Together Retro 2016 Calendar - FINAL

[noiseredux]

Null, great points on June and Star Wars.

[samsonlonghair]

Pitfall is a great idea. Whoever nominated it is handsome and cool.

Than you very much, sir.

Edit: I just got the chance to read through the thread. I agree with the following posts:

Pitfall
For a retro forum we have given the 2600 very little TR love. For shame. Why not start with a game that is mind-blowingly ambitious for such a small cartridge? This game was huge! With scrolling (but vertically and horizontally) levels. And the platforming is tight and challenging. There are ports of this on like every post-PS1 system.
Tomb Raider
This and Mario 64 defined 3D platformers. This is on a bunch of non-Nintendo platforms too. We can all raid tombs and maybe watch the movies together that month? Haha.

Adventure/Action Adventure:
Oddworld: Abes Odyssey:


This one has come up a few times and narrowly missed out each time. It's available on PS1, PSN and PC, and an enhanced remake has been released for Wii U, PS3, PS4, Vita and XBox One. It's basically a puzzle game really, although it has it's action and platforming elements.

Shmups:
R-Type


We've had Gradius before, but here's the other big Shmup of the 80s. It has a unique mechanic with the force that can be used as a shield or a weapon, and it's widely available - it's on MAME, Master System, Turbografx (HuCard and CD), Virtual Console and XBLA, as well as smartphones.

The Illusion series


I've recently finished up playing a bunch of these on the Game Gear, and they were so damn good that I think we should all have a go. The Illusion series are some of the finest licensed games of the 90s, and are available on many SEGA systems. The games include Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion for Genesis, Castle of Illusion, Land of Illusion and Legend of Illusion for Master System and Game Gear and Castle of Illusion for XBLA and PSN. They're all fantastic but short, so maybe we should just play all of them?

Other:
Blast Corps


When Rare Replay came out recently, it seemed like all the reviews at the time simultaneously remembered they lvoe this game. Many claimed it was the best aging N64 game on the collection. It's also pretty unique in it's gameplay, and affordable on both N64 and XBox One. Lets give it a shot!

Thoughts on stuff listed so far...

I back Pitfall! If it's not enough material for a month we could do an Activision Atari Month. High scores, patches, could be fun.

R-Type is a great pick.

Metal Slug - How have we not done this yet? Maybe the second best-known run n gun among retro fans after Contra. It's on tons of comps so Neo Geo carts aren't needed.

1942 - Game or series. Classic Capcom shmup. This is where it gets tricky, cuz I dunno if some of these were already done in Together Shmup or whatnot.

Ghosts 'n Goblins - Obligatory horror pick. NES port is great, though you can also play the arcade original on plenty of ports.

Shinobi - Sega's ninja action-platformer with both NES and SMS ports. Smooth methodical action.

Elevator Action - Taito classic with some decent ports. Repetitive and additive. Could through the sequel in here too.

Blaster Master - Well-known but scarcely beaten. One I'd like to get through someday.

Double Dragon - The ol' Technos beat 'em up. Good clean fun. Lotsa punching. Plenty of ports. Even on Atari!

Riven: The Sequel to Myst - Hell we can even do the entire Myst franchise if need be, but I feel like Riven is the one that epitomizes the series best for its lush and vivid world crafting and vision. People give Myst a really hard time unnecessarily and I feel like Together Retro would be a great venue for it to be dissected and appreciated. I could talk for an eternity about the beauty of the game, as well as the many design failings this title in particular has. It is available on Saturn, Playstation, Android, iOS and through GoG and Steam. You don't need much backstory from the original Myst to play and appreciate this one and I really feel people need to give the series a chance.

Rocket Knight Adventures (Series) - I think that this is a great series to take a look at. The original on the Genesis was a blast to play and the rocket mechanic offered a lot in the ways of platforming that was incredibly unique and fun. The Sequel, Sparkster, on the SNES really changed things up. Finally, we have the Rocket Knight on X360 PS3 and Steam which again is a very different feeling game from its predecessors.

Beyond Good & Evil

This is a wonderful game that combines action, adventure, platforming, stealth, and puzzles in a delightful world.

And I know the roster is looking full, but here's another slightly different option I want to bring up:

WarioWare Inc.
Platforms: Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, Wii U VC, 3DS VC (Ambassadors only)


A party game we can all enjoy without actually being in the same room as each other - lots of potential for high score competitions and the likes. Pretty quirky and unique too, and we've never done a game quite like it.

These gentleman are also handsome and cool. They may join me in the handsome and cool club at their discretion.

