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| karasu99
182th Post
 
Regular Customer
   
|  "Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 02:11
So I'm making a pilgrimage tonight to one of the only decent import shops near my locality. It's an interesting place-- they have the new stuff, the overprices trendy old stuff (your Radiant Silverguns and your Dungeons and Dragons Collections at 50% more than their eBay average, etc), and a whole lot of the unremarkable, or at least somewhat forgettable, older stuff that's somewhere in that odd limbo of what's not too old to be collectable but is still out of fashion. Their stock changes crazily, so I may find interesting things, or I may not. It all depends on how I catch the place.
Here's what I propose we discuss: what are the very best games of that vast limbo-confined category? Say what you want about current Japanese games and their potential stagnation, but I've had enough experience with games from that region from a decade and a half ago that are priced very, very low but that have great gameplay, graphics, or both, that I know good things are to be found in those forgotten masses. For one thing, it's a potentially interesting discussion, but it will also help me target what I look for tonight. How am I supposed to know if Tetsujin-28 for the Wonderswan is any good? There are tons of excellent Saturn games I'm sure I've never heard of, so if I see one for $5, how would I know if that's a rip-off without expert help from the Cafe?
I'll put forward an example to get things started: Hermie Hopperhead, PSX, 1996 or so. It has a ludicrous title, but is a really accomplished platform game, with good-looking art even.
So let's discuss. I'm not really interested in a particular system-- although I'd humbly suggest we discuss early through late 90's, since I think that this era has an awful lot of obscure games. But feel free to deviate from this if you'd like.
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| chazumaru 676th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member
  
    
| "Re(3):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 04:45
quote:
Hermie Hopperhead, PSX, 1996 or so
1995. The game was released really close to Yoshi's Island, which is an interesting coincidence because both games are platformers featuring playable characters with eggs following them. It was one of the early Sony titles on the PlayStation, back when SCE was (cleverly) throwing money at tons of projects by small studios and praying that some of them would stick (and some did).
In the case of Hermie Hopperhead, the goal was to create a competitor for Mario and Sonic but the game obviously failed to achieve such a status. Details in the game hint that sequels were planned but SCEA hit the jackpot with Crash Bandicoot and Hermie was not needed anymore.
Little known fact #1: Hermie was actually partly developed by Yuke's and programmed by Yuke Taniguchi himself.
Little known fact #2: the guy who backed all these games (Crime Crackers, Motor Toon etc.) and the Yaroze project at Sony is also the sugar-daddy behind Level 5.
IT'S THE BLACK PUDDING!
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| karasu99
183th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(4):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 05:20
quote:
Hermie Hopperhead, PSX, 1996 1995.
Little known fact #1: Hermie was actually partly developed by Yuke's and programmed by Yuke Taniguchi himself.
Little known fact #2: the guy who backed all these games (Crime Crackers, Motor Toon etc.) and the Yaroze project at Sony is also the sugar-daddy behind Level 5.
Wow, I had no idea, on either of those counts! But it is a fun little game. I seem to remember Hermie having a role in another non-platformer, but I don't recall specifics..
That was a really great era for Playstation games. Now that my Chazumaru-summoning spell has been successful, perhaps you have some other suggestions for oddities from this general time frame? Maybe I was too general in my request for game suggestions.
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Jacky Chan Stuntmaster. Jumping Flash and Croc for PSX. Zoop...SKULLMONKEYS.
Yeah, these are all great suggestions, and can be had for a song. In fact, I still have my Jumping Flash! 1 and 2 from back then.
Here are a few more that I always enjoyed, and that even got release in the US: Alundra 1 and 2 (PSX) and Legend of Oasis (Saturn). All three fairly fun and relatively cheap.
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| karasu99
184th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(6):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 08:53
quote:
perhaps you have some other suggestions for oddities from this general time frame? Maybe I was too general in my request for game suggestions.
Other than English, which languages can you read? Japanese? French? Spanish?
I have passable Japanese when it comes to the very simple stuff, and I've been playing Japanese games long enough that I can recognize some things I can't really read, but I would likely miss much of the content of, say, and RPG in full Japanese. I guess that's essentially a 'no'. The same goes for French and Spanish, sadly-- I know a very little, but not enough to save me, most likely.
