2014 Together Retro Calendar

[Stark]

I'm willing to help with writing duties, unless it has to be done by mod or something.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I like this list:

Jan. - PSO/FFXI
Feb - M.U.L.E.
Mar. - The Lost Vikings
Apr. - Ultima IV
May - Ikaruga/Silhouette Mirage
June - Wonder Boy in Monster World
Jul. - Virtua Tennis
Aug. - Space Harrier
Sept. - Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Oct. - ?????
Nov. - D&D: Shadow over Mystara/D&D: Tower of Doom (w/ King of Dragons bonus!)
Dec. - ?????

I agree that the horror choices are weak, and I think that we can do better during October.

(Personally, I suggest Devil May Cry for October, and I suggest Metal Gear or Eternal Champions for December.)

[ExedExes]

Going down the list with Ack here -

MMO - Hmm...I'm still not a big fan of the MMO idea for TR. I think it causes more hoops for us to jump through over Internet connectivity, potential monthly charges, etc. I also worry that a month won't be enough time for us to explore a long running game, and a title like this is not very "pick up and play" friendly.

Agreed. Too many issues and a game that can continue pretty much for as long as the player dictates it or feels like it isn't one that should be on TR.

M.U.L.E. - This is an easy place to put it, and we can point people to the multitude of computer ports, console versions, and websites like planetmule.com.

Yes.

Lost Vikings - I have never played Lost Vikings. But I would like to give it a go. There's a large number of ports across consoles, computers, and even a handheld version. We could also throw in the sequel as a bonus, which adds more options for people to join in.

I tried it a long time ago and lost interest, but the fact that there's an affordable GBA port makes it worth another go.

Ultima IV - Not my first choice, as I still would love to play Castle of the Winds, but that one's limited by platform. Ultima IV is considerably less limited and appears on numerous computer and console formats. I think this is a great choice, even if I'm sad to see CotW lose out. And let's be honest, this is a great game from one of the most important and influential series in video game history, yet it's not something we often discuss or go back to. This is exactly the kind of game TR was made for.

You and me both man. CotW is also free and there was early interest for a roguelike in the first few pages here. I always get a little apprehensive around these WRPGS.

Ikaruga - Dedicating an entire month to a single shmup isn't a good idea in my opinion. There are a lot of options, but I don't think we ought to go with just one title. That said, the game is a spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun, and Treasure also experimented with color and polarity in Silhouette Mirage. If we really want Ikaruga, I suggest a dual month where we partner it with Radiant Silvergun but also get a game mechanics discussion going by including Silhouette Mirage. It seems the best choice to me.

I'm undecided as to whether to dedicate a month to a shmup or not, especially now with all these other genres having possibly more votes than Ikaruga does now. The only nice thing about is that we can collaborate with SOTM on this. We already played Radiant Silvergun there in 2012.

Monster World - We would have to figure out the best one of these to play. I'd say Wonder Boy in Monster World, as I think it is the easiest for NTSC-J, NTSC-U, and PAL regions to access, but I'd like to hear further discussion on the series.

It won't be bad if we can decide on the best one to play.

Virtua Tennis - Do we mean the first game or the entire series? I'm not really interested in tennis games personally, and I've only ever really gotten into Mario Tennis as far as they are concerned. I worry about interest with this. I also worry about access, as I don't know how readily people can find this in each region across formats. Anyone have any ideas?

This one was actually considered last year, to be fair, but I've played the heck out of the first one. I'd be doing Tennis 2K2 myself, it has a lot more in the World Tour mode. I think it's available now in more places than just Arcade/DC. But again I say, why not something like F-Zero which I think has more votes anyway?

Space Harrier - Yes! It's a classic game that some of us have missed, it's on just about everything under the sun, there's multiple sequels to point people to if they finish this one or have played it...I'm not seeing a downside here.

Me neither. Tons of ports, and I probably would have nominated this if nobody else did.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - is on PlayStation, PlayStation Network, Game Boy (as Oddworld Adventures), PC (including Steam, GOG, and OnLive), and there is even a remake titled Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! due out either late 2013 or early 2014 which will appear on more systems. I say we do Oddworld.

