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[Fantasmo]

I remember playing a series called Actraiser on SNES. Does anybody remember this series?

The first one was pretty bland yet simultaneously unique and cool. The action was very straightforward (you controlled God) but had some really cool music, and some neato SimCity-ish stuff where you played as a cherub. You helped construct the land and take it back from the demons while the townspeople worshipped you. It was a great 1st-gen SNES game.

Part 2 was equally as awesome, if not even more awesome! That game literally required perfection to win to get the real ending and final boss on hard. I remember it took me months and months to finally win it on hard. The flying parts were really difficult to get the hang of, but once you did the play control was fantastic. The main character walked really slow but still had a great feel to him. Magic was cool. The graphics were freakin killer for SNES and music was the quirkiest yet sweetest orchestra stuff I've ever heard.

If I remember correctly it was made by Enix which was absorbed/combined into Square Enix.

Anybody remember this game or know if a sequel will ever be made?

 

[DECK'ARD]

Loved the first one.

And the Yuzo Koshiro music!

 

[Docpan]

The first one ROCKED. One of my favorites on the system.

Actraiser 2 was unbelievably hard, and the map parts were stripped down if I recall correctly. Like, so hard I couldn't get past the first few levels.

 

[Chony]

First one is one of my favorite games of all time, so incredible, a delight to play.


*Dreams of a new one in the spirit of the original*

 

[Fantasmo]

I remember the original sold very well, and I think Enix deserves to give this a sequel even if part 2 did poorly (it shouldn't.... it's difficulty could definitely be a turnoff, but anyone who spends a few days on this game will really enjoy it if they like a challenge)...

Square Enix is a monster and put out a few crappy games per year amidst the gold; anybody know why this one never came back?

 

[NLB2]

Actraiser 2 = hardest game I've ever played. I couldn't get passed the first level on my legal, snes cart version, so I downloaded the rom. Couldn't beat the first level with save states. Just got so frustrated. Maybe I'm just weaksauce.

 

[belgurdo]

Saw screenshots of AR2 in some old magazine, got stoked, tried it out, couldn't walk ten steps without watching my Conan-angel dude keel over and die. What the FUCK, Ancient?

 

[Spike]

Actraiser was the first game I bought for the SNES. The music, damn that beautiful music! Simply amazing game that I would love to see a true sequel to.

 

[Drinky Crow]

I beat ActRaiser 2. Oh, to have such free time again.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I only liked the first action levels music in ActRaiser 1. The rest wasn't as good and repeated far too often. Almost as if Yuzo Koshiro only did the music for that first level.

 

[rastex]

Yup, ActRaiser is one of my favourite games from the 16-bit era. Great great game. Played Actraiser 2 recently on emulator and like many here couldn't get past the first stage, it was ridiculous.

 

[DECK'ARD]

I only liked the first action levels music in ActRaiser 1. The rest wasn't as good and repeated far too often. Almost as if Yuzo Koshiro only did the music for that first level.

The first level music in the forest was classic, but seem to remember the ending music was amazing as well. I kept beating it just to listen to it

And the little tune as you zoomed into the stone-circles to start the action levels ...

Classic stuff.

 

[Fantasmo]

Not to diminish part 1's value as it was amazing for sure, but you guys gotta give part 2 another shot.

Here's what it will do:

-Make you mad
-Make you want to throw the controller at the wall
-Test your patience
-Test your skill
-Laugh at you in the knowledge that it can be beaten fairly

Play this one with a gamer friend and take turns, just make sure to give it a real effort. I assure you if you beat this, you will know that you are part of the supreme few -- like those who can beat Super Ghouls n Ghosts, Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack 2, Wizards & Warriors 2: Ironsword, or F-Zero GX.

Drinky Crow, what was the hardest part for you? Mine was Death Field and Stormrook Castle... and the first part of the final Act. GODDAMN! On hard you only get two lives per stage, and you need one of them to fight the boss with full life, meaning you have to do each stage in 1 try. These 3 stages each took me days to complete. If you can beat all of those on hard, I will give you a virtual high-five.

 

[Drinky Crow]

I remember Stormrook Castle. God, that boss was a bitch. And some nasty water level.

Super Ghouls and Ghosts, though? Come on, that game's still easy. SGnG R Arranged Mode middle stages -- now THOSE are brutal.

 

[Fantasmo]

Maybe I'm just weaksauce.

Yea you are ;-)
No, the initial difficulty with part 2 is mastering the unusual controls and gliding. God controls unlike any other character in a game to this day.

You have to use the shield, magic on the bosses, and you have to learn enemy placement and patterns.

