We need to bring back the sexiness in games. So many these days seem po faced and restrained, like they've been developed by Puritans and prudes. Bring back the T&A, I say!
@smoreon An excellent point. With different ammo types, you'll use the gun with the most ammo, if you're being careful.
I hated this decision. I think it's beyond idiotic, I think it's bad design, and I'm shocked anyone signed off on it.
The ammo **** up in Invisible War killed the entire game for me and I didn't play more than a couple of hours. Absolute trash.
With the original I was switching between guns, and switching between ammo types constantly, same with System Shock 2 from that time period. Also Jagged Alliance 2. Different ammo types are intensely fun to play around with. Armour piercing, explosive, regular, hollow point, sabot, sedative, non-lethal, etc.
It's funny that what they say contradicts a previous thing I'd read in interviews. I'm not sure of the source, but a different interview someone stated something like: They were testing with focus groups, and someone was complaining that it was too complicated to keep track of different ammo types, or they didn't like the fact they had to keep track of limited ammo for something, and kept getting confused, so the dev team - to "fix" this - just stripped the whole system out and implemented a single ammo pool.
I cannot stress how much I hate this new idea.
The joy of the first game was having all these tools, to be used as you see fit in different situations, and suddenly it's like: no tools for you! The whole thing was dumbed down.
One of the absolute worst design decisions in the history of videogames.
For the record: I'm fine with and love a high volume of tools to work with. Give me a hundred different weapons and 50 different ammo types to juggle. I'm not the only person who will be delighted to spend money on such a rich and complex game.
Sounds like it won't have a single cohesive open world like MG1 or MG2:SS. Those were basically Zelda with guns and amazing for it. I liked Snake's Revenge and Ghost Babel, but was a little saddened they both adopted a level based structure.
I'm excited, but I'm still waiting for another 2D top-down open world game.
@GravyThief
Not trying to be funny here, or deliberately obtuse, but I genuinely do not know. I could ask, but I doubt anyone would tell me.
I wrote an article a while back where I divulged his salary. Maybe that's why? But the VGHF is an NPO, so the documents showing this are a matter of public record. So it's not like I was leaking private info.
@N64-ROX
Frank Cifaldi's open hatred for Time Extension is well known. I'm aware of it. Others are aware of it. He knows we are aware of it. We know that he knows we are aware of it. I say nothing because Frank has a million supporters, and one does not wish to anger so many faithful. That many people are a force of power to be feared.
But I'm grateful you noticed this and spoke up. Thank you.
I think Frank Cifaldi is a lovely man. He does tremendous valuable work. He is a shining beacon in the sphere of games history, and the knowledge he preserves and freely shares with the world is glorious and wonderful.
Fun fact: in the old days of forums he cosplayed as an angel holding a bear, posting a photo online which I saved. This saintly aura was prophetic, for he now rises like a benevolent Messiah, safeguarding the history of videogames.
Glory be to the blessed Frank Cifaldi, whom we all pledge loyalty.
@metaphysician Ironically, I'm sometimes part of that demographic. In as much as - I feel you can have either type, or a mix of both, and abstract plotless games can be tremendously worthwhile.
With Bangai-O though, having played lots of shooters already, the insane story helped it stand out for me. It was so good, I'd jave happily just read a script dump.
It's tricky to articulate - the balance between story and games is difficult. I would never ostracise a game for focusing on one or the other. But Bangai-O resonated for me because it married the two so well. They hit gold with the balance.
Gunstar Heroes is another Treasure game I love. It doesn't have much "plot" in terms of dialogue boxes, but there's a visual storytelling through the character designs and themes, which elevates it above your average run n gun.
@Razieluigi
The story on the DC version is why I loved it! Was gutted when the sequels had no story, and critics stupidly claimed this was a good thing. T_T
For me 80% of the joy was the batshirt insane dialogue, with 20% being gameplay.
I bought the sequels, but never bothered playing more than a couple levels. Honestly what was the point?
Can someone point out key differences in the two fan translations???
Chalk me up as another person who does not like the new art style for the new Castlevania, and would prefer an older style of pixel art. The Remaster for Suikoden I&II, with the pixelated characters, has reinforced my love for this kind of aesthetic style.
The new Castlevania though?
That looks like a lot of other similar 2D games from recent years: like a cheap Flash game.
I have hated cheevos since they first existed. And it annoyed me in the PS3 era when you could not disable them.
Today I've seen multiple people say they refuse to play any game without them, which saddens me. Fantastic PS1 gems on PSN overlooked because no cheevos. A guy on Reddit saying he started Valkyria Chronicles, one of the greatest games ever made, and he started to feel physically ill due to there being no cheevos, and had to rage quit.
I realise these are optional.
But that doesn't mean I can ignore the phenomenon.
As @Tasuki brilliantly points out, cheevos have become a sort of mind virus, so devs now put them in all games, and design games around them, and make the goals of those games - their inherent design ethos - revolve around cheevos.
When was the last time you heard a dev say: screw cheevos, we're making our dream game, and that game IS the game, not some arbitrary meaningless tasks tacked on.
I know people will tell me to let others enjoy their games how they want.
But they are not enjoying them.
That guy on Reddit who rage quit Valk Chronicles described feeling physically ill, and while he was interested enough to start the game, he quit for no reason other than it not providing him with the digital heroin he's been trained to feel addicted to.
I want to reach out to him, and everyone who refuses to play those PS1 gems, or indeed any game without cheevos, and say warmly: it's OK, you can enjoy the game just for the game itself, you don't need cheevos to feel joy. As @JayJ also pointed out.
Anyone who has the winning "blue shirt" footage, feel free to @ me on here or post in the YT comments (I'm not on Twitter or Bluesky). We can work out who digitises the tapes, I'm happy to post it back, and I'll also sort that £100 bounty!
Genuinely do not understand why they don't license the fan translations. Almost all of these are now in English. Maybe even all of them?
Falcom / Xseed officially licensed the fan translation for a couple Ys games, so there is a precedent for beneficial mutual cooperation between publishers and the fan community. It can work.
This was one of the absolute BEST games on the N64. The devs behind it said it had a direct influence on GTA3. I interviewed them for Game Developer website - if I recall correctly, some of the "kinematics" code from this was even reused. (Best check the interviews - this was years back.)
