@Axelay71 1,000,000% agree. Time to use descriptive titles for games, not nonsense like "whatever-like". Such jargon is even worse when people in the community often have no idea about the meaning. Now, how to describe Rogue, do we call it a roguelike? 🤣 We're in an infinite loop now. Rogue is a roguelike. Yeah, so what's it about? It's like Rogue. So Rogue is like itself? 😛
I just call them re-run games until someone provides a better term.
My last visit to Japan was June 2019, so not seen any. I'm pleased that Osaka is the best as my next visit will include Super Nintendo World there. I'll wait for DK World to open later this year, so will consider March or September next year. I have been to the New York store (in 2017) and prize most my Zelda Tri Force laptop bag. Only used it once!
Sad to read about resellers clearing shelves. My last visit in 2019 I already noticed prices significantly higher than 5 and 10 years earlier, and so am thankful I found my holy grails already. The only purchase in 2019 was Contra on the DS. Of course, the shelves were well stocked even with the higher prices. My main holy grail was a boxed Fighting 11 (ISS Deluxe), while bought a few other favourites like Winning 11 (ISS) and Mario Kart, and on N64 Star Fox and Wave Race. Never played them because I own local versions. Purely just as mementos. Some games I have played are an ISS type game on GBA, and Gunstar Heroes and F-Zero Climax. I actually got the latter online about 10 years ago. My first visit in 2008 was both Elite Beat Agents games at the Book Off across the road from my hostel. I played the first. Over the years bought about 20 games.
GBA is too high for me. That dull screen really hurt its appeal. Even with quality of games, the DS and even 3DS far exceeded it. I'd probably go 2 DS, 3 3DS, 4 GBA. Who's 1? Switch, of course!
As for the handheld definition discussed by some, for me, it's anything held in the hands. I doubt older, smaller systems were commonly carried in pockets. There was even a Game Boy Pocket made to promote something that was legitimately small enough to carry in a pocket. In truth, most of these devices were too big or heavy, and we feared damaging them. Perhaps folding devices like the GBA SP and DS Lite were the main exception.
@Poodlestargenerica I actually meant Star Far Assault, not Adventures (original comment is corrected). I can't speak about Dinosaur Planet, so can only say once I encountered the first foot level of Star Fox Insult, I stopped playing. I tried the level a few times and hated it. It's a shame because I really wanted to see more of the game.
My top 10 Rare games:
Perfect Dark N64
Diddy Kong Racing N64
Donkey Kong Country SNES
Goldeneye 007 N64
Wizards & Warriors 3 NES
Battletoads NES
Wizards & Warriors NES
Solar Jetman NES
Killer Instinct SNES
Captain Skyhawk NES
Note that many games, like the later DKC ones, I never played. This list strongly leans to games I played a lot, as well as their excellence.
Wizards & Warriors 2 was the unlucky one to miss out. W&W was the first one played, and I recall one cave section that took ages to find the way out. Once I did, I would have beaten that game a dozen times. W&W3 is definitely the best of the series, more a Metroid style of game, and where you assumed different roles (knight, thief and wizard), and it is so underrated. It never had a password or continue feature like the other two, and I only ever beat it once. I can't believe anyone this day would have the degree of tolerance to do that. In truth, they're essentially the re-run games of today, except without the major power up of the character and save status of the game. Learning and remembering the levels and paths was the power up and the save state of the game.
Star Fox Assault remains my most disappointing game ever. The foot sections just ruined it. It should be on this list.
WWF Wrestlemania was the first game I ever owned, and I played it for many hours. Along with the NES itself, it was a Christmas present.
Good to know there was a bug no one knew about that was missing in the SNES version that Genesis owners can now go and enjoy 30 years later.
The SF2 feud between SNES and Genesis was really heated at the time. SNES had the exclusivity of the original SF2, and finally Sega got SCE (bosses could be played) to restore pride and proclaim supremacy. I still recall the review in Australia's Hyper Magazine ending with "take what is rightfully yours". Oh, the bitterness! Of course, it was uglier than Turbo that had arrived on the SNES, and forced you to buy a 6-button controller because the standard 3-button Genesis one was almost entirely useless.