Honestly not feeling this one. But if it's on GOG, I may be willing, because I know it will work on a newer PC.

October - I think if we went with this, it would be better to drop Blood and add other, potentially more accessible horror-themed adventure games. Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh, Dark Seed and its sequel, Mansion of Hidden Souls, Uninvited, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, The Legacy, Shadow of the Comet, Scratches, etc. There are a lot of options here.

Both Phantasmagoria-s are available on GOG. That's a whole lot of adventure. I'd also get behind Uninvited.

Capcom fantasy BMU - So will it be Shadow over Mystara, Tower of Doom, some of the collections featuring them, or maybe even The King of Dragons, which while not specifically D&D is still obviously based on it? Why not all of these?

That's what I've said 3-4 times throughout this thread. Knights of the Round & King of Dragons are similar to SOM & TOD. The first 2 games have appearances on the Capcom Classics Collection on a few consoles and the PSP. The D&D games can be gotten on Steam. As I said, it wouldn't shut anyone out with all those games.

December - Have to figure that one out.

Not for nothing, but Deus Ex does have 7 votes now. I understand there was a disagreement among a few people about why it's not a good game, and I know that all games are not going to be loved by all people, but would I have nominated it if it wasn't even a little decent? The numbers don't lie, people want to play it. If we were going by top genres/votes, this would be there on the calendar already. There will be some games that people won't play a month for, it's happened here all the time. It's no exception if people want to skip this month. It's got the votes and the support, it's pretty clear to see. My birthday's in December too, make it a gift

I like where you're going Ack, and if we can just tighten up this calendar a bit, it may look better.

[alienjesus]

OK guys. Here's where my life gets tricky.


These long analyses of potential games for 2014 are all well and good, but I won;t be counting ANY of them towards votes unless you make it exceptionally clear you're backing it, +1ing it, whatever.

It can be really hard to tell the difference between " I do not object to this game as such" and "I fully endorse this with my vote".


As for the list, I would have no problems with Oddworld and Metal Gear being counted seperately. They might both be able to come under 'Action Adventure' but they really don't play very similarly. Oddworld feels more like something halfway between games like Flashback and puzzle platformers like The Lost Vikings - it's not much like Metal Gear at all.

Personally, I think it's too early to call on some of these. It's also weird that because of how our votes fell, neither strategy or platformers are on this list due to no one game being a popular vote, even if both genres got quite a lot of nominations overall.

Virtua Tennis kinda feels like a token 'if we have to play a sports game, this one doesn't suck'. I wonder if we wouldnt be better served with another genre. It's hard to know though.

I'm also not keen on losing the Adventure month because of a crappy game like Phantasmagoria. Everyone needs to vote for Loom or The Longest Journey already

Also, Shock Troopers guys. Come on. Seriously. Is this amazing game failing to get the traction it needs to be a part of Together Retro going to be a yearly event?

I'll go update the list shortly. As I said before - analyses of Noise' proposed list won't be included unless someone clearly +1s a game. If someone says 'I like this list' it won't count as a vote for every game on the list unless someone specifically says so.

[mjmjr25]

+1 Shock Troopers

As far as 2 shmups needed for that month. If anyone here can master Ikaruga in a month...well, don't know what to say to that. If that's the game picked, it should have it's own month like other titles.

As for DnD - if you're playing just to get through them, then sure, play both of them and KoD as well. If you're playing to 1CC or for score, then i'd suggest to focus on only one of them. For anyone looking to buy - i've been very disappointed with the PS3 port and would suggest the SAT port if the arcade port is not an option.

[alienjesus]

Updated:


Notable increases in votes (Any games that have risen to 5 or more votes are on this list, as this puts them equal to or above the minimum number of votes on Noise's proposed list:

PSO now has 7 votes.
Metal Gear now has 8 votes.
Deus Ex now has 7 votes.
Shock Troopers now has 6 votes.
Psychonauts now has 5 votes
Ape Escape now has 5 votes.
F-Zero now has 6 votes.
Oddworld now has 8 votes.
Bad game month now has 5 votes.


