Your Daily Dose of Gaming.

[Ninja Spirit]

Been catching up on some Seiken Densetsu, was jumping between the two but playing more Secret of Mana
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[munchiaz]

I've een playing alot of Ni no Kuni. Trying to beat it before monster hunter 3 ultimate drops on Tuesday. I have like 55 hours in it so far. I love the game. Its very charming. Also i have been playing Street fighter x Tekken. signed up for xbox live finally because PSN is trash for fighters.

[SamIAm]

I've been playing 1941, alternating between MAME and the Supergrafx version.

It's funny, but I kind of like the Supergrafx version more. Sure, the resolution is way reduced and the difficulty dialed down, but there's a special difference between the two.

The arcade version is at best a game that demands mastery, and at worst a quarter muncher. The SGX version, on the other hand, is modified to be more playable. It's pretty clear that when they ported it, they wanted it to be something that typical action gamers could beat.

While I have no problem with difficult games, I think their attempt to make a moderate console action game turned out better than their attempt to make a really tough arcade game.

I'll have to play them more to see if this impression is really accurate. If only there was some way to get rid of that beeping noise when your health gets low...

[esteban]

I've been playing 1941, alternating between MAME and the Supergrafx version.

It's funny, but I kind of like the Supergrafx version more. Sure, the resolution is way reduced and the difficulty dialed down, but there's a special difference between the two.

The arcade version is at best a game that demands mastery, and at worst a quarter muncher. The SGX version, on the other hand, is modified to be more playable. It's pretty clear that when they ported it, they wanted it to be something that typical action gamers could beat.

While I have no problem with difficult games, I think their attempt to make a moderate console action game turned out better than their attempt to make a really tough arcade game.

I'll have to play them more to see if this impression is really accurate. If only there was some way to get rid of that beeping noise when your health gets low...

I can't comment on the SUPAGRAFX port because I haven't really played it.

HOWEVER, I will use your post to go off on a rant. I don't know, I just feel like ranting! HERE GOES...

I hear you, SamIAm. I have no problem with challenging games, but many ports are more enjoyable because they were CONSOLIZED and thus designed with FUN CHALLENGE in mind (instead of MAXIMUM PROFIT motive of quarter munching).

Not to go off on a rant, but this shows how the arcade, in some ways (OH IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS) was not the ideal platform for many games. I much prefer the CONSOLE PHILOSOPHY to games, and not the QUARTER-MUNCHING PHILOSOPHY. They are both commercial ventures, of course, but with very different business models.

The Quarter-Munching Approach still exists today, sadly, in many so-called "Freemium" games that essentially function as "pay to continue" since progressing without paying is ONEROUS.

I haven't really developed this rant yet, and I actually love a ton of arcade quarter-munchers, so I guess I am really FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY on quarter-munchers that are cheap (unfair) or SO CONTRIVED that the goal of maximizing profit is THINLY VEILED.

Unless you are on-the-spectrum/autistic, you tend to appreciate the consolized approach (plus, a good developer could always include adjustable difficulty for the TRU HARDKORE).

[/rant]

DISCLAIMER: I actually play a lot of very difficult games. Sadly, I am not on-the-spectrum, so it takes a lot of time/energy to slowly improve my skills. I like this (the process is enjoyable, I'll admit it), but I do get irked when I feel that QUARTER-MUNCHING is driving 99% of the design of a game (instead of creative level design/AI driving design).

[SamIAm]

I totally agree that the pressure to be profitable has perverted many an arcade game's design. But by the same token, can we not say that many console games have been similarly plagued by the need to make them cost-effective in terms of hours played for people paying $50 per game?

Overall, though, I'd say that yes, the console is the better place to find more thoroughly enjoyable challenges and learning curves. It's nice to play something and feel like you can do it. Arcade games have that issue where, besides taking your money, they often leave you feeling down because you think you're just never going to figure out how to beat it.

Of course, then there's the triumph of actually beating it, but how often does that actually happen? Maybe I'm just not hardcore enough.

[esteban]

I totally agree that the pressure to be profitable has perverted many an arcade game's design. But by the same token, can we not say that many console games have been similarly plagued by the need to make them cost-effective in terms of hours played for people paying $50 per game?

Overall, though, I'd say that yes, the console is the better place to find more thoroughly enjoyable challenges and learning curves. It's nice to play something and feel like you can do it. Arcade games have that issue where, besides taking your money, they often leave you feeling down because you think you're just never going to figure out how to beat it.

Of course, then there's the triumph of actually beating it, but how often does that actually happen? Maybe I'm just not hardcore enough.

Ha! Yes, you're correct that console can be corrupted (the need to provide the consumer with "his/her 'money's worth'" and whatnot.