[Nemoide]

EVE: Burst Error (visual novel) - I know visual novels have come up in previous years and typically folks are frustrated that there are none that are retro, available in English, and not-porn. EVE satisfies ALL THREE of those requirements. I can't really vouch for its quality, but if we're ever going to have a visual novel TR in 2016, I think this is probably our best shot.

[alienjesus]

EVE: Burst Error (visual novel) - I know visual novels have come up in previous years and typically folks are frustrated that there are none that are retro, available in English, and not-porn. EVE satisfies ALL THREE of those requirements. I can't really vouch for its quality, but if we're ever going to have a visual novel TR in 2016, I think this is probably our best shot.

We could do Phoenix Wright. I know the first game was a DS title here, but it was a GBA title in Japan. There's ports on DS, 3DS eShop, WiiWare and iOS from my understanding too, so it's readily available

Edit: Reading back through the past few pages, it seems like there has been a fair few people backing Fatal Frame as a horror choice. I'm not sure if it's had more backing than Alone in the Dark, but it seems to have had more than Shadowgate for sure.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I am backing Oddworld: Abe's Oddysey. This is a game I have owned forever, but have never gotten through it. I always put it on my list for the summer game challenge and yet... I have failed to follow through. I need to play it, because I really want to like the game. I just get caught up in other things.

I also am going to back Solomon's Key. I own it, but have never popped it on. Worth giving it a shot! Let's do this!

Still want Morrowind, but I think that Star Wars fever is going to win out and I won't argue with it. There is always the year after!

[TSTR]

Oddworld
R-Type
COD/MOH month
Fatal Frame
Metal Slug

these are all good things yes

[noiseredux]

1. Star Control II (space sim thing?)
2. Pitfall (platformer)
3. R-Type (shmup)
4. Metal Slug (run-n-gun)
5. Pokemon red/blue/yellow (RPG)
6. Oddworld (weird looking adventure thing?)
7. (horror) Alone In The Dark? Fatal Frame?
8. Solomon's Key (puzzle)
9. Call Of Duty/Medal Of Honor (FPS)
10. Knights Of The Old Republic? (RPG)
11. (racing) Micro Machines? Daytona USA?
12. Harvest Moon (farm sim)


Ok, so it seems to me that Star Control, Pitfall, R-Type, Metal Slug, Oddworld, and Solomon's Key are all pretty much making everyone happy.

I'm pretty sure people are in agreement on Pokemon. And with Null's post, I think we're all on board with COD/MOH for June and KOTOR for Star Wars.

These are the sticking points that I can see right now:

a. Fatal Frame has picked up steam. Personally I'd think Alone In The Dark is the more 'important' horror game. But I also know very little about the Fatal Frame series. I had to look up to see how accessible FF is. Apparently it's PS2/Xbox only. Is this one that people can pick up to play for TR without super deep pockets? If so then we'll have to come to a conclusion on Alone vs. Fatal, but if FF is a prohibitively expensive game then I don't think there's much to discuss.

b. I still can't tell if we've decided on Daytona or Micro Machines. I feel like Daytona has gotten a lot more talk the last few pages?

c. I'm not sure if we've decided on Harvest Moon (PS1, GBA, PSP) or if we want some other wild card?

[Ack]

For your a) point, noise, the Fatal Frame games peaked in value back in 2009 or so. Most of the games in the series go for around $20 these days in the US. While Alone in the Dark can be acquired for less on GOG, I don't think the Fatal Frames are prohibitively expensive.

If we go with the Fatal Frame games, I would prefer folks play the first. The second is considered the best of the series and refines the formula, but starting with it would mean making it harder for folks to go back. That's just my takeaway though.

[noiseredux]

as the sort of resident (evil) survival horror aficionado, do you have a strong preference of Alone In The Dark or Fatal Frame? What are your pros and cons of playing each?

[Ack]

as the sort of resident (evil) survival horror aficionado, do you have a strong preference of Alone In The Dark or Fatal Frame? What are your pros and cons of playing each?

I haven't beaten Alone in the Dark, but I have beaten Fatal Frame? Does that count?

Alone in the Dark is more interesting from a history standpoint, but it will likely be harder to check out because it's from the beginning of 3D gaming catching on.

Fatal Frame is less historically important but will likely be easier to control because it is more modern...with some exceptions. The camera will likely feel clunky for a bit. I also find it the scarier of the two, but it uses a fair bit of jump scares. It also wants you to be on your toes, so if you try to go for 100%, it can be a brutal experience with how fast some of the ghosts can appear or vanish.

Both use preset camera angles. And if ghosts don't do anything for you, Fatal Frame probably won't be as freaky, though I can't say the monsters of AitD will be much more challenging.