I think thats all of them, but its worth glancing over the spreadsheet to make sure.

Which DnD game? I assume (hope) Shadows over Mystaria?

Both Capcom arcade beat-em-ups. Might as well seeing as they just got released together on all the HD systems.

Also, some people pointed out that several games are PC only, not multiple ports.
We all have computers. I don;t think it's too big an issue. And I'm saying that as a guy who doesn't especially like PC gaming.

[prfsnl_gmr]

We all have computers. I don't think it's too big an issue. And I'm saying that as a guy who doesn't especially like PC gaming.

I don't know...Mephikun probably won't be able to play any of those games unless they have been ported to the NookTablet.

[Ack]

OK guys. Here's where my life gets tricky.


These long analyses of potential games for 2014 are all well and good, but I won;t be counting ANY of them towards votes unless you make it exceptionally clear you're backing it, +1ing it, whatever.

It can be really hard to tell the difference between " I do not object to this game as such" and "I fully endorse this with my vote".


As for the list, I would have no problems with Oddworld and Metal Gear being counted seperately. They might both be able to come under 'Action Adventure' but they really don't play very similarly. Oddworld feels more like something halfway between games like Flashback and puzzle platformers like The Lost Vikings - it's not much like Metal Gear at all.

Personally, I think it's too early to call on some of these. It's also weird that because of how our votes fell, neither strategy or platformers are on this list due to no one game being a popular vote, even if both genres got quite a lot of nominations overall.

Virtua Tennis kinda feels like a token 'if we have to play a sports game, this one doesn't suck'. I wonder if we wouldnt be better served with another genre. It's hard to know though.

I'm also not keen on losing the Adventure month because of a crappy game like Phantasmagoria. Everyone needs to vote for Loom or The Longest Journey already

Also, Shock Troopers guys. Come on. Seriously. Is this amazing game failing to get the traction it needs to be a part of Together Retro going to be a yearly event?

I'll go update the list shortly. As I said before - analyses of Noise' proposed list won't be included unless someone clearly +1s a game. If someone says 'I like this list' it won't count as a vote for every game on the list unless someone specifically says so.

I should say, I didn't mean for my post to be a vote in favor of anything, I was just analysing the list that had been proposed.

A +1 for Oddworld for me. I've never played any of the games but have always been interested in them. +1 for Lost Vikings as well.

And is that Shock Troopers for the Neo Geo you are talking about?

+1 Shock Troopers

As far as 2 shmups needed for that month. If anyone here can master Ikaruga in a month...well, don't know what to say to that. If that's the game picked, it should have it's own month like other titles.

As for DnD - if you're playing just to get through them, then sure, play both of them and KoD as well. If you're playing to 1CC or for score, then i'd suggest to focus on only one of them. For anyone looking to buy - i've been very disappointed with the PS3 port and would suggest the SAT port if the arcade port is not an option.

If the later D&D games are anything like King of Dragons, I managed to 1CC that within a week of purchasing it, so it would make for an interesting challenge.

Did we mention or play Ikaruga as a bonus when we played Radiant Silvergun? That might be something to keep in mind.

[alienjesus]

We all have computers. I don't think it's too big an issue. And I'm saying that as a guy who doesn't especially like PC gaming.

I don't know...Mephikun probably won't be able to play any of those games unless they have been ported to the NookTablet.

Okay, We NEARLY all have computers.

And is that Shock Troopers for the Neo Geo you are talking about?

Indeed it is

[ZeroAX]

ooh shock troopers nice one. OK here I go:

+1 The Longest Journey (PC)
+1 Oddworld Abe's Oddysee (PS1, PS3, PSP, PC, Wii U (the remake))
+1 Rolling Thunder 2 (MD, Wii, Arcade)
+1 Shock Troopers 1 (Arcade, Neo Geo, Wii, PS3)