Summer Games Challenge 2014

[alienjesus]

1. Double Dragon (NES)
2. Super Aleste (SNES)
3. Perfect Dark (N64)
4. Wave Race 64 (N64)
5. Shantae (GBC via 3DS VC)
6. Ristar (MD via Wii VC)
7. Bangai-O (DC)
8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSP)
9. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)
10. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Vita)

3rd game down.

So, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - it's pretty great.

The gameplay is simple but fun. I felt like the 1sst half had a good sense of progression with a nice (if slighly shallow) difficulty curve and good progression with abilities. Exploring the castle was a lot of fun, and a lot of the bosses were fun (if often way too easy) to fight. Granfaloon and Beelzebub were highlights design-wise. Unfortunately, the bosses did tend to be way too easy (Medusa died in seconds) with the sole exception of Galamoth who was ridiculously hard. Way harder than Dracula in fact, who was also a pushover.

The music of the game is atmospheric, action packed and awesome, and the games graphics have a style that's aged wonderfully - it feels a little more grizzly than the Nintendo Castlevania games, more akin to Rondo of Blood and Bloodlines, but it still has a lot of charm. The 2d spritework looks gorgeous, and there are a few flourishes that show of the PS1's power, such as the shadow trails as Alucard moves about.

The story is dumb. It's castlevania. I liked the references to old castlevania games, particularly Rondo of Blood (one of the only other ones I've played) and Castlevania III (Alucards first appearance).

The 2nd half of the game I was conflicted on - it was fun being so powered up and exploring freely, but the lack of a sense of progression made it feel aimless and reduced the motivation for exploring. The lack od direction meant that I'd fight bosses way out of order, resulting in the aforementioned 3 second Medusa boss fight as my final encounter.

Still, whilst I think I prefered Order of Ecclesia overall (the only other metroidvania CV game I've played) more, I thought this one was great and everyone should give it a go.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Well I guess I better start SotN tomorrow!

Alien Syndrome
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Dragon's Curse
Exile
Final Fight
Mega Man
Metroid
Ristar
Super C
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Metroid
Wow this game is so much easier when you have maps to consult.

I could never beat this as a kid. I always got lost and gave up. Guess I didn't have the patience or the right issue of Nintendo Power. Sometimes I would enter the JUSTIN BAILEY code to play as a powered-up and super-sexy Samus, but I'd still inevitably get lost or I'd die in the final area. Turns out you need the ice beam.

Anyway, I love Metroid. The graphics, music, and overall ambiance are amazing for an 8-bit game. I played it on GBA, which was essentially a direct port of the NES version with a slightly better save feature.

There are some little annoyances here and there. I wish there was a map, and the difficulty is somewhat uneven. But those are the types of traits I expect, and sometimes even welcome, in older games.

One more thing: dat title screen theme. Astonishing.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Still, whilst I think I prefered Order of Ecclesia overall (the only other metroidvania CV game I've played) more, I thought this one was great and everyone should give it a go.

SOTN remains my favorite "metroidvania" game, but all of them ar at least pretty good. (The challenge is also a bit more even in the later installments.) You should try all of them at some point.

Anyway, I love Metroid.

If you have not already, be sure to play the remake, Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA). I am replaying it at my daughter's behest - after trekking through Super Metroid recently, she thinks that Samus Aran is basically the best ever - and despite the fact it is very different from the NES original, it is an excellent, excellent game.

[BoneSnapDeez]

^ Yeah I plan to play that one and Fusion some time soon.

[noiseredux]

Fusion is great.

[CFFJR]

What racer are you using? If it's A.Stewart I recommend going for a custom set-up with max speed. That's what I used to best the game - you're probably screwed if you fall off anyway, so higher acceleration isn't so useful.

I used Stewart for Normal and Hard, for Expert I've been switching between her and Hayami. I've been using custom with max speed on both of them, with different tweaks for the other stats.

I do about as well with either character. Just have to overcome the game's bullshit factor.

[ExedExes]

Fusion is great.

So Zero Mission is the remake and Fusion is the original title for the GBA? I'm always getting them mixed up.

Prices are easy to remember: both going for $20 and up

[isiolia]

So Zero Mission is the remake and Fusion is the original title for the GBA? I'm always getting them mixed up.

Yep. Technically, Zero Mission also includes a port of the original, but you have to beat the game to unlock it.

[CFFJR]

Fusion is great.

So Zero Mission is the remake and Fusion is the original title for the GBA? I'm always getting them mixed up.

Prices are easy to remember: both going for $20 and up

They're also both worth getting either way.

[prfsnl_gmr]

They're also both worth getting either way.

Agreed. I paid more for my copies when I purchased them new a decade ago. They are also fairly common games; so, if price is a concern to you, I am certain that, with a little hunting, you can get each one for less than $20.