tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post4589503302487707995..comments2024-01-29T18:11:40.469-08:00Comments on The RPG Consoler: Departing 1990, Embarking upon 1991!Zenic Reveriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-11821638363682743042014-05-05T12:18:50.544-07:002014-05-05T12:18:50.544-07:00It looks like his main complaint comes from the la...It looks like his main complaint comes from the lack of depth in combat, which I can understand. It's really a missed opportunity for many games that fail to add a bit of strategy to combat. When the best option is often to just attack until you need to heal, repeat ad nauseam, it gets tiring and I often wonder why developers didn't capitalize more on other options. Personally, I don't have a problem getting through a game where that's the case (e.g. Double Dungeons). I can't speak for Brad, but I interpret the complaint as a backlash to lost potential. I haven't heard anyone have a problem with games that only have a jump button.<br /><br />His take on FF6 seems to be that he enjoyed it despite the fact it has a mindless combat simulator. I'm fairly sure he's oversimplifying the matter as I recall hardly ever using the attack command, but again, there was always a clear "this attack is best" option in every battle. After reading his article on the game, I think it's the lack of spatial strategy that he feels is missing from most RPGs. The lack of direct control over characters in combat is another.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-30550625882984193792014-05-05T10:36:03.846-07:002014-05-05T10:36:03.846-07:00Honestly, I think it's pretty arbitrary. I als...Honestly, I think it's pretty arbitrary. I also got the sense from a recent post that they actually like FF6.killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-67758696936340852722014-05-04T12:30:20.031-07:002014-05-04T12:30:20.031-07:00Looks like NES is the same way, at least in the co...Looks like NES is the same way, at least in the combat display. If so I'll just drop the vowels, so VCTR.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-45539664885857196392014-05-04T09:13:39.461-07:002014-05-04T09:13:39.461-07:00For someone who claims not to like RPGs, he has a ...For someone who claims not to like RPGs, he has a lot in his top 50 list. Rings of Power, Sword of Vermilion, Shining Force, Warsong, and even Light Crusader make an appearance. I don't understand his dislike for picking actions from a menu (seems to be his main argument), but I'll have to read through his Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy articles. Thanks for the resource.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-33988202376805828182014-05-03T08:20:02.731-07:002014-05-03T08:20:02.731-07:00If I had the time, haha. As for Langrisser, I know...If I had the time, haha. As for Langrisser, I know it doesn't mean much, but another sorta chronogaming site, Brad Hates Games, played through all US Genesis games and ranked the top 50. Warning (Langrisser) was ranked third.. even though they had never heard of it before and generally disliked JRPGs. The game surprises people with its quality. It's also made pretty high rankings on some other Genesis lists.<br /><br />Of course, it's far more strategy than RPG. The sequels have more RPG elements, but I could see the first even being cut from your list. killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-48929470829060539972014-05-03T00:05:29.229-07:002014-05-03T00:05:29.229-07:00The GBC version of DW III limits names to four cha...The GBC version of DW III limits names to four characters in length; I'm not sure about the NES version. But whether my name is abbreviated or not, it would truly be an honor.Victarhttp://www.victarfanfics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-64626068663155094822014-05-02T10:34:01.162-07:002014-05-02T10:34:01.162-07:00Turn-based strategy addict needs to start a blog a...Turn-based strategy addict needs to start a blog and play both PC and console games. I think the genre is more solidly defined that a list would be easier to compile. Even adding RTS games would be fairly easy to accomplish. I have no idea how the quality of most of the games are though as I skipped most as a kid (really hard to get into those kinds of games when you're renting games without manuals).Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-22342113077362791852014-05-02T10:30:39.552-07:002014-05-02T10:30:39.552-07:00The good definitely outweighs the bad, and I'm...The good definitely outweighs the bad, and I'm looking forward to playing them all honestly (yes, even the ones I'm dreading).Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-25109345035716986372014-05-02T10:29:44.423-07:002014-05-02T10:29:44.423-07:00I hate games that have bad seeds. Seems like such ...I hate games that have bad seeds. Seems like such an easy thing to check when testing:<br /><br />1) Are there stairs to the next floor?<br />2) Is there a path to those stairs from the starting location?<br /><br />Pretty simple. Nearly the exact same thing happen to me when I was playing through Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse (I've currently marked it to be cut, but may include it to rip into with examples of how bad it is). Apparently there's a single RNG seed that will spawn a wall that blocks the exit. This happened to me on the equivalent of floor 240 out of 300. No way to fix it, never played the game again.<br /><br />I'll take your advice and keep safety save states for this type of issue.<br /><br />I'm sure I'll find Shining in the Darkness enjoyable. I remember liking the bit I played before. I may still have my map of the first dungeon area and the lower level. I think I had just received a key for a locked door before I stopped. I'm looking forward to completing it this time.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-4375353273306189832014-05-02T10:15:48.623-07:002014-05-02T10:15:48.623-07:00Thanks for the comments.
