Weekly Roundup

[Taiso]

Still loving my gaming rig these days.

Playing these:

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Armello-came back to this one because there's a new clan. Still a lot of fun.

MOBILE

Wizardry Variants: Daphne-A remarkable game that scales very well to mobile, with the unique heroic pulls having their own personalities. The game does a great job of telling you when to upgrade your gear and explains everything about the game's mechanics in simple, easily understable terms. There's even a pretty cool story. But all in all, it's a great 'Japanese' Wizardry game. Very charming and has a lot of character. I think I like it more than Proving Grounds, but that is unfinished business and I'm very close to beating it.

SWITCH

Alien: Isolation-Tis the season so I'm playing a scary game. This is probably the best game of its kind I've ever played. Ten years later, this mofo still holds up. And the Switch version is the best version of the game. Wonderful!

Ast Libra: Revision-Jumped back into this. Easy to pick up and play and good side scrolling action with RPG elements but it has a Castlevania II: Simon's Quest problem where you're never quite sure where to go or what to do when it's not plainly spelled out. It's also pretty funny and self aware at points.

 

[GregN]

Switch
Tetris 99 - This is my go-to game after a long day of work. Some good players on there.

Super Mario Party Jamboree - Yes, it has waggle controls, but you can turn them off. Otherwise, it's another enjoyable Mario Party. Has online play like Superstars did.

The Karate Kid Street Rumble - A good beat em up that reminds me of Scott Pilgrim.

PS5
Persona 3 Reload - Almost fininshed with this. Been pecking away at it.

Silent Hill 2 - It's been over 2 decades since I've played this. I forgot most of the puzzles, so I'm just making my way slowly with it and savoring it not looking up any FAQs.

 

[Tarma]

PS5
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways - lol, downloaded this 12 months ago and then kinda just forgot about it. Very impressive for a dlc package, especially compared to the rather naff dlc that came with Resident Evil VIIlage. Just looking to finish off maxing out all the weapons now.

 

[LoneSage]

Greg posting twice a year to let us know what video games he's been playing and nothing else is really something.

Tekken - was it normal for this to not have music? I vaguely remember renting this 23 years ago and wondering the same. Played one match and noped out.

Tekken 2 - revisiting this after so many years makes the game feel older to me than playing games from the 80s. The one thing that has held up very well is the music, everything else is gravy for my commute. I had forgotten how fast Tekken games are, beat a round or lose and it's right back to it, no win quotes or anything. Makes me wonder if SNK was inspired by that for Real Bout 2. A great thing about losing is the music doesn't stop, you start the round again but the music keeps going which it rightfully deserves. Anyways, I hope Namco is doing all right and eating enough these days.

 

[terry.330]

PS4

Pumpkin Jack- This is a PS2 era platformer/action throwback that's Halloween themed. It's pretty good, kind of a mix of Rayman 2, Maximo and a little Crash Bandicoot. Very fun vibe and atmosphere, nice stylized graphics that match the era they are emulating without being too gimmicky. It's also got s great soundtrack, very Danny Elfman. The levels are broken up pretty equally between fighting, platforming, light puzzle solving and some QTE on rails segments. Which keeps it from ever becoming too tedious. My one gripe with the game is that the controls are sloppy, especially for all the platforming that's required. Also I forgot how much QTEs suck. Aside from that it's nice little game and perfect for Halloween. It's worth a look if you enjoy simple old school platforming.

 

[Takumaji]

Robo Aleste (Sega CD) - I always preferred MUSHA over this but lately I've been playing the game a lot and it sort of clicked. Some elements I actually like better in RA, like the levelling-up of your main shot which isn't as tedious as in MUSHA and you also only need one button to use both weapons. Minor things but they add a bit of convenience for me. Other than that I find RA harder than MUSHA but it also feels very rewarding to beat a level. Amazing game, great soundtrack.

Crossed Swords II (NGCD) - Ah, I love the look and music of this game, so nice in-yer-face Neo style. Gameplay-wise it's immensely fun but can become a quarter-muncher in no time. It takes a lot of practice to know when to strike and how to beat certain opponents, button-mashing or spamming jump+strike won't get you anywhere. Still a great game, hacking opponents to pieces with a nice combo feels good. AI can be borderline cheap, there are attacks that you can't seem block or dodge from one opponent while you can with others, maybe that's just me.

OutRun (Genny) - Been playing the colour-corrected version that has been floating around the 'net for a while, got it on cart from a friend as a birthday present two years ago, came in a nice little printed slipcase and apparently was made by some guy in Portugal. Colours, some graphics and bits of sound were changed or improved to let the Genny version look closer to the arcade original and I think they did a great job with it. The Genny version plays great and the changed graphics make it even better. Could listen to the Genny version of Magical Sound Shower all day.

