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Thread: Thoughts on various obscure Saturn imports as they come

  1. #21
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    You know... damn the Saturn is some good shit. Every once in a while it hits me again just how wonderful this system is... as long as you have the right games

    I still got a TON left to touch on in this topic... so many games to go... we ain't done yet... not much by a longshot. Trust me the best is yet to come! So much more good stuff to share... keep it tuned right here. Some real good gems are in the works....

    (So how is your want game list eh? heh heh)

    Tonight we take a look at one of my personal favorites. IMO it's the best game on Saturn with the title "Waku Waku" in it... and no I'm not talking about Waku Waku 7. (which was a sloppy port at best BTW)

    It's a shame it's so little-known, but perhaps I can help to change that a bit tonight.

    In 1998 Altron (makers of the ole cult favorite Robo-Pit) released two puzzle games. I was after both puzzlers for 2 and a half years. They just never popped up on the internet.

    One was called ROX. A dice puzzler I thought it would be a kick-ass combo of Tetris meets Devil Dice, but its overly complicated gameplay system and drab graphics/sound really killed it. Ah what a disappointment. But the other game in the batch, the one I had less expectations for... actually turned out to be a hell of a puzzler.

    WAKU WAKU MONSTER

    There are six colors (red, purple, white, green, yellow and blue) and you have to get a color combo of 3 touching each other to disappear.

    The blocks/bubbles come in the cute form of a little creature... most similar to a rabbit or hamster (think Hamtaro). The game options however allow you to change the blocks to any of the following:

    -Yoshi like eggs
    -Magical Drop style bubbles
    -Jewels and diamonds

    Hey why not? But I always play with the creature bubbles, they're just too darn cool to pass on.

    It's a battle of monsters and their caretakers. You can select from a total of 15 monsters (3 by which you must unlock), but there are a total of six caretakers... so each one represents 3 or so monsters. Each of the 6 caretakers have their own "falling debris pattern".

    The monsters just give you different animations and sounds. I guess you could say there's really only 6 characters but IMO the monsters have personality so it feels more like 15 different characters.

    They include the dreaded two-headed red dragon Guren, the pink little bunny (and our animal on the front cover) Myu Myu, the yellow little Pikachu wannabe Pomul, a kangeroo Woodhead, etc.

    So what makes WWM stand out from the crowd of puzzlers?

    -You drop one block at a time
    -The caretaker appears in small form at the top of your puzzle field
    -Caretaker holds one block in his or her hands
    -One by one, you guide the caretaker left or right and press "A" to drop

    Because of this unique twist on the ole Tetris theme, WWM becomes a game of Speed and Hand Eye Coordination. If you ever played Speed the card game, WWM is a good virtual simulation of that.

    There is also a bar. Every time you pop the blocks it rises up. At any time you can press B to launch an onscreen attack which throws debris on the opponent's field. Or you can hold back on pressing B and wait til it hits MAX where then it automatically sends debris over. The higher the bar, the more debris there will be.

    You can also counter the opponent's attack by pressing B once they pressed B.

    It cancels (well, depends on how much of the bar was charged for both you and your opponent).

    So there's some strategy there. Do you counter and cancel the debris? Or do you take it and then, knowing full well his bar is zero, unleash your fury to which he cannot counter? Good stuff.

    Debris are just black bubbles that turn into regular colored bubbles once you connect 3 or more regular bubbles next to it. This can often times unleash a MAJOR 5+ hit chain.

    D= Debris
    W= White
    Y= Yellow

    Note: remember different caretakers have different block patterns, this is just an example, and not universal

    D
    DW
    DW
    DY
    DY

    Now you got a white block in your hands... drop it on the two white's already on top of each other:

    DW
    DW
    DW
    DY
    DY

    The white blocks will burst and pop out of play, unlocking the three Debris pieces, in this case we'll say each three will turn into green


    G
    G
    G
    DY
    DY

    The 3 greens will pop out of play, unlocking only the debris piece directly below it. It may very well turn yellow (depends on block patterns of your opponent a la Puzzle Figher, but let's say it does turn yellow)

    YY
    DY

    Those 3 yellow's are touching, bam gone!

