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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Aug 31, 2022 12:08:56 GMT -5
Always nice to see those!
I'll give Krusty's Fun House a D- if you don't mind editing the stats. While there are some decent ideas here the execution mostly falls flat due to stiff and slow movement, a lack of conveyance of basic mechanics, overly large levels and having to backtrack after beating each one. But the worst offenders I think were no lifebar (!) and having to slowly kill yourself because you screwed up a level (!!). The non-linear hub rooms are a double edged sword since you can end up without any ammo and can't exit an unbeaten level. The game's feedback or viscerality is also fairly lacking, meaning it lacks the personality and snappiness of the show, and most of the music I heard was a little annoying and repetitive (to be fair it was the MD version which doesn't make good use of its sound chips, and it is kinda funny how Krusty sounds like he has serious throat issues here).
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Post by excelsior on Sept 2, 2022 0:30:10 GMT -5
Sure, no probs.
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Post by excelsior on Sept 2, 2022 5:09:48 GMT -5
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Post by excelsior on Sept 4, 2022 21:38:41 GMT -5
Week #17 - Axelay
 
Kiss your Axe-Lay goodbye! Konami's two perspective shooter arrived on the SNES and Super Famicom in September 1992. It's up to you to stop the siege...
Mysterious aliens have invaded the Earth-like planet of Corliss, slowly draining the planet's resources. Take control of the prototype Axelay ship and use its wide range of advanced weaponry to battle enemy forces. Play through multiple stages of action --from other planets to space stations -- all on your way to destroying the alien headquarters.
 
 
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Post by excelsior on Sept 4, 2022 21:48:59 GMT -5
The poll was basically a bust unfortunately but all the same I'll take the two 'winning' games as the subjects for this week and next. Saves me making the tough decisions for a couple of weeks.
So Axelay, huh? I guess that means it's time for an unpopular opinion. I'm afraid to say I don't like Axelay. The visuals are nicely detailed of course, and the vertical stages have a unique rolling look to them. Actually playing it though? Mostly my issues are with the vertical stages. Your ship moves at a snails pace, it's weaponry tough to get to grips with - I particularly hate how the missiles are left to a second attack button, just so easy to forget they exist. Rather than an upgrade system you're punished for being hit by being stripped of an option - regularly leaving you without when it's needed in an already tough game. It feels like I'm working backwards here. The horizontal stages are a fair bit better although nothing really captures my attention as particularly exciting here. Nothing has ever clicked with Axelay for me. Perhaps one day I'll see what everyone else does in it, but I'm afraid I'll have to start off on a negative score. I'm sure you'll all turn it around.
Ranking - D
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Post by dsparil on Sept 5, 2022 4:44:29 GMT -5
I think Axelay is pretty good. The graphics are unique in the vertical stages, but the horizontal ones are less visually interesting and tend to not have any gimmicks. I think the difficulty is actually pretty fair since it doesn't use checkpoints and tends to not do really BS things. It's also possible to map fire and missiles to the same button, but it would have been better to have that be the default.
B
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Post by 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 on Sept 5, 2022 6:50:23 GMT -5
Finally one I can rank again! I love Axelay. It's hard to pick between this and Gradius III (SNES) for me. Just like Gradius III, this has a great powerup system with fun weapons (I especially love that two-way gun where you change the angle by holding or releasing the shoot button), and Konami shmups tend to be slower moving with more terrain instead of focusing on enemy formations mostly. Which I like obviously. It's a challenging game, but you have multiple hitpoints for once, and switching between weapons is fun. It makes it feel a little more involved than just picking up some powerups (again, something Gradius does well as well). This also applies to picking your loadout (again, Gradius does this too), although I never liked that you can't start with all weapons (don't think there's like a code you can input to do this either), instead unlocking them as you move through the game. Generally, it has all the gameplay qualities I'd expect from a Konami shmup. Graphics and sound are also excellent for 1992. I always liked the effect on the vertical stages, and all 6 stages are pretty memorable. Stage 2 is especially cool. excelsior, I don't think losing a weapon after getting hit is a particularly harsh punishment. In a lot of shmups, getting hit means you die, possibly resetting your power and sending you back. Axelay feels quite lenient in that sense. If you keep using the most versatile weapon even if you don't really need it at the moment, or you keep using a weapon you might need for a particular part of the stage, you're putting yourself at risk of losing it. I can see how that might make someone play with their less prefered weapons just so they don't lose it. I'll give it an S. Only truly bad thing about it is that it promised a sequel that still hasn't happened 30 years later. |
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on Sept 5, 2022 16:07:23 GMT -5
Had a quick play of this to refresh my memory. If this was all vertical levels I'd be tempted to give it a D almost, the steamroller effect looks dated and is a bit distracting, and I dislike the semi auto-steering when moving side to side. The horizontal ones are quite good though, and it generally plays like a mix between R-Type, TF2-3 and a bit of Sol-Feace, most of which I like a lot. With a bit more slowdown than I remembered but it's not bad for early SNES.
I don't like the rigid weapon system and speed system, nor how a broken weapon can still be switched to. But on the other hand you respawn on the spot with replenished weapons, most of them are useful and there are some cool ones. And of course you have 4 HP per life which is pretty forgiving, though you can sometimes get thrown off from the knockback and losing a useful weapon, so you'll end up losing a life quickly anyway.
I'll try to finish it again first but I'll give it a preliminary C+.
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Post by personman on Sept 6, 2022 4:08:41 GMT -5
I just had to run through this just now to see if my fond memories of this hold up still. I think they do, for this is one of my favorites for the system. I definitely don't care for the vert stages as much anymore. The strange mode 7 belt scrolling just looks odd nowadays and it does lead to a bit of confusion here and there. Besides that it's only done in such a way as a mode 7 flex when it could have been presented normally and not feel any different. Plus it has some dumb things like these little spider guys that are clearly on the ground and you are flying above them yet you will collide into them and lose a life? Uh... video games? Stage 6 has some clarity issues too with these tubes that spew volcanic rocks which will take you out too and just end up blending into the background.
That said I still think they are solid and the horizontal stages are absolutely superb along with the weapons. Too bad you can't gain them faster to play around with them. I also like the rule that you lose a weapon before you lose a life too. Though in practice you'll find later on it'll feel as punishing as you average shmup due to contact with any enemy will just kill you instantly and for the most part enemies tend to just bum rush you rather than shoot which in my opinion just kinda puts the concept to waste. The very last level, cool and epic as it is, does go on a little too long with a boss that just wont die for crying out loud (it have four phases). It's a bit much and has some real cheap shit in it.
That all being said I still think its fantastic but it's not without its issues. Its art direction and music really stand out to me, like the intro and ending I honestly feel manages to have a bit of art to it. Plus the damn music, its some of Konami's best. For instance the credits theme, I can scarcely think of few tracks that make you feel like you triumphantly accomplished something:
I should probably give it a B but I can't help it, after just getting done playing Gradius III I'm in an old Konami mood so I'll gonna settle with giving it an A. It's one of my favorite Konami games period.
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Post by spanky on Sept 6, 2022 13:39:20 GMT -5
I always find it difficult rating games that I know are good games but I personally don't find to my taste. This is one (and most SHMUPs honestly) of those games.
It looks really nice. The Mode 7 in the overhead stages is about the most SNES-y effect imaginable though it can cause some hit detection issues. It's not wrong that it's a bit dated looking but I have a strong personal bias for any sort of effect that I can identify instantly as coming from a SNES game. The bosses all look great - I really like the multi-jointed ED-209 thing in the second level.
Cool weapons, cool music. I like how one shot doesn't instantly kill you and that you respawn right where you die.
I'm no speed runner, but I do like being able to go at my own pace in games, so the auto scrolling and slower pace across this entire genre doesn't jibe well with me. Still, I had fun with this and it's one of the more impressive shooters I've played on the system. It's such an early release too! Let's give it a B.
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Post by excelsior on Sept 11, 2022 23:37:12 GMT -5
Week #18 - Wild Guns
 