As much as Genesis owners still want to salivate over their SF2 SCE and pretend it was the best, history will always tell us SNES got SF2 first and got the better versions. Be happy so many people got to play it at home at the time. Because it really was the first sense of playing a modern, hugely popular arcade game at home, and that was a revelation.
Sorry, I'd prefer the many more colours, background options, superior parallax scrolling, transparencies, screen rotation and better sound over a multi jointed boss in a certain shooting game. The SNES could do that anyway if the developer weren't so lazy.
Ultimately, much of this is immaterial. It's about the games, and the Mega Drive blew the SNES out of the water in the earlier days, before the SNES took over with a vast array of stunning titles. It was a great era to be a gamer even if you were locked into one side.
I totally forgot about the Street Fighter 2 code to select the same character. One of my favourite effects of the Konami code was turning the referee into a dog in ISS Deluxe. Note that Konami had a different code for Super C (Contra) that only gave 10 lives: Right, Left, Down, Up, A, B, Start.
Mixed memories of GX. While the initial cup and the graphics immediately impressed, the game began to unravel into the later cups with poor track design and gimmicks that Sega added like obstacles that did nothing except interrupt the flow of racing. I could beat F-Zero X on master difficulty; in GX I only manage one or two cups because it simply wasn't fun to keep repeating boring and flawed tracks. Please Nintendo, give us a remaster of F-Zero X!
NES Star Wars was a great game! It was much more than a side scrolling game, and I suspect many people lost interest during the opening cave scenes and then the Kantina (as I did initially). It had space shooting, flying and RPG elements. Navigating the asteroid belt and blasting tie fighters as gunner in the Millennium Falcon still hold great memories, not to forget helping Ben Kenobi shut down the tractor beam and Luke and co escape the Death Star. The final scene was an overhead view of flying through the Death Star trench and ultimately destroying it. The SNES games that followed were disappointing, basic side scrolling games in comparison. My only regret was never buying ESB. Not sure it got a release in Australia.
Genesis by a mile. For the simple reason it had the most amount of quality games.
The Dreamcast was so far ahead of its time that its features were antiquated once time caught up. That was only a year later with the PS2, which featured a DVD player, while internet access was more widespread for those interested in online play. The modem built into the Dreamcast was, while sounding nice at the time, was redundant for most people. Sega, following the Saturn debacle, still had trust issues, and silly things like the controller cord out the wrong way and even the VMU gimmick reinforced doubts and that perhaps Sega had rushed Dreamcast simply to get out before the PS2. Many of the games were of the gimmick/arcade nature, and even with a noted favourite like Daytona, the first one was average. Of course, in trying to launch ahead of the PS2 meant that the inevitable PS2 (which was already announced) would likely be superior, so people waited. The rest is history.
I have both a PAL and JPN version of Super Metorid complete. There might be a time I sell my NES and SNES collection, especially when prices get ridiculous.
@GravyThief For me, if you're to combine names, it should be Metvania. Portmanteaus should be parts of a word, not an entire word, to make a new word. Another option is Castleroid.
As @BrianJL says, Metroid-Like is the most accurate description. Especially when Metroid is a well known series, unlike Rogue-Like for re-run games that supposedly follow the style of game few people ever heard about.
Edit re below response by GravyThief: Barely anyone knows or cares about Wonder Boy 3. The naming convention started with Metroid, primarily after Super Metroid, and then Castlevania began to borrow and add ideas. Reading about WB3, it would be classified as a general action/adventure anyway, not a new genre. Metroid and Castlevania contain distinct features and that's why it's a Metvania (or a Castleroid).
Hell no. At best these are a novelty interest and it's disgusting Nintendo only included these in the basic online subscription while GBA games require the expansion. Way to treat your loyal fans.
SNES was the perfect controller. Beautiful d-pad and introduced shoulder buttons, and 6 buttons in total made for far more control in games. If the GameCube controller had a better d-pad, it would be number one. As it stands, that tiny thing was problematic at times. Similarly the Switch Pro Controller: the d-pad is horrendous by Nintendo standards. Response is poor and it's prone to inadvertent actions. Just try play Tetris 99 with it, and it's a disaster. The Wii U Classic Controller at least has a great d-pad and everything else feels nice; it's just not my preferred layout.
