Support NeoGAF

[toddhunter]

I have some Wii points that I'm trying to decide how to spend, and I'm seriously considering picking up one or more games from this series. Could anyone give a brief rundown of each entry and where the best place to start is for someone who hasn't played them? I'm half tempted to just try them all in chronological order, but if some of the earlier games are basically eclipsed by the later ones I'd prefer to save some time and money by focusing on the best of the bunch.

The other thing I'm curious about is PSN pricing and IQ. I've noticed that games from that era generally look a little better (cripser) on my Wii than on PS3, but there's also been talk in this thread of the Wii using a sort of softening filter on some of the games. Any idea how the visuals compare between platforms, or are we still waiting on a PSN release for the final word?

Anyway, sorry to open with a slew of questions, but I'm grateful for whatever good advice I can get from fans of the series. I've seen the games pop up in conversations online for a while, and I'm curious to finally see for myself what the hubbub is about. Thanks!

There are different versions but fundamentally:

Wb 1: straight platformer. Somewhat fun but basic woth repetitive levels. Not really worth it if you do not have nostalgia.

Wb 2 monster land: tighter action game where you can buy armour and shields, have spells and there are a variety of bosses and environments but mostly the same gameplay from start to finish. Game takes place in distinct levels. My personal favourite and well worth playing as it is a very well balanced experience.

Wb 3: dragon's trap: almost rpg or zelda like with a hub and different areas you cannot access until you morph into a different character with different abilities. Some locations and gameplay styles are more fun then others. Much bigger in scope and ambition then the previous two and a different feel. Often considered the best, but it is a little uneven.

Wb 4. Even more rpg like with people to talk to etc. i didn't like it as much as 3, but still worth playing.

In summary, skip 1, the rest are very different but great in their way. If you have to choose, i would get monster land for a "classic" experience that hence still holds up well and then 3 for probably the best game in the series.

Oh and the music is awesome all around.

 

[PixyJunket]

Wb 2 monster land: tighter action game where you can buy armour and shields, have spells and there are a variety of bosses and environments but mostly the same gameplay from start to finish. Game takes place in distinct levels. My personal favourite and well worth playing as it is a very well balanced experience.

Yeaaah, a fellow Monster Land addict. Hideki Kamiya is among us.

You are right on The Dragon's Trap being a little unbalanced, the samurai world in particular is strange spike in difficulty (that then recedes for the rest of the game). I also think the Mouse Man sections suffer a little bit due to the extreme short attack range. But it's a great game and probably the most unique one in the sub-series given the transformations and abilities.

 

[@MUWANdo]

Monster World was always my favourite, probably because it's the first game of its type that I ever played--no Metroid, no Blaster Master, etc until much later. I spent far, far too long searching every last inch of the underwater areas for secret doors, especially considering how few of them there are.

(I'd played one of the old computer ports of Monster Land and bought the SMS version, but it wouldn't work on my Mega Drive; I later found out it required a SMS pad to be plugged in to keep it from flipping out.)

When I finally got around to playing Dragon's Trap I was kinda disappointed, mainly because so many of the areas are pretty dull design-wise... lots of flat stretches of nothing.

 

[toddhunter]

Yeaaah, a fellow Monster Land addict. Hideki Kamiya is among us.

You are right on The Dragon's Trap being a little unbalanced, the samurai world in particular is strange spike in difficulty (that then recedes for the rest of the game). I also think the Mouse Man sections suffer a little bit due to the extreme short attack range. But it's a great game and probably the most unique one in the sub-series given the transformations and abilities.

Ah some nostalgia there of trying to hit things with the stupid mouse or the "swooping enemies".

Other highlights were not figuring out for ages you could latch onto walls as the mouse and making it through the lava section without the dragon only to be stuck. Also finding the legendary sword as the bird. Felt great.

In monsterland, i remember the feeling well of the little red monsters underwater who would sometimes drop revival potion or even boots or a shield. Had the upgrade path down to a science but was nice to jump ahead.
It used to cause fights in my house because ny sister would always go for blue boots and never complete the legendary set. Was just wrong.