I have always tried to encourage people to play this or the GBC remake. It's incredible.
The PS1 "port" is pure hot garbage though. Possibly the worst cross system console port I've ever seen.
@N64-ROX
Excellent question. I sincerely feel that everyone dislikes this idea simply because it's so rare, most people never get the chance to try it. And when I've raised the topic over the years I get almost universal pushback that it sounds unfun or lame.
Think of survival horror games. Prior to their existence, the idea of limited ammo and running away from enemies would have sounded lame to many. But it turns out to be an incredible formula. It's the same with the rare times I've seen this mechanic. I enjoy FPS with simple reloading - original Doom, Goldeneye, Turok, Exhumed, System Shock 2, Deus Ex, etc., all favourites.
However, the following list had realistic reloading and it was intoxicating:
EYE: Divine Cybermancy
STALKER (using a mod)
Black (PS2 demo disc only)
Zero Sievert (I think? Been ages since I played)
Mafia 1 (PC original only! Consoles dumbed it down; on PC even enemies would run out of ammo. A gun fight could devolve into a fist fight! Incredible, INCREDIBLE sensation!)
There are other examples, but these spring to mind without looking.
It makes combat quite thrilling. If you have plenty of ammo you don't care, but at a certain threshold you start valuing every shot. Each reload feels like a precious oasis to be used sparingly. And sometimes during quiet moments, you will waste what's in the mag because you don't trust your skills and want to be ready.
I love it. But I also love needing to eat in games, and survival horror, and resource management in general. I know a lot of people hate that. But I also feel many would be surprised if they had some good examples to try.
@smoreon
They do? Nice. The GBA titles passed me by entirely, so I will check them out. The fact they're 2D intrigues me even more! Many thanks.
One bullet in an 8 bullet magazine. Reloads. Magazine clearly removed. Magically gets topped up with 7 bullets from the total amount (32 down to 25 spare).
I hate silly magical "hopper" style top up reloads. This is not realistic. To be realistic that single bullet left in the magazine should be lost when thrown away. That doesn't happen, making this as realistic as Doom itself or any other wham-bam FPS.
Side tangent:
There's so many gun nuts who go on about "gun porn" and realistic reload animations. But every single one of these games features magical dumbed down reloading where you can fire a single bullet from a revolver, drop all 6 on to the ground, and yet somehow those 5 unused bullets magically end up back in your gun and only 1 bullet gets used from surplus.
Black on PS2 used to have realistic reloading until a tester complained saying they were getting confused and so they removed realistic reloads to introduce dumb reloads.
Every time I see "realism" to describe an FPS, I hope it means proper serious reloading. And every time I am dissappointed. T_T
@BinaryBoss True, I meant specifically bylines. Though the flannel panel could have been for anything, so difficult to use a portfolio piece. And yes, other mags gave bylines, such as GamesTM, and I freelanced for them, until they decided to copy EDGE by removing bylines - much to my angry indignation. That was the exact given reason. "We need to be more like EDGE."
I freelanced for other places too, but let's be honest. Multifornats like Games Master weren't interested in intellectual features. US mags like Play and Game Informer were difficult to break into. Leaving only websites.
When GTM debased itself, it removed what had been a valuable print publication.
Genuinely surprised none of those horse racing sims got localised back in the 90s. Horse racing was popular among adults, and that SNES game looks cool - I'm sure a lot of American and British dads would have bought themselves a copy to play.
As for Umamusume: Pretty Derby...
Am I correct in thinking... Is this... Is this literally a game about ponygirls? Huh. Well, that's my search engine history compromised.
@smoreon True, maybe they wanted to avoid a month in the red. But it reminded me of so many examples I've heard before.
One factor is if a company projects high profits, and does meet those, making smaller profits, that's regarded as "bad" somehow. I can't even pretend to grasp the thinking behind it all.
@Razieluigi Love this story (I've done similar for other games). I especially like the story in relation to this game. The excitement for FF7 in the months before its PS1 release was off the scales. I can imagine the excitement for you as a PC owner without a PS1 finally getting it.
I was reading about how with OPSM1 magazine, management told the team they'd keep printing it so long as it remained profitable (source: recent RG interview).
I never understand why companies shut down things which actually turn a profit. That means it covers costs, keeps people employed (and paying taxes), AND still puts extra money in your pocket.
@slider1983
Yeah, 5 for LE stuck out to me. It's a beautifully artistic adventure. 5 to me means a game is radioactive dogshit. I bet nobody who read that review bought it.
5 for Mirror's Edge, 6 for Tombi, so many examples of games I loved getting massively crapped on. No wonder I ended up with depression reading it. I would get an issue, feel miserable about this hobby which once brought me joy, and then did anything other than play games. EDGE magazine made me hate videogames.
EYE: Divine Cybermancy 4 ðŸ˜
Windjammers 5 ðŸ˜
Gunstar Heroes 6 ðŸ˜
Street Fighter III 6 ðŸ˜
There's just too many list. Too many crimes against videogames to comprehend the total horror of it all.
Outlaws! Space Channel 5! The Witcher series! These games are FANTASTIC!!
Just too many to list.
So many great games which lost sales because of this hateful, hateful magazine.
Not to mention it influenced Rick Porter to remove writer credits in GamesTM.
I would say EDGE magazine is the worst thing that happened to games, due to its widespread toxic influence.
And to make it worse, developers respected it. I can only imagine the shame a dev felt, pouring their hearts into a game, only for EDGE to say it's worthless *****, 5 out of 10.
The person who refuses to look at a PS1 game without cheevos, or the Valkyria person on Reddit who said they felt sick without cheevos.
I genuinely want to sit with them and a great old game, chat about it, play it, try to convince there is value in unstructured play. Not even for a high score or 100% save data. As human beings the act of "play" itself can be theraputic, cognitively enhancing, and wonderful.
It's not elitist. I really want to open their minds to games without achievements.
Based on what you've said I get the feeling you enjoy a good game regardless. For you it's just an added layer - a means of exploring parts of the game you missed. Almost a pseudo-DLC as you replay it with different goals.
Thus you were absolutely not the kind of person I was thinking of. Indeed you are an eloquent ambassador for the positives of cheevos.
