Slight bump!
As some know, I broke down and purchased that MSX2+ I had my eye on recently, and I've now amassed seven games for it, only three of which are Konami titles (Goonies, King Kong 2 and Shalom). The other four consist of Xanadu (a Falcom title), Xak and Xak II (from MicroCabin), and Youkai Yashiki a.k.a. Ghost House (from Casio).
I actually would recommend all four, though to varying extents -- and none of them are exclusive to MSX.
Xanadu
- This game is incredible. It's unforgiving and complicated as hell, but absolutely groundbreaking for the time it was made and easily one of the longest and largest games you'll ever play from that era. It's also 100% in English, and the MSX cartridge version (*not* the MSX2 disk version, which kinda sucks) is arguably the best 8-bit version of the game period. When compared to the PC-88 version, the MSX version has much more colorful and detailed backgrounds with a more varied soundtrack (though some dislike it because it uses music that's NOT La Valse Pour Xanadu, but I actually kinda like the music that's there even better, and I appreciate that the overworld theme and battle theme are separate tracks as opposed to the game just speeding up La Valse Pour Xanadu for battles), and also has no delay for sound effects or jingles when casting magic, starting battles or winning battles. The biggest downsides are that the screen resolution is a bit smaller and the character sprites are all monochromatic and see-through (though your main character is surprisingly detailed, with sprite swaps whenever he equips new weapons or armor, which is a nice touch), but I still think MSX Xanadu is the way to go if only because it completely avoids that awful periwinkle-and-yellow color scheme that pervades the PC-88 version. Plus, the MSX version has a battery backup save feature, which is kind of neat! Though it will likely mean you'll want to get the battery replaced before you start playing in earnest, as with most old cartridge games that offer this feature.
- Xak and Xak II
These are available on a lot of different platforms (or at least Xak I is, I dunno about Xak II), and admittedly, other releases of the game do play a little better -- though the MSX2 versions are no slouches, and I'd say they easily have the best music of any of their contemporaries (barring the PC-Engine CD and Sharp X68000 versions, anyway, which contain arguably fuller versions of each song). Gameplay-wise, they're pretty much Ys I & II clones with minor gameplay differences (you have to hold down an attack button when ramming into enemies, but have to let go of it in order to heal), but they're pretty well-known for their great stories, so if you're an Ys I & II fan, they definitely seem to be worth playing. I'll need to put a little more time into them, though, before I can judge for myself.
Note, though, that these are disk-based games, so you'll need to have a working disk drive (or a rom cartridge, I guess?) to play them on actual hardware.
- Youkai Yashiki/Ghost House
Casio games seem like they suck overall (I keep joking with people that they're the LJN of the MSX), but that also means they're usually dirt cheap compared to other MSX cartridges, so when I saw footage of a Casio game that looked like it DIDN'T suck, I eagerly bought it up.
This is definitely no masterpiece, but it's a decent platformer with surprisingly good graphics for an MSX1 title, decent music (at least by Casio standards), and gameplay that's sort of a hybrid between a typical stage-based game and a Metroidvania. You do have to beat the bosses in order, and when you do so, you're taken to a new starting room for the next stage -- but you can use the flaming chimney warps to warp back to previous stage areas and collect items if you want, which can help you get through the next stage after warping back. Bosses are sometimes hidden, and the methods of defeating them are never as straightforward as you'd think (they all have a gimmick to them), which is kind of neat -- but also kind of '80s in that it's completely obtuse and you're unlikely to figure most of the solutions out on your own, especially if you don't have or can't read the original instructions (which give cryptic hints designed to help with that). The controls also kind of suck, particularly when it comes to jumping (plus, the jump and attack buttons are reversed from the norm if you're using an NES-style controller), though you do get used to them after playing for a bit. All in all, not a bad time-waster, but don't go into it (or any other Casio title) expecting greatness. This game has also apparently been ported to the Famicom Disk System, and as with most MSX-to-NES ports, the FDS version looks better but doesn't seem to be quite as tightly designed.
I just ordered two more non-Konami games (I know, I can't help myself!), so I'll let you guys know after they arrive whether or not they're any good. They are:
- Cross Blaim, a really nice-looking Metroidvania for the system (emphasis on the Metroid part).
- Zukkoke Yajikita Onmitsu Douchuu, an action RPG that (from the looks of it) plays like Zelda 2 but has the look and feel of a Goemon game, developed by HAL Laboratories. I know virtually nothing about this game, as there exists only about 2 minutes of footage from it that I can find online, but the HAL name plus the Zelda 2 + Goemon look of it was enough to convince me to spend the $25 or so it cost to check this one out.
I've been looking into MSX games a lot since buying this system, and a couple other non-Konami titles have also caught my eye:
- Daiva Story 4 and 5 (also mentioned earlier in the topic)
I was considering picking up Daiva 4 for cheap, but decided against it because I didn't think I'd play it anytime soon -- hope I don't regret that decision! Kind of Star Control-esque, but with platforming segments and more of a strategy RPG bent to it. You're trying to defeat the opposing fleet by taking over planets and using their resources to reinforce your own fleet. Taking over planets involve diving down to them in a mech suit and fighting a bunch of enemies, and fleet-on-fleet space battles use a simple grid strategy system that's all about trying to predict where the enemy will move its ships and trying to overpower them with your own. Seems involved but fun. From what I understand, the Daiva games all more or less play the same, with only minor differences in gameplay but a different perspective on the story each time.
- A Life M36 Planet: Mother Brain Has Been Aliving
Possibly the best game name I've ever heard.
I really want this one! It looks like a janky (but decent) Metroid rip-off with the addition of shops and townsfolk. The biggest Metroid rip-off elements come from the title screen, which not only calls out Mother Brain, but also uses a similar font to Metroid's, a similar logo, and even similar title screen music. This game just seems like something I need in my life, but it's rare as hell -- I saw it briefly on Yahoo Auctions Japan for 20,000 yen (almost $200), but it's not even there anymore, so I guess somebody bought it.
-Tom