NOTE: Each magic is controlled in a different state. If you hold down the attack button God starts to glow orange -- now depending on what you do before you release the button.. walking, jumping straight up, standing in place, holding up on the joypad (one of the most powerful), gliding, ducking, or diving (diving is done by pressing down+Y while gliding), God does a different magic attack.

If you don't have the manual to this game you really don't know what to do. I owned it so I was at an advantage!!

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I beat Ironsword. I can think of tougher games than that.

Actraiser 1 is teh good.

 

[Fantasmo]

I remember Stormrook Castle. God, that boss was a bitch. And some nasty water level.

Super Ghouls and Ghosts, though? Come on, that game's still easy. SGnG R Arranged Mode middle stages -- now THOSE are brutal.

I tried playing thru this game again. No stage is easy per say, but if you know the patterns the water stages are simple! Doing the downstab (B to jump, then down+Y) on the octopus made short work of the Act 1 boss and the upwards bombs kicked the naked lady's butt.

Okay so Super Ghouls requires a bit of time but isn't so impossible anymore.

 

[missAran]

I have the Actraiser cart, I loved the game, and beat it, but I forget it entirely.

 

[drohne]

second one's underrated. i love those technical 2d action games with lots of clever little moves you have to exploit. actraiser 2's slow pace really just accentuates that style. i finally beat it a couple years ago. death field and that cave level were the sticking points for me.

i find the world-building elements of the original deadly dull, but "professional mode" makes for a great action game. plus the koshiro soundtrack, before koshiro outgrew melody. or whatever happened there.

 

[MetatronM]

ActRaiser rocks. I haven't played it in YEARS.

 

[Fantasmo]

I actually made 2 ZSNES movies somewhere of me doing the first stage and part 1 of the water stage without taking a hit. I have to find those.

EDIT: On hard!

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

Actraiser 1 was awesome. It was recently re-released on Japanese cell phones instead of GBA. For shame.

 

[bionic77]

Ghosts and Goblins on the NES makes Actraiser 2 look weaksauce!

I swear the last level with all the ladders is freaking impossible.

 

[Fantasmo]

http://wireless.ign.com/articles/536/536744p1.html

shock and awe

 

[drohne]

i've beaten nes ghosts and goblins. without using cheap scrolling glitches to make the red arremers disappear. took me almost 20 years, but i did it. i can't beat the ladders level in the arcade version, though. i'll have to get back to that.

 

[bionic77]

i've beaten nes ghosts and goblins. without using cheap scrolling glitches to make the red arremers disappear. took me almost 20 years, but i did it. i can't beat the ladders level in the arcade version, though. i'll have to get back to that.

How???

Jeebus, I think I went insane on the ladders level. You get so maddeningly close and every time some bastard red demon would come flying out of nowhere to kill you!!

I tried everything. I tried to outsmart the game (didn't work), I tried to just use mad NES skills (failed just as bad), I tried praying....

What is your secret oh master of gaming?

 

[Fantasmo]

Hijacking the thread eh??!?!

Actually drohne never beat G&G as it was impossible without the code. Nobody has, the speedrun is fake and drohne is a figment of your imagination. So am I and so is your soul.

 

[Wario64]

Actraiser rocked. Great game, awesome soundtrack as well

 

[drohne]

well, for starters i used a walkthrough. from gamefaqs. generally i won't stoop to that, but that ladders level really is impossible. iirc there's a way to avoid waking a lot of the red arremers.

 

[bionic77]

well, for starters i used a walkthrough. from gamefaqs. generally i won't stoop to that, but that ladders level really is impossible. iirc there's a way to avoid waking a lot of the red arremers.

Yeah I learned how to not wake up some of the reds, but you have to remember how fucking random the NES was. I really hate to use faqs and I will refrain and hope that one day I can beat this game myself.

Doubt it though.

 

[drohne]

as random as the nes version can get, the arcade version is worse. in the nes version you can sort of control your encounters with the red arremers; you can hit them a few times before they take off, and they behave fairly predictably. in the arcade version you have to rely on pure twitch skill. it's crazy. your rate of fire is faster, but there are places where that isn't enough.

 

[bionic77]

as random as the nes version can get, the arcade version is worse. in the nes version you can sort of control your encounters with the red arremers; you can hit them a few times before they take off, and they behave fairly predictably. in the arcade version you have to rely on pure twitch skill. it's crazy. your rate of fire is faster, but there are places where that isn't enough.

Ghost and Goblins is clearly the work of the devil! Only he could create something so evil.

 

[Fantasmo]

Being that I'm relatively new to this board I have a question... have any of you guys ever considered doing movie files of old school accomplishments or even fun to watch runs?