On other systems I'd say PS4, albeit, it's mostly an evolution of previous dual stick PS controllers. I've hated the PS d-pad from day one, and the sticks themselves don't have as good a feel as the Nintendo ones, and the left one is awkwardly placed. The original Xbox controllers were horrific, especially the d-pad, button design and size. While the S version fixed the size, the rest of it is still rubbish. It took until the Xbox One controller for me to like Xbox controllers. It fixed most of the issues, had a great d-pad, and would be in my top echelon of best controllers ever. The X series was a backwards step, especially the d-pad. Of course, Xbox still persist with those horrible, raised and hard face buttons, and their ridiculous decision to stray from Nintendo's naming convention still causes much anguish when switching between Nintendo and Xbox multiplayer games.
I keep saying, we need an F-Zero Ultimate. Based on X on N64 and fully updated, it would add another 40 of the best tracks from the 16 bit era, GX and AX, and all split-screen. X is the purest N64 experience, and it deserves an upgrade. GX was hampered with some lame tracks and too many gimmicks, like off-camber corners and obstacles. Come on! F-Zero is about sustained speed on fiendish tracks, not trying to avoid a spinning fan or pole.
@whateverdude Here's the new worst thing you've heard all day and probably all year. I was too kind with GX. It was mostly a disaster. F-Zero is about flow and sustained speed. Sega ruined this on too many tracks with gimmicks and poor design. X was the purest and best F-Zero and should be remade with the best of GX and 16 bit tracks. All 4 player too.
@Specter_of-the_OLED Nintendo oversee them, right? There's also the Wii U Star Fox that I'd happily call a disaster. While I'm on a rant, they ruined F-Zero by allowing Sega to do GX on GC. Too many crap tracks either in flow or with gimmicks.
Sounds like he made the right call. Nintendo ruined the Star Fox series from the GC* on and Sega would have only made things worse. *Except for Star Fox Command
I still have my NES Game Genie and recall mostly using for extra lives. I didn't get into changing jump heights and stuff. On the SNES I had the Action Replay as it could learn codes and doubled as an adapter to play NTSC games. I never knew there was such history behind Game Genie.
Proud to say I did finish GNG on the NES - after using a cheat code to start me at level 1 of the second run. I was playing it normally and almost getting to the final room until I read that the first run was a mirage and, at that point, I really didn't want to go through the game twice.
In the arcades, the best I could do was kill one of the giant bats on the level before the final room.
I can't wait for this new version and the compilation. I'm most interested in playing the original arcade GNG because the graphics in NES graphics really are bad.
I loved Star Fox Command. I saw two endings and really appreciated the online battles. I only had dial-up internet back then and was using the Nintendo USB Wifi adaptor to connect the DS. Star Fox, Tetris DS, Mario Kart DS and Metroid Hunters were some of my earliest online times, and still the most fun.
@arekdougy I called it Star Fox Insult. That says it all. I loathed the on-foot levels so much that I stopped playing it after a few levels.
I wouldn't be playing SF2 on the MD anyway. So many superior versions around, notably on the SNES Mini and the Switch Anniversary Collection. I'll stick with the western version... once it drops in price. Too many other games to play to justify paying maximum retail these days!
Comments 26
Re: The Game That Inspired The Term 'Roguelike' Is Now Available On Switch
@Axelay71 1,000,000% agree. Time to use descriptive titles for games, not nonsense like "whatever-like". Such jargon is even worse when people in the community often have no idea about the meaning. Now, how to describe Rogue, do we call it a roguelike? 🤣 We're in an infinite loop now. Rogue is a roguelike. Yeah, so what's it about? It's like Rogue. So Rogue is like itself? 😛
I just call them re-run games until someone provides a better term.
Re: Retail Therapy: Nintendo Stores, Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto)
My last visit to Japan was June 2019, so not seen any. I'm pleased that Osaka is the best as my next visit will include Super Nintendo World there. I'll wait for DK World to open later this year, so will consider March or September next year. I have been to the New York store (in 2017) and prize most my Zelda Tri Force laptop bag. Only used it once!
