Weekly Roundup

[Average Joe]

Playing original Dead space on 360. This game is still so damn good. Finishing up hard mode going to go through impossible again after that.

I finished that up right before they announced the remake haha

Still great, but the sequel really improved upon nearly every aspect.

USF4 (Steam)

Grabbed this for like $5 a while back and am currently giving it a go. I played 5 and 6 a fair bit, but I think this is still my favorite of the modern 3D SF games. Nice to see it's still active since I'm having no trouble finding matches.

 

[wataru330]

World Rally Championship JAMMA •Gaelco

Controls like you have mind control over your car. Exhaust notes are perfect. Great arcade fun!

 

[LoneSage]

Klonoa – PS1. I had an OPM demo disc that had the first two stages on it way back in 2001ish. I was completely enamored with it but couldn't find the game itself. Later I got a Wii and the remake sometime in 2011 but by then I just didn't care anymore.

Anyways, finally got to play through the PS1 original, absolutely brilliant game, one of a kind. Didn't care about the story but the ending is still a tearjerker mindfuck (used to watch the ending on YouTube when a few liters in). The game reminds me a lot, a LOT of Mischief Makers.

How does the sequel compare?

1997 interview with the brilliant bastards who made it: https://shmuplations.com/klonoa/

 

[Takumaji]

Lots of time, lots of gamin' - -

Atari 2600

Xenophobe - I like the game, it's not a complete port of the arcade original, some elements like the laser balls and other stuff are missing but what's there works very well IMO. It came out in 1990 and was one of the last games to be released for the system, maybe that's why it's more advanced than earlier games. I prefer the 2600 version over the 7800 port, it's less colourful but plays better.

Astroblast - A port of Astrosmash on Intellivision. You have to shoot meteors raining down on you, larger ones split in two small pieces. When a meteor hits the ground, its points get deducted from your score total, down to zero. Shooting meteors gives you points, the idea is to stay alive as long as possible while shooting meteors quickly enough to increase your score. The higher the score, the faster the meteors come down, up to a point where you really need lightning reflexes to hit them. The game looks super simple but is immensely playble and fun, just make sure you set your difficulty switches correctly, both should be set to B for the normal game. Set them both to A and you'll start with a game speed that is equivalent to a score of 50,000, if you play it like that for the first time you gonna have a hard time staying alive for more than five seconds.

Atari 7800

Commando - This is my most-played 7800 game at the moment. I've played the arcade original, ports on C64, Speccy, MSX, NES, Atari ST and Amiga but always come back to the 7800 version because it's so playable. The cart is one of two releases that came with a POKEY chip built in (the other one is Ballblazer) which means way better sound and music.

Donkey Kong - Really gets the job done, like the game a lot, level three (pie factory) is missing. It's one of the games where the PAL version became quite expensive over the past five years, loose carts usually went for around 30, now they're 50 and up, complete copies go for 100+.

PSX

ThunderForce V - Some say that this 2.5D game wouldn't be as good as the 2D Genny prequels but I've played it more than any TF with the exception of II. There's also a SAT port but some (like me) prefer the PSX version, even the developers think it's the better one, that's why they subtitled it 'Perfect System'. If you can look past the aged 3D graphics, you'll be in for a great hori shump ride, and you gotta love the music and sound, so Technosoft, so cool.

Gekioh Shooting King - Looks awesome and plays very well but is a bit blunt overall, enemies, formations and bosses are standard fare but it works and the game is really fun to play so it's all okidoki for me.

PS2

Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 8 - Virtua Racing -FlatOut- - A remake of the original game, looks somewhat better than the arcade original, gameplay is good, maybe not 100% original (cornering is quite different) but the spirit is there, it's nice to play and the extra tracks and cars are really cool. The 32x version is still my favourite.

Virtua Fighter 4 - Ah yes, good old VF, just never gets old for me. AFAIK, there's a Evolution version of this one which I haven't played yet but as a more or less casual VF player, I'm more than good with what's in the game. Looks great and plays super smooth.

ThunderForce VI - I remember that reviewers were not happy with the game when it came out, I always liked it because it's so sane and crazy at the same time. It's a bit short perhaps, one or two extra levels couldn't have hurt. Big challenge in later levels.

EDIT:

I've also been playing tons of Atari 5200 and Atari 8 bit computer games on an emulator called Altirra, downloaded complete romsets of 5200 and the whole 8 bit range. Both the console and computers got a lot of kewl games, it's a fun and sometimes eye-opening experience for me, never had one of those systems when they were new. Some of the games show off the capabilities of the systems they run on very well. I've only scratched the surface, though, there's tons more stuff to try out, the TOSEC archive even contains demos, apps and other more or less useful programs, so when I feel like it and want to dig deeper into the mystic caves of Atari computing, I'm all set for it.

 

[terry.330]

ThunderForce V - Some say that this 2.5D game wouldn't be as good as the 2D Genny prequels but I've played it more than any TF with the exception of II. There's also a SAT port but some (like me) prefer the PSX version, even the developers think it's the better one, that's why they subtitled it 'Perfect System'. If you can look past the aged 3D graphics, you'll be in for a great hori shump ride, and you gotta love the music and sound, so Technosoft, so cool.