I'll consider save-s...Thanks for the comments.<br /><br />I'll consider save-states if they start to run long. What 'long' means in each case will depend on how much I'm enjoying the game. I haven't needed it yet though, and I hope to continue that trend.<br /><br />I don't know about the grinding, DW II wasn't too bad about that. Overall time was about what I expected. I've named characters after readers before, could do that again. Since you asked, the hero will be Victar, unless you'd like a different class.<br /><br />I appreciate the reassurance for Might & Magic. I'll probably have a cleric, but I haven't checked out the character classes. I tend to like trying them all out in a single party (or at least as many as I can).Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-56334585469449035152014-05-02T10:04:36.790-07:002014-05-02T10:04:36.790-07:00@Raifield: Ah, that's what the levels are for....@Raifield: Ah, that's what the levels are for. I wondered what sailing level could possibly help (faster movement is all I could figure). I think I have the manual, so I'll be sure to read up on what levels allow me bigger ships.<br /><br />@Daria: well, if you want to understand my apathy to the series you should try it out. I'll re-evaluate the game for the Genesis when it comes up in a couple gaming years.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-51418035877963409142014-05-02T09:58:01.481-07:002014-05-02T09:58:01.481-07:00Well, I do take extensive notes throughout these g...Well, I do take extensive notes throughout these games, and I have videos of the game to fall back on. I should be fine.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-29810124499571439732014-05-02T09:56:34.068-07:002014-05-02T09:56:34.068-07:00no worries. I'm sure the PC version is the bes...no worries. I'm sure the PC version is the best version for many games. A lot of titles get shoehorned into a console with an obscene number of menus. We'll see how the game turns out.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-85679096474845323312014-05-01T13:43:51.837-07:002014-05-01T13:43:51.837-07:00We had a notebook filled with clues and locations ...We had a notebook filled with clues and locations of things. It helped quite a lot, and I imagine that you'll need to keep more detailed notes than we did!Andy_Panthrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18231815646876343380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-36325889701491312502014-05-01T11:24:59.082-07:002014-05-01T11:24:59.082-07:00The Langrisser games are great. I much prefer them...The Langrisser games are great. I much prefer them to Shining Force/Fire Emblem, though I probably prefer Tactics Ogre/FF Tactics to both. Still though, lots of fun. You're right that there are lots of units to control, which is both the biggest strength and probably the biggest issue of the series. How you feel about that will probably determine your overall feelings about the series. <br /><br />Unfortunately, none of the sequels came here in any official capacity. It's sad, as they're much improved. Langrisser 2 and Der Langrisser are both amazing. killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-65786348951968782392014-05-01T00:34:21.578-07:002014-05-01T00:34:21.578-07:00@Zenic
I kind of got into the series backwards, s...@Zenic<br /><br />I kind of got into the series backwards, started with the Xbox version, loved it, realized I had the Genesis version and turned out I liked that one as well. I haven't gone as far as the NES version yet, just can't imagine the game translating well to 8bit. Darianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-7668447647037706362014-04-30T10:37:38.271-07:002014-04-30T10:37:38.271-07:00Looks like a fun list--should be a great year. I&#...Looks like a fun list--should be a great year. I'm looking forward to games I've never played, like <i>Magician</i>, <i>Faria</i> and <i>Rings of Power</i>. Good luck!Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16946742995687817751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-59509828100222740422014-04-30T09:38:24.374-07:002014-04-30T09:38:24.374-07:00I enjoyed Fatal Labyrinth the last (and first) tim...I enjoyed Fatal Labyrinth the last (and first) time I played it... right up til the point the game just didn't spawn the stairs I needed to reach the next level. So I'm going to echo the suggestion to use save-states, just a precautionary measure. <br /><br />I also love Shining in the Darkness. I'm not big on dungeon crawls usually, but SitD has a ton of charm and humor. Darianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-20222495148494905852014-04-30T09:00:52.040-07:002014-04-30T09:00:52.040-07:00Your ships will sink if you take them too far from...Your ships will sink if you take them too far from shore with a captain too inexperienced for the class of ship. A level 1 Captain sailing, say, a Galleon, will last all of about two seconds in a storm, but he'd do fine (and level up) in a beginner's Latin Carvella along the shore.