Re: The Truth About Retro Game Hunting In A Post-Pandemic Japan
Sad to read about resellers clearing shelves. My last visit in 2019 I already noticed prices significantly higher than 5 and 10 years earlier, and so am thankful I found my holy grails already. The only purchase in 2019 was Contra on the DS. Of course, the shelves were well stocked even with the higher prices. My main holy grail was a boxed Fighting 11 (ISS Deluxe), while bought a few other favourites like Winning 11 (ISS) and Mario Kart, and on N64 Star Fox and Wave Race. Never played them because I own local versions. Purely just as mementos. Some games I have played are an ISS type game on GBA, and Gunstar Heroes and F-Zero Climax. I actually got the latter online about 10 years ago. My first visit in 2008 was both Elite Beat Agents games at the Book Off across the road from my hostel. I played the first. Over the years bought about 20 games.
Re: Best Handheld Consoles Of All Time, Ranked By You
GBA is too high for me. That dull screen really hurt its appeal. Even with quality of games, the DS and even 3DS far exceeded it. I'd probably go 2 DS, 3 3DS, 4 GBA. Who's 1? Switch, of course!
As for the handheld definition discussed by some, for me, it's anything held in the hands. I doubt older, smaller systems were commonly carried in pockets. There was even a Game Boy Pocket made to promote something that was legitimately small enough to carry in a pocket. In truth, most of these devices were too big or heavy, and we feared damaging them. Perhaps folding devices like the GBA SP and DS Lite were the main exception.
Re: Poll: What Is Rare's Best Game?
@Poodlestargenerica I actually meant Star Far Assault, not Adventures (original comment is corrected). I can't speak about Dinosaur Planet, so can only say once I encountered the first foot level of Star Fox Insult, I stopped playing. I tried the level a few times and hated it. It's a shame because I really wanted to see more of the game.
Re: Poll: What Is Rare's Best Game?
My top 10 Rare games:
Perfect Dark N64
Diddy Kong Racing N64
Donkey Kong Country SNES
Goldeneye 007 N64
Wizards & Warriors 3 NES
Battletoads NES
Wizards & Warriors NES
Solar Jetman NES
Killer Instinct SNES
Captain Skyhawk NES
Note that many games, like the later DKC ones, I never played. This list strongly leans to games I played a lot, as well as their excellence.
Wizards & Warriors 2 was the unlucky one to miss out. W&W was the first one played, and I recall one cave section that took ages to find the way out. Once I did, I would have beaten that game a dozen times. W&W3 is definitely the best of the series, more a Metroid style of game, and where you assumed different roles (knight, thief and wizard), and it is so underrated. It never had a password or continue feature like the other two, and I only ever beat it once. I can't believe anyone this day would have the degree of tolerance to do that. In truth, they're essentially the re-run games of today, except without the major power up of the character and save status of the game. Learning and remembering the levels and paths was the power up and the save state of the game.
Star Fox Assault remains my most disappointing game ever. The foot sections just ruined it. It should be on this list.
WWF Wrestlemania was the first game I ever owned, and I played it for many hours. Along with the NES itself, it was a Christmas present.
Re: Did You Know SNES Street Fighter II Is Missing A Key Feature Of The Arcade Original?
Good to know there was a bug no one knew about that was missing in the SNES version that Genesis owners can now go and enjoy 30 years later.
The SF2 feud between SNES and Genesis was really heated at the time. SNES had the exclusivity of the original SF2, and finally Sega got SCE (bosses could be played) to restore pride and proclaim supremacy. I still recall the review in Australia's Hyper Magazine ending with "take what is rightfully yours". Oh, the bitterness! Of course, it was uglier than Turbo that had arrived on the SNES, and forced you to buy a 6-button controller because the standard 3-button Genesis one was almost entirely useless.
As much as Genesis owners still want to salivate over their SF2 SCE and pretend it was the best, history will always tell us SNES got SF2 first and got the better versions. Be happy so many people got to play it at home at the time. Because it really was the first sense of playing a modern, hugely popular arcade game at home, and that was a revelation.
Re: Gunstar Heroes Developer Treasure On Why Mega Drive Is Better Than SNES
Sorry, I'd prefer the many more colours, background options, superior parallax scrolling, transparencies, screen rotation and better sound over a multi jointed boss in a certain shooting game. The SNES could do that anyway if the developer weren't so lazy.
