GameTZ

10-Aug-23 6:04pm

Renaissance2K


I'm finishing arcade games faster than I can post updates about them. Here's a big update with seven new arcade clears.

Number: 36
Full Title: Three Wonders
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Heavy Machine Gun (already earned), Destroy the Core (2/2), Brain Teaser (1/2)

When I logged this game into my Backloggery, I was surprised to see that I played through this three-game collection on PSP many moons ago. Three Wonders packages a fantasy run-and-gun named Midnight Wanderers, a shoot-em-up named Chariot that re-uses some characters and assets, and a totally-unrelated Bomberman/Lolo puzzle hybrid called Don't Pull. All three games stand on their own, but Midnight Wanderers was clearly the most polished, and I had a lot of fun with Don't Pull, at least until the halfway point when the enemy aggression went through the roof.

Number: 37
Full Title: Fantasy Zone
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Destroy the Core (already earned), Grown-Ass Man (2/2)

Oh lordy, Fantasy Zone nearly broke me.

Despite the cartoonish, brightly-covered exterior, Fantasy Zone turns from a "fun, cutesy, lighthearted romp" to an animated Gremlins movie. I discovered too much about the game's economy - notably, how upgrades get more expensive each time you make a repeat purchase - leaving me at a point where the only way I could beat the final boss was with a weapon that was too expensive for me to purchase. After seven grueling levels, each with its own annoying boss, it was pretty disheartening to have to start all over, but fortunately, the second run went a lot more smoothly.

Number: 38
Full Title: Final Fight
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Pile Drivin' (already earned)

I played through this on the Capcom Beat 'em Up collection. In the time since, the MiSTer Project dropped a CPS-1 core (the arcade system used by Final Fight and a bunch of other 90s Capcom games), and I'd been looking for an excuse to play through it again on more accurate hardware with a real arcade stick. I don't know what it was about the playthrough, but I had such a blast. Playing it on a real screen with real buttons and the music blasting was just a lot of fun. As much as I love having so many great games on the go, playing games at home definitely strikes a different note.

Number: 39
Full Title: Mortal Kombat II
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Street Fightin' (already earned)

Every time I've played through the original arcade release of Mortal Kombat II, it's been as part of a poorly-emulated collection. Though we're still months away from a MiSTer port, I decided to load the game up on MAME and see those gigantic digitized sprites in all their glory. The game is every bit of a quarter muncher as it is on consoles, even with the difficulty set to "Very Easy", but nothing could have prepared me for the nightmare of Kintaro. It took dozens of dozens of attempts before I was able to lock the ugly multi-limbed bastard into submission with a combination of sai throws and jump kicks, and even then, it was a learning process. Shao Khan was a breeze in comparion.

Number: 40
Full Title: 641265065984" title="twitter.com/Renaissance2K/status/1689125641265065984 (secure)" rel="nofollow">Sega Ages: OutRun
Platform Played: Switch
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Race Drivin' (2/2)

In 1991, when I was seven years old, my extended family had a huge reunion that will live forever in my memory because (a) I had my first (unintentional) sip of black coffee, and it turned me off from the stuff for all eternity; and (b) we rented arcade machines for Street Fighter II and OutRun, on which I bounced back and forth nearly all day. I wasted hours timing out on OutRun before realizing that the car goes considerably faster if you shift it into high gear. "Passing Breeze" will forever be associated with that Game Over screen as a result.

I've been eyeing OutRun in the Retro Talkshop Thread backlog for quite a while, but Arcade August was the perfect opportunity to dig into it a little bit. It's not an easy game, and while I have a real racing wheel with which to control the game, I never convinced myself that I had set it up properly on either the MiSTer or MAME, so I gave up and booted the Sega Ages version on Switch, which had analog control, at least. It took a lot of trial and error and plenty of pattern memorization before I finally got the hang of the last segments of the course and crossed the finish line.

Number: 41
Full Title: Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire
Platform Played: Windows
Collection: Capcom Arcade Stadium 2
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Street Fightin' (already earned)

I played through Darkstalkers 3 and all its ports on nearly (or absolutely?) every supported platform two years ago when it became the Retro Talkshop Thread Game of the Month, covering all characters and secrets. Since then, it dropped as part of the Capcom Arcade Stadium 2, where I picked it up for two playthroughs with Talbain and Morrigan. The experience on the Steam Deck didn't feel very different from that on the MiSTer, but most of the latter's beta graphical issues were resolved here, and I desperately missed having a true six-button layout.

Number: 42
Full Title: Burgertime
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Quarter Muncher (2/2)

Rounding off this giant post and the last of the Front Room arcade games, I did a loop of Burgertime this morning. I revisited the game back in 2020 Year of Replays because of the soft place I have for it in my heart (it was one of the first NES games I ever owned, and my dad and I would play it together) though I fared much better this time around, making it to the end of the fifth level and then stretching things until Level 3 of the second loop. Those pickles never knew what hit them.

I've been playing arcade games in the morning while I wait for my son to wake up and playing Final Fantasy XVI in the evening when I have some time to myself. So far, that's been working out pretty well, though it's getting harder and harder to pick up arcade games when I'm in Clive's shoes.