Another little known fact (?) was the sms title had a debug/glitch mode. My sister used to reset the title after the first level if she didn't get enough gold. If you bumped the cartridge "just right" it would reset and allow you to do all sorts of crazy stuff and was all in japanese. Could never reproduce it reliably.

 

[dave_d]

Huh. Is this really stated anywhere? It just seemed to be there.

Maybe I'm filling in a lot more of the plot than I should be but what we've seen Monster Land/Dragon Trap are definitely connected as are WBinMonsterWorld/MW4. Anyway massive spoilers of my understanding of the plot

Spoiler

Meka Dragon who is the end boss of WBinML and "curses" you to set up WB3 is revealed at the end of WBinML to actually be a robot that was sent to MonsterLand in a space ship to conquer the world. (That actually is from the game.) Anyway I interpreted the curse in WB3 to be advanced alien technology.(You know that old saw about sufficiently advanced science would appear to a less advanced culture as magic.) At the end of WBinMW you take off on a rocket to go to a space ship to fight an alien baddy. When you beat him he escapes and crashes into that Arabian themed world that WM4 is set in. So the big question, who sent Meka dragon in the first place. I don't think it's explicitly stated but it was heavily implied to me that the alien that sent Meka in the first place (and clearly had the tech to pull all of this off) was that alien that first showed up in WBinMW. That makes sense to me that he'd show up after Meka's defeat, mostly to find out what the hell happened and who beat his war robot. I mean I guess I may be jumping to conclusions but the fact the first 2 games are about the advanced guard of an invading alien race and then in the 3rd game an Alien actually shows up they're probably related.

 

[toddhunter]

Maybe I'm filling in a lot more of the plot than I should be but what we've seen Monster Land/Dragon Trap are definitely connected as are WBinMonsterWorld/MW4. Anyway massive spoilers of my understanding of the plot

Never really thought of it like that. My main recollection of the plot is that:

(light boss spoilers)

Spoiler

You fight a zombie dragon that shoots snot at you and god damn pirate dragon.

That was enough for me to make the story awesome.

 

[Dash Kappei]

There are different versions but fundamentally:

Wb 1: straight platformer. Somewhat fun but basic woth repetitive levels. Not really worth it if you do not have nostalgia.


In summary, skip 1, the rest are very different but great in their way. If you have to choose, i would get monster land for a "classic" experience that hence still holds up well and then 3 for probably the best game in the series.

Oh and the music is awesome all around.

What the FUCK? Wonder Boy is not only a classic, but a GREAT platformer filled with secrets, sound mechanics and physics to this day. Super charming graphics and music.
It's one of the best platformers of all time and very much different from its peers giving it a different and aporeciated flavour, rewarding the player seeking secrets and high-scores. SEGA's version is two notches above Adventure Island, and it makes me cry there's no arcade port on VC.

 

[PixyJunket]

Nah, they didn't add anything to this translation...it says something similar in Japanese.

Spoiler

It basically says "The Monster World series has ended...for now."

Fair enough! I wonder why everyone was bringing it up, heh. Maybe differences in the fan translation?

Maybe I'm filling in a lot more of the plot than I should be but what we've seen Monster Land/Dragon Trap are definitely connected as are WBinMonsterWorld/MW4. Anyway massive spoilers of my understanding of the plot

I think you're definitely filling in some holes on your own, which is fine. I just got anxious thinking the game spilled a little more on it.

This may be one of those things where the manuals (Japanese only, of course) probably have some interesting back story or other such details.

Maybe I can screen cap the manuals from the PS2 disc and bribe a friend of mine to translate them (and the rest of the interviews).

 

[A Black Falcon]

What the FUCK? Wonder Boy is not only a classic, but a GREAT platformer filled with secrets, sound mechanics and physics to this day. Super charming graphics and music.
It's one of the best platformers of all time and very much different from its peers giving it a different and aporeciated flavour, rewarding the player seeking secrets and high-scores. SEGA's version is two notches above Adventure Island, and it makes me cry there's no arcade port on VC.

I never liked Adventure Island all that much, but I will admit that the SMS version's certainly by far the better version compared to the NES one... but yeah, I too do think the Monster World series is quite a bit better than Wonder Boy is.