Ultimately, much of this is immaterial. It's about the games, and the Mega Drive blew the SNES out of the water in the earlier days, before the SNES took over with a vast array of stunning titles. It was a great era to be a gamer even if you were locked into one side.
Re: Best Cheat Codes Of All Time
I totally forgot about the Street Fighter 2 code to select the same character. One of my favourite effects of the Konami code was turning the referee into a dog in ISS Deluxe. Note that Konami had a different code for Super C (Contra) that only gave 10 lives: Right, Left, Down, Up, A, B, Start.
Re: Anniversary: F-Zero GX Is 20 Today
Mixed memories of GX. While the initial cup and the graphics immediately impressed, the game began to unravel into the later cups with poor track design and gimmicks that Sega added like obstacles that did nothing except interrupt the flow of racing. I could beat F-Zero X on master difficulty; in GX I only manage one or two cups because it simply wasn't fun to keep repeating boring and flawed tracks. Please Nintendo, give us a remaster of F-Zero X!
Re: Flashback: How An Australian Developer Helped Lucasfilm Make Its First Star Wars Game
NES Star Wars was a great game! It was much more than a side scrolling game, and I suspect many people lost interest during the opening cave scenes and then the Kantina (as I did initially). It had space shooting, flying and RPG elements. Navigating the asteroid belt and blasting tie fighters as gunner in the Millennium Falcon still hold great memories, not to forget helping Ben Kenobi shut down the tractor beam and Luke and co escape the Death Star. The final scene was an overhead view of flying through the Death Star trench and ultimately destroying it. The SNES games that followed were disappointing, basic side scrolling games in comparison. My only regret was never buying ESB. Not sure it got a release in Australia.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Sega System Of All Time?
Genesis by a mile. For the simple reason it had the most amount of quality games.
The Dreamcast was so far ahead of its time that its features were antiquated once time caught up. That was only a year later with the PS2, which featured a DVD player, while internet access was more widespread for those interested in online play. The modem built into the Dreamcast was, while sounding nice at the time, was redundant for most people. Sega, following the Saturn debacle, still had trust issues, and silly things like the controller cord out the wrong way and even the VMU gimmick reinforced doubts and that perhaps Sega had rushed Dreamcast simply to get out before the PS2. Many of the games were of the gimmick/arcade nature, and even with a noted favourite like Daytona, the first one was average. Of course, in trying to launch ahead of the PS2 meant that the inevitable PS2 (which was already announced) would likely be superior, so people waited. The rest is history.
Re: CIBSunday: Super Metroid (SNES / Super Famicom)
I have both a PAL and JPN version of Super Metorid complete. There might be a time I sell my NES and SNES collection, especially when prices get ridiculous.
@GravyThief For me, if you're to combine names, it should be Metvania. Portmanteaus should be parts of a word, not an entire word, to make a new word. Another option is Castleroid.
As @BrianJL says, Metroid-Like is the most accurate description. Especially when Metroid is a well known series, unlike Rogue-Like for re-run games that supposedly follow the style of game few people ever heard about.
Edit re below response by GravyThief: Barely anyone knows or cares about Wonder Boy 3. The naming convention started with Metroid, primarily after Super Metroid, and then Castlevania began to borrow and add ideas. Reading about WB3, it would be classified as a general action/adventure anyway, not a new genre. Metroid and Castlevania contain distinct features and that's why it's a Metvania (or a Castleroid).
Re: Poll: Are Game Boy Games Still Worth Playing In 2023?
Hell no. At best these are a novelty interest and it's disgusting Nintendo only included these in the basic online subscription while GBA games require the expansion. Way to treat your loyal fans.
Re: Poll: So, What's Your Favourite Controller Of All Time?
SNES was the perfect controller. Beautiful d-pad and introduced shoulder buttons, and 6 buttons in total made for far more control in games. If the GameCube controller had a better d-pad, it would be number one. As it stands, that tiny thing was problematic at times. Similarly the Switch Pro Controller: the d-pad is horrendous by Nintendo standards. Response is poor and it's prone to inadvertent actions. Just try play Tetris 99 with it, and it's a disaster. The Wii U Classic Controller at least has a great d-pad and everything else feels nice; it's just not my preferred layout.