ThunderForce VI - I remember that reviewers were not happy with the game when it came out, I always liked it because it's so sane and crazy at the same time. It's a bit short perhaps, one or two extra levels couldn't have hurt. Big challenge in later levels.

TFV is incredibly underrated. The Saturn version was released first and I think feels more like III & IV, there's just something about the way the ship handles that feels more accurate to the earlier games. The PS port is definitely more polished though. Can't go wrong with either version. Also Technosoft games from that era have incredible presentation and V is their peak.

I was super excited for VI and really wanted to like it but it just feels so soulless compared to V. I've tried coming back to it a couple times over the years but just couldn't ever jive with it.

 

[radiantsvgun]

Sekiro- finally managed to get all the achievements for this on steam. While its a polarizing title, its a damn fine game and the closest thing we are getting to another Tenchu.

Resident Evil 2 Remake- came back to this one on steam and finished Claire B with an S rank. While I have some issues with the game not having a dodge button like in RE3, its overall an amazing game. The sherry parts could have been left out, but its almost as good to me as the original Resident Evil 2. Damn solid game imo.

Resident Evil Village- was on the current steam sale so I gave it another try. At first I hated this port because they fucked up the FOV and it was giving me motion sickness. I enjoyed it on the PS5 and did not have those issues- I ended up using the RE framework to disable the vignette and zoom out the FOV. Odd they would disable the options to do this on the PC port; I eventually made it through this and the DLC, and I enjoyed it.

 

[Takumaji]

TFV is incredibly underrated. The Saturn version was released first and I think feels more like III & IV, there's just something about the way the ship handles that feels more accurate to the earlier games. The PS port is definitely more polished though. Can't go wrong with either version. Also Technosoft games from that era have incredible presentation and V is their peak.

I was super excited for VI and really wanted to like it but it just feels so soulless compared to V. I've tried coming back to it a couple times over the years but just couldn't ever jive with it.

My initial gripe with VI was the visuals, graphics look good but there's too much c&p of old stuff in there. That aside, the game really gets into its stride from level three onwards, I never have to switch weapons that often in other TF games. Been playing it a lot lately and made my peace with it, defo not on TF IV/V level but there's a certain quality to it which makes it very playable and the bosses are just crazy, there's one that can kill you in the moment you deliver the final blow with a super-wide beam, that and some of the attack patterns are downright evil and I love it.

V I loved from day one, also because it shows that it's possible to make a great shmup without hand-drawn 2D graphics. It was a brave move by Technosoft to go that route, that's for sure, many hardcore fans were alienated at first but in the end, the excellent gameplay of V won them over. One of my all-time fav horis.

 

[Taiso]

We're still doing this? Cool!

Regarding Sekiro:

I learned how to play it a couple of years ago and it is now my FAVORITE From Soft game hands down. LOVE it. Once the game starts to click, there's nothing like it.

What I've been playing:

PS5

Unicorn Overlord-Vanillaware's love letter to the RTS genre, this tame is an unsung gem right now. It's equal parts Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre with great combat, unit and resource management, an non-linear progression based on your characters' levels and an excellent rendition of the tried and true staple of fantasy storytelling, the succession war to reclaim a stolen throne. You build your units, equip them, buff them, use their abilities in the flow of battle and slowly and steadily advance against your enemy, all the while uncovering a sinister plot that is quite imaginative and implies stakes relative to the cast and setting. The character rapport system is a lot of fun to advance and there are even a variety of arenas and world restoration elements if you want to take a break from the regular grind to rebuild the continent, foster trust from the people and earn some great side rewards that help with the war effort.

All in all, it's definitely a 5 out of 5 for me.

Mobile

God help me, I'm playing mobile games now.

Street Fighter Duel-I was drawn into this by the Devil May Cry crossover events, where you can unlock Dante and Virgil and buy Nero, but I've stuck around to keep playing. It's gatcha but it ain't trash. I've really enjoyed it and been careful not to spend very much money on it. Currently my lineup is 5 Star Bison, 5 Star Sagat, 5 Star Akuma (he is a fucking BEAST) and 5 Star Guile as the tag in, with 5 Star Bear Zangief and 5 Star Chun Li as my support character. I've been at it well over a year now and it hasn't gotten old yet.

Astra: Knights of Veda-Another gatcha style game that is a side scrolling BMU with role playing elements, this game's voice acting and soundtrack are way above what I would expect for this sort of thing. It has a very distinct Dragon's Crown feel to it and beautiful hand drawn skins over 3D models. I haven't hit any kind of wall yet with this one and I haven't spent a single dime on it. There are multiplayer co-op elements and while there is a lot to do, none of it is all that difficult once you get the swing of it. Fast travel and instant menu notifications make things super easy as well. I bought a bluetooth controller just to play this and it's been great fun. I may have to revisit Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat now that I have that controller.