Like I said originally, people can enjoy what they like.
But it's a specific type of person: one who doesn't play games with cheevos attached, but rather one who chases cheevos, that happen to have a game attached.
@James-Bond That Sega feature issue got them into bother? I vaguelly recall reading somewhere they got into trouble because one screenshot from some game showed a woman's nipple. Is that the issue / scenario, or something else? I never followed it closely. I dumped the stack pretty quick.
I did like @Guru_Larry cover though. That issue was part of my year long sub. Nice cover, but the accompanying feature, and the magazine itself like every issue for those 12 months, was as miserable as ****. Just so utterly bereft of joy or fun or enthusiasm.
Looking over this, actual silent screaming inside my head. Some of these are absolute travesties. How many great games failed to find the success they deserved because EDGE was doing its usual snooty routine and hating on titles which would later be deemed timeless classics?
TIP: click the score column, and order it A-Z, so you can scroll down from 1 upwards. So many great games got 5 and 6, and would have failed to sell because of this. Tomba got a 6. Fantastic game, raw pure fun, today worth hundreds of quid on eBay because it's rightfully regarded as fantastic. How many Brits turned their nose up at it at the time, because EDGE magazine took a crap on it?
They very clearly obviously hate fun.
(Weirdly, not every score is accurate - it says they gave WarioWare an 8, but they definitely gave it lower than this; MetaCritic says they gave it a 7.)
Thanks to EDGE refusing to credit writers, GamesTM eventually decided to copy them, because they were obsessed with being EDGE, and I used to write for GamesTM. So I have a burning grudge against EDGE for influencing GamesTM which then denied me my rightful credits as a writer.
Any magazine which refuses to credit its writers is the lowest of the low. Frankly I have to watch my words because I would be instantly banned.
Two rules:
1) PAY the writer
2) CREDIT the writer
EDGE's refusal to credit shows a contempt and disrespect for the entire writing profession (yes, yes, I know they credit writers now; bit late).
So when I interviewed 8 developers who worked on multiple entries in the Metal Gear franchise (programmers, designers, Dave Hayter), plus 4 developers who worked on rival franchises (12 people! ^), I wanted MY name attributed to this masterclass of journalism. Thanks to EDGE drilling a hole in then editor Rick Porter's head, he chose to remove all author credits. So I snuck my name into screenshots and the body of text. I would not be denied after securing 12 interviews. Anyway, they spotted one, removed it, and I got freelance banned.
^ it may have been more than 12 - I interviewed so many from the Thief franchise that I lose count. But let's say 12 people.
I blame this on EDGE magazine. That ridiculous, insufferable, elitist attitude which denied writers any credit was like a poison or cancer infecting journalism, and it infected GamesTM, and it had a detrimental affect on my career.
Very few people probably are even aware of the ramifications of what EDGE did.
But there you have it. They drained the joy from the hobby for me, and then they brainwashed rival magazines who were desperate to be like them.
I genuinely do not understand why so many love this mag. Every issue I read it seemed like they hated videogames. (My subscription was circa 2003.)
I have never liked EDGE magazine, and I feel comfortable saying this publicly.
I had developed a love of gaming reading DieHard GameFan and Gamer's Republic. Passionate and enthusiastic. Then I moved abroad and wanted a subscription, but the American mags were massively difficult to subscribe to abroad.
Someone suggested EDGE. They gushed it was amazing. So I tried it. And for the next 12 months I felt depressed, lost interest in games, and concluded that this just wasn't the hobby for me.
Dull, lifeless page designs, comprising 70% empty space. Very few screenshots. Not like GF or GR which would dedicate two page spreads to only screenshots. And an insufferable sanctimonious tone which celebrated games I found boring, and crapped all over games I loved.
I'd like to remind everyone that EDGE scored Gunstar Heroes, one of the best games of all time, 6 out of 10 in its first issue. And this continued throughout its run. It also complained you couldn't talk to the monsters in Doom, as if they were RPG NPCs. It constantly had antagonistic takes and low scores for timeless classics, as if it were trolling its audience.
For those 12 months every game I liked the look of was panned. And everything praised felt like the antithesis to why I played games.
One feature on Sega was so navel gazing, the feature started something like this: "EDGE is a lot like Sega. Amazing, misunderstood, under-appreciated, deserving of more glory than it receives... etc. etc. etc."
Whoever wrote that feature would not have been able to auto-fellate any harder or deeper if they cut it off with a knife and pushed it down with a broom handle.
Insufferable. I want to read about Sega, not why EDGE thinks it's amazing.
At the end of the subscription I honestly figured I'd just stop playing games, or focus only on older retro games. I'd been drip fed cynicism for 12 months, and a dry lifeless design and prose, and I hated videogames.
And then I discovered Dave Halverson's PLAY magazine in the US, and was able to get a subscription.
It dedicated covers to obscurities like Lunar Knights and Muramasa. And every page dripped with a love of the medium, sincere passion, and devotion to Japan - their interviews with JP devs ran to 18 pages sometimes.
I fell in love with games again. It's not a stretch to say that Dave Halverson's magazine quite literally saved me from pursuing a hobby in sailing or cookery, or something else.
Why would I come into an article praising EDGE only to criticise them? Because I am convinced there are others like me, and I wanted to represent.
EDGE magazine very literally nearly killed off my entire love for the videogame medium.
This is AMAZING!! I kid you not. A few weeks ago I was playing Sonic R and thought to myself: it'd be great if modders took out all this racing crap and I could just play it like a Sonic Xtreme platformer.
@GhaleonUnlimited I have a soft spot for Sewer Shark. It felt like watching a cheesy low-budget 80s sci-fi film (which I loved), but you didn't just watch it, you controlled it! Stenchler was even in Total Recall, if I remember correctly, so they got some reasonable actors, who really put a lot of energy into it.
I had fun. And if I have fun with a game, then it can't be a bad game. A bad game is one I derived no enjoyment from (ie: Rise of the Robots).
I beat this section once on real hardware, also having watched a video. It's doable if you follow a specific pattern of actions. Beat the last boss too.
One of my favourite NES games. I still maintain the dam level is easy!
