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[D.Lo]

I grew up with a Master System and only got a 2600 a couple of years ago, but I'm really enjoying the quality games on it. Most are of the arcade genre, the kind you pick up and play for a few minutes to beat a high score. When the game is well done, the visuals are simple yet efficient, and the gameplay is solid, easy to learn but hard to master without being unfair.

Yeah I enjoy the basic arcade games like shooters. Sega's Carnival for example.

And adventure games like Jungle Hunt.

There's piles and piles of crap on the platform though.

Intellivision and Colecovision are much better, both have much more 'curated' libraries. But the CV is a generation later really

Forget Wikipedia's bullshit, the Colecovision was released FIVE years after the VCS, it is clearly a generation later and much closer to the Famicom than the VCS. The fact that stupid website has the exact same hardware released just a year later listed as the next generation just because it has Sega on the box (Sg1000) proves it's bullshit.

 

[blast processed]

Of those I own,

Enduro
Juno First
Lead
Medieval mayhem (with 3 friends)
Secret quest (not an arcade game this one)
Revenge of the beefsteak tomatoes
Star wars the empire strikes back
Star master

I have a bunch more in my wishlist, but I haven't spent serious time with them. Stuff like spider fighter, yar's revenge, river raid should be cool.

I spent a stupid amount of time on Juno first, the game is really addictive and its gameplay is top notch.

I picked these up at a flea market 2 years ago because a Crusader of Centy cart was buried in the bottom of the box. If you live in the US you can have these. Except E.T thats stays. I have a junior with no power cord so I can't test them. PM me if you want them.

 

[Khaz]

haha cheers but I'm not in the US, and I only collect CIB. Though Cosmic Ark is also on my list of cool things to have. I can see why you were less than thrilled with the 2600, as D.Lo said there was a lot of garbage made by people who didn't know better. I wouldn't give up on it though, I'm sure you can find some playable stuff if you manage to go beyond the simplistic presentation and gameplay.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Sierra games were my jam (see avatar). They helped teach me to read way back! I was born a bit too late to be really fond of the NES while it was contemporary (born in 87, so I was just starting to get into gaming as 16-Bit took hold), but I still really enjoyed the NES and got a lot of use out of it.

I would have had this problem but we were poor, plus the Canadian dollar at the time was really awful, so games in general were super expensive. We had NES as our only console from 93 to 97 (think we got it just before the 101 revision came out), and then in 97 we finally got to a Sega Genesis super late. I didn't even get a PS1 until 2001.

Looking back that's really the right way to do things. Buy consoles at the end of the lifespan when they're cheap, new games are bargain, and they're so underappreciated lots of people are just giving games away or used games are at rockbottom prices.

 

[Khaz]

Looking back that's really the right way to do things. Buy consoles at the end of the lifespan when they're cheap, new games are bargain, and they're so underappreciated lots of people are just giving games away or used games are at rockbottom prices.

It really is. I'm buying my consoles with one generation lag: that's the only way to know the real gems from games that were only the product of hype.

 

[blast processed]

Looking back that's really the right way to do things. Buy consoles at the end of the lifespan when they're cheap, new games are bargain, and they're so underappreciated lots of people are just giving games away or used games are at rockbottom prices.

This is why I just got a PS3. I was Wii only all last gen. Anyone with interest in the DS should be jumping in now while people are unloading.

 

[televator]

I'm struggling to find good DS games. Lots of shovel ware unfortunately. I loved Okamiden... Okami once again showing up Zelda games. lol

 

[Peltz]

I'm struggling to find good DS games. Lots of shovel ware unfortunately. I loved Okamiden... Okami once again showing up Zelda games. lol

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

 

[tornjaw]

I'm struggling to find good DS games. Lots of shovel ware unfortunately. I loved Okamiden... Okami once again showing up Zelda games. lol

What does your library of DS titles consist of currently?

 

[televator]

What does your library of DS titles consist of currently?