Shootout at high noon! Natsume first launched this classic gallery shooter in Japan in 1994 and worldwide releases would slowly follow. It has seen ports via the virtual console and an updated remake for modern platforms.
The young and beautiful Annie went to see Clint, the renown space bounty hunter. "My entire family was abducted and killed by the Kid family. I will pay you whatever you want to help me get rid of those villains." "I don't need any help," said Clint in a haughty voice. "I insist on helping, replied Annie. "I have a personal vendetta against the Kid family, and besides, I bet I am as good a shot as you are." "We will see about that. Let's go get them!"
 
 
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Post by excelsior on Sept 11, 2022 23:51:53 GMT -5
This is a standout game in my opinion. It helps that gallery shooters are such a rarely presented genre, particularly on the SNES, but Natsume seemed to have a real knack for action games at this point. As ever the artwork is beautiful, with a really nice blend of wild west and steampunk aesthetics. Each sprite stands out nicely so it's easy to know where you are and what to target, though I do find I miss a stray bullet coming my way here and there. I really enjoy the environmental interaction as you can destroy much of it, often hiding some nice power ups, which are always useful. Control feels accurate and satisfying with dodge rolls, close attacks and a lasso manoeuvre all well integrated into the combat design. The newer version of the game has left this one behind a little bit, though in my opinion it's more geared towards having four players on screen at once, because it can become too hectic. This one can too to a lesser extent, and I find it more balanced with two players, but overall, it's much more manageable.
Ranking - A
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Post by vnisanian2001 on Sept 12, 2022 2:49:35 GMT -5
So obviously a spiritual successor to Cabal and Blood Bros.
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Post by spanky on Sept 12, 2022 7:39:16 GMT -5
Yeah this game rules. Like I said in my Pocky and Rocky review - Natsume was really great at making the the sort of fast paced, arcadey action games that you normally associated with the Genesis. I like how the rounds are time based, but you can make it tick down quicker by being aggressive and killing more enemies. The system where you can shoot down slow moving bullets to fill up your super bar is a cool idea...but honestly it's too risky most of the time and you're better off just dodging.
Great aesthetics, I love the sci-fi western setting. This game came out at a time when developers were really starting to master the SNES hardware and were capable of producing a Neo Geo caliber action game like this.
All that being said, I think it's the sort of game that could benefit from some sort of dual stick set up (impossible on the SNES really, but would have been completely capable for the reamke...which they didn't do). It would be nice if there was a way to speed up the cursor at least because it's a bit slow. This is close to an A for me but it's ultimately a B game.
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Post by dsparil on Sept 12, 2022 8:00:37 GMT -5
I feel the same way about dual stick control being better for it. They could have gone the Smash TV route and treated the face buttons as a second stick, but that would have been a clunkier set up for this game. It is at least designed around not being twin stick since it's an exclusive. It's a fun game, but my only issue is that it isn't particularly memorable for me. I vaguely remember playing this when it was new and finally finished it for the first time last year, but I can not remember a single level from it. I guess I don't really care for western themed games. I have the same forgetfulness for Wild Arms. Ironically I did make the cowboy my main character for the last chapter of Live A Live.
B
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