Battle Mania (aka Trouble Shooter, Genny) - Very colourful, good soundtrack, non-stop action, gotta memorize those difficult spots where you flip between forwards and backwards firing a lot, otherwise you won't get far in it. The extra weapons shop is a nice addition, I usually go with the laser as I find most of the others difficult to use, gotta have to experiment with that a bit more. Also the girls dropping from the sky like dead birds when they got shot is hilarious. Nice game I get back to when I want something a bit different shmup-wise.

 

[Taiso]

PC

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord-At this point, I'm just grinding for no real reason other than because losing your characters and having to start over again is too brutal to contemplate. I think I'm strong enough where I could probably just finish the game but I'll get one more level with each of my characters (they're averaging 13 now between all of them) before duplicating my save file and going in.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Anniversary Edition-This was 15 bucks on Steam and I've been looking for an action heavy game with good graphics to see how my new rig handles it and I'm not disappointed with the performance. The Acer isn't even overclocking while I play so I think I might need something that pushes the hardware even more.

Etrian Oddysey HD-Decided to get the collection for a birthday gift to myself and I'm really enjoying it. All of the quality of life improvements make this a must play for any fan of these old games.

SWITCH

ASTLIBRA Revision-Still working my way through this one. I need to really just finish it. Especially now that Astlibra Gaiden came out on Switch and I'll likely want to jump into that once I finish this one up.
'
Alien: Isolation-Finished this one up Thursday night and loved every minute of it. It is a remarkably well made game that still establishes tension from the outset. I am not sure any game has ever dropped a player into an existing universe with the same precision and perfection as this game. The subtle use of Goldsmith's score from the first film really puts the exclamation point on everything. The game perfectly marries concepts from the second movie to the first one (such as an alien hive and the agility of the facehuggers) in what may be the most seamless way I've ever seen. These ideas meld perfectly with Scott's vision such that you'd almost swear they were his inventions fully realized on the big screen and not Cameron's. This game isn't just a time capsule-it's a lesson to modern game devs both on how to handle a licensed property AND how to just make a great fucking game.

MOBILE

Wizardry Variants: Daphne-This inventive dungeon crawler/gatcha game continues to engross me. Still a great deal of fun and I can't believe how well they pulled off a mobile version of Wizardry so well. The anime/manga elements that have become a staple of the series since being acquired and adopted by Japan and Japanese audiences work really well too.

Street Fighter Duel-Yep, still playing this. I won't say it's as interesting to me after all this time but it's easy to get the daily stuff out of the way within 20 minutes and it's the perfect bathroom break game.

 

[LoneSage]

Tekken 3 - in my opinion, Street Fighter Alpha 2 is to SFA3 as Tekken 2 is to Tekken 3. Surely there must be 10 people left in the world left to argue about this.

 

[Average Joe]

PC:
Zenless Zone Zero

God, I am probably the biggest weeb here because I love this shit.

 

[wataru330]

God, I am probably the biggest weeb here because I love this shit.

*ahem*

Please hold my beer:



When watching the November tournament isn’t enough.

I scooped a N64 + Star Soldier for the SotM…and grabbed a couple of other carts, too. Including Sumo. Because I’m big dumb.

 

[ggallegos1]

PS3
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I don't know what's going on in this game, but there's at least more to do.

 

[fake]

PS5
R3sid3nt 3vil 3: R3mak3 –– I finished this over the weekend. It's obviously a joke compared to 2, but it's still very enjoyable IMO. I'm still hoping for a RE1make. I don't think I'm going to play 4; the GC version was fine. Did it really need a REm4ke? I figure the graphics obviously aren't as dramatic of an upgrade for 4 as they are for 2 and 3. And the biggest benefit of the remakes is avoiding the tank controls, which 4 had already moved away from.

 

[Taiso]

The remake of Resident Evil 4 is easily the best of the three they've done and it's not even close. Give it a try.

 

[ggallegos1]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 didn't last long. We put about 7 hours into it and still had no idea what was going on. Allegedly the story doesn't explain itself until the 15-20 hour mark, and I just don't have time for that.

Switch
Cup Head - fun diversion, loads quickly and overall looks great. On Isle II

Xbox Series X
Halo Reach - quick campaign playthrough with the wife for a couple of missions a day. Still holds up as my favorite Halo.

 

[Taiso]

PS4 (BY WAY OF PS5 BC)

Yakuza 3 (Yakuza Remastered Collection)

I forgot how much fun these games can be. The gameplay loop definitely gets a little monotonous but watching Kiryu get involved in the wacky lives of all these weirdos is very endearing. I love how the games are structured to be both gritty urban violence and innocent moral narrative all at the same time. This series is just so charming.

 

[terry.330]

The remake of Resident Evil 4 is easily the best of the three they've done and it's not even close. Give it a try.

This.

it's a massive upgrade and everything they added improves an already incredible game.

 

[pixeljunkie]

GBA: Shining Soul

Still grinding through this one. I was completely shocked at how addictive it is.