Okamiden, Lunar Knights, and Mario Kart DS

Yep, that's it. To be fair, didn't follow the DS closely at all in its heyday.

 

[Glowsquid]

Commando: Steel Disaster looked like a pretty neat Metal Slug clone but I could never find a physical copy. it doesn't look like it's worth $40+ it goes for online, though

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

I liked Spirit Tracks a lot, but Phantom Hourglass lost me one of the times I returned to that annoying tower.

These games get a ridiculous amount of hate though, almost Other M level.

I'm struggling to find good DS games. Lots of shovel ware unfortunately. I loved Okamiden... Okami once again showing up Zelda games. lol

There are oodles of amazing RPGs on DS. If you're not into those, I can see thinking it's a bit thin.

 

[blast processed]

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

I liked them, but I preferred Spirit Tracks.

I liked Spirit Tracks a lot, but Phantom Hourglass lost me one of the times I returned to that annoying tower.

These games get a ridiculous amount of hate though, almost Other M level.


There are oodles of amazing RPGs on DS. If you're not into those, I can see thinking it's a bit thin.

Even if he doesn't like RPG's there are a ton of great platformers on the system.

Henry Hatsworth
Castelvania games
Contra 4
Monster Tale
Sonic Colors
Aliens Infestation.
Thor

to name a few

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The DS has its moments, but I don't consider it to be a particularly great system. There are a lot of good games. An awful lot. But great ones? That's a short list.

I think the RPG lineup, in particular, gets waaaaaaay more credit than it should.

 

[televator]

I liked Spirit Tracks a lot, but Phantom Hourglass lost me one of the times I returned to that annoying tower.

These games get a ridiculous amount of hate though, almost Other M level.


There are oodles of amazing RPGs on DS. If you're not into those, I can see thinking it's a bit thin.

Yeah JRPGs, are hard for me to like. If they have turn based combat, I'm out by default.

I am eyeballing Yoshi's Island DS as my next acquisition.

 

[televator]

I liked them, but I preferred Spirit Tracks.



Even if he doesn't like RPG's there are a ton of great platformers on the system.

Henry Hatsworth
Castelvania games
Contra 4
Monster Tale
Sonic Colors
Aliens Infestation.
Thor

to name a few

Contra is a no go for me. They tend to be too hard for my meager skills. Hatsworth... I can't get it up for puzzle games. lol

Hmm... Alien Infestation sounds like I might like that. Love Metroid gameplay. Guess I'll have a look at the Castlevanias too. Are they similar to the GBA games? Cuz I loved those.

Thanks for the suggestions! BTW, I somehow came to posses a DS flash cart. So I can try before I buy - so to speak.Yes I do end up buying most of the games I like so don't get your panties in a bunch if you think I'm just gonna pirate like to hell and back.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Yeah JRPGs, are hard for me to like. If they have turn based combat, I'm out by default.

I am eyeballing Yoshi's Island DS as my next acquisition.

I couldn't enjoy Yoshi's Island DS. The game plays out over both screens, and the gap between them really makes the whole thing confusing. It's not a particularly well-designed game in any regard.

You would like the Castlevania games, though. Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the really good ones. Portrait of Ruin... eh, it was alright.

 

[Glowsquid]

The original YI is one of my all-time favourite games, but I found YIDS pretty mediocre. The level design is mediocre with a lot of cheap hits and unnecessary point of no return that make 100% collection mroe tedious than it should be, the soundtrack is terrible and the new sprites are mostly bad, and the baby-switching gimmick isn't very well thought-out. The only aspect where I think it holds a candle to the original is the boss battles.

 

[Rich!]

YIS and New Island are terrible

that horrific castle music in YIS is still burned into my memory

 

[televator]

Okay, looks like YI is out then.

 

[Shadowman16]

I couldn't enjoy Yoshi's Island DS. The game plays out over both screens, and the gap between them really makes the whole thing confusing. It's not a particularly well-designed game in any regard.

You would like the Castlevania games, though. Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the really good ones. Portrait of Ruin... eh, it was alright.