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| Maou 1759th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
  
    
 
| "Re(7):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 09:21:
Evenor beat me to Jumping Flash (always wanted to play...may be the first 3D plaformer I know of), and I see you have Thor/Oasis and Alundra 1 (yay) and 2 (oops) as well. While we're at it for 1996-era semi-classic but not pricy, you could snag Arc the Lad 2, Dragon Force (few people have played this on Saturn, but those who do seem to love it), Lunar 1 and 2 of course (these may be pricier). Thunderforce V, most definitely, and probably Raycrisis and Raystorm. Come to think of it, if these are English versions, pretty much anything Working Designs did from that era promises to be a gem that's not too popular yet not too pricy.
How about some of Square's post-VII experiments? You could probably give oddities like the Bouncer or Racing Lagoon a spin for cheap, and there's always Bushido Blade. If you're very very lucky, you might find Soukaigi (outstanding music, there) or Tobal 2 (outstanding everything...there is no other 32-bit fighter that I have even the slightest interest in playing).
Oh, and grab whatever iteration of Fuurai No Shiren you can find, be it SFC or DS.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Wed 29 Jul 09:23] |
| chazumaru 678th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member
| "Re(7):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 10:27
quote:
The same goes for French and Spanish, sadly-- I know a very little, but not enough to save me, most likely.
I was asking because I spend most of my internet time on a message board which was specifically created around the idea of discussing "weird, obscure, forgotten but nice" games like the ones you are interested in (although the community obviously ended up discussing much broader topics).
Since I am quite lazy whenever I am not working, it would have been easier for me to copy-paste posts from there. But alas, you won't be able to read them.
I'll try to write something down later then, but I can't promise anything.
IT'S THE BLACK PUDDING!
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| Grave 1200th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(9):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 13:56:
Oh, you guys. I love you guys.
A lot of early 32-bit stuff really interests me. Jumping Flash! has been mentioned a number of times already, the sequel is great as well. I recently got the third, Robbit Mon Dieu... don't dig it very much. The last level is the only really good one, and then it's over. Depressing.
The aforementioned Crime Crackers and Motor Toon GP are up there as well! Never did play Crime Crackers 2, unfortunately, though it's on the Japanese PSN store so I finally might get to.
I've always been curious about Hermie Hopperhead. I blame GameFan for that, though they've led me astray too many times with games from that era. Welcome House? Grr. Steamgear Mash? Slightly less grr, but not that exciting. At least Gunners Heaven was good.
I'm dying to get my hands on Tama: Adventurous Ball in Giddy Labyrinth. Seriously! That name stuck with me forever and I'm still curious to try it.
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If you're a fan of God Hand's pseudo-western-eastern-parody style and don't mind some ass-ugly graphics, Rising Zan The Samurai Gunman is probably the funniest PS1 game I've ever played. With the catchiest theme song. Oddly enough this game was made by a company that to my knowledge had only produced snowboarding games up until then.
I guess I'll also mention Tail Concerto, though being Atlus it's not necessarily obscure, just rare. It's a cute 90's-style anime RPG/platform game about dog police arresting cats for spreading mischief. The platforming controls were a little difficult but the characters were silly enough to make it entertaining.
Yes and yes! Tail Concerto is super-charming as all hell. The lack of a sequel still gets me bummed. Rising Zan was also brilliant, as far as Super Ultra Sexy Hero games go. And yeah, UEP Systems developed! Crazy, I know.
A lot of my favorite games seem to be totally unloved by the internet. Here's a brief list, more when I inevitably think of them while I'm on the toilet!
Adventure of Little Ralph - Fantastic sidescrolling action game. Never lucked out on a physical copy, but as soon as it went up on Japanese PSN I finally got on it. Love it.
Bishi Bashi Special 3 - No clue if this series gets recognition in Japan, but this struck me as being Wario Ware-y long before Wario Ware. Had a really fun time with this way back then!
Pepsiman - While the game itself isn't terribly good, I've always loved the mascot and the cutscenes with the fat American guy are priceless. I'm sure they're on YouTube somewhere.
Tail of the Sun, Aquanaut's Holiday - People seem to dislike games where there's poorly defined rules or goals. I mean, Tail of the Sun has a goal, but that's about it! The ocean in the first AH is absolutely massive! It was a great game to just relax and explore. I still haven't played the PS3 version, but I need to get it soon. I had hours of fun with Tail of the Sun as well, mostly while people looked at me like there was something wrong with me.
