Summer Games Challenge 2016

[flash1987v2]

Quite a few pretty long games there

[travis_stywall]

Quite a few pretty long games there

If you're referring to my list — yeah, I guess there are a few lengthy games on there, but I'm pretty decent at time management so it's doable.

[ElkinFencer10]

Quite a few pretty long games there

If you're referring to my list — yeah, I guess there are a few lengthy games on there, but I'm pretty decent at time management so it's doable.

Disregard adult responsibilities; acquire gaming time.

[Exhuminator]

+ Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS3) 9/10
+ Super Metroid (SNES) 9/10
+ Mother 3 (GBA) ?/10 never played
+ Tomba! (PS1) ?/10 never played
+ Psychonauts (PS2) 7/10
+ Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) 10/10
+ Resident Evil 2 (PS1) 8/10
+ Vagrant Story (PS1) 10/10
+ Final Fantasy IX (PS1) 6/10
+ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS)

Some really great choices in your list, and I've beaten most of those games. So I added my review score to what I think each game is worth for giggles and shits. Vagrant Story is my all time favorite PS1 game, so obviously fully recommended by moi!

I didn't realize Exhum's Shadow Tower updates are being posted here?

Normally I would have posted them in the first person From Software dungeon crawlers thread I made, but because Shadow Tower is a Summer Games Challenge entry for myself, the updates are landing here. When I do Shadow Tower Abyss later, that'll be in the From Software thread though. Anyway, some more screenshots and anecdotal thoughts:

In Shadow Tower, you save your game at special graves. Yes, graves.


Sometimes it's best to beat a spider-thing in the face(?) with a mace.


This game has rudimentary puzzles. This one was easy enough, because the dude told me what to do.


Shadow Tower has a variety of shop keepers. And they are always jerks to you every time you step into their shop.


Soul pods? Is this a vague connection to the Souls series? These things give you experience points to dole out as you wish.


When you're walking down a dark corridor, and you notice a gleaming red eye in the shadows ahead, it's best to just pop a few arrows its way and hope for the best.


This character's name is Auriel, and I've seen her in screenshots from Shadow Tower Abyss, so she must be an important character. At this point I had freed her from being entombed in a crystal casket, using an item I stole from a dwarf I slaughtered because he tricked me into falling into a poison pit.


Even the plant life in Shadow Tower will kill you. This thing shoots blue lasers that destroy your armor quickly if it hits.


You must always look carefully around you as you explore. I found a pair of armored gloves sunk in this tucked away little cesspool.


When you're entering an unknown cavern, you'd best keep your shield up yo.


I was firing poison magic at that caterpillar demon thing. The magic in Shadow Tower is very powerful, but using it requires rings that break easily.


Down in the mines I came across mandrakes that scream at you, and it paralyzes your movement, so they can munch on your groin. That little icon on the right side of the screen indicates the paralyzed status effect.


Here's proof that Shadow Tower is easier than King's Field. Never would you get such a convenient item as this in a King's Field game.


Does this screenshot look a little Demon's Souls-ish?


As a nod to A Link to the Past, one of the graves had a secret entrance inside it.


The level architecture and texturing have improved since KF3 that's for sure.


Do you see the completely not obvious secret door?


There it is! Shadow Tower does indeed continue the secret door trend that the KF games started. However it does not have nearly as many.


One big difference in Shadow Tower VS King's Field, is that you need to keep a stock of torches and other light emitting devices. Otherwise you will be very lost in the dark quickly.


Another example of the improved modeling and texturing in Shadow Tower versus earlier KF games.


Sometimes you just have take a wandering path into the darkness, and hope it doesn't lead directly to your death. These set of paths were over bottomless pits, with random gusts of wind blowing over to knock you off, of course.

So at six hours in, two things I can say for sure... First off, despite having a really brutal start, Shadow Tower is way easier than King's Field. Once you get some gear going, this game is kind of a breeze. Maybe that will change, but I'm doubting it. And two, Shadow Tower is really fun and has been entirely awesome so far. What do you folks think about it?

[Ack]

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter continues.

Last night I ran through the final section of level 4 for the Chronoscepter piece and then hightailed it out to the central hub. I installed the one key I had for level 8 and then entered level 5 to discover that each new level gets more involved and interesting. While most of the previous levels were open jungles and cliffs(except level 3, which was a city), level 5 is a temple built into a cliff face. It's full of precarious traps and secret passages, but my trusty shotgun helps me stay frosty. So far I have acquired a second of the five keys to level 8 after running across some planks plagued by swinging blades and natives with blowguns. Then I crawled my way through drainage tunnels to locate the next piece of the Chronoscepter. That leaves two keys to go for me to wrap up this level.

The weapons I'm encountering keeping getting more and more powerful. The auto-shotgun has proven to be an effective favorite, though its alternate explosive ammo gets automatically loaded, so I tend to favor it for bigger nasties that I have to take out. Generally I rely on the assault rifle or minigun for taking out the trash, but I've also been experimenting a big with the plasma rifle and grenade launcher, and I just grabbed a new energy weapon that I have yet to wipe something's face off. Unfortunately I probably won't use the grenade launcher much as it has a massive blast radius that I've yet to figure out; I keep hurting myself with it. Meanwhile, I still use the basic knife often, and the bow is fun with tek arrows, but I tend not to switch to it too often. At this point the basic pistol and shotgun are effectively replaced.