    A nice little 3 hit chain... and believe me you can get much more complex.

    So WWM stresses speed and high combo's. It's fun to start racking up the chain and watching the monsters yell and duke it out onscreen with an onslaught of flames and what have you. It gets pretty intense!

    My ex girlfriend absolutely LOVED this game. She loved it more than Puzzle Fighter, if that means anything to you. And she loves Puzzle Fighter, but she just happened to like WWM that MUCH more. It definitely would be a big hit if you had a significant other...

    Charming characters/animals/monsters, bright luscious simple graphics, an addicting puzzle system, nice sound and just a whimsical atmosphere adds up for one great package. 2 player mode is awesome flat out competitive fun. Against the CPU it just fails to capture the same intensity and taunting and what have you.

    If you have a significant other who likes puzzle games or gaming friends who are down with the odd puzzle fight here and there I highly highly recommend this hard to find puzzler.

    If you like puzzlers but are a lone gamer, I'd still recommend it.

    But again, 2P mode is where it's at.

    The rush of tapping "A" and "left" and "right"... it's different in a way, and it works! Waku Waku Monster is an awesome puzzler!

    http://vgrebirth.org/games/game.asp?id=2473

    Please keep in mind: once you press "A" the caretaker drops the bubble straight down... you can't change its flight once you commit. So... work fast! A misplaced block can ruin the game... you have to be fast and accurate... against a strong competitor this game is exhilarating...

  2. #22
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    And speaking of obscure Saturn imports, anyone heard of Bulk Slash?

  3. #23
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dire 51
    And speaking of obscure Saturn imports, anyone heard of Bulk Slash?
    Ah yes, Bulk Slash. I know a friend who was crazy about that game. Said to be a real gem. I'll touch on it eventually later on...

  4. #24
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    Excellent, excellent game Bulk Slash is. Wish I still had it...

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    Seikai-Risshiden:

    This seems to be something like a weird cross between The Game of Life, Sorry, and Bonkers. If you don't know what Bonkers is, it was a game where you were always moving forward and backward so much that you mostly seemed to be getting nowhere. But Bonkers was fun. This game isn't.

    Or at least, it isn't much fun if you can't read any Japanese. It may actually be very enjoyable if you knew exactly what you were supposed to be doing, and what all was going on.

    The board is huge, tons of screens, and divided into many sections. I have no idea what the ultimate goal is, I guess it's to win obviously, but there seem to be mini goals along the way. There's about a dozen different types of spaces.

    You roll 3 dice. Two are regular 6 sided dice, and the other one is too, but the numbers on it are all negative numbers. So, the highest you can roll is 11, the lowest you can roll is -4, and you can even roll a 0, oh what fun that is to do.

    But oh no, that's not fun enough. Some spaces make you move backwards too, so you can move alot further than just 4 spaces back in your turn. There are spaces that let you move forward alot further too, but how much all the spaces affect your movement depends on what they do when you land on them. They aren't constant, they change every time. So you're rolling the dice getting nowhere and landing on spaces getting nowhere and it seems like OK, this must be a game designed to keep the kids occupied for a very long time. It must take way longer than a game of Monopoly takes to end to finally complete whatever it is you're supposed to be doing, and we all know how boring Monopoly gets after an hour of it, so this is a hellish game.

    It tries to be interesting with all the decisions you have to make when you land on certain spaces, and all the choices you have to make about your fate because of someone else, and who will you make suffer, and even changes in the weather and all kinds of things going on in the world that all the spaces are navigating through, or trying like hell to navigate through, if it weren't for the evil fact that you never seem to be getting anywhere, and that ruins it all!

    But wait! There's more! Before you choose which color you're gonna be, you get to choose your character, and all the characters have stats, so there seem to be some kind of RPG elements to it as well. You move a piece around the board that's like a colored pawn, and yet you also have a character that has some kind of stats, what's that about?