<br /><br />New Horizons is a lot more unforgiving in this way, possibly due to how much easier it is to make money and buy huge ships. Something like 90% of the sequel's ship list is utterly pointless.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-81030591920010143302014-04-30T08:50:52.145-07:002014-04-30T08:50:52.145-07:00Ugh, my mistake. I somehow mis-remembered the NES ...Ugh, my mistake. I somehow mis-remembered the NES version as having the same town system as the PC version, but the NES and SNES ports share the same pointless walk-around system. Bah, I still maintain that the PC version is the best version. <br /><br />The PC version of New Horizons is pretty different from the SNES version, but you'll get there eventually.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-86572402441897981042014-04-29T23:36:47.391-07:002014-04-29T23:36:47.391-07:00Throwing out a few comments on games from the list...Throwing out a few comments on games from the list that I've played...<br /><br />Dragon Crystal & Fatal Labyrinth - both of these are brutal, as roguelikes go. They're not like Nethack, where a knowledgeable player can consistently finish the game - RNG is extremely punishing (go down stairs to the next floor, find yourself boxed in by dragons).<br /><br />I beat both of them by cheating with save states; there's a built-in save-state option for playing all games in the Ultimate Genesis Collection, and for all Virtual Console games on the 3DS. It was still frustrating and required many, many reloads. I sincerely hope you'll consider this an allowable option, since beating either game "legitimately" could potentially take hundreds or even thousands of attempts.<br /><br />Shining in the Darkness - a classic, if very short dungeon crawler. The character Pyra is also playable in the Dreamcast RPG "Time Stalkers", which was much more fun than reviews give it credit for.<br /><br />Sword of Hope - a little bit grindy, but not unbearably so.<br /><br />Dragon Warrior III - once again, I suspect your desire to experience it on the NES will jack up the required grinding to finish this game. I strongly recommend the GBC remake for everyone else reading this blog.<br /><br />Half the fun of DW3 lies in figuring out which classes you want to use. Are you going to name characters after readers of your blog like the Addict sometimes does?<br /><br />Might & Magic II - don't worry about chronology too much; MM2 is set on a different world from MM I, although both worlds do exist in the same universe. It's possible to completely miss one of the only threads of series continuity, if you don't have a cleric in your party (all classes have a class-specific quest).<br />Victarhttp://www.victarfanfics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-13844381993402709132014-04-29T19:45:42.845-07:002014-04-29T19:45:42.845-07:00I haven't tried Pirates! Gold before (turned o...I haven't tried Pirates! Gold before (turned off by the NES port of the first game). Maybe I'll give it a go when I have a chance.<br /><br />Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-15730641414214816552014-04-29T18:51:00.569-07:002014-04-29T18:51:00.569-07:00Rings of Power is one of the more highly anticipat...Rings of Power is one of the more highly anticipated titles for myself. I just hope I don't get utterly lost as I hear there are clues given that aren't repeatable.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-47240260896661880812014-04-29T18:49:48.863-07:002014-04-29T18:49:48.863-07:00I actually don't see a difference between the ...I actually don't see a difference between the NES town and the SNES town. Maybe it's a PC thing with its mouse support. I did read the same about the sequel. We'll get there eventually.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946916641850178817.post-13873600295917503892014-04-29T13:45:29.702-07:002014-04-29T13:45:29.702-07:00I recently tried to play through Uncharted Waters ...I recently tried to play through Uncharted Waters (Genesis), but it's just so damn difficult. Even once I got the hang of manipulating supply and demand it just seems like my ships were constantly sinking. As far as "sailing simulations" go I much prefer Pirates! Gold!. <br /><br />Also have to say I love the idea of playing through an RPG collection chronologically. You really get a feel for the evolution of the genre through the years. NES is one of favorite systems in particular because it seemed like there were very few hard and fast definitions at that time. Developers experimented a ton with different mechanics and consequently you ended up with games like Scherarazade that were a real modge-podge of gameplay elements. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com