FINAL VERDICT: We are not worthy enough. We are not HARDKAWR. We are not masochistic enough. We are not worthy.

Well, that was the quickest 180 turnaround I've ever performed.

[Ninja Spirit]

Does the "quarter munching" philosophy refer to the AI constantly trapping you into losing lives to the point of frustration?

Now that I think about it, no wonder Neo Geo shooters are so damn hard...

[esteban]

Does the "quarter munching" philosophy refer to the AI constantly trapping you into losing lives to the point of frustration?

Now that I think about it, no wonder Neo Geo shooters are so damn hard...

YES. EXACTLY.

[roflmao]

I picked up Sigma Star Saga for the GBA a couple of days ago and it's been a roller coaster ride of fun and frustration lately.  I like it enough to keep playing, but I'm not too sure it'll last.

It's a pretty novel game mechanic, though.  It's a shmup-RPG hybrid.  Instead of turn-based group battles found in most RPGs, your character jumps into a random spaceship and plays though a random mini shmup level (10-15 seconds long, like most standard RPG battles).  Unfortunately, most ships are absurdly slow and some of the larger ships jump into levels where there is no way to shoot down oncoming enemies because you'll hit the wall before your weapon is in range to hit them.  If this game had a little more thought put into it, it could have been epic.  I'm only a couple of hours into it and I have a feeling I'll put in at least another couple more, but I bet I'll move on before even getting close to finishing it.


Also, I spent a good chunk of this afternoon playing R-Type Final on the PS2.  

I picked it up for a couple of bucks back when my local GameStop was clearing out its PS2 inventory but couldn't get into it back then.  I've been thinking about it lately so I popped it in again and really enjoyed it.  There are so many ships to unlock.  And it does a great job of paying tribute to the original.  Level 3 is a gigantic ship, for example.  If you like R-Type on the Turbo/PCE and have a PS2, I'd definitely recommend hunting this down for under $5.  Having a separate button for rapid fire and for the charged blast is almost worth it alone.

[munchiaz]

Most of my free time has been going to Monster Hunter 3 ultimate on the Wii U. I played tri for a bit, but not long enough to truly  experience a MH game. I'm having a blast with MH 3U, either playing solo, or playing online with friends. It reminds me a lot of demons souls, in the way you fight monsters. Last night, me and a friend took down the first dragon, Rathian. It took about 15- 20 minutes, and it was so much fun. Ended up cutting off his tail as well during the battle. I def recommend it to Wii U owners and 3DS owners.

[VenomMacbeth]

Played some Shinobi III.  Got to level 6 before finally having to use ALL MY DAMN CONTINUES.

[geise]

Sunset Riders PCB, followed by Zed Blade MVS.

[retroguy]

So yesterday I tried a homebrew NES game called Mario Adventure and it's very impressive. It's a rom hack of SMB 3, but "rom hack" isn't really the right term for it because they redid EVERYTHING. Graphics, levels, powerups, you name it. Because they give you infinite lives and infinite time, the designers felt free to make the game extra challenging. However, unlike Kaizo Mario and other such hacks, here the challenge is actually fair, so while you might fail at a level fifteen times, you'll eventually get it. If you've never heard of this one, I highly recommend checking it out.

[munchiaz]

Been playing alot of Pandora's tower on the Wii. About 17 hours in so far. Pretty cool blend of adventure RPG/dating sim. Story is pretty interesting as well. I do hate the fixed camera angle though

[munchiaz]

Started playing dark souls again a few nights ago. Im rocking a wanderer and i just beat the moonlight butterfly. I remember the first time i fought this thing when i first played the game a few years back. Shit was a pain back then because you are on this tiny bridge that only allows you to move left and right. But this time i fought it and w whooped its ass. I truely think it has to do with me playing on a new TV. o beat the butterfly you hve to dodge its attack at the right moment. The first time i played the game i played on a HD TV that was a bit laggy. This time i played on my ASUS monitor and had no issues dodging

[wavering]

Been playing alot of Pandora's tower on the Wii. About 17 hours in so far. Pretty cool blend of adventure RPG/dating sim. Story is pretty interesting as well. I do hate the fixed camera angle though

That's on my list, after owning a Wii for years I finally got more than Zelda games for it.  About halfway through Arc Rise Fantasia right now.  Pretty good game, but the best feature is the super fast load times so grinding WP is sooo easy when you're in and out of a battle in seconds.

[munchiaz]

Been playing alot of Pandora's tower on the Wii. About 17 hours in so far. Pretty cool blend of adventure RPG/dating sim. Story is pretty interesting as well. I do hate the fixed camera angle though

That's on my list, after owning a Wii for years I finally got more than Zelda games for it.  About halfway through Arc Rise Fantasia right now.  Pretty good game, but the best feature is the super fast load times so grinding WP is sooo easy when you're in and out of a battle in seconds.