Way of the Samurai - Wonderful PS2 choose-your-own-samurai-adventure sort of game! I really liked the environments and the music. The third one is coming to the US in the fall, UFO is handling the 360 version and Agetec is handling the PS3 one. No excuses! You all need to get it!
Crimson Tears - Spike and Dream Factory developed, Capcom published. It's a 3rd person future action dungeon hack! What's not to like? Random dungeons, small inventories, weapons that break! It's one of my favorite PS2 games, hands down.
Honorable mention goes to Elebits on Wii, which everyone else seems to have forgotten by now. Terribly charming game!
edit: corrected one error, too lazy to look for more!
[this message was edited by Grave on Wed 29 Jul 16:21] |
| Maou 1760th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(2):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Wed 29 Jul 23:04
More insprirations from later posts (go back to that store, Karasu, we have too many great ideas for you to have already gone):
Fighting Vipers for Saturn: Pepsiman reminded me of this. Of course, you should only get the original version, since it has Pepsiman and Taste of Honey screen. Highly important.
Parodius: How about it? Saturn mania in particular is fun. I've meant to get Sexy Parodius as soon as I get a Saturn...which I've been meaning to do for about 13 years.
Oh, and uh, how's about Steel Batallion????? ...maybe someone will have a fit of madness and sell the whole cockpit for cheap?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| karasu99
186th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(3):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 00:25:
quote:
(go back to that store, Karasu, we have too many great ideas for you to have already gone)
So, I went, I bought, I arrived safely back at my house.
It was a little disappointing this time around-- they were heavy on newer stuff and light on old stuff, but about ten minutes before they closed we hit the mother lode of old Japan region Saturn and PS1 games, stacked on a shelf in the 'repair' area of the store, just within sight. That's where my friend and I scored the majority of our finds. I got just three things: Steel Empire for Genesis (I'm still looking for the GBA port of this though), Suiku Enbu for Saturn (what was the name of the sequel to this? I kept trying to produce the name, and if it had been exclusively for Saturn or PS1 --EDIT: It was Suiko Enbu: Fuuun Saiki, and it appears to have been Saturn exclusive--), and Lunar Silver Star Story Complete for PS1. I would have purchased more if not for actually finding Lunar in such excellent condition (and at a fair but still relatively high price). My friend purchased at least a dozen games-- most of the Langrisser series, Atelier Marie, ToeJam and Earl III for XBox, Wonder Boy in Monster Land for the Genesis, and a ton of other things. I'll bug him to write up an exact list for those who are interested.
They had a bunch more that I passed on-- Saga Frontier 2, Arc the Lad 2 and 3, Tactics Ogre, etc., all in Japan region. They had a ton of Lynx games (but no Lynx systems), A single Virtual Boy game, TeleroBoxers (but no Virtual Boy system), and even some boxed Atari 2600 stuff-- I could easily have blown through a few hundred dollars if I had not shown restraint.
Sadly, there were not many interesting US region PS1 games-- They had Arc the Lad Collection, but it was priced out of my range, and besides, I really can't stand Arc the Lad 1, so I passed. Amusingly, fully 90% of the 'showcased' high price items I either already have a copy of, or are Final Fantasy games. But then the big racks of cheaper games were almost exclusively sports titles.
And I won't even get into all the SNES games they had!
I'd love to keep up this conversation about games of this era, since I'm finding it so interesting though. This place is not too far from me, so I know I'll be going back. And the inventory changes rapidly, so the next time I'm there they will likely have an entirely new selection of good things. In short: I'm building my list for the next trip starting now.
[this message was edited by karasu99 on Thu 30 Jul 00:27] |
| Maou 1762th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(4):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 00:43:
You have done well in your quest. Now go finish Lunar, write a 10,000-word essay on why it is one of the great RPG's especially given that it's actually a 1993 game originally, and you will get a free copy of its superior sequel, Eternal Blue. Actually, that last part is not true, but I mean it about the first. I will give you extra credit if you acquire a Mega CD on your next trip and play those versions instead, which are better still.
You probably didn't miss out on SaGa Frontier II, though...for the same price, I would just buy the soundtrack, which is actually good.