    So no wonder it was only $5 shipped for a shiny new copy, and nobody can even give away a used copy. But the art on the cover is cool, which is why I thought I'd try it out for only $5, but I honestly wouldn't feel very guilty at all if I just threw it away now, and I may do just that too, unless somebody who can read Japanese would like to try it out?

    I'll even ship it free of charge, maybe it should become like some kind of DP import mania running joke around here. Who has Seikai-Risshiden now? Yeah, who has the most boring import Saturn game in the world? Did you play it? OMG, you actually played it? So how long did it take before you wanted to play frisbee with it? Get it out of my Saturn!

    So yeah, Japanese knowledge required to get the most enjoyment out of it, which probably still isn't very much. But, I was able to play it and make things happen and find out that I have no idea what it is, but it's boring as hell! Definitely a bored game, and not a board game as claimed.
    You can't run with the big dogs if you pee like a puppy!

    Get BIT!

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    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    BTW here's a shot of AVG:




    Coin Puzzle Moujiya is a great little gem for the Saturn.
    I know 3 people who own this game, and all 3 like it very much.

    Make that 4 now.

    CPM is 1996 Virgin/FPS puzzler that features Japanese coins AKA yen.
    The object is to match up yen, combine them and, ultimately, make a 1000 bill to make it disappear for good.

    Those cats are variations of "Maneki Neko." They're those infamous cats with their paw raised... the "good fortune" creatures for our Asian friends. You might have seen them around at the local mall, an Asian restaurant, etc.

    http://www.amy.hi-ho.ne.jp/~mono93/c...sh/what_e.html

    There are 6 different coins:

    1 (blue)
    5 (yellow)
    10 (red)
    50 (green)
    100 (magenta-ish)
    500 (purple)

    It's like Money Puzzle Exchanger. EXCEPT instead of Magical Drop style, CPM works Puyo Puyo style. Two coins drop at a time. Also, CPM won't cost you an arm and leg! Always a plus, right?

    Form 5 blue coins to get 1 yellow coin, as 1+1+1+1+1 = 5. And 5 is represented by yellow. Not only did you just clear up some clutter but you have bigger money on your playing field now in a more accessible manner.
    (you cannot add a blue yen [1] to a green one [50] and expect anything to happen as it is... however, convert the 1 to 5... then 10... then 50... it touches the other 50 and wham 100!)

    Confused? Do not be. It's simple once you get the hang of it. And addicting.

    Yellow + Yellow = 5+5 which equals 10. (you now have a single red coin, representing 10)

    You also get two special cat head icons that operates differently from your typical "Clear-All" icon. In fact there is NO clear-all icon, unlike Puzzle Fighter's diamond. One works like this: whichever yen you wish to drop the cat head icon on, all yen of that denomination upgrades to the next largest denomination.

    For example, if you drop the special cat head icon on a 50, all 50's on your field will turn into 100's. It's a very nifty little thing. You definitely want to drop it on whatever similar coins are touching each other most. That way you can get some easy chains and killer combos going.

    The thing I like about the cat head icon is that as it descends, whichever block it currently targets, all respective blocks of that denomination will light up... giving you eye-candy to contemplate where to drop the almighty cat head icon. Try to place it wherever you see the most flashing blocks touching each other for easy chains.

    But if you have debris blocking your coins... you're sorry outta luck. The cat head icon will touch the debris and nothing will happen. That is when you just wanna let out an expletive.

    2P mode is extra competitive because a good opponent will know when to time an attack to counter the cat head icon. Coz remember, if a field is covered with debris, and the cat head icon comes down... hahaha... your opponent is screwed!

    But how does one know when the opponent's cat head icon comes? Isn't the display in the "Next Coin" screen too little time to tell?

    I'm glad you were shrewd enough to ask that question.

    The cat head icon is NOT random. There's an empty cat body at the bottom of the screen, and as you score points it fills up gradually. The bigger the chains the faster it charges up. Once full it will flash and your next piece will then automatically be the cat head icon.

    Cool huh?

    So just keep an eye on when it's about full... then concentrate on unleashing that all-vital precounter attack!