@MontyCircus A good question! It's been so long since I emulated it - I never finished it, but I recall getting some ways in. I don't recall much text? My memories are primarily of navigating the maze, giant crabs in the sea, a large dragon. Whether this superficial experience warrants the spending of a limited budget, difficult for me to say. I might have felt differently if it was my only game that month. I think it's probably more playable than Xanadu, which was pretty obtuse. The CRPG Addict's blog has a write up on it, which might give you a better picture?
@GhaleonUnlimited I have the gun too. Thunder in Paradise is a "great" lightgun game. Cheesy and stupid as hell. So, so stupid. But the stupidity makes it fun.
YES! This is part of an important part of a group of early Japanese Action-RPGs. Your mileage might vary playing it today, but I found it fascinating to play around with.
I believe this actually came out before Hydlide. Or Hydlide's creator saw screens and panicked it would rival him.
High five fellow CDi owner! I too had to get my timekeeper fixed. I did one years ago, but my current machine I botched and had to get a pro to fix it.
Works great now.
I made a topic on GaneFaqs in the CDi hardware subforum, with pics and recs.
What have you played and enjoyed?
For my taste there's a lot of games I liked. Not objectively great, but interesting given the new medium of CDs.
If I had to name one ultimate system exclusive: Laser Lords
I made a diary topic on its subforum on Gfaqs, of my playthrough.
It is insanely complicated for the year it released in. So ambitious. (Also not expensive.) Recommended if you like platform adventures.
@KingMike
Honestly? No. We got Parodious and Twinbee on SNES over here, two cute-em-ups, both of which the US did not get. Plus other examples.
Your wording of "angry" is interesting, because I noticed this in a lot of US publications, well after the millennium. The hatred of Tingle springs to mind. Plus the art style of Wind Waker. The cover art of Ico. Loads of things which were arty, flamboyant, light-hearted, cute, silly, colourful, etc., seemed to generate a feverish rage in some writers. Which is really weird.
GameFan was an exception. Dave Halverson loved that stuff. Others in the US, clearly not so much.
Share some examples if you were thinking of specific things, because I find this cultural divide fascinating.
I want to say the UK was slightly more relaxed about this stuff. We had a history of things like Monty Python, and cute stuff on the 8-bit micros, so whimsical humour, etc., had an easier time.
For Japan they gave Crash Bandicoot bigger eyebrows. Lara should have received the same Crash Bandicoot treatment and had bigger eyebrows too. Like, massive eyebrows. The kind of enormous eyebrows no human could ever conceivably have. Eyebrows that eclipsed even her bosom. EYEBROWS!
Comments 820
Re: Random: "They Wanted It Dark And Sexy" - Maximo: Ghosts to Glory Artist On The "R-Rated" Version We Never Got To Play
We need to bring back the sexiness in games. So many these days seem po faced and restrained, like they've been developed by Puritans and prudes. Bring back the T&A, I say!
Re: Deus Ex Designers Still Disagree On This Unique Solution To "An Immersive-Sim Problem"
@smoreon
An excellent point. With different ammo types, you'll use the gun with the most ammo, if you're being careful.
I hated this decision. I think it's beyond idiotic, I think it's bad design, and I'm shocked anyone signed off on it.
The ammo **** up in Invisible War killed the entire game for me and I didn't play more than a couple of hours. Absolute trash.
With the original I was switching between guns, and switching between ammo types constantly, same with System Shock 2 from that time period. Also Jagged Alliance 2. Different ammo types are intensely fun to play around with. Armour piercing, explosive, regular, hollow point, sabot, sedative, non-lethal, etc.
It's funny that what they say contradicts a previous thing I'd read in interviews. I'm not sure of the source, but a different interview someone stated something like:
They were testing with focus groups, and someone was complaining that it was too complicated to keep track of different ammo types, or they didn't like the fact they had to keep track of limited ammo for something, and kept getting confused, so the dev team - to "fix" this - just stripped the whole system out and implemented a single ammo pool.
I cannot stress how much I hate this new idea.
The joy of the first game was having all these tools, to be used as you see fit in different situations, and suddenly it's like: no tools for you! The whole thing was dumbed down.
One of the absolute worst design decisions in the history of videogames.
For the record: I'm fine with and love a high volume of tools to work with. Give me a hundred different weapons and 50 different ammo types to juggle. I'm not the only person who will be delighted to spend money on such a rich and complex game.
Re: The Studio Behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Scarface, & Prototype Has Been Rebooted As New Radical Games
In an alternate timeline there exists ENTERTAINMENT HOTHEAD.
Re: Spy Drops Gaiden Might Just Be The 2D Metal Gear Spiritual Successor You've Been Waiting For
Missions plural?
Sounds like it won't have a single cohesive open world like MG1 or MG2:SS. Those were basically Zelda with guns and amazing for it. I liked Snake's Revenge and Ghost Babel, but was a little saddened they both adopted a level based structure.
I'm excited, but I'm still waiting for another 2D top-down open world game.
Re: Every Shining Game, Ranked
@Gravyc
I put both on my ODE, and the saves are interchangeable.
I played the first few hours alternating.
It's different, but so far it's been so mild as to not be worth bothering.
I'll probably default to the Working Designs one in the hope of future zaniness.
Re: "Time To Expose Everything" - Fallout From Sega Dev Kit Raid Rumbles On
@GravyThief
Not trying to be funny here, or deliberately obtuse, but I genuinely do not know. I could ask, but I doubt anyone would tell me.
I wrote an article a while back where I divulged his salary. Maybe that's why? But the VGHF is an NPO, so the documents showing this are a matter of public record. So it's not like I was leaking private info.
Re: "Time To Expose Everything" - Fallout From Sega Dev Kit Raid Rumbles On
@N64-ROX
Frank Cifaldi's open hatred for Time Extension is well known. I'm aware of it. Others are aware of it. He knows we are aware of it. We know that he knows we are aware of it. I say nothing because Frank has a million supporters, and one does not wish to anger so many faithful. That many people are a force of power to be feared.
But I'm grateful you noticed this and spoke up. Thank you.
I think Frank Cifaldi is a lovely man. He does tremendous valuable work. He is a shining beacon in the sphere of games history, and the knowledge he preserves and freely shares with the world is glorious and wonderful.