On that note, I got MWIV on WiiVC, and yeah, it's great! Beautiful graphics too, quite impressive stuff.

 

[PixyJunket]

CONFIRMED: For Wonder Boy in Monster Land, there is absolutely NO kind of softening filter applied if you are in the "FULL" screen setting (which is accessed in the options menu with the - button). The default setting is "NORMAL" which actually scales it down, which is what caused the softened filter look. The "FULL" setting will look like all other (non TG16) Virtual Console games.

I'm pretty happy now, that was my only issue with this port otherwise, now I feel it is 100% perfect.

I took some comparison pictures with my iPhone, I think it shows it off well.

Here it is on "NORMAL" mode (TV set to 16x9, image is 4x3):

Here it is on "FULL" mode (TV set to 4x3, image is 4x3):

 

[Jucksalbe]

PSN version is coming next week (US)!

 

[PixyJunket]

PSN version is coming next week (US)!

As is XBLA.

 

[OnPoint]

I'd like to jump into this series.

Who can recommend the best way to do so? I have all three consoles. Which versions provide the best ways to do this?

 

[ULTROS!]

So hyped that it's coming next week. I'll be getting MW4 and Wonder Boy in Monster World. Hope those are great choices.

 

[Celery&Lager]

What the FUCK? Wonder Boy is not only a classic, but a GREAT platformer filled with secrets, sound mechanics and physics to this day. Super charming graphics and music.
It's one of the best platformers of all time and very much different from its peers giving it a different and aporeciated flavour, rewarding the player seeking secrets and high-scores. SEGA's version is two notches above Adventure Island, and it makes me cry there's no arcade port on VC.

Marry me!

 

[PixyJunket]

I'd like to jump into this series.

Who can recommend the best way to do so? I have all three consoles. Which versions provide the best ways to do this?

Well, as noted in the OP, Wii is the only place to get the complete Monster World series (XBLA and PSN are missing the second game).

Other than that, the XBLA is the best bet based on price.

So hyped that it's coming next week. I'll be getting MW4 and Wonder Boy in Monster World. Hope those are great choices.

Getting all of them is the only choice! Don't leave Monster Land behind.

 

[ULTROS!]

Games are up via PSN search.

You can also adjust the screen ratios: full, original, widescreen and you can make it 16:9 or 16:10. Also includes a jukebox.

 

[Galdelico]

Games are up via PSN search.

You can also adjust the screen ratios: full, original, widescreen and you can make it 16:9 or 16:10. Also includes a jukebox.

If you don't mind me asking: is there any region-select option (as in NeoGeo Station, in order to play these games in their japanese or english versions) or we get the one and only rom connected to our region?
Thanks in advance dude. ^_-

 

[Kweh]

Is this coming to EU PSN as well this week?

 

[thechristoph]

Just to recap the VC releases by game for those who are confused:

Wonder Boy I
-Adventure Island [NES] Hudson
-Wonder Boy [SMS] Sega

Monster World I (Wonder Boy II)
-Wonder Boy in Monster Land [SMS] Sega
-Wonder Boy in Monster Land [VCA] Sega

Monster World II (Wonder Boy III)
-Dragon's Curse [TG16] Hudson
-Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap [SMS] Sega

Wonder Boy IV
-Monster Lair [TGCD] Hudson
-Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair [Gen] Sega

Monster World III (Wonder Boy V)
-Wonder Boy in Monster World [Gen] Sega
-The Dynastic Hero [TGCD] Hudson

Monster World IV
-Monster World IV [Gen] Sega

Wait a second... as if this series wasn't confusing enough, there are two Wonder Boy 3's?

 

[PixyJunket]

Wait a second... as if this series wasn't confusing enough, there are two Wonder Boy 3's?

Yes, but only if you are looking at both Japan and US titles (Monster Lair is Wonder Boy III in Japan, The Dragon's Trap is Wonder Boy III in the US).

Technically, The Dragon's Trap would be Wonder Boy IV, going by each game's release date.

