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Post by davyk on Jul 10, 2016 9:13:01 GMT
Yep. Sega Ages Outrun.
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Post by davyk on Jul 6, 2016 22:47:38 GMT
In The Hunt is a nice game but Metal Slug is one of the greats.
The Wii version of MS Anthology suffers because for some reason all but one of the control options has bolted on motion control which was an idiotic thing to do. It also screws up because there is no classic controller support.
What saves it is it supports the Gamecube controller - but even that is almost screwed up because it doesn't work with the dpad. You have to use the analogue stick but because the GC stick has that octagonal piece around the base of the stick it actually works really well as you can use it to lock it into 8 positions which works really well for the MS games. As far as I can see the games themselves play fine - they might not be as accurate as the originals re slowdown etc - don't know enough about the series.
The PAL version of the PS2 Anthology is a shoddy, letterboxed , laggy mess with no 60Hz option- avoid. The US NTSC version is probably fine but I've no experience of it.
In PAL land we also got individual releases of MS3, 4 and 5 on PS2 and they are pretty nice with 60Hz modes etc but of course you have to buy 3 seperate games and you won't get 1,2 or X that way. MS3 is the pick of those as it has a couple of fun mini-games on the disc too.
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Post by davyk on Jul 6, 2016 9:49:10 GMT
There seems to be a good scene for 2D shooters like DoDonPachi in France. Have noticed videos of shmup events and some French youtube channels with shmup reviews and playthroughs.
The famous "Full extent of the Jam" document at shmups.com was written by a French shmup player who holds the Western DDP record.
The Saturn is a great console for that type of game. Welcome.
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Post by davyk on Jun 25, 2016 20:58:15 GMT
I really wish I could get into stuff like DoDonpachi. I can see the appeal of bullet hell / shmups but I don't get any enjoyment out of them. It's a genre that requires a bit of effort - even for someone who has played old school STGs in the 80s and 90s. The games look the same (apart from the mad bullet patterns) but in actual fact gameplay wise they are pretty far removed from the old classics like Gradius and R-Type. There are several gameplay features you have to be aware of and when you start learning to play "properly", you start seeing how brilliantly designed the better examples of the genre are. it isn't an accessible genre but I'd argue that's because it's a deep one - and ultimately worth the effort. Well designed modern STGs are a cat's cradle of interweaving rules that require the player to walk a tightrope between risk and reward. You do have to appreciate the concept of a high score though which is embedded into old school sensibilities.
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Post by davyk on Jun 23, 2016 15:33:11 GMT
Enjoying Saturn mode of DoDonPachi. It seems to act as a novice mode. It is slightly easier and has more generous 1UP score boundaries. It also has a level 0 complete with its own boss. It has one loop only and apparantly there is no requirement to reach the true final boss.
In the options you can select to play it as loop 1 or loop 2.
Managed to get to level 5 last night on it (loop 1, blue ship). It should be a nice segway into the arcade mode which is just that bit too tough for me at the mo. I find the usual Cave novice modes to be too easy - this seems to just have the difficulty pitched right.
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Post by davyk on Jun 10, 2016 12:40:19 GMT
Booted up DoDonPachi again. Every time I go back to this game it gets better. A truly great example of the genre. I really need to rotate my CRT though - it looks dog ugly in hori mode. I don't think any other Saturn game benefits more from a TATE mode. I feels a bit easier this time round - probably because I've been playing a lot of Gigawing on DC and the sublime Mushi Futari on 360 and those games have got me into the groove of manic STGs. Have been using my recently acquired HS-0136 stick too. Haven't got to level 4 on one credit yet though
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Post by davyk on Jun 10, 2016 12:09:17 GMT
Had SOTN on PS1 for PAL. Hated it for several reasons, even though it was the collector edition with soundtrack disc and artbook.
Awful PAL conversion - huge borders. I forced it into 60Hz using a Breaker Pro disc and it still played with borders; albeit smaller.