Fun fact: in the old days of forums he cosplayed as an angel holding a bear, posting a photo online which I saved. This saintly aura was prophetic, for he now rises like a benevolent Messiah, safeguarding the history of videogames.
Glory be to the blessed Frank Cifaldi, whom we all pledge loyalty.
Re: "A Woefully Underrated N64 Underdog" - Treasure's Bangai-O Gets Not One But Two New English Translations
@metaphysician
Ironically, I'm sometimes part of that demographic. In as much as - I feel you can have either type, or a mix of both, and abstract plotless games can be tremendously worthwhile.
With Bangai-O though, having played lots of shooters already, the insane story helped it stand out for me. It was so good, I'd jave happily just read a script dump.
It's tricky to articulate - the balance between story and games is difficult. I would never ostracise a game for focusing on one or the other. But Bangai-O resonated for me because it married the two so well. They hit gold with the balance.
Gunstar Heroes is another Treasure game I love. It doesn't have much "plot" in terms of dialogue boxes, but there's a visual storytelling through the character designs and themes, which elevates it above your average run n gun.
Re: "A Woefully Underrated N64 Underdog" - Treasure's Bangai-O Gets Not One But Two New English Translations
@Razieluigi
The story on the DC version is why I loved it! Was gutted when the sequels had no story, and critics stupidly claimed this was a good thing. T_T
For me 80% of the joy was the batshirt insane dialogue, with 20% being gameplay.
I bought the sequels, but never bothered playing more than a couple levels. Honestly what was the point?
Can someone point out key differences in the two fan translations???
Re: Not Feeling Castlevania: Belmont's Curse's Art Style? Then Check Out Silent Planet
@jason160uk
Yeah, I didn't like it either.
Chalk me up as another person who does not like the new art style for the new Castlevania, and would prefer an older style of pixel art. The Remaster for Suikoden I&II, with the pixelated characters, has reinforced my love for this kind of aesthetic style.
The new Castlevania though?
That looks like a lot of other similar 2D games from recent years: like a cheap Flash game.
This, however, looks beautiful.
I don't get it. Do the kids today hate pixel art?
Re: Achievement Unlocked - This Free Service Has Changed The Way I Play Retro Games In 2026
I have hated cheevos since they first existed. And it annoyed me in the PS3 era when you could not disable them.
Today I've seen multiple people say they refuse to play any game without them, which saddens me. Fantastic PS1 gems on PSN overlooked because no cheevos. A guy on Reddit saying he started Valkyria Chronicles, one of the greatest games ever made, and he started to feel physically ill due to there being no cheevos, and had to rage quit.
I realise these are optional.
But that doesn't mean I can ignore the phenomenon.
As @Tasuki brilliantly points out, cheevos have become a sort of mind virus, so devs now put them in all games, and design games around them, and make the goals of those games - their inherent design ethos - revolve around cheevos.
When was the last time you heard a dev say: screw cheevos, we're making our dream game, and that game IS the game, not some arbitrary meaningless tasks tacked on.
I know people will tell me to let others enjoy their games how they want.
But they are not enjoying them.
That guy on Reddit who rage quit Valk Chronicles described feeling physically ill, and while he was interested enough to start the game, he quit for no reason other than it not providing him with the digital heroin he's been trained to feel addicted to.
I want to reach out to him, and everyone who refuses to play those PS1 gems, or indeed any game without cheevos, and say warmly: it's OK, you can enjoy the game just for the game itself, you don't need cheevos to feel joy. As @JayJ also pointed out.
Re: Random: Fan-Made 'Star Fox CD' Adds The Hornet From Daytona USA, Because Why Not
I love (and miss) weird and wacky silly stuff like this in games. Bring back the fun, I say.
Re: We're Getting Not One But Two Culdcept Titles This July
@Zeebor15
Culdcept is like if Magic the Gathering and Monopoly had a baby. Board game with card battles. Highly addictive.
Re: Check Your VHS Tapes - You Might Be In Line For A Small Reward If You Can Find This Elusive 'Games World' Footage
Thank you for this @damo
Anyone who has the winning "blue shirt" footage, feel free to @ me on here or post in the YT comments (I'm not on Twitter or Bluesky). We can work out who digitises the tapes, I'm happy to post it back, and I'll also sort that £100 bounty!
Good hunting everyone!
Re: We're Getting Not One But Two Culdcept Titles This July
Culdcept Saga is one of the reasons I imported a US X360, since the localisation was US exclusive. Totally worth it!
Re: This N64 Classic From The Developers Of GTA Has Gotten A Native PC Port
There's already a patch to fix the bug, so I'd bet money it gets added to the recomp.
Re: Japanese Fans Are Getting A Ganbare Goemon Collection, And We've Never Been More Jealous
@Quick_Man
No.
If it can be made to work once, it can be made to work every time.
This is why the English language has the word: precedent
Feel free to look it up.
Also cross reference the above with "Egg of Columbus".
Again, Google is freely available to enlighten yourself. Have a nice day.
(Ah, sometimes I love low IQ takes that allow me to flex my greater intellect.)
Re: Interview: "I Did My Best To Make It Work" - Legendary Localiser On Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, & The "Total Nightmare" Of Xenogears
Incredible interview.
The description of Sega sounds so much like Sega, even if he didn't say Sega most of us could probably guess it was Sega.
That company. LOL!
Re: Japanese Switch Owners Are Getting A Ganbare Goemon Collection, And We've Never Been More Jealous
Genuinely do not understand why they don't license the fan translations. Almost all of these are now in English. Maybe even all of them?
Falcom / Xseed officially licensed the fan translation for a couple Ys games, so there is a precedent for beneficial mutual cooperation between publishers and the fan community. It can work.
Re: This N64 Classic From The Developers Of GTA Has Gotten A Native PC Port
This was one of the absolute BEST games on the N64. The devs behind it said it had a direct influence on GTA3. I interviewed them for Game Developer website - if I recall correctly, some of the "kinematics" code from this was even reused. (Best check the interviews - this was years back.)
I have always tried to encourage people to play this or the GBC remake. It's incredible.
The PS1 "port" is pure hot garbage though. Possibly the worst cross system console port I've ever seen.