Yeah, I'm with you on Yoshi. I can't put my finger on exactly what I didn't like with it, but I guess it just felt souless? The first few worlds bored me to tears, then the game seemed to get better introducing new babies only to snatch them away in the final world(s)? I believe. There was a brief moment of fun, but for the most part I just got no enjoyment out of it. That extends to the soundtrack as well, just couldn't stand that either. Graphics seemed nice though, probably the one thing I did like about the game. Its certainly not a patch on the Snes Yoshi's Island that's for sure, not even close.

I did like Portrait of Ruin though, I really loved the final boss battle of that game (one of my favourites in the series), but for the experience I'd say Order of Ecclesia comes out on top. Its a great game in the first half before you

Spoiler

even reach Castlevania

then you have a giant second half of the game which is even better than the first half. The inverted castle from SOTN is probably still my favourite second half of a CV game ever, but OoE comes very close.

One thing I did love about OoE against all other Metroidvania entries in the series was that it had a better base difficulty. It was much harder compared to the last few games right from the get go, which I liked because I felt the rest of the series was far too easy. I had to purposely use rubbish gear in SOTN just to give me some kind of challenge, especially against bosses (and that worked great, made the game way more fun).
Only thing I didn't like in OoE was the final boss. Felt like such a let down compared to the rest of the game, its a fairly by the numbers boss battle, not all that impressive compared to any of the previous games, probably one of the few things that PoR beats it on (in my opinion).

 

[BTails]

Thor, Contra 4, and Alien Infestation are awesome recommendations for hidden gems. They're all great games, with amazing sprite work.

 

[televator]

Monster Tale is another Metroid-like, it seems. That's another to look into.

 

[D.Lo]

My favourite DS games:

Moero Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu Tatakae Ouendan 2
Osu Tatakae Ouendan
Contra 4
Metroid Pinball
Metroid Prime Hunters (yes, but it's not for everyone)
Animal Crossing: Wild World
New Super Mario Bros
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Phoenix Wright 1
Retro Game Challenge
Another Code: Two Memories

 

[Peltz]

The problem with Yoshi's Island DS is that the level design is quite poor. There's nothing "broken" with the game... The controls and graphics are functional and good.

But it's nothing like the EAD classic title. The magic ain't there. The sense of wonder and discovery and charm in a great Nintendo game is completely absent. The collectathon aspect is beyond tedious as well.

You see many levels of the same poor quality in Mario Maker to be honest. Very thoughtless and not fun.

And they did not make baby switching scenarios enjoyable at all. It just felt like a chore mechanically: you basically need the right baby to access certain parts of a level or perform certain moves but could only switch babies at certain locations leading to lots of needless frustration and pacing issues.


In this thread, we've recently discussed haters of Sonic 1 and old school games that get frustrated too easily and give up. I generally hold off my opinions about games I don't like and say "it wasn't for me" rather than hate on games like these people.

But Yoshi's Island DS is genuinely not worth your time. It's very generic and the only thing going for it is that it's got a Nintendo IP associated with it.

Wooly World, in contrast, is absolutely delightful though. Every level is inventive and offers interesting gameplay. Definitely, pick up that game as it's a worthy sequel to the original.

 

[D.Lo]

Wooly World, in contrast, is absolutely delightful though. Every level is inventive and offers interesting gameplay. Definitely, pick up that game as it's a worthy sequel to the original.

Wooly World is made by Good-Feel - ex Konami studio that also made Mario Shake Dimension and Kirby Yarn.

 

[Rich!]

Willy World is awesome

Edit: fucking autocorrect. This phone is out to embarrass me, I swear.

 

[Peagles]

Willy World is awesome

Edit: fucking autocorrect. This phone is out to embarrass me, I swear.

Best autocorrect typo ever.

 

[Rich!]

Best autocorrect typo ever.

Certainly better than metroid which automatically corrected itself to negroid.

