Together Retro April Poll

[BogusMeatFactory]

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is time to vote for the theme for April's Together Retro! I have hand selected a ragtag group of game categories that will elate your eyeballs and flirt with your phalanges! Here are the nominees!

Defunct Online Games

This category is reserved for those who we believed to have been lost to time. Online games that have been warped beyond recognition, or their servers long left dormant in limbo in a shut down state. Take your pick from a broad selection of games that are no longer available in an official capacity, or current online games that have private servers featuring vanilla content not barraged by the deluge of free to play microtransactions and piled on design concepts. Examples of this include:

1. Vanilla Everquest (Project 1999) - This passion project is the work of a dedicated team to return the prestigious MMORPG back to its original state. This private server is endorsed by the current rights holder, Daybreak Games and features all of the content from the first two expansions of Everquest.

2. Resident Evil Outbreak Files #1 and #2 - This long forgotten Playstation 2 game was panned for its unusual premise. Players would work together online, randomly selecting citizens in Raccoon City just after the outbreak and overcoming various gameplay scenarios. The fun comes from the fact that you have no clue who is a real player and who is an AI, as it features basic chat feature utilizing pre-made chat options and also a very unusually behaving AI (you could honestly think it is someone trolling you. The servers for the game are back online now and can be played on your PS2 through the hard work of fans!

3. Utlima Online Second Age - The long-running powerhouse that is Ultima Online is now a convoluted mess of microtransactions and a series of expansions that force the series into an aggregated mess of sloppy design choices and visual aesthetics that will make your eyes bleed, but it wasn't always like this. Fans have created a variety of servers that add new content, new story elements and a variety of gameplay features that also feel hackneyed and against the spirit of the original series. So what are fans of the wild west of MMORPGS to do? This is where UOSA comes in. This private server preserves the game in its essence of allowing a sandbox game to thrive in the chaos. Consisting only of the first official expansion, UOSA keeps the spirit of the original game pure and an absolute blast as players explore the world and eke a name for themselves in one of the most remarkable moments in gaming history.

4. .hack//Fragment - A japanese only release on the PS2, .hack//fragment was an experiment by its developers to make an MMO using the same engine as the original quadrilogy. Players could pick their own class and visual stylings in a way similar to Phantasy Star Online and jump into the world of .hack as they explore dungeons and gather look and participate in world events. The fun of this game was that players could run their own servers and provide custom content through handcrafted dungeons. As people played on those servers, the servers could level up and feature more content and better quality items, as well as more powerful enemies. The online portion of the game has been fully translated and private servers are up and running and can even be played on the original hardware today.

Other notable games include - Star Wars Galaxies, Castle Infinity, The Realm

Monster Raising (NOT POKEMON)

While one can say that Pokemon was the defining patron to the genre of Monster collecting, raising and competing, there were a lot out there that could go toe to toe with unique and novel ideas. Games do not have to primarily involve raising monsters, but should have a very fleshed out or interesting monster raising mini-game or side activity that would be the focus on your game. Game examples can include:

1. The Monster Rancher Series - Who doesn't want to breed and fight monsters from any readable CD? This unique franchise was filled to the brim with novel features like generating monsters from your music or game cd collection to fight in deadly combat! The game has a lush history and a cult following and totally worth everyone's time!

2. Magic Pengel/Graffiti Kingdom - This is one of the most unique games of the Playstation 2 era. Players would draw their monsters on screen, using a robust toolset and have it be rendered in 3D to fight in a pokemon-style arena combat (Magic Pengel) or in a 3D action platformer (Graffiti Kingdom). Your imagination was limitless as you amassed an army of creatures whose abilities and stats were based on the colors you used and the various body parts and thickness of line. It really was a strange anomoly that can't be compared!

3. Sonic Adventure - Wait... WHAT!? Sonic Adventure did in fact have a great monster raising feature in the Chao garden! Feed, raise and breed your chao to compete in a variety of minigames. On the original Dreamcast, you could even transfer your Chao over onto the VMU for a Tamagotchi style adventure! If you decide to play this game, the primary focus must be on playing the Chao garden and your experiences with it.

4. Time Stalkers - What some say is a mediocre Dreamcast RPG that features an ultimate mashup of Climax Entertainment characters from the 16- bit characters like Pyra from Shining in the Darkness, Lady from Ladystalker and Nigel from Landstalker. What makes this game great is the fact that you can capture and raise monsters found in the dungeons you explore and incorporate them into your party. Those monsters can be transferred over into your VMU for a tamagotchi like experience, with also a dungeon crawl rpg combat!

Other notable games include - The Dragon Quest Monsters series, The Digimon Series, The Rune Factory series

Robots Fighting Robots

Nothing is more awesome than hearing the clash of metal on metal as enormous machines do battle. Here are a selection of awesome games featuring robots fighting robots:

1. One Must Fall 2097 - The greatest DOS fighting game EVER MADE! One Must Fall 2097, pits machine against machine in a rich and vibrant tournament of destruction. Players can choose from playing a standard story mode, but where the game really shines is in it's career mode. Players can create a character and earn money to purchase, customize and upgrade your robots to reach the top of the tier. I can not stress enough how fun and fulfilling this game was as a fighting game and still stands as one of my personal favorites of all time.

2. R.A.D. Robot Alchemic Drive - This is an absolutely insane game. Players control giant robots that fight in large cityscapes, but the interesting spin on the typical trope is that you control those robots from ground zero amidst the chaos. You are not perched inside the beast, or controlling it from some unknown location, you are maneuvering on the ground nearby as the machines battle! There is truly nothing like this!