 

[Ben Morales]

If you don't mind me asking: is there any region-select option (as in NeoGeo Station, in order to play these games in their japanese or english versions) or we get the one and only rom connected to our region?
Thanks in advance dude. ^_-

Region select is in! Good news for the Streets of Rage games when they come out! (I miss my Blaze fan service >_>)

 

[x3sphere]

Here's the trophy list for Wonder Boy in Monster World if you want to add it to the OP:

http://exophase.com/game/wonder-boy-in-monster-world/trophies/

 

[PixyJunket]

Here's the trophy list for Wonder Boy in Monster World if you want to add it to the OP:

http://exophase.com/game/wonder-boy-in-monster-world/trophies/

Wow, these are ultra lame. At least the other two games have one or two that take some effort.

Thanks, I'll add it to the OP in a little bit.

 

[Gen X]

Sorry for my PSN Store n00bieness, but is the Store only updated once per week? What time is the store usually updated if it is weekly? I just ask because I know that the Arcade games on XBLA appear at roughly the same time globally every Wednesday.

 

[Yuterald]

Fucking impulse purchased the shit out of Monster World on PSN. Bought all 3 and thinking about getting Super Hang On and Shinobi. M2 ports feel SO GOOD. Gotta support all this love and care!

I played a little bit of Monster Land and was blown away by it. 1987!? For reeeeaaaaal!? Never played these games before and it felt like a brand new game! I love those hidden doors you can field in the levels. There seems to be hidden bosses and goodies all over the place. Very cool. Doing a no continues run of this game looks to be very challenging too if you want to get all the trophies.

 

[gunstarhero]

Stupid question: any chance there is Vita support?

Will happily double dip (bought the Wii versions) if thats the case!

 

[gunstarhero]

What the FUCK? Wonder Boy is not only a classic, but a GREAT platformer filled with secrets, sound mechanics and physics to this day. Super charming graphics and music.
It's one of the best platformers of all time and very much different from its peers giving it a different and aporeciated flavour, rewarding the player seeking secrets and high-scores. SEGA's version is two notches above Adventure Island, and it makes me cry there's no arcade port on VC.

Well done sir, well done.

 

[Gen X]

Games are up via PSN search.

Fucking impulse purchased the shit out of Monster World on PSN. Bought all 3 and thinking about getting Super Hang On and Shinobi. M2 ports feel SO GOOD. Gotta support all this love and care!

I'm searching and nothing! Are you guys in the US?

I played a little bit of Monster Land and was blown away by it. 1987!? For reeeeaaaaal!? Never played these games before and it felt like a brand new game! I love those hidden doors you can field in the levels. There seems to be hidden bosses and goodies all over the place. Very cool. Doing a no continues run of this game looks to be very challenging too if you want to get all the trophies.

Tonnes of secrets in the first Monster Land, for example, jump off the left on the first lift, jump over the sign at the start (and wiggle the joystick I think?), there are a lot (even some hidden areas from memory). Awesome game, my [PSN] wallet is ready! Come on! *rocks back and forth in chair*

 

[Jucksalbe]

I'm searching and nothing! Are you guys in the US?

The US store updated hours ago (no need to search anymore). The EU store will update tomorrow afternoon.

 

[RadarScope1]

Region select, too, huh? So pleased these are coming out.

 

[Johnas]

Just to recap the VC releases by game for those who are confused:

Wonder Boy I
-Adventure Island [NES] Hudson
-Wonder Boy [SMS] Sega

Wait, what? I never had any Sega consoles as a kid, Adventure Island (NES) is the same game as Wonder Boy?

First I've ever heard of this connection. Like I said though, completely unfamiliar with the Wonder Boy (Monster Land/World?) series.

Does that make Adventure Island II and III some kind of unofficial spin-off sequels then?

 

[saunderez]

Wait, what? I never had any Sega consoles as a kid, Adventure Island (NES) is the same game as Wonder Boy?

There are minor changes to the character (blonde vs black hair) but they were essentially the same game. I used to play Wonder Boy at the pub every time I went there with my parents, I was stoked when I found out Adventure Island was pretty much the same game and I could play it at home.

