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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2021 5:51:53 GMT -5
For this thread I want to shine the light on what in members opinion are outstanding games, that whether well known or not, don't really get the recognition you feel they deserve, whether it be from the wider gaming community or just this forum specifically. I'm using the term masterpieces somewhat loosely, but consider games you believe are worthy of 9+ out of 10.
I'll start with Sonic and Allstars Racing Transformed. It was developed by experienced racing developers Sumo Digital and borrows mechanically to a degree from the also wonderful Outrun 2, for which they did the console ports. Whilst other kart racers focus on multiplayer modes S&ART delivers an intense challenge in it's single player mode, which, whilst of course contains some random elements as you would expect from the genre, feels like player skill is the primary importance in succeeding. Learning each track layout and mastering the drift mechanism enable the player to fly through the courses and of course with a great sense of speed that the game offers. Speaking of the tracks, the game has you drive through environments from a diverse history of Sega's worlds from After Burner to Billy Hatcher to Skies of Arcadia. Each track exudes personality and feels like the player is thrust into the world of the game its based on, whilst feeling additive to the greater experience of the game, with no track feeling like an unnecessary repeat. I feel that many times when people are discussing cart racers focus is put on the racers themselves but Sumo quite rightly shone the light on the tracks, ensuring that driving through them offered a compelling experience, whilst also offering a feeling of nostalgia to Sega fans. It's a real shame that the concept hasn't since been revisited, but perhaps that helps to make Sonic & Allstars a truly special experience.
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Post by mainpatr on Mar 17, 2021 7:52:21 GMT -5
Dirge of Cerberus,seriously one of my favorite TPS games ever!
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Mar 17, 2021 17:45:50 GMT -5
All-Stars Racing Transformed was a lot of fun with a better sense of speed and more satisfying mechanics for me than Mario Kart Wii, I was hooked on that one for a while and wished MP on PC was more active when I was playing it. As you say it's one hell of a nostalgia trip as well which was long overdue for Sega and rather well done there. I did think trying to master the game got too frustrating though, with a few courses that I just could not get the hang of properly; it's been a while but here are my thoughts on it from 2-3 years back: minirevver.weebly.com/sonic--all-stars-racing-transformed.htmlDidn't play its followup though I think it had a mixed reception and was made by a different team. It also seems to *look* a bit worse to me, idk. |
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Post by spanky on Mar 17, 2021 19:47:45 GMT -5
The Goemon games get a lot love in certain hardcore gamer circles but in general, the series isn't held in the same regard as Konami's other games. But I've always thought the best games in the series (most of the 16-bit ones) stand at the top of Konami's library.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2021 7:42:47 GMT -5
All-Stars Racing Transformed was a lot of fun with a better sense of speed and more satisfying mechanics for me than Mario Kart Wii, I was hooked on that one for a while and wished MP on PC was more active when I was playing it. As you say it's one hell of a nostalgia trip as well which was long overdue for Sega and rather well done there. I did think trying to master the game got too frustrating though, with a few courses that I just could not get the hang of properly; it's been a while but here are my thoughts on it from 2-3 years back: minirevver.weebly.com/sonic--all-stars-racing-transformed.htmlDidn't play its followup though I think it had a mixed reception and was made by a different team. It also seems to *look* a bit worse to me, idk. Thanks for your thoughts. I notice you gave it an 8 also, which is pretty much a 10 by my standards:P (seriously you'll have to explain your rating system to me some time). I can understand your frustrations for sure, it definitely is about trial and error and the expectations on the player are sky high. That said you have the congratulations splash screen as a reward as a negative and I honestly just found it funny after all those trials that there was no real recognition. There's a mirror mode in there somewhere too, but I can't remember how it's unlocked or even if it's available from the get go. ------- I agree with spanky on Mystical Ninja at least. I haven't played much of the others since they were only recently translated though. Definitely the first SNES games is one of my favourite Konami games though. Dirge of Cerberus, is in the backlog so I'll get round to it hopefully sometime in this life. |
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Post by dsparil on Mar 18, 2021 9:13:58 GMT -5
Racing Transformed was pretty good, and the addition of Alex Kidd as a "Christmas present" was a nice touch. It's a shame that it took so long for a follow up and for it to be Sonic only. MK8 benefitted from expanding out the roster even if only from the DLC so it's weird that Sega went in the opposite direction.
The big one for me is Magicat which is honestly one of the greatest platformers ever made despite being almost completely unknown. I think part of the problem is that it looks like it'd be shovelware as it was made by one person on what must have been no budget. The developer very clearly has a good understanding of the genre and there's some nice tweaks to the standard formula.