 

[blast processed]

Contra is a no go for me. They tend to be too hard for my meager skills. Hatsworth... I can't get it up for puzzle games. lol
.

It's more of a platformer than a match 3 puzzle game. It has a great soundtrack
Dirty Tricks
Go, Go Golden Robo
Not My Shoes!
Heavy Metal

If you have a flash cart just try it.

 

[Jaeger]

That one time the Storm Gunner from Metal Storm was advertised with the head of a Zaku.

 

[Morfeo]

Reluctantly crossposting:



Gaf... today suckeddd.

This sucks Are there nobody out there who can repair Dreamcasts? I have a dead lying around here somewhere as well, would be a useful service for sure.

Edit: About the DS, I think it has a fantastic library, and have more games for it than i have for the PS360 combined lol. I also really liked both the Zeldas, and actually preffered Phantom Hourglass. Also love Henry Hatsworth, even though it became to hard for me to beat. Other great games on the system are

Phoenix Wright-seroes
Ghosttrick
Contra 4
Sonic-games
Mega Man ZX/ZX Advent
Meta Slug 7
Final Fantasy 3
Dragon Quest 4-6
Chrono Trigger
Infinite Space
Lots of other rpgs
Professor Layton-series
Hotel Dusk-series

Basically, the DS is great for 2d-plattformers, rpgs and adventure-games. So yeah, a great system. But that Yoshis Island-game sucks

 

[koopas]

Is there any benefit to using the Victor Saturn over the Sega Model 1 or 2?

 

[leroidys]

The DS has its moments, but I don't consider it to be a particularly great system. There are a lot of good games. An awful lot. But great ones? That's a short list.

I think the RPG lineup, in particular, gets waaaaaaay more credit than it should.

I'm a big fan of the system, but I agree with this more or less. Like the Wii (IMHO), the library is more tilted towards breadth than depth.

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

Nah, I'm cool with them, especially Spirit Tracks. Phantom Hourglass is a good proof of concept but felt a little bit bland with such little original music and characters. Both games share some of the best item balance in the entire franchise.

 

[mariosbrother]

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

Nope, I liked them and the control scheme.

 

[Teknoman]

Whats the best version of Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move?

 

[Galdelico]

Megaman Anniversary Collection and Megaman X Collection (NTSC-U) for the PlayStation 2. Are they good? I remember reading something about one of those being better on the GameCube, but I may be wrong...

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Am I the only gaffer that likes the DS Zelda games?

I thought they had some good solid aspects of them, but that they each suffered some design flaws that just hurt them too much. I really didn't care for the control scheme on either of them. For Phantom the repeated dungeon and time limit on it, just got old really quick. With Spirit Tracks, I liked the concept of having Zelda's spirit going along with you, but there were times it got a bit convoluted in what they wanted you to do. Plus I hated not having the freedom in the overworld and being stuck to where the tracks could take me. Specially with the train combat being terrible.

That said though I thought Spirit Tracks had some really great dungeon designs at times.

 

[Mugy]

Whats the best version of Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move?

Arcade via MAME

 

[blast processed]

Whats the best version of Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move?

The Arcade version is the obvious choice, but for consoles, I like Bust a Move 2 on the N64.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Megaman Anniversary Collection and Megaman X Collection (NTSC-U) for the PlayStation 2. Are they good? I remember reading something about one of those being better on the GameCube, but I may be wrong...

MMAC has controls messed up on Gamecube (jump + shoot are reversed). MMXC should be customizable though. IIRC MMAC is 480i on both consoles while MMXC is 480i in menus but 240p during the game.

 

[Galdelico]

MMAC has controls messed up on Gamecube (jump + shoot are reversed). MMXC should be customizable though. IIRC MMAC is 480i on both consoles while MMXC is 480i in menus but 240p during the game.

Thanks! Is that again on both versions?

 

[Peltz]

Arcade via MAME

Do you mean the NEO GEO MVS version?

I think the N64 sequel is better TBH.

Edit: I never played the 32bit versions so can't comment on them.