I personally enjoy speedruns and would love to see one for Actraiser 2, though it wouldn't end up very speedy.

Maybe I should have made a new topic for this.

 

[Fantasmo]

Ghost and Goblins is clearly the work of the devil! Only he could create something so evil.

So evil, in fact, that the devil may cry! (couldn't resist)

 

[dark10x]

Actraiser rocks! I just finished the game again recently (been a long time). I don't think I've ever completed the first stage in Actraiser 2, though. Didn't give it much of a chance, but I do remember it being extremely hard (partially due to controls).

 

[Baron Aloha]

Actraiser 1 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Actraiser 2

Actraiser 2 is more challenging but its not THAT hard. I beat it. After you finish it you can unlock the hard mode. Now THAT is hard. Basically you go through the same levels again but this time the enemies take more hits to kill, you take more damage, and there is some poison mist following you around during the levels and if it touches you it kills you instantly.

 

[Teddman]

I don't like how Actraiser 2 dispensed with the world-building gameplay portion of the first game. What made Actraiser so original was the contrast of the slow, methodical sim-city like build up of the cities, and then the kickass 2D action when you rained hellfire down on any heathens that would threaten your minions.

 

[dark10x]

Actraiser 1 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Actraiser 2

Actraiser 2 is more challenging but its not THAT hard. I beat it. After you finish it you can unlock the hard mode. Now THAT is hard. Basically you go through the same levels again but this time the enemies take more hits to kill, you take more damage, and there is some poison mist following you around during the levels and if it touches you it kills you instantly.

Guess I'll have to try it again...

I just remember having a really hard time with it and simply giving up.

 

[teiresias]

I still have both Actraiser 1 and Actraiser 2 carts (though if I actually want to play them nowadays I generally just fire up the ROMS on the PC).

I agree that Actraiser 1 >>>>> Actraiser 2. Actraiser 1 kept itself interesting with the two gameplay types and its difficulty was relatively consistent, building as it went along. Actraiser 2 on the other hand is horribly inconsistent in its difficulty, even within a single stage. Like some parts of the starting level I can breeze through and then others it's just murder. The underwater stages I found relatively easy actually (at least the first one with the octopus boss, I can't remember what the second stage in that area was). So between that and everything else the game was just frustrating. The controls also feel like Enix invented tank controls long before Capcom started making Resident Evil. I mean, I walk faster down the hallway here at work for crying out loud.

 

[madara]

Do we remember them? Dang no self respecting player could answer any other way.
ActRaiser 1 was actually unveiled to me with 40 other snes games for its unveiling at Summer Ces. One of best shows I ever went to. I missed the simulation elements of first so I definitely would say I liked first one best.

 

[Unison]

Some of those little plot lines in Actraiser 1 were awesome. The game did a great job of endearing you to your little followers.

 

[Fantasmo]

Actraiser 2 is more challenging but its not THAT hard. I beat it. After you finish it you can unlock the hard mode. Now THAT is hard.

Normal is somewhat easy (and definitely what you need to start out on!!!), but you don't even get to play the final act and get an ending unless you play on Hard.

I mean, I walk faster down the hallway here at work for crying out loud.

The combination of difficulty and slow movement make things incredibly frustrating for sure, but it's all possible and the game plays at a deliberate pace as a result. The controls are perfect in that they are responsive, it's just that they're way different than everything else out there. I'm not gonna say slow, because when you fly your character actually moves fairly quick, although on hard the opportunities are few and far between.

I don't like how Actraiser 2 dispensed with the world-building gameplay portion of the first game.

Neither do I, but the action portion ended up better as a result (if you can stand the difficulty). If they ever make a sequel, they should definitely include both aspects of gameplay because the towns gave the game much more character.

Speaking of which, I have the Actraiser orchestrated music CD and its absolutely gorgeous, especially the sad town music.

By the way, I had a better overall experience with part 1 but the action portions don't really hold up well today, whereas part 2 was missing what set part 1 apart, and instead contained a very satisfyingly hard game.

 

[radcliff]

Actraiser 1 is one of my Top 5 SNES games. I loved it. The music was so moving, especially the sad town music mentioned above, the music for the frozen level, and the awesome ending song. The little story elements like Teddy being sacrificed, the people who start worshiping another God, and the 2 lovers all helped to make this an emotional as well as exciting game. I was disappointed that Actraiser 2 removed the sim elements but it still ended up being a decent game.

 

[Teddman]

Actraiser 1 was a real classic. I think a current gen remake would be well received if done right... And a nice orchestrated re-recording of the soundtrack to go with it!