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Mar 18, 2021 9:38:59 GMT -5
Just lost a huge post with a bunch of unsung classics mentioned to getting auto-logged out (even though I never get logged out when not posting) but a 10 is more of a theoretical to me, a perfect or close to it game. The mastering aspect isn't super important to me which is why it still got a great score, while some of the other things are but didn't happen enough to lower it much.
There's also a "grumpiness" factor that comes with age and playing a lot of games, I might've given Transformed a 9 if I played it in my teens or so.
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Post by Snake on Mar 18, 2021 11:31:41 GMT -5
The Goemon games get a lot love in certain hardcore gamer circles but in general, the series isn't held in the same regard as Konami's other games. But I've always thought the best games in the series (most of the 16-bit ones) stand at the top of Konami's library. Ditto. All the Super Famicom/SNES releases were pure joy. The first one on SNES, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, has a lot of great detail. Lush graphics, imaginative bosses, catchy music. An amusement park level. Tons of shops and mini-games galore. And the series expands upon the gameplay with more characters, and the addition of giant robot piloting.
Bahamut Lagoon is a masterpiece to me, that never really got a proper follow-up or successor. It'd be one thing if it was a mere tactics game, but it really combines tactical strategy, Final Fantasy style turn-based commands, and monster raising. Released towards the end of the Super Famicom lifespan, they were really maximizing the graphical capability.
I would also include Konami Wai Wai World. Rescue 4 Konami characters, plus Mikey from the Goonies and King Kong, use them as playable characters before the term Metroidvania became in vogue, and hop into the Vic Viper or Twinbee for a shooting stage leadng up to the last boss. Mostly unsung, as this game was Japan-only, with obscure fan translations becoming available later. I have a certain affection for this game from my childhood, but the again, it was a concept that has yet to be rehashed in modern day. Maybe Subspace Emissary mode on Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be the closest thing.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2021 22:24:56 GMT -5
Racing Transformed was pretty good, and the addition of Alex Kidd as a "Christmas present" was a nice touch. It's a shame that it took so long for a follow up and for it to be Sonic only. MK8 benefitted from expanding out the roster even if only from the DLC so it's weird that Sega went in the opposite direction. The big one for me is Magicat which is honestly one of the greatest platformers ever made despite being almost completely unknown. I think part of the problem is that it looks like it'd be shovelware as it was made by one person on what must have been no budget. The developer very clearly has a good understanding of the genre and there's some nice tweaks to the standard formula. I, unsurprisingly, am not familiar with Magicat either. Although there is a shovelware type look to the presentation I have to say the art is actually quite endearing despite being pretty basic. ommadawnyawn2 - I approve of the grumpiness factor. The seen it all before factor does become strong through experience. I like to think I've some years left before I'm entirely pessimistic though. Also, my phone seems to have learned your name. Quoting you just became easier. |
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Mar 27, 2021 9:37:44 GMT -5
Rocket Knight Adventures (MD, 1993)
RKA! This game is a smörgåsbord of all things I love about Konami during this era: fast and tight movement, great variety with a couple of shoot 'em up levels mixed in as well as a boxing duel between two giant robots, great bosses that sometimes have multiple forms or phases, great audiovisuals with some humorous touches, and near technical mastery of the system all in one package.
The jetpack, while implemented slightly better in later games, is great fun to use here as well and sometimes makes the game a contender for the fastest playing 16-bit game if you know the levels well. By the way, check out Screw Attack's Retro vs. Reboot for a laugh.
Langrisser II (MD, 1994)
When it comes to SRPGs I think this is as good as it gets for the MD and the 16-bit gen, and the game outshines its prequel (Warsong) with its improved character customization, balancing, AI and variety. Langrisser 2 offers a very challenging game (dead characters stay dead), huge battles, cool classes like Summoner and Dragon Knight, a decent story with a lot of humour and twists, and excellent music. Still only playable in English via emulation, but you'll probably want to be able to fast forward after a few battles anyway. Also: Chou Aniki cameo.
Mother 3 (GBA, 2006)
Itoi's writing is in a league of its own and it's both more mature and better translated here than in the prequel; witty, funny, quirky and sometimes quite touching. Gameplay is also good with a fun rhythm gimmick to battles and while it's mostly linear, it works better for the story and pacing I think. The 2D pixel art and an eclectic lo-fi pop/funk/rock/orchestral mix aesthetics are timeless.
Power Strike II (SMS, 1993) - From my racketboy SMS gems article contribution:
The impressive opening cutscene sets the stage for Compile’s SMS swan song, depicting a wild alternate take on the late 1920s where pilots out of a job have taken to steampunk-aided sky pirating and it’s up to one man alone to stop them. The visuals and audio throughout the rest of the game won’t let you down either.