 

[Khaz]

What's wrong with the 32bits versions? The Saturn has Bust a move 1, 2 and 3.

 

[Rich!]

What's wrong with the 32bits versions? The Saturn has Bust a move 1, 2 and 3.

Yeah, and bust a move ain't exactly metal slug

 

[Peltz]

Yeah, and bust a move ain't exactly metal slug

I mean... Nothing is Metal Slug. Some Metal Slugs ain't even Metal Slug.

 

[dubc35]

Stopped by a half price books and a retro game store. Retro store was decently more expensive than eBay (according to my unscientific memory of a few games). However I was able to pick up the PS3 God of War collection, OG Splinter Cell, and Pandora Tomorrow for OG Xbox all CIB for $6 total.

I mean... Nothing is Metal Slug. Some Metal Slugs ain't even Metal Slug.

Which ones are considered the good ones? I've only barely played some. They were on my list of games to look for today but unsurprisingly I didn't see any.

 

[sixteen-bit]

General consensus is X and 3 are the best. After 3 there is a decline in quality.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

General consensus is X and 3 are the best. After 3 there is a decline in quality.

1 is my favorite, personally. I like that it adheres pretty strictly to the military theme, instead of some of the zanier aspects of X and 3. Generally just my favorite aesthetics, all around.

4 was bad, 5 was better but still bad, 6 was... well, I didn't like it the first time I tried it but I've been meaning to give it another shot. Never bothered with the series after that. 1, X, and 3 are classics, though, and some of the best games ever made.

 

[Shadowman16]

Metal Slug wise I still prefer 1 to the entire rest of the series. It just feels so well balanced - tough but its believeable that I could actually complete it legit if I practiced just a little more (rather than credit feed).

2 is nice, but I prefer the music and lack of slowdown that X gives you. But X looks washed out colour wise compared to 2. That said, I love the game and like 1 I'm not too bad at it.

3 I love, but fuck that final level. It completely destroys the difficulty curve for me, both because the difficulty ramps up quite a bit and because its probably as long as the first 4 stages put together. That said, amazing soundtrack and I loved all the different paths in the game. Its a game I love to replay, but that final level means I'll never seriously try and clear the game's final level since I don't have that much patience!

4 I don't like. Feels souless and I hated the new characters (especially Trevor I think his name was?). Final level/boss was a let down as well after how epic 2/X and 3 were. Only good points on the game for me were the soundtrack and the dual heavy machine guns.

5 is ok. Not the greatest game in the series by any stretch but its playable enough. I find the game more interesting to read about than to play, since there was so much cut content in the game, I wonder what the game would have been like if the game was given more time.

6 is the only game I've not finished, mainly because I just didn't give it enough time. Not sure why there is this weird Vaseline filter on it making everything look so blurry, its also bastard hard even by the series standard, the game kicks my ass from level 2 and up. Usually I can clear the first 3-4 levels with few problems!

7/XX I really like. I've mainly played the Xbox 360 port but its on DS and PSP as well. Again, like 5 its not a groundbreaking title or as good as older games in the series but its good solid fun, netcode seemed decent as well since I'd co-op the game with a friend quite a bit.

As for spin offs:
Metal Slug Advance (GBA) - Average at best. Respawning enemies and run of the mill levels/bosses lessened my enjoyment of the game. Track down if you see it cheap since its still a fun time waster.

Metal Slug 1st/2nd Missions (Neo Geo Pocket Colour). Like other SNK franchises on their short lived handheld they managed to create two excellent handheld games, that look and play great. Unlike Advance the games feel more suited to handhelds and are just a joy to play. I really recommend tracking these down if you can find them.

Metal Slug 3D (PS2). Not played much of this one, its MS but in 3D and as you can expect its not really that great. It comes from that same time period where many games were being forced into 3D for the sake of it, so the camera isn't great and neither is the lock on aiming. I still kind of enjoyed the game, but the fast paced action and awesome sprite animations are replaced with a rough 3D action game with bad polygon graphics.