Just finished listening to the new episode. Josh did a great job of explaining what is good about ZAMN. It is very much a rogue-like without so much of the randomness. I actually think one of the best games to compare it to is The Binding of Isaac. The gameplay is somewhat similar and while it doesn't have the random levels, many of the item drops are random in ZAMN. It's also a game that you need to spend some time with to really understand. You need to experiment with the weapons and abilities to figure out what works best on each enemy. The more you play, the more you learn for future runs. I think the risk/reward also works really well. The exit pops up as soon as you find the last neighbor but you might want to explore for more items. Is it worth spending a key to open that door for the possibility of more items or do you save the key for later? It all adds to a lot of replayability.
I feel like you guys didn't spend enough time with the game to really appreciate it. Did any of you play co-op at all? Also, I don't understand the idea that the Genesis version is better in any way than the SNES version. You can leave the map up on the SNES version by simply tapping one of the shoulder buttons. My only big complaints about either version of this game are that it can be cumbersome to cycle through your items and the useless password system.
The debate over SoR 2 and Final Fight is hilarious. Unless you are talking about the Arcade Final Fight, there is no debate. The SNES Final Fight has no co-op. You don't even need to say anything else.
Holy shit. Good call. Might wait on RE1 until I get back from Japan. Going to be real hard to play it before I leave.
I've been wanting to support you guys as I'm really liking the podcast and the contest for your ZAMN and Final Fight carts is a great way to get more reviews up on Itunes which of course will help get more exposure. I'm willing to donate a copy of Resident Evil Director's Cut (original version obviously) if you want to give it away after you record the episode. PM me your mailing address if it's cool with you and I'll get it shipped out this week. I do think I'll enter the contest for the ZAMN cart though as I don't actually own it right now and would love to have it.