Here's a video previewing the gist of the game, with lots of visuals from the cutscenes, to give you an idea of what this is:

Been reading a lot of manga primarily:

• Goblin Slayer
• Witch Hat Atelier
• The Poetry of Ran
• Orb: On the Movement of Planets
• Delicious in Dungeon
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Comic-wise, there are a few floppies I'm enjoying right now:

• Conan the Barbarian (Jim Zub understands this character. Best Conan comic scribe since Timothy Truman and I'd put him up there with Thomas and Dixon as the best writers the character's ever had in sequential graphic media)
• The Hunger and the Dusk (As much as I can't stand G Willow Wilson, goddamn is she winning me over with this one)
• The Sacrificers (Proving Rick Remender's at his best when he's given freedom to write what he wants)
• Edenwood (Tony S. Daniel at his batshit crazy best. I have no idea where this is going and the whole thing is gonzo nuts and I'm here for all of it)
• Captain America (JMS had a rough start with this one and I'm kind fo tired of Cap always fighting white supremacists since crime has many faces but this second arc where Steve is being asked to help protect 'change agents' from the villain is really great. JMS writes Cap with a 'Chris Evans' voice and I don't REALLY dig it but it's growing on me.)

That's about it, I think.

 

[Average Joe]

We're still doing this? Cool!

Regarding Sekiro:

I learned how to play it a couple of years ago and it is now my FAVORITE From Soft game hands down. LOVE it. Once the game starts to click, there's nothing like it.

What I've been playing:

PS5

Unicorn Overlord-Vanillaware's love letter to the RTS genre, this tame is an unsung gem right now. It's equal parts Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre with great combat, unit and resource management, an non-linear progression based on your characters' levels and an excellent rendition of the tried and true staple of fantasy storytelling, the succession war to reclaim a stolen throne. You build your units, equip them, buff them, use their abilities in the flow of battle and slowly and steadily advance against your enemy, all the while uncovering a sinister plot that is quite imaginative and implies stakes relative to the cast and setting. The character rapport system is a lot of fun to advance and there are even a variety of arenas and world restoration elements if you want to take a break from the regular grind to rebuild the continent, foster trust from the people and earn some great side rewards that help with the war effort.

All in all, it's definitely a 5 out of 5 for me.

Mobile

God help me, I'm playing mobile games now.

Street Fighter Duel-I was drawn into this by the Devil May Cry crossover events, where you can unlock Dante and Virgil and buy Nero, but I've stuck around to keep playing. It's gatcha but it ain't trash. I've really enjoyed it and been careful not to spend very much money on it. Currently my lineup is 5 Star Bison, 5 Star Sagat, 5 Star Akuma (he is a fucking BEAST) and 5 Star Guile as the tag in, with 5 Star Bear Zangief and 5 Star Chun Li as my support character. I've been at it well over a year now and it hasn't gotten old yet.

Astra: Knights of Veda-Another gatcha style game that is a side scrolling BMU with role playing elements, this game's voice acting and soundtrack are way above what I would expect for this sort of thing. It has a very distinct Dragon's Crown feel to it and beautiful hand drawn skins over 3D models. I haven't hit any kind of wall yet with this one and I haven't spent a single dime on it. There are multiplayer co-op elements and while there is a lot to do, none of it is all that difficult once you get the swing of it. Fast travel and instant menu notifications make things super easy as well. I bought a bluetooth controller just to play this and it's been great fun. I may have to revisit Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat now that I have that controller.

Here's a video previewing the gist of the game, with lots of visuals from the cutscenes, to give you an idea of what this is:

Been reading a lot of manga primarily:

• Goblin Slayer
• Witch Hat Atelier
• The Poetry of Ran
• Orb: On the Movement of Planets
• Delicious in Dungeon
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Comic-wise, there are a few floppies I'm enjoying right now:

• Conan the Barbarian (Jim Zub understands this character. Best Conan comic scribe since Timothy Truman and I'd put him up there with Thomas and Dixon as the best writers the character's ever had in sequential graphic media)
• The Hunger and the Dusk (As much as I can't stand G Willow Wilson, goddamn is she winning me over with this one)
• The Sacrificers (Proving Rick Remender's at his best when he's given freedom to write what he wants)
• Edenwood (Tony S. Daniel at his batshit crazy best. I have no idea where this is going and the whole thing is gonzo nuts and I'm here for all of it)
• Captain America (JMS had a rough start with this one and I'm kind fo tired of Cap always fighting white supremacists since crime has many faces but this second arc where Steve is being asked to help protect 'change agents' from the villain is really great. JMS writes Cap with a 'Chris Evans' voice and I don't REALLY dig it but it's growing on me.)

That's about it, I think.

Never thought I'd see someone mentioning gacha games on here.

I play a couple too (Dokkan and Grand Summoners), but I have a few friends in real life that play some so I usually only discuss them with them.

 

[Taiso]

Never thought I'd see someone mentioning gacha games on here.

I play a couple too (Dokkan and Grand Summoners), but I have a few friends in real life that play some so I usually only discuss them with them.

It's not my genre of choice but I've found a few gems in there

Perfect for when I'm bored at work and step out of the office under the auspices of taking a shit.