Main reason I hated it was it was trying to copy Super Metroid. I prefer my Castlevania to be linear. By all means throw in some alternate paths (like Rondo of Blood on PCEngine and Rebirth on WiiWare), but I don't like all that aimless roaming around. I appreciate this is a matter of personal taste but if you like your Castlevania to be linear I'd avoid SOTN. It looks great and plays well but I just didn't like the roaming, mapping aspect which I realise many others will like.
Control? Found it a step back from Castlevania IV on SNES which has 8 way whipping. Didn't like all those extra toys and powerups in SOTN - again - trying to be Super Metroid which has still to be surpassed in that genre.
Sold it.
Not worth it on either platform in my opinion. I'd definitely try it digitally before putting any money down for a physical copy.
If you want a great Castlevania game then either play it on SNES, PCEngine, or take a look at Castlevania Chronicles on PS1 - a late release - which is a port of the Japanese only Sharp computer release. On PS1 it has the original game and an arrange mode with slightly nicer graphics and tweaks to make the game slightly easier. It's a great classic linear style game. Complete the game and you unlock the time trial mode that keeps track of best times for each level. I'd take Chronicles over SOTN any day of the week.
I recommend Rebirth on WiiWare but it's quite short since it was a digital release and thus limited by Nintendo's odd constraints on downloadable games (which also blocked Super Meat Boy on that platform). Really nice looking game - best looking 2D linear entry in the series - but just a bit short.
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Post by davyk on Jun 3, 2016 13:24:23 GMT
PAL version runs fine at 60Hz.
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Post by davyk on May 23, 2016 18:25:49 GMT
I've never been fond of recreations of team based sports as video games. I've never played one in which I felt in control. Have enjoyed baseball games to a certain level, but more fond of stuff like tennis and golf.
I'm not a graphics whore but with sports games they matter more. Graphically these games haven't really started to look attractive until the Dreamcast/PS2/Oldbox/GC era. I liked some of the older golf and tennis games on the NES/SNES/MD but not much else.
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Post by davyk on May 20, 2016 15:20:48 GMT
Best sports game on Saturn? Athlete Kings.
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Post by davyk on May 6, 2016 18:55:34 GMT
I just use my JPN Saturn with a step down transformer. No modding needed. Would be nice to be able to just use a normal power lead though I suppose.
Good to see another member from Ireland here.
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Post by davyk on Apr 23, 2016 17:24:08 GMT
Why have I not even heard of this game before?
Watched oho's review - looks splendid.
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Post by davyk on Apr 18, 2016 14:03:22 GMT
I enjoy puzzle games and was really surprised by Heberekes Popiotto. Never played it before an really enjoyed it! Tetris is a game im obviously a lot more familiar with and was a little let down.... I think it could of been a lot better.
I thought the same way about Tetris Plus when I first got it. But for some reason I liked it a great deal more when I went back to it after some time. The thing is to ignore the classic mode which is just a pretty uninteresting implementation. The puzzle mode is actually rather a nice little variation on the game once you click with it. My copy of Tetris Plus is the JPN version and I thought the control was a bit sticky - not really bad - but not really smooth. I first played it on my PAL console at 50Hz using an AR but when I got a JPN console and played it on that the control felt a bit better - so the game may not play that well at 50Hz if the PAL version hasn't been optimised. I always liked Heberke's Popoitto - I have it on SNES and have the JPN version for Saturn too. It's actually not that different from Dr. Mario except that the enemies move around the grid until you lock them into place. The Saturn version has a couple of options to change the rules too. Nice game. Popoitto is actually a sequel to Hebereke's Popoon which plays a lot more like Puyo Puyo except you match 3 blobs vertically, horizontally or diagonally (no enemies to get rid of as in Popoitto). It's a nice game too but a bit basic. Popoon was on the SNES but I think popoon mode was added to the PS1 version of Popoitto - no idea why it is missing from the Saturn version. It's no big deal though. Love the graphics and music in the Hebereke games.
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Post by davyk on Mar 22, 2016 20:06:18 GMT
Sod 3D and its influence back then. Imagine letting the Saturn loose on a full on 2D Contra game. Sigh.
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Post by davyk on Mar 22, 2016 17:42:58 GMT
Wait.....Saturn got a Contra game?
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