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Post by windfisch on Oct 26, 2017 11:05:38 GMT -5
Maybe I should give it another try then. Visually it sure is pretty. It's been a while, but I remember specifically not liking the combat in this game. Never got too far though, so maybe it'll get better once you get some upgrades?
However, I have no desire to replay Risky's Revenge. Not only does it feel unfinished (even the Director's Cut, which was the version I played), but it seems like the developers tried to make up for this by artificially padding the game.
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Post by kaoru on Oct 26, 2017 11:09:37 GMT -5
I can't really say I liked the little I played of the first Shantae. I immediately had no clue where to go, and most of the few minutes played where me getting hit by an enemy before I could react, and getting hit by the next one right two steps after I dispatched the other one, because his respawn was right in my face.
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Post by wyrdwad on Oct 26, 2017 12:32:47 GMT -5
Getting lost in Shantae GBC is part of the fun, just as it was in Simon's Quest. Or maybe that's just me -- I dunno.  I love the kinds of games the Angry Video Game Nerd labels "where the hell do I go games," though. That's part of why Metroidvanias appeal to me so much in general. I don't recall there being an issue with enemy respawn, but like I said, the big sprites do mean everything feels zoomed in much too far, which does result in a lot of unfair damage being taken until you've sort of adjusted to the game's screen size vs. sprite size. So I do get where you're coming from there -- but I don't think the respawn rate or positioning is necessarily to blame. Rather, I believe the issue stems solely from the platform's limitations. I also kind of agree with you, Windfisch, on Risky's Revenge. But only kind of. I enjoyed Risky's Revenge, but I do feel it's far and away the weakest of the Shantae games, and the extreme amount of backtracking required (particularly if you want to 100% it) is a large part of that. Even for a Metroidvania, the backtracking in that game is pretty extreme, and it does make the whole experience come across as a bit padded. I'll probably replay it one day, but I imagine all of the other Shantae games will get replays long before that happens. -Tom |
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Post by 320x240 on Oct 26, 2017 13:48:27 GMT -5
Most WayForward games are solid B’s with good graphics. And the occasional bouncing boobs. You certainly know what you are getting with a game from WayForward - no real surprises but no real disappointment either. I think it takes a lot of know-how to be this consistently 'good enough'. |
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Post by wyrdwad on Oct 26, 2017 14:02:08 GMT -5
Most WayForward games are solid B’s with good graphics. And the occasional bouncing boobs. You certainly know what you are getting with a game from WayForward - no real surprises but no real disappointment either. I think it takes a lot of know-how to be this consistently 'good enough'. ...for you is... ...good enough... ...for me, it's good enough... ...good enough for me-e, ah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah! Sorry, had to. But mostly because I've been saying FOR YEARS now (years!) that WayForward absolutely, positively needs to grab the rights to the Goonies franchise and make a proper sequel to Konami's "The Goonies II," because that game is one of the best NES titles ever, and everything about its style and gameplay seems 100% perfectly suited to WayForward's game design sensibilities. Apologies for the slight off-topic rant, but, I mean... just imagine a Goonies III by WayForward! Would you not buy the hell out of that?! I know I sure would! (Other franchises I'd like to see WayForward tackle include Popful Mail and Sorcerian -- if Falcom isn't going to do anything with those IPs themselves, then why not let WayForward take a stab at them? I'm pretty sure they'd turn out awesome!) -Tom |
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Post by GamerL on Oct 26, 2017 18:06:42 GMT -5
Oh yeah, a Goonies by WayForward would be awesome.
It would also be neat if they got to make an actual Castlevania instead of something very clearly a Castlevania homage like Mummy, but ya know Konami's gotta Konami.
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Post by 1upsuper on Oct 26, 2017 18:45:33 GMT -5
Aww. See, I really like the original Shantae on GBC -- it's like Simon's Quest with all the flaws removed except for the screen being just a tad bit too zoomed in. But that's literally the only issue I have with it. Superb game otherwise. -Tom I haven't played the GBC Shantae, but I played through Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse and really didn't care for them. There are so many better metroidvania-type games, and I don't think the sprite-work is great, IMO. HGH looks great though, and it's decently fun to play. I dunno, something about their games just don't resonate with me at all. They feel heavily inspired by games that are much better. |
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Post by Exhuminator on Oct 26, 2017 21:32:51 GMT -5
I've put about two hours so far into The Mummy Demastered. It is your typical good but not great WayForward stuff. If you enjoy metroidvanias, it's worth playing.
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Post by windfisch on Oct 27, 2017 5:10:40 GMT -5
and most of the few minutes played where me getting hit by an enemy before I could react, and getting hit by the next one right two steps after I dispatched the other one, because his respawn was right in my face. Sounds familiar.. |
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Post by Magma MK-II on Oct 27, 2017 11:15:37 GMT -5
Am I the only one who thinks this looks a lot like Turrican?
