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 19, 2015 4:29:36 GMT
So I chucked in Maximum Force last night. And wow, to say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. Really wanted to try some other light gun games outside of Virtua Cop 1 & 2. The pal copy of this game sells for about $200aud! And if I paid that much for this game, I'd Probabaly shoot myself. I picked up this game in a bundle with about 7 other games for $150aud total. So on average, I paid about $20aud for it. Which atleast makes me feel not so bad. Gameplay/graphics just the whole game is ordinary to say the least. You can shoot barrels but I actually can't see any point to it? When you blow them up unlike in VC, the enemy blows up aswell. Maximum force? Nada. Is there a point? Certainly not worth anything near $200. Anyone out there thinking of getting it, unless you get it super cheap as I did, save yourself a heap of money and just get VirtuaCop 1 & 2 and enjoy those games! I had no idea this was a high priced PAL game. In North America its a cheapish title. I bought sealed copy last year for $12 USD. Reminds me of Courier Crisis. Its a dirt cheap game in NA but I noticed its crazy high in PAL region. Its the same type of average decent game for $5-10. But yeah Maximum Force is very average. Its not terrible. Better than Crypt Killer but youd rather just play Virtua Cop 1 and 2 for the same type of setting. The barrells you mention do serve a purpose. Just like in Area 51, then access secret rooms if you shoot enough of them or in a certain order. If you are looking for a change of pace get AREA 51 (same company/engine) but Im assuming you may already have it? Area 51 to me, along with VC1+2 are the best arcade light gun ports. Yes I still love HOTD even in its 60% form but those were more polished games. Area 51 is awesome if you are looking for something different than VC1+2. It changes the light gun pallet a bit. Its got frantic action, good weapons and best of all lots of secret rooms. I was obsessed with that game when I was a kid and its one of the first games I bought it when I got a Saturn (Virtua Cop came free with the system as well).
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 18, 2015 15:36:39 GMT
GOOD NEWS - crt works fine. first thing i've done - played virtua cop with the yirtua gun. what a fun IMO its still worth owning a CRT, even if it has to be a smaller one, just to keep the Saturn light gun games in the rotation. Crazy to think back in 96 I played Virtua Cop and Area 51 with the control pad. Doable for sure but both play so damn good with the Stunner.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 18, 2015 15:33:54 GMT
For those in the States there is a 100% complete NTSC US version available as well. Never released but its easy to find on the net. Can even be found in the Lost and Found Volume 3 which pops up on Ebay here and there.
Nothing wrong with grabbing a JPN copy for the shelf too.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 18, 2015 8:31:28 GMT
Robotica, sonic 3d blast, defcon 5, myst .... 3 of these games have some odd attachment to me. Robotica is a game I used to rent (blockbuster sucked for Saturn games). Its fun for about 10-15 minute bursts just for the cool soundtrack. Nothing more. Sonic 3D Blast was one of the handful of games I got when I got my Saturn. I think its a good game. Not a great game but good. But the soundtrack puts it over the top. One of, if not my favorite soundtracks of all time. Its sorta soundscapey. Best way to describe it. Its a fun but average Sonic game with a great soundtrack and nice visuals. MYST is love or hate. I love Myst and its one of the Saturn games I got the most play out of back in the day. But its definitely a game with different pacing for most. Lastly CROW City of Angels was a weird game that I really wanted to play after reading a bad review of it in Gamepro (if that makes sense). I just liked the dark polygon visuals. AFter finally getting a copy years later I agree about all of its faults but its somewhat of a guilty pleasure.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 18, 2015 8:19:04 GMT
Poltergeist welcome to the boards! Love seeing some more North American Saturners on here.
Great gaming history you have there. As for your quest to play some of the late titles, its a glorious one and I hope you get around to playing Burning Rangers, PDS, and Radiant!
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 17, 2015 22:41:40 GMT
I don't know about the arcade version, but I've always loved the gameplay in Saturn Daytona USA. I'm not generally an enthusiast of racing games where you can't mess up the other cars with firepower or traps, but I put quite a few hours into Daytona USA back in 1997-98 when I first got my Saturn. It's just such an intense and fairly designed experience. Even though I wasn't very good at it, I just kept playing and playing. Virtua Racing is one I like, too. It doesn't have the addictive quality of Daytona USA - not for me, anyway - but it's a nice-looking racer with plenty of tracks. The start-and-stop music is bewildering, but overall I enjoy popping it in now and then. The game was released the same month as Saturn Sega Rally, so understandably it was overshadowed by that game at the time, but in retrospect it's a fun game. Die Hard Arcade is terrific fun, and for my money one of the Saturn's high points, even though I find the graphics ugly. Tomb Raider is one I got recently but haven't had a chance to play yet. I did check out the intro, tutorial, and first minute or two of the first stage just to make sure the game was working, and liked what I saw. Im in the same boat with Daytona. I loved all the versions of daytona USA on Saturn even the stock original version. I guess only the arcade peepz will notice. I think I played Daytona once in arcades back then and it seemed all the same. But like I said only once. I cant believe you think Die Hard Arcades graphics are ugly martinii! I think they are some of the best looking polygons on the Saturn, clean and colorful.
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Post by xDerekRx on Sept 17, 2015 22:39:24 GMT
If you don't mind me interjecting, we have a 10-seat arcade unit at the Dave and Busters near me and I've always found the transition from Saturn Daytona (using the arcade racer) and the arcade pretty seamless. The only thing that I find annoying is the arcade's rubber banding of opponents when playing multi-player. You just can't leave anyone behind regardless of your skill level. I didn't even know that existed, most I think I ever saw in the day was 4 player. In the States we go big or go home Sadly thats the case with everything
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