I know not of Suiku Enbu, though?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Thu 30 Jul 00:45] |
| karasu99
187th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(5):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 01:07:
quote:
You have done well in your quest. Now go finish Lunar, write a 10,000-word essay on why it is one of the great RPG's especially given that it's actually a 1993 game originally, and you will get a free copy of its superior sequel, Eternal Blue. Actually, that last part is not true, but I mean it about the first. I will give you extra credit if you acquire a Mega CD on your next trip and play those versions instead, which are better still.
You probably didn't miss out on SaGa Frontier II, though...for the same price, I would just buy the soundtrack, which is actually good.
I know not of Suiku Enbu, though?
I've actually played Lunar before-- I got it when it was first released, after standing in line for it at Electronics Boutique, played through it twice, and sold it to someone for $15, only to find it selling for a lot more than that online not much later, since most of that Working Designs stuff jumped up in price pretty quickly. This copy is only missing the cloth map, but the discs themselves are in absolute mint condition. I'm still on the hunt for the PS1 version of Lunar 2 though.
Oh, and I more wanted Saga Frontier 2 for the gorgeous, gorgeous art more than anything else.
Suiko Enbu was released in the US as 'Dark Legend', and it's first generation Saturn fighting game crapware, but holds sentimental value for me, since it was one of my early purchases for the system, now lost to ages. Plus it was a grand total of five dollars, so it's not like it broke the bank. I'm on the hunt for the (apparently) vastly superior sequel.
[this message was edited by karasu99 on Thu 30 Jul 01:11] |
| Count Hihihi
178th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(6):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 03:57
quote:
.
Suiko Enbu was released in the US as 'Dark Legend', and it's first generation Saturn fighting game crapware, but holds sentimental value for me, since it was one of my early purchases for the system, now lost to ages. Plus it was a grand total of five dollars, so it's not like it broke the bank. I'm on the hunt for the (apparently) vastly superior sequel.
Fuunsaiki is "vastly superior" compared to the first game, but it's still nothing special. It gets tiring pretty fast.
The best (in my opinion, that is) obscure fighting game on the Saturn is Zero Divide: The Final Conflict. Forget what you know about Zero Divide and trust me, the third one is a good game.
Kotaku Ono and the Fanboy spirit.
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| Grave 1200th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(8):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 12:38
I actually like the first Zero Divide! Never played the second or third, unfortunately.
quote:
Another game I meant to mention is Keio Flying Squadron for Mega CD and its sequel for Saturn-- can anyone comment on these two? I've heard they're pretty good.
I'm not a big fan of the first game, I found it to be fairly forgettable gameplay-wise but Rami is adorable, so that helps. The sequel used to command annoyingly high prices so I never got to play it, though it seems that you could have it for $50-$60 shipped these days. Not what I usually pay for Saturn games nowadays, but I might be willing to splurge to finally kill that curiosity I have about it.
Oh! Another forgotten game that I love, on the subject of Saturn 2D platformers like the second Keio game... Astal! Horrible box art in the US, doesn't even have the name of the game on its spine! The gameplay is ridiculously easy and the game's not very long, but good god! It's beautiful! So dreamlike and pretty~~
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| Iron D 3264th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
 
| "Re(5):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 30 Jul 21:19
Whenever this topic comes up, I always have to bring up the Panzer Dragoon series and Guardian Heroes. The Saturn was an awesome system if you knew what games to get.
The only shooting games I can think of that even come close to the Panzer games are Star Fox 64 and Sin and Punishment. The gameplay, the music, the graphics...they're all top-fucking-notch. And the Panzer Dragoon games are among the most atmospheric in all of the games that I have EVER played. I've suggested them here before, and I'll do it again.
And of course, I'm a Treasure fan so I always have to mention Guardian Heroes which just may be the greatest beat 'em up ever created. It's pure madness in that trademark Treasure style with lovable characters and fun as hell, over the top gameplay. Too bad Guardian Heroes Advance sucked so bad.
Silhouetter Mirage is also a great game, but I've never gotten around to beating it. It's very difficult, but I know I'll get around to beating it someday...
Let's see...Mutant League Football for the Genesis/Mega Drive, which is one of my favorite sports games ever (not that I'm very much into sports games).
Puzzle Quest for the DS? One of the most addictive games I've ever played. Just the other day I played that game for all but 2 of the hours that I was awake. No kidding. Of course, that's just another sign that I need to get a job.
