davidwhangchoi
Member
i never got a chance to play it as a kid. pretty excited after target earth
i'm getting it eventually
i wonder if it's punishing hard
yeah i'm holding out as well but haven't heard a date for the PC version.
i want that!
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
SNES Game Collecting (Tips, discussion, and info for like minded collectors)
- Thread starter DidntKnowJack
- Start date
i wonder if it's punishing hard
had some time to really try out the digital audio output on my SNES Jr earlier - never really had the chance before apart from when I first installed it.
it's pretty amazing. so much extra clarity, fantastic bass and no noise whatsoever. Some people may dislike just how clean it sounds, but I think it's a considerable improvement. And my Sony 5.1 receiver has no issues with the signal at all.
I've taken a recording of the opening of Kirby Dreamland 3, one file is of the analog output and one is of the optical:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DQk1nd0ctOWJmTWs
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9Da0tNRVZFYVF5aGM
and here's a track from Chrono Trigger, again captured directly from the SNES via optical out:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DbWVaR3hTNEFBY0U
it's pretty amazing. so much extra clarity, fantastic bass and no noise whatsoever. Some people may dislike just how clean it sounds, but I think it's a considerable improvement. And my Sony 5.1 receiver has no issues with the signal at all.
I've taken a recording of the opening of Kirby Dreamland 3, one file is of the analog output and one is of the optical:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DQk1nd0ctOWJmTWs
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9Da0tNRVZFYVF5aGM
and here's a track from Chrono Trigger, again captured directly from the SNES via optical out:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DbWVaR3hTNEFBY0U
RadarScope1
Member
had some time to really try out the digital audio output on my SNES Jr earlier - never really had the chance before apart from when I first installed it.
it's pretty amazing. so much extra clarity, fantastic bass and no noise whatsoever. Some people may dislike just how clean it sounds, but I think it's a considerable improvement. And my Sony 5.1 receiver has no issues with the signal at all.
I've taken a recording of the opening of Kirby Dreamland 3, one file is of the analog output and one is of the optical:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DQk1nd0ctOWJmTWs
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9Da0tNRVZFYVF5aGM
and here's a track from Chrono Trigger, again captured directly from the SNES via optical out:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B80RJqyVtV9DbWVaR3hTNEFBY0U
Sounds nice. I listened in headphone (earbuds) and could hear a difference, but I imagine you'd have to have a pretty nice sound system to truly get the most out of it.
What all goes into this mod?
Yeah. I've got a pretty expensive audio setup (specifically, the speakers), and the difference is immediately noticeable. It's basically taking the audio directly from the SPC, bypassing the DAC on the SNES resulting in pure lossless audio. Theres no digital to analog conversion with this - just the pure sound that the SNES generates. It does have a different sound due to this which is less lo-fi which some may not like.
And full setup instructions are here:
http://www.retrorgb.com/snesminidigitalaudio.html
It's a seven wire installation. Four of the points are pretty small, 1mm diameter, but I just cut legs from some resistors and used those for the through holes.
That's clean.
Isnt it a completely different game from the version on most other systems? Also, I think this applies to the Snes-sequel too.
InfiniteNine
Rolling Girl
Really want to get a SFC with a chipset that shows RGB correctly but it seems impossible now. Maybe I should just get a Jr and have it modded but I like how my SFC looks. );
done
secret of the forest
battle with magus
battle 1
battle 2
these are all recorded directly from the digital output of my SNES. let me know what you guys think
IrishNinja
Member
^wow, that is impressively clean...i imagine moreso with a good pair of headphones. for a bit i thought you were on about those SD2SNES fancy audio files, but this seems like a cool mod!
it goes well with the RGB mod for sure! Pretty certain my modded SFC Jr is as best as I'm ever gonna get from a SNES now in terms of both picture and audio.
only downside to the digital audio mod is that it only takes audio directly from the SPC - so the Super Game Boy does not work with it (the audio is generated using the GB hardware in the SGB, passed down through the extra pins directly to the analog output). But for that, I can just switch to analog output.
For the same reason, the expansion audio on the SD2SNES for streaming audio wont work through optical. But really, it's literally only those two cartridges - everything else works perfectly.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Huh. DKC2 is actually pretty challenging (in a fair way). Did not expect that.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I played it 20 years ago, but it being particularly challenging didn't stick out to me. I guess it was after 2 generations of platform gaming so I was in the zone back then. Now I'm pretty up to date with platformers, so it isn't a matter of "my skills aren't as good as back then", but I can just recognize that it has a healthy amount of fair challenge.
I never played the 3rd. I'll be grabbing a copy of that soon enough...
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Dunno about the sequel, but the first game on the SNES is, indeed, the same general blueprint as the original game. NCS Masaya added a ton of new areas to it, and remixed what was already in there, and it's basically a bigger, better version of the game. There was enough new content that they doubled the timer from 60 minutes to 120.