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Dynamite Headdy:
Somehow i have managed to make it to scene 8. No idea how much more brutal is going to get in these final areas. Trying not to get my hopes to high as to whether i will actually be able to complete the game but it has been absolutely amazing so far. The boss in scene 3 did shit with the goobesis that i didnt even know was possible. It straight up has the same scrolling effect sega later used in Nights into dreams second level boss.

 

[wataru330]

Treasure absolutely lived up to all hype. They were programming magicians. Glad you are enjoying it!

 

[Takumaji]

Caverns of Mars (Atari 2600) - New (re-)release of a classic game, it's some sort of vertical Scramble version that's fun to play and challenging. Got released by the new Atari, before that it was released on Atariage couple of years ago, iirc. Great game either way.

Berzerk and Frenzy (Atari 7800) - Another two new re-releases, there were no official versions of the games back in the day so 7800 coding wiz Bob Decrescenzo wrote them which got released on cart with both games, now Atari have re-released the two games as single releases, prolly coz it makes them a bit more money but I don't care because carts of the original Atariage release have become more expensive than the new versions. Well, what can I say, awesome games, playing Frenzy more than Berzerk atm, simple but fun.

Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest (Atari 7800) - Probably the highlight of the new releases and another great game by Bob Decrescenzo. It's a platformer with a nice style-mix of SMB, Wonderboy and a bit of Crystal Castles thrown in, plays very well, quite the challenge. Been playing it a ton ever since I got it, would have been a top-seller back in the day. It's also the pack-in game of the new Atari 7800+ console package that's on sale now.

Captain Barrel (NGCD) - What a cool game, just the stuff I need, it's colourful, fast, plays great and most importantly is fun. I just love these Taito-style single-screen games, recommended.

Prodeus (PS5) - It has been called "boomer shooter" I think. Awesome FPS game with current graphics and fx but oldschool gameplay, been playing it quite a bit and I'm liking it more and more. Definitely a challenging game. Doom meets Quake meets new style without the tedious free roaming thing. Nice change of pace.

Formula Retro Racing World Tour (PS5) - Now that's one for me, current-gen physics with last-last-last-gen visual style, sort of a modern Virtua Racing, excellent stuff. Focus on lap times/records, love the drifting with some cars.

 

[Ralfakick]

*ahem*

Please hold my beer:
View attachment 80120
View attachment 80121

When watching the November tournament isn’t enough.

I scooped a N64 + Star Soldier for the SotM…and grabbed a couple of other carts, too. Including Sumo. Because I’m big dumb.

You need to have a serious discussion with Jon about the state of sumo with his boy keisho retired

 

[pixeljunkie]

Caverns of Mars (Atari 2600) - New (re-)release of a classic game, it's some sort of vertical Scramble version that's fun to play and challenging. Got released by the new Atari, before that it was released on Atariage couple of years ago, iirc. Great game either way.

Berzerk and Frenzy (Atari 7800) - Another two new re-releases, there were no official versions of the games back in the day so 7800 coding wiz Bob Decrescenzo wrote them which got released on cart with both games, now Atari have re-released the two games as single releases, prolly coz it makes them a bit more money but I don't care because carts of the original Atariage release have become more expensive than the new versions. Well, what can I say, awesome games, playing Frenzy more than Berzerk atm, simple but fun.

Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest (Atari 7800) - Probably the highlight of the new releases and another great game by Bob Decrescenzo. It's a platformer with a nice style-mix of SMB, Wonderboy and a bit of Crystal Castles thrown in, plays very well, quite the challenge. Been playing it a ton ever since I got it, would have been a top-seller back in the day. It's also the pack-in game of the new Atari 7800+ console package that's on sale now.

Captain Barrel (NGCD) - What a cool game, just the stuff I need, it's colourful, fast, plays great and most importantly is fun. I just love these Taito-style single-screen games, recommended.

Prodeus (PS5) - It has been called "boomer shooter" I think. Awesome FPS game with current graphics and fx but oldschool gameplay, been playing it quite a bit and I'm liking it more and more. Definitely a challenging game. Doom meets Quake meets new style without the tedious free roaming thing. Nice change of pace.

Formula Retro Racing World Tour (PS5) - Now that's one for me, current-gen physics with last-last-last-gen visual style, sort of a modern Virtua Racing, excellent stuff. Focus on lap times/records, love the drifting with some cars.

Prodeus is (chefkiss)

 

[max 330 megafartz]

Currently attempting to learn wtf i am doing in No Man’s Sky.
Ive flown to 3 planets now but still feel very in the weeds about how to do a lot of things. Still not sure if it is going to click and i will love it, or if it is going to take so long to get established that i lose interest.

 

[Syn]

 

[ggallegos1]

PS5
Lies of P - it's a lot of fun, it really clicked. I am using a tech (dex) build and the weapon swapping system is letting me use an overly powered wrench head on a tech scaling handle. It's dumb and glorious