All this talk of the Sega/Mega CD makes me think of how I always wanted to play Snatcher but it never came out for a system that I had. I was hoping they'd be extras with some repackaging of a Metal Gear game or something, but that never happened.
Er.....
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| Maou 1764th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(10):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but" , posted Thu 30 Jul 22:14:
Oh sweet zombie jesus, IronD just reminded me, how could I forget to say that you should get Snatcher?! I worry that this may have fallen into the "classic and expensive" category, but that probably doesn't even matter. Relatedly, you should probably get Policenauts. This one is probably still cheap.
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It's becoming more and more obvious that I need to get a Mega CD, so okay, I'll follow your advice! What's the difference between the versions?
Excellent. The really strange thing is that Silver Star Story, while quite different, is an excellent reimagining of The Silver Star, whereas the Eternal Blue remake is 95% the same, making the changes and missing things more glaringly obvious. What baffles me is that while Gonzo seemed to have gone all-out to make gorgeous movies for Silver Star Story, something...dire has happened in the time between then and the Eternal Blue remake. The drawing quality of the EB remake cinemas is inexplicably lower (boxier faces, weird eyes) despite it being the same people. I don't get it.
Anyway, the Mega CD version of EB is gorgeous for its time, much more challenging, the dungeons are impressive Phantasy Star II-esque supermazes, there are slightly more cinemas (and much better drawn, even if the animation is simpler), a few more music pieces and better instrumentation than Playstation (though not the Saturn). It's pretty much the realization of what the Mega CD should have been, a place for powerhouse RPG's or adventures, with an hour of animation and really really good music. I've played this game about five times, but never had the slightest urge to replay the almost-identical-but-slightly-shoddy remake! Then again, if you've never played either, the 5% downgrade won't bug you any more than playing FFV on GBA instead of SFC will.
For your education, I do recommend getting The Silver Star. While SSS is probably a much better game, there's this raw, disorganized energy to The Silver Star and some impressive stuff going on given that it's 1992 and giants like Square are still screwing around with FFV-level plots. There is some fantastic music, as well. The original version of the theme for Ghaleon's Mechancial Castle alone is worth the price, plus you can play the songs as CD Redbook anyway even if you don't play the game. I think the opening cinema captures the supreme energy of this darker version of Silver Star Story. I have concluded that people who think that the opening cinema is "hokey" and not "awesome" are entirely dead inside.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Thu 30 Jul 22:51] |
| karasu99
189th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(10):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but" , posted Fri 31 Jul 01:35
quote:
I could give my copy of Battle Monsters away for free. It's that bad. But I don't find Golden Axe: The Duel to be on same same level as Battle Monsters and SF: The movie. It's not an atrocity. It's actually pretty much on the same level as the Suiko Enbu games.
Here's a Saturn recommendation: Steep Slope Sliders.
I'll second that about Golden Axe:The Duel. It's a decent game, but it's just old, and it shows its age like a fair number of fighters of this generation. Battle Monsters has purely sentimental value, not much more. It's really alway, and it has super-dated Pit Fighter-esque graphics to top it off.
I'm glad Astal came up-- it's pretty obscure these days, but quite gorgeous. Likewise Silhouette Mirage, one of the least famous Treasure games. I have a particular connection to it-- even to the toned down Playstation version.
Just in case I've never mentioned it before, I should say that I love love love Gaiares for the Mega Drive. Of all the (seemingly) hundreds of shooters for the MD, Gaiares always stood out with its crazy absorb the enemies attacks mechanic. Oddly enough it's one of those games I've yet to track down successfully, since my original copy is long gone.
Oh, and thanks for the suggestion of Steep Slope Sliders-- I don't know it, but I have this funny thing for snowboard games (my secret vice).
So since we're talking Mega CD (and Maou, thanks for the info about Lunar! I will need to keep an eye out for those), what other greats are there out there for the system? Any good shooters? I seem to recall that there was a Mega CD Aleste game. Back in the day I found the Mega CD to be way too expensive for my wallet, so I generally ignored it. So what is there that's worth checking out, other than Lunar?
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| Iron D 3265th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):Re(10):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten" , posted Fri 31 Jul 01:52
quote:
I'm glad Astal came up-- it's pretty obscure these days, but quite gorgeous. Likewise Silhouette Mirage, one of the least famous Treasure games. I have a particular connection to it-- even to the toned down Playstation version.
