SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[excelsior]

Thanks, the research I've been doing aligns with those choices. Been trying to play Tecmo Super Bowl III. I managed a touch down. I don't know how.

[spanky]

Alright so I played this. I had a good time! Kind of reminded me of NES Ice Hockey for some reason. The simple graphics don't bother me but the sound was kind of grating. Let's go with a B.

As far as American Football games go I think I would concur with the Tecmo Super Bowl games - probably the most accessible and fun to play while still being sim-like.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Banpresto
• Developer - Banpresto
• Genre - Platform
• Initial Release - 23 December 1994

  

  

[excelsior]

I find Go Go Ackman to be a highly competent, yet pretty unexciting platformer. The action is all polished to a nice level, but doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. The highlight here is the sprite art.

Ranking - C

[vnisanian2001]

Ackman looks like Trunks' long lost brother or cousin (yes, I know it's Toriyama's work).

[spanky]

I've actually played this...years ago on emulator but I think I saw enough of it. C is about right. Banpresto made the most depressingly average games.

[dsparil]

I like Go Go Ackman! It looks nice and the gameplay is decent. It's not as good as the third game, but it's miles above the second. I'd go with a B.

[Snake]

Go Go Ackman

Toriyama art was the main draw here, giving the whole game its campy, colorful vibe. Like a sword fighter version of Kid Dracula on Famicom. Easy, straightforward platforming gameplay.

Rank B-

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Enix
• Developer - Quintet
• Genre - Strategy/Action
• Initial Release - 16 December 1990

Long ago, you and your people built a peaceful land. Since then, your world has been taken over and inhabited by the evil Tanzra and his Guardians. Your once-tranquil land has become a breeding ground for monsters, Injured, you have retreated to your Sky Palace and have fallen into a deep sleep. Now, many years have passed and you have recovered from your injuries and slumber. You must punish Tanzra and restore the world to your people or lose their faith forever.

  


  

[spanky]

Oh yeah, I LOVE Actraiser. It's one of those "more than the sum of it's parts" games. Neither the sim or the action sections would be great on their own but together they're awesome. The game never makes you stay in one segment for too long either so it always feels refreshing. I also love your interactions with the people and the melancholy ending. And of course, the music.

It's a shame the sequel ditched the sim parts. I've never played the remake but it looks like it really drags out what should be a breezy experience. This is an S for me.

[Snake]

Actraiser - Rank S

Is it too easy? I think so, for seasoned gamers.  For casual gamers and kids just experiencing console gaming for the 1st time, it is just the right amount of challenge one can get from pattern-driven bosses. Colorful graphics. Dual-genre play provides an interesting change of pace for genre village-building and action platforming.  Granted, as magic spells are, it goes from helpful projectile fire magic, to the super dominating comet shower.  The rotating orbs and light pillar blast spells are fun, but I feel the comets spell can spam crush most of the bosses in moments.  

One of the comforting details is how the numerical displays and sound effects seem to be shared with Soul Blazer, and even Ys 1 and 2 (ah, another Yuzo Koshiro connection).  Interestingly, Yuzo Koshiro's music style switches up from the usual dance/techno/upbeat that we've come to love from Ys, Legacy of the Wizard, Revenge of Shinobi, and Streets of Rage.  Despite the orchestral feel, the soundtrack still has a certain catchiness to its moody cinematic drama.

It's a game that I'm entertained revisiting again and again and again.  While Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma are considered Quintet's loose trilogy, Actraiser can be thematically included. An avatar, a statue coming to life by divine light, coming back to take back land from the clutches of evil.  I'm biased, but I love it.

[personman]

I'll have to try this again. I gave it a shot a couple times at many people's reccomendation but it never grabbed me. The Sim parts bored me and the platformer parts just didn't impress. Only thing that stuck out to me was that really cool stage 1 theme.

I'll get it on my 3ds and give it a fair shake. Besides I have a special fascination with early SNES.

[excelsior]

It definitely took some time to click with me, in the past I would have said I disliked Actraiser. When it did click, it really did though. Neither side of gameplay is outstanding, but they somehow compliment one another in a weird way where it feels like there's a dissonance there and so shouldn't work. The action segments are incredibly basic, yet look and sound fantastic. The strategy segments are simple enough to not have to worry too much about their execution. I'm going to give it an A.

[dsparil]

Actraiser is definitely a game with issues, but it's still so unique that it's hard for me to go with anything other than S. I do actually like the remake a bit more bearing in mind that it's a 16 hour game versus a 4 hour game. Some people really hate the addition of mini-RTS battles, but I thought it added some more variety. There is some influence from tower defense games, but the point is to use your hero units (up to 3) to do most of the fighting. SolSeraph is the one with awful tower defense gameplay and it's just so terrible all around.

[retr0gamer]

It's a C tier platformer mixed with a b tier Sim and yet the game is an A for me. The excellent pixel art by ayano koshiro and the yuzo koshiro just polish it off. It was a Great early SNES game that really showcased the potential of 16 bit games.

The less said about the sequel the better.