Each level in the game is well paced, varied and with unique set pieces – There’s a nice blend of small fry, mini-boss style enemies, ground defenses and the occasional natural hazard such as the erupting volcanoes rising out of the ocean in the first level. As is common in Aleste games there’s always at least a few enemies and bullets on screen, and beyond the first one there are several really intense moments to test your shooting skills (or in a couple of cases, that you’ve equipped and upgraded the right weapon). At the end of each one you of course fight a boss, and the game shines here as well with bosses that have multiple patterns and large, detailed sprites ensuring they’ll be intimidating to face.
You have the trademark Compile weapon system in place here meaning there’s plenty of variety as well as upgrades for each sub weapon (6 and 6, respectively). Their more forgiving takes on respawning and ship speed control also make a return here along with difficulty options (5 levels in total), making the game a bit easier to get into for newcomers to the genre. You also have the usual screen clearing smart bombs, however they trigger when touched here and don’t always show up when you really need them.
New to this game there’s a shotgun-like charge beam triggered by letting go of the shot button (it auto-charges while shooting and has a 5 second cooldown period), which is satisfying to use and balances out most of the difficulty spikes quite well as it also takes out enemy bullets for a brief moment. There’s also a spinning orb shield power up, which when upgraded to level 2 is very effective at taking out regular enemy bullets.
Power Strike II is pretty amazing for an obscure “stuck in PAL land” 8-bit shooter. It’s one of the best of its generation, one of the best games for the system and one of the best vertical scrolling shoot ‘em ups period.
Panorama Cotton (MD, 1994)
It's pretty odd that this game even exists for the stock MD. Success, a game company that never made anything for the console prior to this (though I think some devs come from Compile), decides to turn Cotton into a Space Harrier-like shooter, make it one of the most technically impressive efforts for the system, then release a limited amount of copies exclusively for the Japanese market as late as mid-1994. Well I'm glad they did, because they certainly _succeeded_ in making Panorama Cotton an amazing game (for example you get branching paths and RPG elements years before PD Zwei here) and something of a swan song for the 2D-based rail shooter. Now if someone would port this to the MCD for super smooth scaling...
Thunder Force IV (MD, 1992)
There's a bunch of great shoot 'em ups for the MD and this is the best horizontal one overall, as well as one of the best period. It's a pretty big leap from the prequel in several ways. The developers had really mastered the MD hardware at this point and their talent and attention to detail is visible throughout every aspect of the game, from the big, tough and intimidating bosses to the impressive and catchy soundtrack that somehow mixes metal and jazz fusion tracks in a way that works. I thought the great people at Technosoft overdid it a bit when trying to make up for the low difficulty of the prequel, to the point where some parts require precise memorization and having the special charge-up weapon ready, but it does still take first place in the series for me. An odd tidbit I can add is that while there's some slowdown here and there, it tends to be built in for effect.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World (SMS, 1986)
This takes hacks/mods into account however it's still a top 10 game without them. AK1 was an ambitious platformer for its time with an inventory system, shops, dungeon levels with switch puzzles, optional side quests and unique quirks like how you remove the ghost enemies via blocks that make it still stand out today. It's disappointing how even Sega fans in the US dismiss this one as a SMB clone when there's a lot more to it. The one thing that doesn't hold up, janken, isn't even that prominent in the game.
Contra: Hard Corps (MD, 1994)(Japanese version)
If I was god, the levels in this game would be about 20% longer, and the egg-shaped crawling robot segment would be removed from most paths. It would be the perfect run 'n gun game. Contra: HC is worth playing simply for the fact that it's an experimental entry in a very conservative series - they actually let you dodge attacks without that awkward jump here, and in the JP version you can take more than one hit before dying! As with RKA, Konami makes great use of the hardware for a fast and intense experience that basically never repeats itself.
Ristar: The Shooting Star (MD, 1995)
A late release for the system that most people (including me, at the time) missed out on. Ristar seems like a slower, more kiddy version of Sonic at first, and it kind of is but it's also a high quality platformer with a fun to use grab/climb/headbutt ability as its main gimmick, interesting levels and some of the best sounding music on the system. The flow of the game is closer to the Illusion games or Revenge of Shinobi except said gimmick makes movement more involved, though sometimes you'll also find these gadgets that let you temporarily fly across part of a level while bouncing off of the walls and this can be used to reach certain items or a higher path if you get good at it. The higher difficulties are definitely challenging too, so if you're one of those hardcore gamer mandudes you still need to play Ristar.