Astal was awesomeness. The animation, the music, the gameplay...just a criminally underappreciated gem.
What's this about Silhouette Mirage on the PS being toned down? Toned down in what way? Difficulty?
If you want a just plain awesome strategy RPG for the Saturn, you can't go wrong with Dragon Force. Thing is, it's pretty expensive pretty much everywhere I've seen it.
There's also the war strategy game Iron Storm, which is pretty awesome as well. It's a rare one though, so I'm not sure what the pricing would be on that one.
Er.....
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| Maou 1765th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re: Mega Drivers custom" , posted Fri 31 Jul 04:05:
quote:
MEGA DRIVE SHOOTERS YOU SAY?
I bet you've got a copy of the wonderful Musha Aleste (aka MUSHA abroad). That is a pretty rocking animation opening and the level one music is sick. It's pretty rad. There is indeed an Aleste for the Mega CD, Dennin Aleste/Robo Aleste.
Fast forwarding three systems, I'm sure you know to play Ikaruga on DC, right? Maybe my favorite shooter.
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Back in the day I found the Mega CD to be way too expensive for my wallet, so I generally ignored it. So what is there that's worth checking out, other than Lunar?
I'm glad this came up (er, thanks to me), since Mega CD is my favorite system I only own three games for. Besides the two Lunars, you should of course get Sonic the Hedgehog CD, but that may be obvious since it's arguably the best in the series(or at least as good as Sonic 2, depending on who you ask). Popful Mail, Snatcher, Dennin Aleste, Shining Force CD, maybe Keio. I heard great things about the bizarre Panic! as well. I have no idea where that game is even from.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Fri 31 Jul 04:16] |
| karasu99
191th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(2):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Sat 1 Aug 00:54
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Spanky's Quest for it's SICK BEATS!!! (no irony intended)
It's also got some of the cutest sprites ever.
Oddly enough, I was thinking of posting something in relation to this game earlier. I love the sprites, despite the overall sketchy art direction of, say, the title screen art. Yeesh.
Also of note is its Gameboy cousin! I've always loved its sprites as well. The Japanese box art is more dignified, certainly (not that it takes much).
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I'm glad this came up (er, thanks to me).
Yeah, thanks a lot for that  . Now all of my hard earned dollars will need to be funneled into tracking down a bunch of games that I hadn't even thought of in years, until seeing their gorgeous art just now... it's strange that after all these years Working Designs' stuff still goes for as much as it does, but then the same can be said of course for some inexplicable priced Japan region Saturn items as well.
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| nobinobita 580th Post
New Red Carpet Member
| "Re(3):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Sat 1 Aug 07:12:
quote:
The Japanese box art is more dignified, certainly (not that it takes much).
Not to get too much into the japan v america thing, but I think the notion of america as an inferior place for box art is outdated. I request that you start listing American box art that you enjoy so I can confirm your status as a libertine gamer.
（￣ー￣）
quote:
.. it's strange that after all these years Working Designs' stuff still goes for as much as it does, but then the same can be said of course for some inexplicable priced Japan region Saturn items as well.
All kidding aside, you might seriously want to look into Nanatsu Kaze No Shima Monogatari, which has some astounding artwork. The character designs are by monster artist extraordinaire Keita Amemiya. The art style is heavily influenced by Jim Henson's creature shop and Brian Froud. If you have any love for The Dark Crystal or The Labrynth, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this game.
You can see a gallery of character designs for this game on Mr. Amemiya's website:
http://www.crowdinc.com/special-7.html
I don't remember if this game came out before or after Princess Crown, but it's definitely one of the first digital works to use cut out animation in this style with this degree of sophistication.
[this message was edited by nobinobita on Sat 1 Aug 07:32] |
| karasu99
192th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(4):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Sat 1 Aug 09:52
quote:
Not to get too much into the japan v america thing, but I think the notion of america as an inferior place for box art is outdated. I request that you start listing American box art that you enjoy so I can confirm your status as a libertine gamer.