4-Aug-23 4:25pm

Renaissance2K


Arcade August is in full swing with three more completions from our Retro Talkshop Thread arcade.

Number: 33
Full Title: The Simpsons
Platform Played: Arcade
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Pile Drivin' (2/2)

I don't hold it in as high regard as the original Ninja Turtles arcade game, but I do remember playing The Simpsons in arcades and fun zones back during its hey day. I rarely made it past the first boss (unless I happened to be packing a fistful of quarters), but playing at home allowed me to appreciate how it was a faithful extension of the show with great animation, in spite of some hilarious mischaracterization of Smithers and Mr. Burns. The animation is great, the level designs are clever, and while it's every bit as much of a quarter muncher of other early 90's arcade games, the enemies and brawling make for a fun romp.

Number: 34
Full Title: Crazy Taxi
Platform Played: Dreamcast
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Dreamcast
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: N/A

I played Crazy Taxi more than any other Dreamcast game back in the day. Fighting through blisters on my fingers (a side effect of the game's button-mashing boost mechanics), there were few better "snacks" than racing around San Francisco while The Offspring blasted in the background. I lost most of my muscle memory for the game over the years, completely forgetting how to execute boosts consistently, but after a whole lot of frustrating trial-and-error this week on multiple platforms, I got my figurative license back, taking home a $6,000 tab and an S-class license for the win.

Number: 35
Full Title: Metal Slug X
Platform Played: Windows
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Windows
Original Platforms: Neo Geo
Applicable Badge: Heavy Machine Gun

Heading into the Back Room of the RTT Arcade, I wanted to pick up an arcade game in our list for which I already have a playthrough recorded and posted. Metal Slug X is an easy choice because I already have footage recorded, and it has a Verified port for the Steam Deck. Nothing much has changed here - the gameplay is still a pandemonium of beautiful sprite animation and cartoonish mayhem - save for a few more gameplay tweaks and some easy Steam achievements. Once again, I was caught off guard by the game's relatively-easy first level and got absolutely trounced by everything that followed, especially the mummy level.

- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, Just Shapes & Beats, Metal Slug X, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Virtua Fighter PC
- Bionic Commando
- Final Fantasy VI
*n64* - Doom 64
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- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
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- Cuphead, New Super Mario Bros. U via New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, New Super Luigi U via New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line
- 6494927503360 (secure)" href="https://twitter.com/Renaissance2K/status/1685776494927503360" target="_blank">Bionic Commando
- Bionic Commando: Elite Forces, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Golden Sun
- New Super Mario Bros.
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- Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary
- Bionic Commando Re-armed
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- Ridge Racer
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2 -
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- Virtua Fighter
- Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter Remix
- Crazy Taxi
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- Rayman
- Cake Bash, Panzer Dragoon, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Samurai Shodown
-
{imgt}https://i.imgur.com/... 77 16{imgt} - Donut Dodo
- Bionic Commando, The Simpsons, Virtua Fighter

Unique Systems Covered: 19/38
Total Games Beaten: 35

Finishing a game on the Dreamcast means I've reached the halfway point on my platforms. Final Fantasy XVI will be another box checked off when the time comes, but other than that, expect oodles of arcade game completions in the coming weeks.

3-Aug-23 8:43pm

SupremeSarna


Nice haul! I've always wanted Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa on the go, but I could never find a copy for a desirable price. As for that Mario 64 game, wowzer! It's so cool! They made one for Kirby's Pinball Land that I'd kill for, but I've never seen one sold.

3-Aug-23 6:45pm

BloodPuppetX


Paper Mario (N64 original) and Oracle of Seasons on Switch are my most recent completions. Going through OoA now.

2-Aug-23 8:47pm

Renaissance2K


I know I said I was done with Bionic Commando games with my last update, but I couldn't let such a special Game of the Month go to waste without replaying one of my personal favorites.

Number: 30
Full Title: 6494927503360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="twitter.com/Renaissance2K/status/1685776494927503360 (secure)">Bionic Commando
Platform Played: Game Boy
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Game Boy
Original Platforms: Game Boy
Applicable Badge: Heavy Machine Gun (already earned)

I gushed about this game back in 2020 where it featured in my Year of Replays, so I only need to rehash a few bullet points. It has one of the best 8-bit soundtracks in history. It's probably my favorite Game Boy game, colorized or otherwise. And even when compared to later games in the franchise that could capitalize on better hardware, it has the most satisfying swinging mechanics this side of Spider-Man. If the NES port of Bionic Commando is considered a hidden gem, the Game Boy version - which abandons the military theme for an anime aesthetic - is even more hidden and twice as precious.

