Summer Games Challenge 2014

[prfsnl_gmr]

I used to be just like you prfsnl. Let me think, if you got a PS3 in 2013 then that puts you on track to get into PC stuff in 2015.

I mostly use my work laptop, and my wife gives me a side-long glance any time I use "our" laptop for gaming...

[BoneSnapDeez]

@prfsnl_gmr

I know one reason you'd like an Xbox 360. There are some compilations you can't get anywhere else.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/653582- ... collection
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/612220- ... collection
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/979506- ... sics-vol-1
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/980803- ... sics-vol-2
http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/950920- ... ual-arcade

(+ the WRPGs, shmups, and some good exclusive JRPGs)

Anyway...

Alien Syndrome
Dragon's Curse
Exile
Fantasy Zone
Final Fight
Mega Man
Metroid
Ristar
Super C
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Final Fight
I have mixed feelings about this one.

On the positive side, it's a solidly built game. The graphics are technically impressive, with huge detailed character sprites and impeccable walking animations. The cutscenes are top-notch and (unintentionally) hilarious, dripping with the typical cheesy barely-English late-80s dialogue. Controls are perfect, as is hit detection. It all functions very, very well.

But Final Fight is a bit on the dull side. Racketboy poster noiseredux quipped that I should be playing Streets of Rage instead, and I find it interesting to draw a comparison between the two. Streets of Rage just oozes style, grace, and pizzazz - complete with it's dark blue/black hues and incredible Yuzo Koshiro chiptunes. Final Fight is a game where you walk to the right and punch shit.

To be fair, I likely would have enjoyed this better with a second player. Even going solo, however, didn't provide too much as far as challenge goes. Most regular enemies are total doofuses and the game's difficulty is almost completely dependent on how many enemies are on the screen at one time.

Final Fight is about 100 times better than Burning Fight and other various clones - I'll give it that - but it's not a game I'm itching to replay any time soon.

Alien Syndrome
Alien Syndrome is a top-down shooter, a genre that I typically enjoy. It consists of six levels where you must rescue a set number of hostages, which will in turn open a door to a giant grotesque alien boss. Oh, and the game's art style and enemies are slightly inspired by the movie Alien. Just slightly.

Like Final Fight, Alien Syndrome originated in the arcades. So my first playthrough attempt was the arcade version, emulated on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

And it's hard as shit.

No continues. Strict time limit. Enemies coming from all directions. I was dead before you could say "Sega." I guess theoretically I could have finished the game had I set the difficulty to Easy and abused save states. But where's the fun in that? (By the way, I realized that the difficulty settings for the arcade games featured on Sonic's UGG correspond to the DIP switches inside the actual arcade machines - that's pretty cool).

So I decided to abandon the arcade version. Unfortunately, neither of my 8-bit console ports are accessible at the current time - the SMS version doesn't work properly with the PBC and my NES system is in storage (because the Retron 5 is coming soon, amirite?) Thankfully, I have the PlayStation 2 remake. Now this is quite the improvement. While the original game features a hideous gray color palette, the remake has a dark, gritty look complete with dimly lit corridors and passageways. The aliens are somehow even more beastly, giant throbbing monstrosities that glow brightly amidst the darkness. The gameplay is markedly better too, aiming is much simpler and the game makes good use of both analog sticks. The time limit can be something of a pain in the ass though, and I lost a couple of boss fights initially by running the timer out. It seems as if some bosses are literally impossible to beat within the time limit unless you're carrying the proper powered-up weapon (either that or I'm just not that good, another distinct possibility).

I had a lot of fun with this one, and at 40 minutes or so it certainly didn't overstay its welcome. I typically never say this about retro games - but if you've never played Alien Syndrome, start with the remake (which is 10 years old now!).

Next up for me is Exile on the Genesis. While I'd like to consider myself a bit of a Japanese action-RPG connoisseur, I somehow haven't touched this one yet. Exile is actually the second game in a trilogy I'll likely never complete, as the first game is exclusive to Japanese computers and the third is outrageously expensive.

[CFFJR]

damn, you're already ahead of me in Monster World. Got any tips for that boss in the mines?

I do!

They killed me a couple of times, but I found there's a very safe pattern to exploit if you're patient.

So they're always rolling the boulders back and forth across the ground right? And if you're standing on the center platform, which is the only safe place, they'll also spit small rocks at you.

Pick one guy to focus on, then stay on that center platform and jump over the small rocks, and wait for the boulders to pass under you. After they do, jump out after them and attack the boss. You have time to hit him twice without danger, then run back to the center platform.

When one is dead, one boulder will get sent out by the remaining guy, which will make a second pass to return to him. Repeat the earlier pattern, simply waiting to attack until after the boulder comes back.

You can get extra hits in here and there if you don't mind taking a bit of punishment, but doing it the way I described, two hits at a time, you can beat them without even being touched yourself.

Hope that helps!

[dsheinem]

tried MvC on the PS3 for the last hour and I suck just as much on it as I do on the DC. Not sure this was a good one for my list

[prfsnl_gmr]

Alien Syndrome...No continues.

I may be wrong about this, but I think that you can continue if you are playing a two-player game (and assuming that you both don't die at the same time). I recall this vaguely from playing the game in an actual arcade, and I think this knowledge may be "lost" due to the fact that most people today play a single-player emulated version of the game. (Again, however, I could be wrong about this since I have not played an Alien Syndrome cabinet in 20+ years.)

[Ack]

tried MvC on the PS3 for the last hour and I suck just as much on it as I do on the DC. Not sure this was a good one for my list

Eh, it's only May. Plenty of time to wipe the floor with Onslaught's giant metal hand.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Alien Syndrome...No continues.

I may be wrong about this, but I think that you can continue if you are playing a two-player game (and assuming that you both don't die at the same time). I recall this vaguely from playing the game in an actual arcade, and I think this knowledge may be "lost" due to the fact that most people today play a single-player emulated version of the game. (Again, however, I could be wrong about this since I have not played an Alien Syndrome cabinet in 20+ years.)

I have no way to test it unfortunately, as I only have one Xbox 360 controller.

Whatever the case (and something I forgot to mention) is that there is no lifebar. One hit = death. You do have a small handful of lives though. The PS2 remake includes a generous lifebar.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Just realized that I have Final Fight Double Impact. Maybe I'll give that a try. Maybe.

[noiseredux]

took me about a dozen times, but was finally able to un-glitch the T-Rex long enough to kill it in TRA.

EDIT: FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

so I moved on past the T-Rex a bit further, made a mistake so went to reload from the last check point. GUESS WHAT? For some insane reason, it loaded my save from more than a level earlier. And that's the only save that's there now. Even though my save had been in level 3 (T-Rex battle) it now has overwritten an earlier save!!!!

I can't even describe my rage right now. I think this game if fantastic WHEN IT'S WORKING! So I want to play it, but it's beating the shit out of me for trying to play it like A NORMAL FUCKING GAME!!!!!!!!!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Wha??? You had to "unglitch" a boss battle and now have effed up saves? That game sounds like quite the peach.