D.Lo
Member
Yeah it's a Japanese take on a western game, and vastly improved because of it. Japan>>>>>>>>>>>Europe (except for Rare and a couple of others) back then.
POP2 SNES is a regular western console port effort, aka a glitchy ugly piece of shit. Well it's okay but nothing on POP1 SNES.
It really is one of the greatest games on the SNES. The gameplay, graphics, and music are legend.
As a side note, I played through the entire thing last year and then I recently discovered that my save game had reverted back to near 50% progress level. How'd that happen?
sixteen-bit
Member
save battery failing?
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
DKC2 is really, really good. Though I've always found it a pretty gloomy, almost depressing game. Am I alone in that?
One of the best platformers out there, though.
One of the best platformers out there, though.
That's why it's so good. Incredible atmosphere.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Yeah, I like it, too. The music is astounding.
Speaking of DKC... I never actually finished 3. What I played of it was really good, though I remember the aesthetics being a big, big step back. I haven't played the game at all in... 11 years. I should go back.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Oh yeah. It's got a really melancholy atmosphere in the music and settings.
I used to classify DKC2 in my mind as "more DKC1". But now I think there's quite a difference between them in terms of tone and difficulty. It's almost like a "gritty sequel" that actually works.
I think DKC3 is pretty underrated actually. The level design is at the same level as the prequels, and the added puzzles on the overworld was interesting and fun. The only really downside to the game (which I think is why many people dislike it), is the more joyful graphics and the artic/northern setting - and of course that stupid Kiddie Kong or whatever his name was. But honestly, if a change of sprites influences your enjoyment of a game that much, Im not sure you should be playing plattformers in the first place.
DKC3 is fantastic.
DKC1 is the odd one out, and I've felt that way since 1995. It's lacking compared to the other two, the levels feel...unfinished in a lot of cases and a lot of levels are very very cheap. Theres also not much in the way of secrets - or at least, absolutely no incentive to seek them out.
Anyhow. I may record some more tracks from my digital audio modded snes later. This time from DKC2. Should I?
DKC1 is the odd one out, and I've felt that way since 1995. It's lacking compared to the other two, the levels feel...unfinished in a lot of cases and a lot of levels are very very cheap. Theres also not much in the way of secrets - or at least, absolutely no incentive to seek them out.
Anyhow. I may record some more tracks from my digital audio modded snes later. This time from DKC2. Should I?
I agree that the secrets are badly thought out in DKC1 for sure. But I actually think that game has many of the best levels in the whole series, and it still might be my favorite of them all for that reason. All in all, I would say Donkey Kong Country is a really great series with 5 games that are all excellent.
had some spare time and wanted to listen to the music of DKC2 through my SNES with the digital audio mod...recorded them at the same time. Recorded straight from my SNES console's new digital output:
lockjaw's saga
stickerbush symphony
hot head hop
enchanted woods
mines
flight of the zinger
lockjaw's saga
stickerbush symphony
hot head hop
enchanted woods
mines
flight of the zinger
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
The snow areas in DKC1 are top tier. It also did the barrel thing better than any of the later games did.
TheMoon
Member
Snow Barrel Blast is a GOAT-tier Hall-of-Fame-inductee-when? level. So fucking good.
I have a quick (and possibly stupid) question. Some of my carts rattle (dkc1&3). It's not a small piece of plastic that broke off, it's the actual game inside the cart that seems to be coming loose. It isn't horrible though and the games still work.
My question is that will this make putting the cart back together after replacing the battery (something I'm going to have to do eventually) harder?
My question is that will this make putting the cart back together after replacing the battery (something I'm going to have to do eventually) harder?
D.Lo
Member
Contra Spirits is worth over $100
Oh I know, but there's a guy that gets SFC carts locally and sells them for very reasonable prices most of the time.
Just throw a bit of hot glue down.
D.Lo
Member
If he comes across a cheap boxed Axeley...
Oh..well...hey if you ever see Undercover Cops or King of Demons...just sayin
I'll keep an eye out, see if I can hook you up
So I finally completed Brain Lord, and I gotta say, while my initial impressions of the game was rather positive, in the end I was just really happy the game was over. Definitely not an underrated game.
The best part about the game is the puzzles, some of which are really well though out and fun to solve. Another good part is the controls, which are mostly good, and on a level above stuff like Crusader of Centy. The presentation and music is also mostly good, although i think the levels do look kinda samey, and the hero himself looks quite crappy (which I remember the game was docked points for when it was released in the scandinavian Nintendo-magazine Super Power/Power Player back in the day). I also like that you can choose between ranged but weak or melee but strong weapons - or something in between.
Anyways, the worst part of the game is the combat. Mostly, it is just slow and mindless and boring. So many enemies have impossible to dodge attack, or are placed in places were you have to take hits. And they also take way too many hits to go down even though they arent really challenging in themselves. They are just designed to annoy you, which does just that, annoys.