（￣ー￣）
Wow, where to start? That Phalanx box art is... remarkable. I can't call the Japanese art great, but it sure is surprisingly phallic. Even though it's off topic, I won't press my luck to start yet another thread. I love quite a bit of both American and Japanese box art, but I think there have been some dreadful choices made in translation: Exhibit A. Some of my very favorite box art was for the TurboGraphx, even though by today's standards it's pretty awful. Witness: Exhibit B, Exhibit C, and Exhibit D, just to show a few. But the truth is, these days, most games have either the same or at least very close covers across regions-- witness KOFXII, where even if you prefer the Japanese cover, the American one is at least by the same artist-- so the east vs west thing is pretty moot.
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All kidding aside, you might seriously want to look into Nanatsu Kaze No Shima Monogatari, which has some astounding artwork. The character designs are by monster artist extraordinaire Keita Amemiya. The art style is heavily influenced by Jim Henson's creature shop and Brian Froud. If you have any love for The Dark Crystal or The Labrynth, then you owe it to yourself to pick up this game.
You can see a gallery of character designs for this game on Mr. Amemiya's website:
http://www.crowdinc.com/special-7.html
I don't remember if this game came out before or after Princess Crown, but it's definitely one of the first digital works to use cut out animation in this style with this degree of sophistication.
Wow, you've brought up some really beautiful examples! I'm not the slightest bit familiar with Nanatsu Kaze No Shima Monogatari, but you're right, it looks great! I'll have to investigate further.
And I love Princess Crown, I just wish it was more fun to play!
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| Grave 1201th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(5):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Sat 1 Aug 12:22
The Phalanx box art was a stroke of genius. "Hey, how do we get people to pick this horizontal shooter over all the other ones on SNES? Oh, I know, let's put an old guy with a banjo on the cover!" School-age kids actually talked about this! It baffled us! I rented it and later got my own copy! And then I bought the aforementioned Zero Divide and had more Phalanx! This thread is cyclical in a way.
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And I love Princess Crown, I just wish it was more fun to play!
You could substitute Princess Crown with any Vanillaware game and not really be wrong here. Though I haven't played Muramasa yet... there's been talk of it maybe heading to consoles that support higher resolutions, and I'd totally buy it if so! I'd buy Odin Sphere HD as well, irritating gameplay or not. I found Grim Grimoire to be pleasant, but my attention wandered and I still haven't finished it.
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| karasu99
194th Post
Regular Customer
| "Re(7):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Thu 6 Aug 04:54:
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You could substitute Princess Crown with any Vanillaware game and not really be wrong here. Though I haven't played Muramasa yet... there's been talk of it maybe heading to consoles that support higher resolutions, and I'd totally buy it if so! I'd buy Odin Sphere HD as well, irritating gameplay or not. I found Grim Grimoire to be pleasant, but my attention wandered and I still haven't finished it.
I can just about forgive them for being so mediocre play wise, though, which sounds as if it's the consensus. I never picked up GrimGrimoire though.
Although realistically, I can't call Princess Crown (the game that started us in this direction of conversation) obscure, since it's popular enough to be expensive on eBay, and to have had a remake on the PSP. Honestly though, I've found more than once that a game which is fairly expensive on eBay ends up being a little disappointing in the end.
EDIT: Good to hear that about Muramasa. Especially since it's getting a US release before too long!
[this message was edited by karasu99 on Thu 6 Aug 04:56] |
| Pollyanna 2741th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Thu 6 Aug 07:00
Muramasa has one huge problem. It makes you run too much. It's completely stupid how much they run you around. Every time you need to go anywhere, it's as far away from your current location as possible, traversing through places you've already been, fighting enemies you've already fought. As a result, the game is artificially "bloated" when it should be much shorter.
Other than that, it's totally awesome. Huge huge improvement over Odin Sphere.
Grim Grimoire is actually my favorite Vanillaware game, though. The story is really interesting and I love the cast. The only downside is that sometimes it mistakes "frustrating" for "challenging". I wouldn't consider this a bad thing...but some of the battles are so high stress that I could only play the game in short increments.
Oh, and the voice acting is good...er...unique. "Inspired" you might say. I don't see that too often, but Vanillaware seems to be on top of that aspect of their games fairly well, too.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Pollyanna 2742th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 6 Aug 14:47
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yeah, I'm pretty sure that's down to cut content+publisher wanting it longer. good old SNES logic.