Number: 31
Full Title: Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
Platform Played: Game Boy Advance
Collection: N/A
Native Platform: Game Boy Color
Original Platforms: Game Boy Color
Applicable Badge: Heavy Machine Gun (already earned), Girl Power (1/2)

Then, there's Elite Forces. Despite being excited that the Game Boy favorite was getting a sequel of sorts, I never picked this up until this month. More of a reboot than a sequel, Elite Forces adds a female protagonist with alternate levels and some impressive Delphine-esque animated characters. What is also adds, to its detriment, are a bunch of other unwanted tropes from the Game Boy Color era: ultra low quality digitized voices that are barely understandable, a field of view that's zoomed in way too far to make calculated jumps, and flat backgrounds that can barely be parsed against equally-flat character sprites. Throw in a pack of frustrating, spongey bosses, and I don't think I missed out on that much in the two decades that I ignored its release, but the swinging is still a lot of fun when I'm not flinging myself towards a cheap death.

Number: 32
Full Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Platform Played: Windows
Collection: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
Native Platform: Arcade
Original Platforms: Arcade
Applicable Badge: Pile Drivin' (1/2)

Moving on to the Retro Talkshop Thread's August arcade extravaganza, it's probably no surprise that I dove back into the orignal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game as the first of the winning "front room" arcade games on show this month. No new revelations into this classic, beloved game this time around that haven't already been said, but I continue to be stupified by how much of a quarter muncher this monster is, particularly during boss fights. Gnarly, dude.

Okay, FOR REAL, I'm picking Final Fantasy XVI back up tonight. I'll be peppering that epic experience with the cornucopia of classic arcade titles featured in the Retro Talkshop Thread.

1-Aug-23 3:31am

Sun


KCPenguins wrote:
As someone who has always disliked Mario 64 (it was literally the death of the franchise as "iconic" to me until Galaxy), how is the 64 camera better than Sunshine? Imo sunshine was marginally better, with the sections without FLOOD being fantastic. (Mario Galaxy anyone?)

SM64 at least gave you the option to toggle between the Lakitu cam and the Mario cam. It also didn’t let the camera get in a position where you couldn’t see Mario anymore. In Sunshine, there were plenty of times where the camera got in a position that I could even see where Mario was anymore.

31-Jul-23 8:16pm

bonham2


KCPenguins wrote:
As someone who has always disliked Mario 64 (it was literally the death of the franchise as "iconic" to me until Galaxy), how is the 64 camera better than Sunshine? Imo sunshine was marginally better, with the sections without FLOOD being fantastic. (Mario Galaxy anyone?)
I'm totally with you, although we are in the minority. Sunshine is difficult to play now, but I never liked Mario 64. The FLOODless levels were definitely the best part of Sunshine. Galaxy was great though. The most incredible part was how they were still introducing new mechanics even towards the end of the game.

31-Jul-23 6:56pm

KCPenguins


Sun wrote:
Scott wrote:> Sun wrote: |>> I never finished Sunshine on GCN but did so on Switch with the 3D All-Stars.> Camera |>> still just as bad…worse than Mario 64.> > When I replayed SM64 on 3D All-Stars, I felt like the controls were much better.> Do you think the same is true for Sunshine? The camera definitely sucks in both games,> but it's more the controls that bother me, especially in Sunshine. I think we are so used to dual analog sticks now, or at least not a single stick in the middle (think about how awkward the N64 controller is nowadays), that playing it a modern controller feels better. My assumption was the the GCN controller was great for Sunshine at the time and still better than Switch controls. But I'm also obviously older now than back then and understand controls better. Sunshine has the worst camera AND controls IMO of the 3 games. I did beat all 3 games on 3D All-Stars when it came out

As someone who has always disliked Mario 64 (it was literally the death of the franchise as "iconic" to me until Galaxy), how is the 64 camera better than Sunshine? Imo sunshine was marginally better, with the sections without FLOOD being fantastic. (Mario Galaxy anyone?)

31-Jul-23 6:38pm

Sun


Scott wrote:
Sun wrote:> I never finished Sunshine on GCN but did so on Switch with the 3D All-Stars. Camera> still just as bad…worse than Mario 64. When I replayed SM64 on 3D All-Stars, I felt like the controls were much better. Do you think the same is true for Sunshine? The camera definitely sucks in both games, but it's more the controls that bother me, especially in Sunshine.
I think we are so used to dual analog sticks now, or at least not a single stick in the middle (think about how awkward the N64 controller is nowadays), that playing it a modern controller feels better.

My assumption was the the GCN controller was great for Sunshine at the time and still better than Switch controls. But I'm also obviously older now than back then and understand controls better. Sunshine has the worst camera AND controls IMO of the 3 games.

I did beat all 3 games on 3D All-Stars when it came out.

31-Jul-23 3:12pm

Scott


Sun wrote:
I never finished Sunshine on GCN but did so on Switch with the 3D All-Stars. Camera still just as bad…worse than Mario 64.
When I replayed SM64 on 3D All-Stars, I felt like the controls were much better. Do you think the same is true for Sunshine? The camera definitely sucks in both games, but it's more the controls that bother me, especially in Sunshine.

30-Jul-23 12:51am

Sun


I never finished Sunshine on GCN but did so on Switch with the 3D All-Stars. Camera still just as bad…worse than Mario 64.

29-Jul-23 8:55pm

PizzaTheHutt


That's the only 3D Mario title I haven't been able to finish. The camera just sucks, and it wasn't as easy to overlook it and just deal with it because it wasn't this genre defining experience like Super Mario 64 was a few years prior.