There are also so many cheap obstacles. Like floors collapsing and things falling from the ceiling or spikes coming up from the ground to dock you some health. Now this is not really a problem since you can at every level in a dungeon warp to town to get more health (or stock up on health items), but it is incredibly annoying, and slows the game down way to much. There are also a ton of rooms that are huge with lots of places to fall down, enemies that uses a kind of magnetic field to drag you towards them and moving plattforms - where you always have to start at the start when you fall down. These rooms were just among the worst in the game and infuriated me to no end. Especially since they key thing you did here, jumping, was the one thing about the controls that was kinda janky.
And while the combat itself was boring and annoying, most of the bosses were fun, although also designed in a Secret of Mana-way with lots of attacks that you can not really avoid, thus making it more about stocking up on the right items than actually fighting smart.
The absolute worst part of the game though, are some rooms in the final dungeon that are completely dark and layed out like mazes. You have a faery that can light dark rooms, but for some reason she doesnt work in these rooms! What a useless design-decision. I spend literally hours wandering around trying to stick to walls and get somewhere in these mazes, and that was while knowing what to look for. If i havent used a guide here, i would probably have given up on the game completely.
Last, the story was almost non-existant, and i have a feeling that it was probably much more prominent in the japanese original considering the space constrains the roman alphabet put on localization back then.
All in all, Brain Lord is just not a good game. It has its moments, but you will be more annoyed than entertained when playing it, so yeah, a less than mediocre game that should probably stay in obscurity.
The best part about the game is the puzzles, some of which are really well though out and fun to solve. Another good part is the controls, which are mostly good, and on a level above stuff like Crusader of Centy. The presentation and music is also mostly good, although i think the levels do look kinda samey, and the hero himself looks quite crappy (which I remember the game was docked points for when it was released in the scandinavian Nintendo-magazine Super Power/Power Player back in the day). I also like that you can choose between ranged but weak or melee but strong weapons - or something in between.
Anyways, the worst part of the game is the combat. Mostly, it is just slow and mindless and boring. So many enemies have impossible to dodge attack, or are placed in places were you have to take hits. And they also take way too many hits to go down even though they arent really challenging in themselves. They are just designed to annoy you, which does just that, annoys.
There are also so many cheap obstacles. Like floors collapsing and things falling from the ceiling or spikes coming up from the ground to dock you some health. Now this is not really a problem since you can at every level in a dungeon warp to town to get more health (or stock up on health items), but it is incredibly annoying, and slows the game down way to much. There are also a ton of rooms that are huge with lots of places to fall down, enemies that uses a kind of magnetic field to drag you towards them and moving plattforms - where you always have to start at the start when you fall down. These rooms were just among the worst in the game and infuriated me to no end. Especially since they key thing you did here, jumping, was the one thing about the controls that was kinda janky.
And while the combat itself was boring and annoying, most of the bosses were fun, although also designed in a Secret of Mana-way with lots of attacks that you can not really avoid, thus making it more about stocking up on the right items than actually fighting smart.
The absolute worst part of the game though, are some rooms in the final dungeon that are completely dark and layed out like mazes. You have a faery that can light dark rooms, but for some reason she doesnt work in these rooms! What a useless design-decision. I spend literally hours wandering around trying to stick to walls and get somewhere in these mazes, and that was while knowing what to look for. If i havent used a guide here, i would probably have given up on the game completely.
Last, the story was almost non-existant, and i have a feeling that it was probably much more prominent in the japanese original considering the space constrains the roman alphabet put on localization back then.
All in all, Brain Lord is just not a good game. It has its moments, but you will be more annoyed than entertained when playing it, so yeah, a less than mediocre game that should probably stay in obscurity.
Yeah I think the music and bosses are what kept me going. That and the general idea of the game. I'm sure the story was actually pretty decent, just translated poorly. I mean you've got a giant mechanical tower called "Site of Civilization" in a mostly medieval looking world, and a band of adventurers that already know each other somewhat...there had to be more.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Phew. Played like 3 and a half straight hours of Prince of Persia. Finished the game with the bad end, and then I restarted to try and optimize my times through the levels, so I can get the good ending... played through the first 10 levels doing that.
Those last few levels are really, really devious.
Those last few levels are really, really devious.
Nah some carts are just like that. Wondered about if there's a good way of fixing them myself, but no matter how much you tighten the screws they don't seem to get any better. Anyway, I've never had any problems with them otherwise.
Yeah I agree, the story was probably at least somewhat interesting in the original. There is actually a japanese-only sequel which could be fun to check out one day. But before that, I think Im going to check out another obscure game in the same vein, that is Alcahest which i remember being intrigued by reading previews of back in the day. Lets hope its better