Yeah i beat Pandoras tower a few weeks ago. Awesome game, just gotta make sure you get the best ending. Also Arc rise Fantasia is a game i still need to get. i passed it up at a gamestop a few months back and have yet to see it in the wild again

[BlueBMW]

Finally finished Lunar 2 (on PS1) last night.  Excellent RPG... definitely in my top 3 favorite stories.  If any of you goons havent played it (or Lunar 1) yet, please do!  Play Lunar 1 on Sega CD though.

[PunkCryborg]

Been playing through Castlevania III on my famicom but I'm at the final level against drac......... Haven't even cleared his first form yet!

[geise]

Metamorphic Force (Arcade)

Zero Wing (PC-E CD)

[roflmao]

Spent a little bit of time playing Thunder Spirits on the SNES, then Thunder Spirits III, then Gate of Thunder on the almighty Duo!  Those three games are like freaky cousins or something.  It feels like GoT (Not Game of Thrones!) is the natural evolution of Thunder Force III/Thunder Spirits - then they went somewhere completely different with Thunder Force IV (Lightening Force).  Which was still good (great!), just different.

[geise]

That's some nice play time.  I love Thunder Force III.  Thunder Spirits is a nice arcade port, even with the slowdown.  I like Thunder Force IV as well.  Graphically it's better, but it doesn't play as well.  It's also a shit ton harder with a super huge hit box.

[roflmao]

That's some nice play time.  I love Thunder Force III.  Thunder Spirits is a nice arcade port, even with the slowdown.  I like Thunder Force IV as well.  Graphically it's better, but it doesn't play as well.  It's also a shit ton harder with a super huge hit box.

I like TFIII more than IV as well, but that's mostly because it's so hard from the get-go.  I bet if I spent more time with it, I'd appreciate it more.

I agree that the SNES port is underrated.  It gets a lot of flak because it can't compare to the Genesis version when they are playing side-by-side, but the SNES version is still tons of fun.  Thanks to the Easy game mode I'm able to experience far more of the levels than TFIII.

[esteban]

STATUS: I spent 3-4 hours playing Turrican because I wanted to play something that has haunted me for decades (only a few games have managed to do this, such as Athena NES, that Pitfall game on NES, etc. etc.)

Anyway, I always go back to these games to see if I can finally "break through" to a new point. I've come close to beating Pitfall NES (it's like training for a marathon, and I have to relearn stuff, but I usually remember). However, Athena just kills me...though I still have fun trying to get somewhere.

Anyway, I never much liked Turrican TG-16, but I thought that I would have a change of heart once I "made some progress"...I WAS WRONG. My thoughts are posted in the other thread (Rover's play through video).

Pitfall (whatever!) NES is infinitely more fun, engaging and enjoyable to me (sure it is frustrating, too), but Turrican TG-16 is banal, lackluster and simply fails to pique my interest. For example, I actively WANT to progress in Pitfall NES, but I don't have 1/10 of the same desire to do so in Turrican, despite the fact that they are not as different as you might think. Seriously.

[munchiaz]

Still running through darksouls. Just got through blighttown, i fucking hate blighttown. I guess you can skip it pretty much altogether, which i was unaware of

[roflmao]

I recently spent a couple of hours playing Flipnic on the PS2.  What an addicting game!  Fans of the Crush games may want to check it out.  I think I picked it up from a local GameStop for something like $2 a few months (or maybe a year) back.

[BlueBMW]

Played some Heroes of Might and Magic 1 today.  Man that takes me back... Sorry guys PC Gaming >>> Console Gaming ;)

[VenomMacbeth]

Just got through several levels of Veigues Tactical Gladiator.  Still can't beat it, even on easy mode.

[munchiaz]

Animal crossing new leaf for the 3DS. damn this game is addicting

[MrFlutterPie]

I have been playing Street Fight 2 Alpha for the SNES.  As a Final Fight fan I love playing as Guy.  I love how they put all of his FF attack animations into the SF game.  It's a ton of fun expect for the load times.  Wow to they ever interrupt the flow of the game.  Still I have been enjoying it a lot.

[PunkCryborg]

Playing Lunar 2, ps1 version! Put away the other consoles so I can focus. I still have my cabs out though in case I wanna just flip something on and bang on some buttons for a bit.

[NightWolve]

I've been playing 1941, alternating between MAME and the Supergrafx version.

It's funny, but I kind of like the Supergrafx version more. Sure, the resolution is way reduced and the difficulty dialed down, but there's a special difference between the two.

The arcade version is at best a game that demands mastery, and at worst a quarter muncher. The SGX version, on the other hand, is modified to be more playable. It's pretty clear that when they ported it, they wanted it to be something that typical action gamers could beat.