Re: Washington Prime Is A New GZDoom Game Inspired By '90s Thrillers Like Heat, Cop Land, And Clear & Present Danger
@N64-ROX
Excellent question. I sincerely feel that everyone dislikes this idea simply because it's so rare, most people never get the chance to try it. And when I've raised the topic over the years I get almost universal pushback that it sounds unfun or lame.
Think of survival horror games. Prior to their existence, the idea of limited ammo and running away from enemies would have sounded lame to many. But it turns out to be an incredible formula. It's the same with the rare times I've seen this mechanic. I enjoy FPS with simple reloading - original Doom, Goldeneye, Turok, Exhumed, System Shock 2, Deus Ex, etc., all favourites.
However, the following list had realistic reloading and it was intoxicating:
There are other examples, but these spring to mind without looking.
It makes combat quite thrilling. If you have plenty of ammo you don't care, but at a certain threshold you start valuing every shot. Each reload feels like a precious oasis to be used sparingly. And sometimes during quiet moments, you will waste what's in the mag because you don't trust your skills and want to be ready.
I love it. But I also love needing to eat in games, and survival horror, and resource management in general. I know a lot of people hate that. But I also feel many would be surprised if they had some good examples to try.
@smoreon
They do? Nice. The GBA titles passed me by entirely, so I will check them out. The fact they're 2D intrigues me even more! Many thanks.
Re: Washington Prime Is A New GZDoom Game Inspired By '90s Thrillers Like Heat, Cop Land, And Clear & Present Danger
Claims to be realistic yet...
One bullet in an 8 bullet magazine. Reloads. Magazine clearly removed. Magically gets topped up with 7 bullets from the total amount (32 down to 25 spare).
I hate silly magical "hopper" style top up reloads. This is not realistic. To be realistic that single bullet left in the magazine should be lost when thrown away. That doesn't happen, making this as realistic as Doom itself or any other wham-bam FPS.
Side tangent:
There's so many gun nuts who go on about "gun porn" and realistic reload animations. But every single one of these games features magical dumbed down reloading where you can fire a single bullet from a revolver, drop all 6 on to the ground, and yet somehow those 5 unused bullets magically end up back in your gun and only 1 bullet gets used from surplus.
Black on PS2 used to have realistic reloading until a tester complained saying they were getting confused and so they removed realistic reloads to introduce dumb reloads.
Every time I see "realism" to describe an FPS, I hope it means proper serious reloading. And every time I am dissappointed. T_T
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
@BinaryBoss
True, I meant specifically bylines. Though the flannel panel could have been for anything, so difficult to use a portfolio piece. And yes, other mags gave bylines, such as GamesTM, and I freelanced for them, until they decided to copy EDGE by removing bylines - much to my angry indignation. That was the exact given reason. "We need to be more like EDGE."
I freelanced for other places too, but let's be honest. Multifornats like Games Master weren't interested in intellectual features. US mags like Play and Game Informer were difficult to break into. Leaving only websites.
When GTM debased itself, it removed what had been a valuable print publication.
What years did you freelance?
Re: Producer Behind This Classic Racing Series Reveals Why He Was "Amazed" At Mobile Hit 'Umamusume: Pretty Derby'
Genuinely surprised none of those horse racing sims got localised back in the 90s. Horse racing was popular among adults, and that SNES game looks cool - I'm sure a lot of American and British dads would have bought themselves a copy to play.
As for Umamusume: Pretty Derby...
Am I correct in thinking... Is this... Is this literally a game about ponygirls? Huh. Well, that's my search engine history compromised.
Re: Here's Why Official Dreamcast Magazine Never Got A Proper Final Issue
@smoreon
True, maybe they wanted to avoid a month in the red. But it reminded me of so many examples I've heard before.
One factor is if a company projects high profits, and does meet those, making smaller profits, that's regarded as "bad" somehow. I can't even pretend to grasp the thinking behind it all.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Is Getting A New Steam Version "To Provide An Improved Gameplay Experience"
@Razieluigi
Love this story (I've done similar for other games). I especially like the story in relation to this game. The excitement for FF7 in the months before its PS1 release was off the scales. I can imagine the excitement for you as a PC owner without a PS1 finally getting it.
Re: Here's Why Official Dreamcast Magazine Never Got A Proper Final Issue
I was reading about how with OPSM1 magazine, management told the team they'd keep printing it so long as it remained profitable (source: recent RG interview).
I never understand why companies shut down things which actually turn a profit. That means it covers costs, keeps people employed (and paying taxes), AND still puts extra money in your pocket.
Just keep it rolling til it falls in the red, no?
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
@slider1983
Yeah, 5 for LE stuck out to me. It's a beautifully artistic adventure. 5 to me means a game is radioactive dogshit. I bet nobody who read that review bought it.
5 for Mirror's Edge, 6 for Tombi, so many examples of games I loved getting massively crapped on. No wonder I ended up with depression reading it. I would get an issue, feel miserable about this hobby which once brought me joy, and then did anything other than play games. EDGE magazine made me hate videogames.
EYE: Divine Cybermancy 4 ðŸ˜
Windjammers 5 ðŸ˜
Gunstar Heroes 6 ðŸ˜
Street Fighter III 6 ðŸ˜
There's just too many list. Too many crimes against videogames to comprehend the total horror of it all.
Outlaws! Space Channel 5! The Witcher series! These games are FANTASTIC!!
Just too many to list.
So many great games which lost sales because of this hateful, hateful magazine.
Not to mention it influenced Rick Porter to remove writer credits in GamesTM.
I would say EDGE magazine is the worst thing that happened to games, due to its widespread toxic influence.
And to make it worse, developers respected it. I can only imagine the shame a dev felt, pouring their hearts into a game, only for EDGE to say it's worthless *****, 5 out of 10.
Re: Nintendo Wii Games Are Finally Getting RetroAchievement Support Next Year
@buddy9231
"And this is just elitist crap"
It was partly a bit to convey a serious point.
The person who refuses to look at a PS1 game without cheevos, or the Valkyria person on Reddit who said they felt sick without cheevos.
I genuinely want to sit with them and a great old game, chat about it, play it, try to convince there is value in unstructured play. Not even for a high score or 100% save data. As human beings the act of "play" itself can be theraputic, cognitively enhancing, and wonderful.
