Summer Game Challenge 2013 - Begin when ready!

[SpaceBooger]

I put a couple hours into KOTOR last night and am enjoying it. I just entered the lower level where the zombie/beast people are and am sneaking into the Black Vulkar's base through the sewers.
I think this matches the farthest I have ever gotten during previous playthroughs, so the the whole think is feeling new and exciting.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Golden Axe 3 is finished!

While I really like all the extra moves and branching paths they added to this game, its still not quite as good as the first two. If the controls were smoother and the whole thing was a bit less clunky overall, it'd be much better. Still very enjoyable though, despite my frustrations with certain bosses.

I took the path that has you fighting and saving all 3 of the other characters, and I even managed to fight the true final boss and get the good ending. I can't seem to find a concrete answer as to how that is done, but its likely related to your score/rank. I entered the final level with a B rank (score 400 something), and that seems to have been enough. Finished the game with an A rank and 625 points. Beat the final boss on my last life of my last credit though, so it was close.

I used Sahra, if anyone was curious.

I find Golden Axe I & II to be challenging, but thought III was ridiculously (and pleasantly) easy. Nearly every enemy, even bosses, can be taken out by approaching from a diagonal and/or jump-slashing.

I've taken multiple pathways during my playthroughs, but have no idea if I've ever seen the "true ending" - I should look into that.

@alienjesus
What port of Bubble Bobble are you playing? It always frustrated me how you needed two players to get the true ending of the NES version. I tried to pull it off the other week (with the wife) but she kept dying.

I've decided to put Shining Force II (and the rest of my summer games) on hold until the 11th. I'm just way too damn busy to start anything right now.

[alienjesus]

@alienjesus
What port of Bubble Bobble are you playing? It always frustrated me how you needed two players to get the true ending of the NES version. I tried to pull it off the other week (with the wife) but she kept dying.

I've decided to put Shining Force II (and the rest of my summer games) on hold until the 11th. I'm just way too damn busy to start anything right now.

Sega Master System version. It's considered to be pretty much the definitive 8-bit port from my understanding.

You don't need two players for the best ending in this one, but there is a whole bunch of other irritating stuff you do need

Fuck this game.

There's no shame in abandoning some of the games on your list. It's more about playing neglected classics with the intent to beat them/give them a fair shake rather than actually having to beat them if it turns out you hate the game.

To be fair, I do enjoy this game on occasion. It's mostly pretty fun. There are just a couple of level designs and mechanics that I can only describe as stupid though

It's going down this evening. I'm not abandoning it this close to my best ending!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Ah, interesting. I forgot that Bubble Bobble was even on the SMS. I've always wanted to try the C64 port.

[mjmjr25]

So I played Sorcer Striker / Mahou Daisakusen as my second game. More brutal than I remember. Not even making 3rd boss at this point. This one may take awhile or might have to replace it entirely :/

[dsheinem]

So The Last Blade is pretty fun.

I'm going to shoot for a $1 clear, as a 1cc is pretty tough on SNK fighter. I managed to pull of a Super Desperation move and get to Stage 6 in my first try of the game.

[Retrogamer0001]

Put about ten hours into Dark Souls so far and ouch...why'd I choose this one? It's definitely challenging and I've (very grudgingly) had to resort to the internet for help a few times. Still, a lot of fun to play and so much stuff to find!

[alienjesus]

1. Blaster Master - Wii VC (NES)
2. Cybernator - SNES
3. Super Aleste - SNES
4. Diddy Kong Racing - N64
5. Metroid Prime 3 - Wii
6. Loco Roco - PSP
7. Final Fantasy VII - PS1
8. Metal Gear Solid - PS1
9. Tomb Raider - PS1
10. Pulseman - Wii VC (MD)
11. Bubble Bobble - SMS


Warning - REALLY Pic heavy spoilers! (P.S. Sorry for the awful picture quality, I struggled to get the camera to focus correctly for some reason).

"You beaten up Dad"

"I will make you regret"

"I feel fine now"

"Forest also changed"

"The colour of the forest came back"


"Betty!" "Patty!"

THE END.



Bub and Bob returned to the village. Bub was glad to see the happy villagers. Some day, Bub & Bob will start a new adventure.

Bubble Bobble finally taken down. Overall I enjoyed the game well enough, and whilst it's definitely flawed in several ways, it managed to keep me addicted, so it cant be all bad. The game was mostly fun, and the main mechanics surprisingly managed to hold up over 200 levels. There were a fair few dodgy level designs though, forcing the player to fall through solid walls and do other such exploits to actually even be able to beat them. The difficulty was rather uneven, with some very hard levels randomly thrown in amongst a line of easier ones. The boss fights in particular seemed very luck based and were incredibly frustrating. The Master System port has some amusing cutscenes (as you can see above) with some funny Engrish (some samples: 'The is the bigining of a magic adventure', 'spetial thanks' and 'Thanks for your playing'), aswell as new stages and bosses. It also makes it possible to get the best ending (the one I got above) without needing two players, but unfortunately hides it behind a healthy dose of bullshit with the need to find objects in secret bonus rooms, some of which have bizarre methods to appear such as kill all enemies with fire instead of bubbles, pop 5 enemies at once, jump into a black hole and the final and dreaded one: have over 1 million points. There's nothing indicating these to you either, it's trial and error, luck or some guide use that will get you through.

Overall I thought the game was good, and I can see why it was considered a classic of its day. It still holds up fairly well mechanically, but there are some moments of cheap or bad level design that just don't hold up today. Worth a play, but not a must imo.

[noiseredux]

[dsheinem]

1. Shining Force II (Genesis) *started playing*
2.Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) *started playing*
3. MediEvil (PS1) *stopped playing*
4. Turrican (Genesis)
5. Duck Tales (NES)
6. Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons (PC) *started playing*
7. Eye of the Beholder (SCD)
8. The Last Blade (Arcade) *started playing*
9. Alex Kidd in Miracle World (SMS)
10. Zork (PC)

So I think this should be the last revision. I decided against FFT when I started playing LoZ:Oracle of Ages today. I know FFT is a fine game and I have desire to play it, but I've not completed a Zelda game since the early 90s and this one seems like it is up my alley after a few hours. It is also supposed to be much more manageable in length, which is also a concern given some of the other titles on my list.