Summer Games Challenge 2017 - Begin when ready!

[Exhuminator]

Exhuminator's "summer themed" 25 Summer Games Challenge

Battle Shark (Arcade)
Deep Blue (TurboGrafx-16)
Dive: The Medes Islands Secret (Wii)
Everblue 2 (PlayStation 2)
Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! (Genesis)
Submarine Attack (Master System)
ThunderJaws (Arcade)

7 outta 25 boom! ThunderJaws twas another game about diving I guess.

[MrPopo]

I booted up Descent II and realized I had not tested it, so I decided after some modifications to the controls that the only way to be sure was to play a little. One level down, 23 to go. Those fast little anklebiters with Vulcan cannons piss me off.

Oh what, Vulcan enemies on the first level? They don't mess around.

[Ack]

They certainly don't. Enemy spawners and armored thieves on level 2, floating minefields on level 3...there is some cool stuff at play here. I ended up running though the first three levels and am pleasantly surprised at what I have seen so far. 21 levels to go.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am really close to beating Clash at Demonhead. (I have all six medallions, and I will make my way to the final boss tonight.). The game is actually a lot of fun, and it is practically begging for a remake. (If Wonderboy III can get one, why not Clash at Demonhead?) Like all open-world action platformers of its generation, it can be a bit cryptic at times, but it is drastically less cryptic than game's like Blaster Master, Castlevania II, and Metroid. It is also drastically less linear than any of those. I am really glad I finally spent some time with it, and I highly recommend it (especially if you can avoid the terribly long passwords by getting through it in a few sittings). I would definitely list it among the best NES games.

[Xeogred]

System Shock
King's Field
Castlevania 2
Dragon Quest
Viewtiful Joe
Mega Man Legends

I guess I'll maybe stick to my original idea back on page 2 since it's fun to cross things out...

More in the Games Beaten thread. I was harsh on SS1 in the FPS now playing thread, but I'm walking away pretty happy for the most part.

[Ack]

I played up to the start of level 7 in Descent 2. With 24 levels, that means I'm 1/4 of the way through. This game is already considerably harder than the original Descent, with quite a few enemy spawners, upgraded versions of enemies from the original, and some new enemies that are more than a little frustrating to fight. One in particular breaks apart after being killed into an apparently random number of mini missile-launchers that can fly around and wreck your world. The worst by far though is the thief: it's quick, it's got a ton of health, it can snag multiple weapons and upgrades off of your ship at one time, and it's mobile through the level. The one saving grace is that its AI doesn't seem to like coming straight at the player's front, so my preferred method of handling one of these things is to trap it in a room and sit outside the doorway unloading on it until it does. It also drops a plethora of health and energy, so it's worth the expended ammunition in my opinion.

Boss encounters are also a lot more common in Descent 2, apparently popping up every 4 levels. I took down my first yesterday, a giant robot with an invisibility/teleportation gimmick that took some time to figure out because it was surrounded by goons. While I did best the big red beast, it took me a couple of tries and some of my heaviest firepower.

However, I also discovered at the top of the boss arena an entrance to a secret level where certain enemies had their design changed(fast moving enemies armed with vulcan cannons instead now dropped mines and constantly fled from the player). The secret level offered up a bunch of supplies and additional lives, but also possessed its own secrets that I never figured out, such as a 1up behind a forcefield. While the secret level operates like a regular level with a generator to destroy, there are multiple exits which will take the player right back to where they exited, so in my case I was sent back to the boss fight in level 4 but now armed to the teeth and fully stocked on health and energy. Also you apparently cannot save in secret levels.

Oh, and Descent 2 does replenish your shields and energy to 100 if you beat a level with less than that in either category. This is a fact I may well abuse. I beat level 6 after a particularly nasty run in with a horde of spawned enemies that left me with 5 shields. That was a precarious place to be.

Verdict so far: this game is awesome and builds on the original Descent marvelously, but with this difficulty, I recommend playing the original first to get used to how to play.

[laurenhiya21]

Castlevania Symphony of the Night (PS1)
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Shadow Hearts (PS2)
YU-NO (PC)
Phantasy Star (SMS)
Yoshi’s Island (SNES)
Prince of Persia (SNES)
Super Metroid (SNES)
DOOM (GOG)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Unfortunately I'm going to have to call it quits on Donkey Kong Country. It feels really punishing and at this point it's just not fun any more. Probably shouldn't have put so many platformey games on my list now that I think about it

I've moved onto Yoshi's Island, which I'm a little worried about since I've heard it's a bit difficult. So far it hasn't been too bad, but I'm only on the 2nd world. It is nice not being killed in one hit all the time, even if the baby cries are pretty annoying.

Also it looks really pretty, but I knew that before I started

[Ack]

lauren, you do have a lot of platformers on your list, but also a handful of RPGs. Instead of going straight from Donkey Kong Country to Yoshi's Island, I suggest instead giving yourself some time to cool off with a different genre, particularly as you don't want to end up loaded at the end of this with the likes of Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star, and Shadow Hearts. Maybe consider picking one of those to play instead for a bit before you try out Yoshi's Island or return to DKC.

I've done this for several years, and it's helped me out. Of the five games on my list, three are RPGs, and two of those are dungeon crawlers. To prevent burnout, I beat one of the dungeon crawlers (Eye of the Beholder II) first and intend to play through the other one (Dungeon Master) for my last game. Instead I'm doing an FPS (Descent II) and will likely follow that with the third RPG (Ultima III) and then another non-RPG (Thief II). I'm much more likely to get through with this kind of approach, because I don't glut myself.

[Xeogred]

Ack has a good approach.

But yeah, I have to be honest... I think Yoshi's Island is a good bit harder than DKC. The difficulty curve gets pretty steep with the last world or two being brutal. DKC on the other hand, is honestly very easy compared to DKC2 which I'd say is the hardest, with DKC still being easier than DKC3 as well. It's the easiest one by a lot. So take that for what you will, lol.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I think Yoshi's Island is a good bit harder than DKC.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Donkey Kong Country is a breeze compared to Yoshi's Island.