While I have no problem with difficult games, I think their attempt to make a moderate console action game turned out better than their attempt to make a really tough arcade game.

I'll have to play them more to see if this impression is really accurate. If only there was some way to get rid of that beeping noise when your health gets low...

I can't comment on the SUPAGRAFX port because I haven't really played it.

HOWEVER, I will use your post to go off on a rant. I don't know, I just feel like ranting! HERE GOES...

I hear you, SamIAm. I have no problem with challenging games, but many ports are more enjoyable because they were CONSOLIZED and thus designed with FUN CHALLENGE in mind (instead of MAXIMUM PROFIT motive of quarter munching).

Not to go off on a rant, but this shows how the arcade, in some ways (OH IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS) was not the ideal platform for many games. I much prefer the CONSOLE PHILOSOPHY to games, and not the QUARTER-MUNCHING PHILOSOPHY. They are both commercial ventures, of course, but with very different business models.

The Quarter-Munching Approach still exists today, sadly, in many so-called "Freemium" games that essentially function as "pay to continue" since progressing without paying is ONEROUS.

I haven't really developed this rant yet, and I actually love a ton of arcade quarter-munchers, so I guess I am really FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY on quarter-munchers that are cheap (unfair) or SO CONTRIVED that the goal of maximizing profit is THINLY VEILED.

Unless you are on-the-spectrum/autistic, you tend to appreciate the consolized approach (plus, a good developer could always include adjustable difficulty for the TRU HARDKORE).

[/rant]

DISCLAIMER: I actually play a lot of very difficult games. Sadly, I am not on-the-spectrum, so it takes a lot of time/energy to slowly improve my skills. I like this (the process is enjoyable, I'll admit it), but I do get irked when I feel that QUARTER-MUNCHING is driving 99% of the design of a game (instead of creative level design/AI driving design).

This was a great rant, esteban, I'm glad I peeked in here!

[munchiaz]

Still playing dark souls. a lil over 30 hours in now. Done with Anor Londo and have been doing some other stuff on the side. Also been practicing KOF13 a lot getting ready for the EVO tournament in a few weeks

[wavering]

So I have Dark Souls and Demon's Soul which should I play first.  I'm a big JRPG fan and I've been trying to hit the few long play time games on this generation.  I've just about given up trying to find a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles to finish my Wii RPG wish list.

[munchiaz]

So I have Dark Souls and Demon's Soul which should I play first.  I'm a big JRPG fan and I've been trying to hit the few long play time games on this generation.  I've just about given up trying to find a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles to finish my Wii RPG wish list.

the souls games are far from JRPG's. Yes they are made by from software, but they play more like a western RPG, but way fucking better. I honestly think dark souls is a better game, but I'm glad i experienced demons souls before hand. The issue is that to fully appreciate the games you have to beat them a few times. Once you beat these games  once, it makes the play through a lot faster. i have heard of people beating dark souls in a few hours.

So based on that, its really up to you. I think both games are amazing, and some of the best games made this generation for sure. If you have the time play demon's souls first. If you don't think you have the time for both, play dark souls.

[MrFlutterPie]

I played through Street Fighter 2 Champion edition for the Sega Genesis.  I just wanted to play a few rounds but I got on a roll and beat the game.

[TR0N]

PS3
Dungeons&Dragons Chronicles of Mystara

Famicom
Mr.Gimmick

Yeah i know,D&D will have a physical release but it's import only plus it won't be out until august.If any body wants to multiplayer it on the PS3 drop me a pm.

[EvilEvoIX]

Trying to run though Sonic CD.  Those Bonus rounds are a bitch but man is the game eye candy.

[geise]

Image Fight (pc-engine)












I still suck at it.

[roflmao]

Image Fight (pc-engine)












I still suck at it.

This game is the devil. 

Yet I can't stop trying.

[geise]

You and me both.

[whisper2053]

PCE: Kyuukyoku Tiger

X'eye/Sega CD: Final Fight

Yay!

[geise]

Sword of Vermillion

[esteban]

Sword of Vermillion

[geise]

...and I love it!   

[VenomMacbeth]

Played a little Thunder Force IV.  Do the cheats not work on the Japanese version?

[Mishran]

NES Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. Rented and finished the game as a kiddo. Still a fairly fun and non-challenging game. Also some Zelda 2, Metroid, and a few others I can't recall at the moment.

Everdrive is bitchin'!

Also played a good bit of TG, but that doesn't belong here.

[MrFlutterPie]

I've been cracking heads in Final Fight Sega CD and playing a little Drac X (SNES   )

[BlueBMW]

Ive been on vacation.  Brought my DS and have been playing through the first Phoenix Wright game.  Strangely addicting....

[geise]

Yeah the first two are great games.  Definitely are addicting.