Micro Machines: Turbo Tournament '96 (MD, 1995)
There's not that much to say about Micro Machines except that it's an excellent multiplayer game which is easy to get into for anyone. This iteration let you build your own courses and had more modes than the previous games. As with MM2 no multitap was needed to play with 3 others (they called this J-cart technology, you actually had a couple of controller ports on the cart itself. You could also play up to 7 other people at once by sharing 4 controllers, which I haven't tried yet but I'm sure it's awesome.
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole (MD, 1992)
This game can stalk my land any time. Landstalker is... quite a bit like Zelda 3 if it was an isometric view game, but with an actually interesting story (not the usual damsel in distress and save the world thing with a silent protag), a less formulaic structure, and more challenging puzzles. The lack of shadows for jumping and on objects were only a minor annoyance for me, since I used save states hehe.
Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyou Toitsusen (MD, 1994)
Was gonna put Mega Bomberman on the list but assuming we're doing PCE/TG16 (this was copy-pasted from another thread) I can mention this one instead. Growing up we used to play the 3-player fighting game International Karate+ on a buddy's Amiga a lot, and we loved the sheer chaos of it. So in the '00s when I discovered that this game had the same feature but with yet another player added, I had to play it. And (spoiler) Treasure did it once again, it's a great fighting game in the vein of Fatal Fury 2. Matches might not be as fair or precise as in Street Fighter 2 when you play like this, but the laughs from unintended results and the fun in temporary alliances make up for it.
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (SMS, 1993)
Similar to Quackshot or DT2 this is one of those MV-lite games with a hub map where you gain tools and abilities to progress and explore further into previous levels to upgrade your char. This is a nice showcase title along with games like Aladdin as the visuals are near early 16-bit quality. Controls are great, level design is pretty inventive with some decent puzzles here and there and it's quite varied too. I just wish it was a level or two longer and had a hard mode.
DuckTales 2 (NES/GB, 1993)
This MV-lite style sequel is better in every way besides the music, which still is pretty solid. Better controls, fun abilities and good progression curve, interesting levels and decent bosses. There's also an alternate final level and ending if you collect all the hidden map pieces, and some differences on GB making both vesions worth checking out.
Metal Storm (NES, 1991)
A creative and cool mech action game with an overall fair challenge, nice animation and tight controls. The main gimmick here is the ability to reverse gravity, something later used in games like VVVVVV, and it's surprisingly in-depth with various platforming puzzles and boss fights designed around it.
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Post by toei on Mar 27, 2021 15:42:14 GMT -5
Langrisser really is the great unsung SRPG series. It's got actual depth and strategy, without feeling over-complicated. And the prequel Elthead actually predates Fire Emblem and is one of the very first game of its type (some say the first). I love Landstalker too, but I don't know if it's unsung. Genesis fans know. And Mother 3 is the best GBA exclusive by such a wide margin that it's not even funny.
Growlanser IV, made largely by the same people as Langrisser II, is another masterpiece. The interruptible real-time battle system is more fun and just as deep, customizing the gems opens up insane possibilities, the world and story can actually be taken seriously (as opposed to most modern RPGs, not as opposed to Langrisser II)... I loved all of it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2021 15:44:51 GMT -5
Awesome post ommadawnyawn2 - Definitely not games I see people talk about much here. I really like that you found so much from the Mega Drive. |
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Mar 27, 2021 17:50:21 GMT -5
Cheers! Yeah the MD has a special place in my heart for sure. Not just for the childhood nostalgia but for the gems I discovered via emulation mostly during the '00s, which I guess I am getting nostalgic about now too. Also played a bunch of SNES during that time, I just didn't have any texts ready for any hidden gems for it but I'll try and come back with some at some point. Langrisser really is the great unsung SRPG series. It's got actual depth and strategy, without feeling over-complicated. And the prequel Elthead actually predates Fire Emblem and is one of the very first game of its type (some say the first). I love Landstalker too, but I don't know if it's unsung. Genesis fans know. And Mother 3 is the best GBA exclusive by such a wide margin that it's not even funny. Growlanser IV, made largely by the same people as Langrisser II, is another masterpiece. The interruptible real-time battle system is more fun and just as deep, customizing the gems opens up insane possibilities, the world and story can actually be taken seriously (as opposed to most modern RPGs, not as opposed to Langrisser II)... I loved all of it. Interesting, I definitely wanna check that one out as well as the later Langrisser games when I find the time. Yeah I guess LS is well regarded among MD fans at least, but reception seems more mixed outside of that crowd, and on the HG101 podcast for example. |
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Post by Bumpyroad on Mar 28, 2021 0:21:46 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2021 11:39:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the links. 2006 just seems a lifetime ago in terms of what video games were or could be to me. It is interesting to see the suggestions of course.
Turtles III I'm guessing was a victim of timing? It was a late NES release in the US and no release at all in Europe.
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