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BoneSnapDeez wrote:

pierrot wrote:

BoneSnapDeez wrote:Ys III is pretty underrated.

The PC Engine version of this is the only Ys game I've really liked so far. The soundtrack is extra dope.

So dope it got stolen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkkbWl9uOeM

Wow. I remember hearing that before, and thinking it sounded familiar, but that's pretty shameless, actually.

Wow, had no clue about Jim Power using a lot from "Searing Struggle" for its first level. Thanks for sharing, love small tidbits like these.

Phantasy Star 0

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've attempted this one. Restarted it countless times. Still have a save file from 2014.

Now, this isn't some unknown Phantasy Star prequel, but yet another Phantasy Star Online "sequel."

If you've played (the phenomenal) PSO you won't even need instructions for this one. The game is the same sort of hack-and-slash quest/grind/loot endeavor, with "action palette" assignable controls, and a central "hub" that branches off into dungeons. There's a full offline mode to play solo.

I actually like some of the changes that were made here. More items are "stackable" so inventory space isn't so limited. Navigation is a bit easier, as icons tell the player what doors have and have not been entered before.

The biggest problem is that the game looks like absolute shit. It's like a grainy muddy zoomed-in N64 game. Combat ends up being incredibly tedious and slow. Targeting enemies is a chore as they frequently disappear from view. The targeting cursor is nigh indecipherable. The camera technically works fine, but needs to be fiddled with constantly. The dungeon design doesn't help either. Presumably to accommodate the smaller screen, dungeons are now broken up into teeny tiny rooms rather than sprawling areas. It's incredibly difficult to avoid swarming enemies, and progression just ends up feeling choppy and boring.

Some good ideas are here, the DS just wasn't the best platform.

What do you think of these guys Bone?:

Phantasy Star Portable is decent. Haven't played the sequel, sadly.

Nothing competes with the original Phantasy Star Online.

BoneSnapDeez wrote:Nothing competes with the original Phantasy Star Online.

What's your thoughts on these though?:

Episode 3 card battle is genuinely fun and really worth the investment, especially if you have friends locally to play. As a youth I would build decks and play with my best friend and his 2 brothers. It is nothing like phantasy star online I know, but the systems were a ton of fun to play with.

PSO and PSO2 are great. Portable was kinda fun. Many of the ones Exum posted...eh. Meh. Yuck.

I loved the idea of Phantasy Star Universe. Their presentation of it as if it was a tv show was interesting, but the characters and world were silly and annoying. I stopped early in the game and do feel like I need to give it a second chance, but it was just.... so odd.

Also, Bone, I totally understand the phantasy star Zero complaints. When I got it I was so excited and was awe struck at first, but the allure quickly faded and it felt so repetitive and dull. It made me sad.

Silent damn Hill

Well folks this was my third try since 1999 to beat this game. Every time I walk away with the same sense of "meh". Don't get me wrong, I understand that the original Silent Hill is historically important in its genre, and spawned a popular franchise. And yes, Silent Hill had stupendous graphical power given its platform. Indeed, Silent Hill accomplishes tremendous atmosphere using the PS1's limitations creatively to render a fog laden nightmarescape. And absolutely, Silent Hill has a very interesting premise with a unique concept. The game has chilling backdrops, creepy enemies, and a pretty nice cafe. There's just one problem; Silent Hill is not fun to play. Nope. It wasn't fun to play in 1999, and it hasn't gotten any better in the 18 years since. I say this as someone who enjoys a decent survival horror from time to time.

So in Silent Hill, you're expected to wander around aimlessly, groping yourself against locked doors incessantly, desperately in search of keys. You are constantly hounded by enemies, which are not fun to fight, due to a piss poor combat system. Silent Hill supports the DualShock controller, but still forces its player to use tank controls. Tank controls in a fully 3D environment by the way, meaning the camera is not fixed. It practically feels like you're controlling a drunk man with impaired hand-eye coordination the entire time. Often the player is accosted with nebulous puzzles having solutions best described as byzantine. You're expected to constantly reference maps, but a map takes a good two to three seconds to load every time you push the map button. And that's the game folks; wander drunkenly, fight badly, endure inane key hunts, beat your head against "puzzles", and stare at slow loading maps. Until you die that is, and lose a half hour or more of progress due to sparse save points.

I put four hours into Silent Hill this time, making it to the hospital. That's the furthest I've ever made it in this boring excuse for a horror game. I had zero fun the entire time. Zero. Literally zero. I pushed buttons for at least 240 minutes and had no return of entertainment to speak of. Why did I bother? Because Silent Hill is lauded to this day, considered a classic even. Thus I feel I should play through it, before moving on to the rest of the series. But once again, I am reminded why I never beat Silent Hill. It's because Silent Hill is the opposite of fun. Perhaps worse yet, Silent Hill is not even particularly scary. The best ideas in Silent Hill were ripped right out of Hellraiser. I supposed I can understand why gamers of 1999 were impressed with Silent Hill. The phenomenal graphics (relatively speaking), the Hellraiser chains and body bags, and a sinister plot. None of that matters when the core gameplay is horrendously banal. Silent Hill's insipid "game design" can die in a fire. A hospital fire. I looked at a walkthrough, and you know what I had ahead of me next? A fucking sewer maze. No thanks. Ack ol' boy, you can keep this one.