On other systems I'd say PS4, albeit, it's mostly an evolution of previous dual stick PS controllers. I've hated the PS d-pad from day one, and the sticks themselves don't have as good a feel as the Nintendo ones, and the left one is awkwardly placed. The original Xbox controllers were horrific, especially the d-pad, button design and size. While the S version fixed the size, the rest of it is still rubbish. It took until the Xbox One controller for me to like Xbox controllers. It fixed most of the issues, had a great d-pad, and would be in my top echelon of best controllers ever. The X series was a backwards step, especially the d-pad. Of course, Xbox still persist with those horrible, raised and hard face buttons, and their ridiculous decision to stray from Nintendo's naming convention still causes much anguish when switching between Nintendo and Xbox multiplayer games.
Re: Random: Playing F-Zero On A Widescreen Monitor Is A Blast
I keep saying, we need an F-Zero Ultimate. Based on X on N64 and fully updated, it would add another 40 of the best tracks from the 16 bit era, GX and AX, and all split-screen. X is the purest N64 experience, and it deserves an upgrade. GX was hampered with some lame tracks and too many gimmicks, like off-camber corners and obstacles. Come on! F-Zero is about sustained speed on fiendish tracks, not trying to avoid a spinning fan or pole.
Re: Yuji Naka Killed "Dreamcast's Star Fox", Says Former Sega Producer
@whateverdude Here's the new worst thing you've heard all day and probably all year. I was too kind with GX. It was mostly a disaster. F-Zero is about flow and sustained speed. Sega ruined this on too many tracks with gimmicks and poor design. X was the purest and best F-Zero and should be remade with the best of GX and 16 bit tracks. All 4 player too.
Re: Yuji Naka Killed "Dreamcast's Star Fox", Says Former Sega Producer
@Specter_of-the_OLED Nintendo oversee them, right? There's also the Wii U Star Fox that I'd happily call a disaster. While I'm on a rant, they ruined F-Zero by allowing Sega to do GX on GC. Too many crap tracks either in flow or with gimmicks.
Re: Yuji Naka Killed "Dreamcast's Star Fox", Says Former Sega Producer
Sounds like he made the right call. Nintendo ruined the Star Fox series from the GC* on and Sega would have only made things worse.
*Except for Star Fox Command
Re: Feature: The Story Of The Game Genie, The Cheat Device Nintendo Tried (And Failed) To Kill
I still have my NES Game Genie and recall mostly using for extra lives. I didn't get into changing jump heights and stuff. On the SNES I had the Action Replay as it could learn codes and doubled as an adapter to play NTSC games. I never knew there was such history behind Game Genie.
Re: Feature: The Haunting History Of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins Series
Proud to say I did finish GNG on the NES - after using a cheat code to start me at level 1 of the second run. I was playing it normally and almost getting to the final room until I read that the first run was a mirage and, at that point, I really didn't want to go through the game twice.
In the arcades, the best I could do was kill one of the giant bats on the level before the final room.
I can't wait for this new version and the compilation. I'm most interested in playing the original arcade GNG because the graphics in NES graphics really are bad.
Re: Feature: The Making Of Star Fox Command
I loved Star Fox Command. I saw two endings and really appreciated the online battles. I only had dial-up internet back then and was using the Nintendo USB Wifi adaptor to connect the DS. Star Fox, Tetris DS, Mario Kart DS and Metroid Hunters were some of my earliest online times, and still the most fun.
@arekdougy I called it Star Fox Insult. That says it all. I loathed the on-foot levels so much that I stopped playing it after a few levels.
Re: Feature: 25 Years Ago, Nintendo Took On The Might Of Street Fighter With Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct was a great game on the SNES, and I played it for months. I'm sure I still have that Killer Cuts CD somewhere too!
Re: Hardware Review: Should You Import The Japanese Mega Drive Mini?
I wouldn't be playing SF2 on the MD anyway. So many superior versions around, notably on the SNES Mini and the Switch Anniversary Collection. I'll stick with the western version... once it drops in price. Too many other games to play to justify paying maximum retail these days!
Re: The Evercade Handheld System Will Get New Retro-Style Indie Games, As Well As Old Classics
Smells like another Ouya situation.
Re: Hardware Review: SNK Neo Geo Mini International Edition - Different Design, Different Games, Same Problems?
This screams "wait for an updated version", so I will.