Hopefully I'll have an update soon on level 6, but 5 is proving to be quite the maze. I've had to start relying on my map a lot more than I was. Each new level makes me more interested in seeing what else the game will offer me though. I think I actually like this Turok even more than Turok 2.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Graphics look "better" than I anticipated.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Fighting Vipers is wayyyy easier. But I personally enjoy it far more.

Nice. I have been playing it with my children, and they love it. (They laugh uproariously when they hit people with skateboards or send them flying out of the ring.)

I already miss Virtua Fighter 2's intensity, however, and I think that I like Virtua Fighter 2 even more than Virtua Fighter 4 (which, after spending some time with Virtua Fighter 2, now feels too similar to other 3D fighting games). In Virtua Fighter 2, you are never more than two combos (or, in some cases, well-placed hits) away from defeat, and when a match can swing so quickly, even the slightest mistake can result in a loss. You really have to know how to play the game, and you have to execute almost perfectly to beat the certain opponents. (BTW, I played the game on all difficulty levels, and I noticed no difference between them. I ended up beating the game on the "normal" difficult setting after getting frustrated trying to beat it on the "easy" setting. )

Also, here are some completely unsolicited observations and strategies:

* Lau, my go-to character in Virtua Fighter 4, isn't that great in Virtua Fighter 2. His moves take too long to wind up; his low attacks are weak; and his moves are easy to dodge. Likewise, Akira, my other go-to character in Virtua Fighter 4, takes too much time to recover from his attacks. I much prefer Sarah, my final go-to character in Virtua Fighter 4, when I play Virtua Fighter 2. (Also, I should probably learn to play as Lion, Jacky, and Pai.)

* The HD version of the game on PSN and XBLA looks and plays wonderfully. It is definitely the definitive version of the game, and the one that anyone considering it should play.

* Here are some strategies for beating the game:

Lau - Attack relentlessly. He's easy to beat on any difficulty setting.
Sarah - Block and counter-attack. She is also really easy.
Shun - Just fight him. Again, easy.
Pai - Getting to Pai is like running head-on into a brick wall. She is fast; she will counter your moves; and she will punish your mistakes. She doesn't react well to low attacks, however; so, you should use quick, low attacks to defeat her. It will take some practice.
Lion - IMO, he is the most difficult character in the game. His combos are very fast, and they strike both high and low. Moreover, he closes ground very quickly, and he is deadly when he is close to you. It takes a lot of practice to beat him, and you have to be good at blocking both high and low attacks in a single combo. You should also be sure to hit him with a ground attack each time you knock him down and, after doing so, to move far away from him very quickly (since his rising attack is unpredictable and difficult to dodge).
Jeffry - Just keep punching. His AI is terrible, and he will walk into them.
Kage - He is incredibly difficult to beat if you try fighting him with normal attacks. He is susceptible to throws, however. I beat him by leaping back, waiting for him to attempt to close in, and when he did so, stepping forward and throwing him. The strategy was not always successful, but it dispatched him pretty quickly once I figured it out.
Jacky - He was really easy in Virtua Fighter, but he is pretty tough in Virtua Fighter 2. He has some powerful moves, and he can turn the tide in a battle very quickly. The only strategy I developed was using a quick attack with a long range or a throw after blocking his combos (and depending on his distance from you). You just have to fight very well.
Wolf - Learn how to escape throws, and start your combos with quick low attacks. He can defeat you very quickly, but if you employ that strategy, you should beat him.
Akira - Not terribly difficult. His recovery time is terrible; so, just counter after blocking some of his attacks. Also, try to keep him out of throwing distance.
Dural - Good luck!

Graphics look "better" than I anticipated.

Agreed. I read that the game performed terribly, but it might be that many reviewers didn't get far enough into it. I am also shocked to read that it is even easier than King's Field...

Also, the "shields up" mechanics sound very similar to Demon's Souls...

[Exhuminator]

I am also shocked to read that it is even easier than King's Field...

Easier than King's Field, yes. But that's a relative thing, coming from someone who has beaten KF1-4 already, with that experience under his belt. Most gamers would still find Shadow Tower balls crushingly hard. Based on reviews of its day, they found it to be exactly that.

Also, I know you beat KF4. But KF4 is not as difficult as KF1-3. I think you would find playing KF3 especially to be a different experience than KF4 was. I hope you give the earlier KF games a try someday.

On the flip side, I have heard from reliable sources that Shadow Tower Abyss is a very easy game.

[travis_stywall]

Disregard adult responsibilities; acquire gaming time.

Best thing I've heard all day. I'm going to need someone to put this on a shirt.

Vagrant Story is my all time favorite PS1 game, so obviously fully recommended by moi!

Damn, you aren't the first person to say that. I've always wanted to sit down with this game ever since I was a kid, so I'm excited to finally be able to play it.

[laurenhiya21]

Dangit, Exhuminator... How are you so good at making games sound so interesting?? You're making me want to play Shadow Tower, but I'm awful at really difficult games so I doubt I would like it much. Really need to work up my difficulty tolerance or something

And less than four weeks till school ends, which means I can participate soon Not that I have a full list atm, but I guess a partial list is better than no list?

What I have so far:
Super Mario World (SNES)
Ultimate Doom (GOG)
Tomb Raider (GOG)