It's not elitist. I really want to open their minds to games without achievements.
Based on what you've said I get the feeling you enjoy a good game regardless. For you it's just an added layer - a means of exploring parts of the game you missed. Almost a pseudo-DLC as you replay it with different goals.
Thus you were absolutely not the kind of person I was thinking of. Indeed you are an eloquent ambassador for the positives of cheevos.
Like I said originally, people can enjoy what they like.
But it's a specific type of person: one who doesn't play games with cheevos attached, but rather one who chases cheevos, that happen to have a game attached.
I appreciate your discussion on this.
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
@James-Bond
That Sega feature issue got them into bother? I vaguelly recall reading somewhere they got into trouble because one screenshot from some game showed a woman's nipple. Is that the issue / scenario, or something else? I never followed it closely. I dumped the stack pretty quick.
I did like @Guru_Larry cover though. That issue was part of my year long sub. Nice cover, but the accompanying feature, and the magazine itself like every issue for those 12 months, was as miserable as ****. Just so utterly bereft of joy or fun or enthusiasm.
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
For those curious, here is a database of EDGE scores, so you can judge for yourself:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kxhzEuZLkn9muddtg8mZuQoQ-Zt3HcVLtv5V3wYnTe0/edit?gid=1003220676#gid=1003220676
Looking over this, actual silent screaming inside my head. Some of these are absolute travesties. How many great games failed to find the success they deserved because EDGE was doing its usual snooty routine and hating on titles which would later be deemed timeless classics?
TIP: click the score column, and order it A-Z, so you can scroll down from 1 upwards. So many great games got 5 and 6, and would have failed to sell because of this. Tomba got a 6. Fantastic game, raw pure fun, today worth hundreds of quid on eBay because it's rightfully regarded as fantastic. How many Brits turned their nose up at it at the time, because EDGE magazine took a crap on it?
They very clearly obviously hate fun.
(Weirdly, not every score is accurate - it says they gave WarioWare an 8, but they definitely gave it lower than this; MetaCritic says they gave it a 7.)
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
Also!
Thanks to EDGE refusing to credit writers, GamesTM eventually decided to copy them, because they were obsessed with being EDGE, and I used to write for GamesTM. So I have a burning grudge against EDGE for influencing GamesTM which then denied me my rightful credits as a writer.
Any magazine which refuses to credit its writers is the lowest of the low. Frankly I have to watch my words because I would be instantly banned.
Two rules:
1) PAY the writer
2) CREDIT the writer
EDGE's refusal to credit shows a contempt and disrespect for the entire writing profession (yes, yes, I know they credit writers now; bit late).
So when I interviewed 8 developers who worked on multiple entries in the Metal Gear franchise (programmers, designers, Dave Hayter), plus 4 developers who worked on rival franchises (12 people! ^), I wanted MY name attributed to this masterclass of journalism. Thanks to EDGE drilling a hole in then editor Rick Porter's head, he chose to remove all author credits. So I snuck my name into screenshots and the body of text. I would not be denied after securing 12 interviews. Anyway, they spotted one, removed it, and I got freelance banned.
^ it may have been more than 12 - I interviewed so many from the Thief franchise that I lose count. But let's say 12 people.
I blame this on EDGE magazine. That ridiculous, insufferable, elitist attitude which denied writers any credit was like a poison or cancer infecting journalism, and it infected GamesTM, and it had a detrimental affect on my career.
Very few people probably are even aware of the ramifications of what EDGE did.
But there you have it. They drained the joy from the hobby for me, and then they brainwashed rival magazines who were desperate to be like them.
I genuinely do not understand why so many love this mag. Every issue I read it seemed like they hated videogames. (My subscription was circa 2003.)
Re: "Yes, It Was Elitist, And No, That Wasn't A Bad Thing" - EDGE Alumni On Why The Mag Is Still Going Strong, Over 30 Years On
I have never liked EDGE magazine, and I feel comfortable saying this publicly.
I had developed a love of gaming reading DieHard GameFan and Gamer's Republic. Passionate and enthusiastic. Then I moved abroad and wanted a subscription, but the American mags were massively difficult to subscribe to abroad.
Someone suggested EDGE. They gushed it was amazing. So I tried it. And for the next 12 months I felt depressed, lost interest in games, and concluded that this just wasn't the hobby for me.
Dull, lifeless page designs, comprising 70% empty space. Very few screenshots. Not like GF or GR which would dedicate two page spreads to only screenshots. And an insufferable sanctimonious tone which celebrated games I found boring, and crapped all over games I loved.
I'd like to remind everyone that EDGE scored Gunstar Heroes, one of the best games of all time, 6 out of 10 in its first issue. And this continued throughout its run. It also complained you couldn't talk to the monsters in Doom, as if they were RPG NPCs. It constantly had antagonistic takes and low scores for timeless classics, as if it were trolling its audience.
For those 12 months every game I liked the look of was panned. And everything praised felt like the antithesis to why I played games.
One feature on Sega was so navel gazing, the feature started something like this: "EDGE is a lot like Sega. Amazing, misunderstood, under-appreciated, deserving of more glory than it receives... etc. etc. etc."
Whoever wrote that feature would not have been able to auto-fellate any harder or deeper if they cut it off with a knife and pushed it down with a broom handle.
Insufferable. I want to read about Sega, not why EDGE thinks it's amazing.
At the end of the subscription I honestly figured I'd just stop playing games, or focus only on older retro games. I'd been drip fed cynicism for 12 months, and a dry lifeless design and prose, and I hated videogames.
And then I discovered Dave Halverson's PLAY magazine in the US, and was able to get a subscription.
It dedicated covers to obscurities like Lunar Knights and Muramasa. And every page dripped with a love of the medium, sincere passion, and devotion to Japan - their interviews with JP devs ran to 18 pages sometimes.
I fell in love with games again. It's not a stretch to say that Dave Halverson's magazine quite literally saved me from pursuing a hobby in sailing or cookery, or something else.
Why would I come into an article praising EDGE only to criticise them? Because I am convinced there are others like me, and I wanted to represent.
EDGE magazine very literally nearly killed off my entire love for the videogame medium.