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Post by wyrdwad on Oct 29, 2017 1:36:24 GMT -5
Picked up the game today and played through to the end of the first boss battle. My first impressions: this is a really solid Metroidvania. Like, so solid that I can't really criticize it, as basically everything about it is polished and well-designed. If I had to nitpick, I'd say its biggest real problem is just that it's... basically just a Metroidvania. I mean, aside from the Dark Souls-style death mechanic (which the jury's still out on, as I have yet to die -- though I have come close!), this is a standard Metroidvania in every sense, doing almost nothing that hasn't been done in the genre a hundred times before. The only thing that really makes it stand out is just... the fact that it's all done VERY WELL (at least, so far). The atmosphere is creepy, the enemies are threatening and well-animated, the controls are tight, the music is... actually downright EXCELLENT (I'm really enjoying the soundtrack so far!)... and just in general, everything looks, sounds, plays, and feels as it should in any well-designed Metroidvania worth its salt. If you're a fan of the genre, there is no reason whatsoever to pass on this game -- particularly if you're a fan of the Symphony of the Night side of that genre, since the atmosphere is more in line with that than Metroid (though it has all the shooty pew-pews of the Metroid side, too!). It's even got hanging lamps that you can destroy to get items, which feels like more than just a slight homage to Castlevania. One actual minor complaint, though, with the PS4 version: it is VERY LOUD. Like, bizarrely loud. I normally keep my TV's volume somewhere between 28 and 34, but I had to turn it all the way down to 18 when playing this game, and I was STILL concerned about the gunshot sounds possibly disturbing the neighbors. I don't think that's ever happened to me with a game before (I've had quiet games that have forced me to turn the volume up to 38-42, but never loud games that have forced me to turn it down), and it's kind of weird to have it not just be a LITTLE loud, but SO LOUD that even dialing the volume all the way back to 18 wasn't enough. Game's just noisy as hell! But as long as you don't have sensitive neighbors, I say crank it -- the music alone makes it worthwhile. -Tom |
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Post by Exhuminator on Oct 29, 2017 11:17:57 GMT -5
I beat the game a couple days ago. If you're interested in my review:
An ancient mummified sorceress has been unearthed, she's bent on world domination, only a crack team of black ops commandos can stop her. Yes, you play as the black ops dudes in this WayForward produced metroidvania. If you've played a game in this genre before, you know what to expect. Run around a maze, kill lots of stuff, find power ups that let you backtrack and advance where you couldn't before. Nothing super innovative here in that regard. The Mummy Demastered does offer very nice retro graphics, with super detailed backgrounds and well animated sprites. Enemies range from zombies, to crows, to giant spiders, and yes even mummies. The controls are very tight, everything "feels" right, which is important given the amount of platforming you'll be doing. Above all else the OST is amazing, seriously. The composer mixed in NES sounding melodies interwoven with ambient synthesizer backdrops... the music's just fantastic.
What's not fantastic? Let's start with the death system. If you die, your corpse becomes undead. When you resurrect, you come back as a new commando. You have to hunt down your now zombie-fied ex-self, and kill it to get your stuff back. Health does not come easy either. Enemies hit hard and fast, and keeping your health tanks full is a constant task. Made even harder because health pickups are not plentiful, and there's no auto-health refilling areas like in Metroid. The map system is wonky, it will show solid walls where it absolutely knows no solid walls exist. This makes backtracking more of a chore than it needs to be. Also the fast travel way-points are not at all well laid out. There are a lot of cheap hits in this game. Enemies will spawn under you, around you, and failing that they will shoot projectiles that go through walls. (Your projectiles do not go through walls.) The Mummy Demastered's enemy AI is very aggressive, or at least the normal enemies are. Strangely the bosses are all (save one) complete pushovers and pieces of cake to kill. Though not hard, the bosses are incredibly damage-spongey, almost comically so.
And you'll have fun killing them, because the weapon load out is crazy good. You've got flamethrowers, missile launchers, C4, machine guns, napalm bombs, and much more. Basically folks, they put a Contra protagonist in an Igavania. If that sounds fun to you, then you should enjoy The Mummy Demastered. (As long as you can stand health grinding.) This is a quality metroidvania in a very workmanlike way. Your typical good-but-not-great WayForward stuff. That said, any fan of this genre should play The Mummy Demastered. Especially if you enjoy retro aesthetics in your modern games, and can appreciate a decent challenge.
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I love the kinds of games the Angry Video Game Nerd labels "where the hell do I go games," though. That's part of why Metroidvanias appeal to me so much in general.