3. Cyborg Justice - Yes... I know... Bogus is again highlighting a mediocre game... or am I? Cyborg Justice on the Sega Genesis is truly a unique gem of a game. This seemingly typical beat-em-up features a unique mechanic which involves customizing your cyborg with various leg, body and arm parts that change the mechanics and controls of your creation. Do you select pneumatic legs that offer a super jump, or do you do tank legs that transform you into a charging ram of death and destruction. Whether you pick a saw hand or a rocket hand, the choice is yours and the game can offer a lot of fun. Even better, you can switch out parts by viscerally removing them from your opponents mid combat. Want that awesome Laser Hand? Pry it off their bodies! The ability to remove parts is a lot of fun and soooo fulfilling!

4. Gundam.... everything? - Seriously, the Gundam Franchise is practically everywhere and in everything. You can pick fighting games, action rpgs and even First Person action games. Pick it all!

Other honorable mentions - The Mechwarrior franchise, the Starsiege franchise, Steel Battalion, Zone of the Enders franchise

Non-Adventure Sierra/Dynamix Games

While Sierra was a point and click adventure game powerhouse, it did develop a lot of amazing games that weren't a part of the genre. The games must be developed by Sierra or Dynamix, not just published by them. Here are a few you may enjoy:

1. The Incredible Machine series- Nothing was more educational and interesting than the Incredible Machine. Players were given a specific goal that was simple like get a ball in a basket. What was novel was the parts given to you. You had to create a complex machine that was truly Rube Goldbergian in nature.

2. Betrayal at Krondor/ Betrayal at Antara - This amazing first person RPG from the Riftwar series of books was such a rich and vibrant sandbox experience that rivaled the Elder Scrolls series of that time. The game featured an amazing story, complex combat mechanics and a breathtaking world and truly stood alone as one of the great computer RPG series of the time.

3. 3D Ultra Pinball Series - This was a spectacular series of pinball tables with themes that ranged from their Strategy game Outpost, to NASCAR and even Hershey Park. The tables were complex and had a lot of neat objectives.

4. The Realm Online - Yes, I am double dipping here. While this also fits into the defunct online game category, it is very fitting here. The Realm was a 2D MMORPG that featured cartoon-style fantasy characters initially launched on their ImagiNation online gaming service. It featured a robust world, combat mechanics and unique social features that were a lot of fun!

Other honorable mentions - The Starsiege series, The Hoyle series, The Outpost series, King's Quest: Mask of Eternity, The Red Baron series.


Well there you have it folks! I hope you enjoy the crazy selection of games I have brought before you! I will be more than happy to clarify if you have any questions on the categories. Enjoy!

[prfsnl_gmr]

Interesting...very interesting...let me know if any of these work for any of the categories:

Herzog Zwei
Metal Marines
Phantasy Star Online
Ranger X
Target Earth
Vectorman
Xenogears

[BogusMeatFactory]

Interesting...very interesting...let me know if any of these work for any of the categories:

Herzog Zwei
Metal Marines
Phantasy Star Online
Ranger X
Target Earth
Vectorman
Xenogears

I think they all fit in the robots fighting robots category, except phantasy star online, which would be in the defunct online games portion, but I would not necessarily suggest doing so because it has been featured on a previous together retro.

[Ack]

Needs more Rise of the Robots.

Also, would Jade Cocoon or Legend of Legaia count for monster raising series that aren't Pokemon?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Interesting...very interesting...let me know if any of these work for any of the categories:

Herzog Zwei
Metal Marines
Phantasy Star Online
Ranger X
Target Earth
Vectorman
Xenogears

I think they all fit in the robots fighting robots category, except phantasy star online, which would be in the defunct online games portion, but I would not necessarily suggest doing so because it has been featured on a previous together retro.

Got it! Votes are in.

I have to comment, though, I don’t see a “games that rhyme with menshue” topic here...

[BogusMeatFactory]

Needs more Rise of the Robots.

Also, would Jade Cocoon or Legend of Legaia count for monster raising series that aren't Pokemon?

I say yes! Jade Cocoon is a no brainer and legend of legaia has you collecting monsters for magic so, sure!

[MrPopo]

I am DEEPLY confused by these categories. I'm not really sure how Shenmue fits for any of them.

Anyways, my top were monsters (gonna do Revelations: The Demon Slayer) and Sierra (either one of the TIM games or Betrayal at Krondor). If Mech wins I'll try and get the copy of Heavy Gear and Heavy Gear 2 the library at the office has working on my machine, otherwise Earthsiege.

[Ack]

Well, we aren't getting an online Shenmue, so it's a defunct online game. It lets us play with a cat, so it has us raising a monster. It has forklift battles, so that's a robot fighting robots...and cars...and people...and good controls. And it has a dynamic Sierra, which means S, which is the first letter for Shenmue.

Shenmue is everywhere. Shenmue is love. Shenmue is life.

[Ack]

Anyway, I voted for Monster Raising (Jade Cocoon) and Sierra (Betrayal at Krondor). I'll dig through my games to see what else I have though if something else wins. I hear Hellgate: London is playable these days...

[BogusMeatFactory]

Anyway, I voted for Monster Raising (Jade Cocoon) and Sierra (Betrayal at Krondor). I'll dig through my games to see what else I have though if something else wins. I hear Hellgate: London is playable these days...

Hellgats London is in fact Playable! Also... Shenmue did have a defunct Online game. An mmorpg that never released, but a lot of footage was released about it.

It looked amazing.