I don't like engaging in the old-school vs new-school game design argument, because I don't usually have a preference, but this is one thing that absolutely drives me crazy about so many modern games. I would rather play a totally awesome 5 hour game 3 times than spend 15 hours on a game that's 10 hours of filler.
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I couldn't stand Odin Sphere, because you were playing the exact same thing over and over. Is there a way to skip encounters or dodge enemies or something in Muramasa? I love how it looks but... sometimes that kind of mentality just drives me insane.
Edit: Made my post a little bit clearer :)
Yes, but running is a problem too. You can skip the fights, but then you're not doing anything fun. Unlike Odin Sphere, the battles in Muramasa are really enjoyable (if repetitive). Usually I skip the fights until running feels boring, then fight until it feels like I'm wasting time.
Either way, it's a huge huge step up from Odin Sphere in terms of both battles and environments. If they made it a little less linear and a little more like a SOTN-styled Castlevania (which it kind of tries to do, but doesn't succeed), the game would be brilliant.
I felt like Odin Sphere was a bad game that had brilliant things about it. Muramasa definitely isn't a bad game, but it falls frustratingly short of its obvious potential.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| kofoguz 748th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(3):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Thu 6 Aug 22:30
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Yes, but running is a problem too. You can skip the fights, but then you're not doing anything fun. Unlike Odin Sphere, the battles in Muramasa are really enjoyable (if repetitive). Usually I skip the fights until running feels boring, then fight until it feels like I'm wasting time.
Either way, it's a huge huge step up from Odin Sphere in terms of both battles and environments. If they made it a little less linear and a little more like a SOTN-styled Castlevania (which it kind of tries to do, but doesn't succeed), the game would be brilliant.
I felt like Odin Sphere was a bad game that had brilliant things about it. Muramasa definitely isn't a bad game, but it falls frustratingly short of its obvious potential.
Yay a discussion about a game I'm currently playing, but I'm short on time...
Yeah, running is a big problem and that Speed Belt is absolutely useless. They should have use some kind of running button or something. But I'm loving the little details such as change stage paths...its even better on Lava Kingdom.
I'm kinda obese there cause I spent too much on the restaurant and café, maybe a bit too much.
Hmm I dont have Wii yet so I have to wait for Muramasa. Till then I should get and play GG. Is it on Ps2, too?
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| exodus 4210th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Fri 7 Aug 02:54
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yeah, I'm pretty sure that's down to cut content+publisher wanting it longer. good old SNES logic.
I don't like engaging in the old-school vs new-school game design argument, because I don't usually have a preference, but this is one thing that absolutely drives me crazy about so many modern games. I would rather play a totally awesome 5 hour game 3 times than spend 15 hours on a game that's 10 hours of filler.
ah, well I wasn't trying to bring up an old school v new school design discussion, just pointing out that that sort of filler was quite common in 2D games of the past, and that's likely what happened here as well. I'm merely talking about the tactic of extending the game, not the design choice. It can work just fine as an actual choice - metroid and castlevania all do this to my satisfaction, because i'm trekking back through these environments with new abilities or searching for new goals.
I agree with the well-made 5 hour game versus stretched 15 hour game thing. I actually felt that way about Call of Duty 4.
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| Pollyanna 2743th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(4):Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but n" , posted Fri 7 Aug 09:59
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I'm kinda obese there cause I spent too much on the restaurant and café, maybe a bit too much.
Hmm I dont have Wii yet so I have to wait for Muramasa. Till then I should get and play GG. Is it on Ps2, too?
Eating is like...half of Odin Sphere. You eat in Muramasa, too...but it's more like a novelty. It doesn't take much time, and you just do it for fun if you feel like it.
Grim Grimoire is on PS2, but keep in mind, it's nothing like Odin Sphere or Muramasa...it's an RTS game. I guess...uhm...if I wanted to put it in the least cool-sounding way, I would say it's like "Harry Potter Starcraft".
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ah, well I wasn't trying to bring up an old school v new school design discussion, just pointing out that that sort of filler was quite common in 2D games of the past, and that's likely what happened here as well.
Hahaha, of course, you're right. I think my rant switch just got turned on, regardless of what you said.
But yeah, backtracking is fine. Repeatedly backtracking through unnecessarily big wide open areas full of enemies who are no threat to you whatsoever is not.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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"Re(10):Weird, obscure, forgotten, but nice" , posted Wed 29 Jul 15:26