 

[Johnas]

There are minor changes to the character (blonde vs black hair) but they were essentially the same game. I used to play Wonder Boy at the pub every time I went there with my parents, I was stoked when I found out Adventure Island was pretty much the same game and I could play it at home.

My mind is blown. I liked Adventure Island (didn't own it though), but I'm pretty sure I never finished it.

 

[Ben Morales]

I love that they let you map waggle to a button in Monster Land! I was scared to play at first because I didn't want to wear out my pad. XD

 

[Galdelico]

Region select is in! Good news for the Streets of Rage games when they come out! (I miss my Blaze fan service >_>)

Man, great news!
I'm gonna joyfully say THANKS to M2 by getting all the XBLA collections.

Also, I know these guys must be damn busy but... PLEASE keep up also NeoGeo Station!

 

[Jucksalbe]

I'm pretty impressed by these collections. They are very much on par with the Sega Ages collections on PS2. Even replays are in.

 

[Galdelico]

Jesus, they are totally godlike.

M2 <3

 

[Deleted member 1235]

score just picked up wonderboy collection.

god I can't wait to ride that skateboard again.

 

[PixyJunket]

Does that make Adventure Island II and III some kind of unofficial spin-off sequels then?

Yeah, kind of. And since Wonder Boy took such a different direction when it became Monster Land/World, (some of) the Adventure Island sequels were the only way to play new games in the original Wonder Boy style. I say (some of) because Adventure Island IV and Super Adventure Island II both took on the Monster World style of gameplay.

score just picked up wonderboy collection.

god I can't wait to ride that skateboard again.

This is the Monster World Collection.

The game with the skateboard is not included.

 

[Celery&Lager]

You know how in Monster Land Arcade you sometimes get 60+ gold from coins & pouches? In some places when you get hit by a monster you always get 60+. But I have also noticed it increases your chances if you use magic while grabbing the treasures. Is it really random? Anyone knows how it really works?

 

[Fuzzy]

From the other thread.

Anyone want a smoking pig avatar from Dragon's Trap/Curse?

Too bad that's not included because that was the first one I played.

I haven't bought the games yet because I'm playing a bunch of other stuff but I will be soon.

 

[HyperHip]

I should be playing MW4 but this dope ass menu theme is stopping me from playing.

 

[CadetMahoney]

On May 10th, the two unreleased games (the vastly superior arcade version of Wonder Boy in Monster Land and Monster World IV) are being released in both North America and Europe with full English localizations. This is an unprecedented move on Sega's part due to the nature of going back to work on assembler level code from that era. Each game has their own price-point as per Nintendo's standard, with the two newly released games being 900 Wii Points.

Is the XBLA version in this collection the superior arcade version too?

 

[zaphod79]

You know how in Monster Land Arcade you sometimes get 60+ gold from coins & pouches? In some places when you get hit by a monster you always get 60+. But I have also noticed it increases your chances if you use magic while grabbing the treasures. Is it really random? Anyone knows how it really works?

There may be people who do however for me it was just knowing where they were and waggling the **** out of the joystick while jumping - however there is also the section in the pyramid where you can time the jump (and fire) at the correct time to get 60+ coins each time which will give you enough to finish the game with.

 

[Celery&Lager]

There may be people who do however for me it was just knowing where they were and waggling the **** out of the joystick while jumping - however there is also the section in the pyramid where you can time the jump (and fire) at the correct time to get 60+ coins each time which will give you enough to finish the game with.

I love waggling the joystick! Essential technique. You really need to play this game with a fighter stick to recreate the original arcade experience 100%.

 

[Conrad Link]

Woo I made the top 10 for Monster Land last dungeon trial!

I know it just came out lol, and I'll be 100,000th by the time I wake up, but dammit I'm gonna enjoy this!

 

[geebee]

The menu interface is so damn slick in the PSN versions. What else has M2 worked on?

 

[GrayFoxPL]

The menu interface is so damn slick in the PSN versions. What else has M2 worked on?

PSN Neo Geo games!

 

[Conrad Link]

The menu interface is so damn slick in the PSN versions. What else has M2 worked on?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_(game_developer)

All that awesome stuff.

Love them for the care they put into VC releases.