Re: Check Out Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood Running On The Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
I have the original for my PCE, but I'd double dip on this for that MD soundtrack. Love that synth. <3
Re: Saturn RPG 'Airs Adventure' Is Finally Playable In English
@Raccoon_Gamer
ROFLMAO
Well played!
Re: Ever Wanted To Play Sonic R Like A Platformer? You Should Try Out This New Saturn Mod
@PopetheRev28
I have absolutely no idea! I may have to look into that.
Re: Ever Wanted To Play Sonic R Like A Platformer? You Should Try Out This New Saturn Mod
This is AMAZING!! I kid you not. A few weeks ago I was playing Sonic R and thought to myself: it'd be great if modders took out all this racing crap and I could just play it like a Sonic Xtreme platformer.
And they did... O_O
(GET OUT OF MY MIND!! >_< )
Re: Treasure's Sublime Guardian Heroes Turns 30 Today, Which Makes Us Sad We Never Got A Proper Sequel
My introduction to this game was the DieHard GameFan issue that put it on the cover and gave it... 8 pages?
Peak 90s zeitgeist.
Re: "They Did Not Seem Like A Very Happy Bunch" - Lost Beavis And Butt-Head Title Resurfaces On PS1
I want more backstory on why the writers at MTV were miserable. Low pay? Rough conditions?
Re: The Zelda Adventure Nintendo Would Rather Forget Is Getting A Fan-Made Remaster
@GhaleonUnlimited
I have a soft spot for Sewer Shark. It felt like watching a cheesy low-budget 80s sci-fi film (which I loved), but you didn't just watch it, you controlled it! Stenchler was even in Total Recall, if I remember correctly, so they got some reasonable actors, who really put a lot of energy into it.
I had fun. And if I have fun with a game, then it can't be a bad game. A bad game is one I derived no enjoyment from (ie: Rise of the Robots).
Re: Community Challenge: Can You Overcome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Deadly Technodrome Level?
I beat this section once on real hardware, also having watched a video. It's doable if you follow a specific pattern of actions. Beat the last boss too.
One of my favourite NES games. I still maintain the dam level is easy!
Re: An Obscure Piece Of Japanese Action-RPG History Has Just Dropped On The Nintendo Switch, In The Form Of 'Courageous Perseus'
@MontyCircus
A good question! It's been so long since I emulated it - I never finished it, but I recall getting some ways in. I don't recall much text? My memories are primarily of navigating the maze, giant crabs in the sea, a large dragon. Whether this superficial experience warrants the spending of a limited budget, difficult for me to say. I might have felt differently if it was my only game that month. I think it's probably more playable than Xanadu, which was pretty obtuse. The CRPG Addict's blog has a write up on it, which might give you a better picture?
Re: The Zelda Adventure Nintendo Would Rather Forget Is Getting A Fan-Made Remaster
@GhaleonUnlimited
I have the gun too. Thunder in Paradise is a "great" lightgun game. Cheesy and stupid as hell. So, so stupid. But the stupidity makes it fun.
Re: An Obscure Piece Of Japanese Action-RPG History Has Just Dropped On The Nintendo Switch, In The Form Of 'Courageous Perseus'
@MontyCircus
You're not far off!
https://www.timeextension.com/features/what-were-japanese-action-adventures-like-before-zelda
Re: A Obscure Piece Of Japanese Action-RPG History Has Just Dropped On The Nintendo Switch, In The Form Of 'Courageous Perseus'
YES! This is part of an important part of a group of early Japanese Action-RPGs. Your mileage might vary playing it today, but I found it fascinating to play around with.
I believe this actually came out before Hydlide. Or Hydlide's creator saw screens and panicked it would rival him.
Re: The Zelda Adventure Nintendo Would Rather Forget Is Getting A Fan-Made Remaster
@GhaleonUnlimited
It's a Windows port.
High five fellow CDi owner! I too had to get my timekeeper fixed. I did one years ago, but my current machine I botched and had to get a pro to fix it.
Works great now.
I made a topic on GaneFaqs in the CDi hardware subforum, with pics and recs.
What have you played and enjoyed?
For my taste there's a lot of games I liked. Not objectively great, but interesting given the new medium of CDs.
If I had to name one ultimate system exclusive: Laser Lords
I made a diary topic on its subforum on Gfaqs, of my playthrough.
It is insanely complicated for the year it released in. So ambitious. (Also not expensive.) Recommended if you like platform adventures.
Email me if you want to chat CDi.
Re: New Video Reveals The Inner Workings Of Nintendo's Ill-Fated Virtual Boy
@MontyMole
The dev of Red Alarm had some fun anecdotes about it:
https://www.timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-red-alarm-the-virtual-boys-answer-to-star-fox
Re: "I Can Safely Say It's B**locks" - Ex-Rare Devs Debunk Killer Instinct 'Panel De Pon' Rumour
@KingMike
Honestly? No. We got Parodious and Twinbee on SNES over here, two cute-em-ups, both of which the US did not get. Plus other examples.
Your wording of "angry" is interesting, because I noticed this in a lot of US publications, well after the millennium. The hatred of Tingle springs to mind. Plus the art style of Wind Waker. The cover art of Ico. Loads of things which were arty, flamboyant, light-hearted, cute, silly, colourful, etc., seemed to generate a feverish rage in some writers. Which is really weird.
GameFan was an exception. Dave Halverson loved that stuff. Others in the US, clearly not so much.
Share some examples if you were thinking of specific things, because I find this cultural divide fascinating.
I want to say the UK was slightly more relaxed about this stuff. We had a history of things like Monty Python, and cute stuff on the 8-bit micros, so whimsical humour, etc., had an easier time.
Re: "I Can Safely Say It's B**locks" - Ex-Rare Devs Debunk Killer Instinct 'Panel De Pon' Rumour
I bet someone's going to have fun making a ROM hack after this news!
Re: Huge Eyes? Big Head? Lara Croft Almost Looked Very Different For Her Japanese Debut
For Japan they gave Crash Bandicoot bigger eyebrows. Lara should have received the same Crash Bandicoot treatment and had bigger eyebrows too. Like, massive eyebrows. The kind of enormous eyebrows no human could ever conceivably have. Eyebrows that eclipsed even her bosom. EYEBROWS!