    Most other (if not all) puzzlers the "special piece" is assigned randomly during play, whereas CPM awards advanced players and punishes slow-podding rookies with a bar-charged system.

    So what's the SECOND special piece? Well, per round, you can press "C" for a one time shot to access a special icon that will come down and eat up any debris on your field. Use it wisely... you only have it once per round.

    It adds a lot of strategy to the mix and intensifies the cut throat matches. Do you use it now? But wait, your opponent still hasn't used his... better save it... etc.

    There's a VS. CPU mode, a VS. mode and a "stand-alone" mode. I suggest starting on the standalone to get the kinks of gameplay.

    Graphics is like any other puzzle game almost -- colorful and bright. Though CPM isn't quite as bright as say, Puzzle Fighter. Still gets the job done though.

    Gameplay is fun and frenetic. Strategy is much involved, with careful planning and trying to nail off some huge combos. It's cool how, say for example you got four 100's and need one more 100 to make a 500 coin.

    Your next dropped coins include a 5 and 50.

    Rats right?

    Not so fast.

    Simply drop the 50 on the 100.

    Next batch... say you get another 50. Drop the 50 on the previously placed 50 and you made a 100!

    Now that 100 touches the four 100's and wah-lah! One 500 coin.

    You can visualize the chain ability of this system as we speak, I bet. Well you can, can't you?


    This combining and consolidating feature of CPM is what makes it stand out from the crowd. Not to mention what makes it so fun and refreshing.

    Music is typical puzzle affair. It can get annoying but it also can be kind of catchy and bob along to the gameplay. You know how it is.

    No complains about the controls -- a critical must in puzzle games.

    Chaining in this game feels great. Some puzzle games you chain and feel "Eh" but in CPM you do feel "cooooooool." So far I've hit several 4-chainers and even a few 5-chainers; it feels sweet lemme tell ya!

    My only complaint is the VS. human mode. After one battle you're whisked away to the main screen. A la Saturn Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Unlike Saturn MKT however, the loading in CPM is quick as a cat (no pun intended!) and while a minor annoyance, isn't that major in the end.
    Besides, you get a larger window of opportunity to taunt your friend or sibling after you win! (it's all about perspective!)

    Oh yeah, the intro's pretty odd in that Japanese way.

    CPM -- overall, is a nice little fun puzzle game worth having. For 10-15 bucks I can't see how you can go wrong. Really just a charming addition to the genre, and my second favorite puzzler, only behind Puzzle Fighter.

    It's pretty uncommon but I'm sure a copy or 2 will pop up here and there.
    Take my word, CPM is a MUST for puzzle fans who own a Saturn capable of playing imports.



    *cue Sega Rally voice guy* "FAAAN-TASTIC YEEEAH!"

  7. #27
    Peach (Level 3) E Nice's Avatar
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    AVG vs. Asuka -- no contest. Asuka wins hands down. It's much more "modernized" and it's much much crazier and overall just the better fighter.
    But one has to remember that AVG is a upgraded port of a game that first appeared on the PC Engine CD. By those respects the game is superior, as it's actually playable. They added dashing and the use of four attack buttons instead of two. They also added those desperation moves.

    The animation has been changed from the PC Engine CD original, basically censored, in-game and in story mode. However the PSX version is the most heavily censored of the versions. They removed the character voiceover introduction that plays after the intro cg and it now just plays music. They also removed Reimi's stage and replaced it with the K-1 and K-2's stage. They also removed mood music in the story mode, so now that's nothing but speech.

    The backgrounds have all been changed to new backgrounds, as the P{C Engine AVG backgrounds where up there with the earlier computer game of the series. So now on Saturn/PSX they no longer look like so computer primitive as the game series looked on the PC9801/9800 Japanese home computers.

    They basically touched up an old game that was released in 1994 and not released on Saturn until 1997, a year after the PSX version in 1996.

    Story Mode is still very well done, something most fighters still can't do right even today. The story written for this game was strong enough to basically be a foundation for future games in the series, culminating heavily in the impressive VG Neo story.
    Murk: We will bring you Bob Barker. We will bring you the limp and beaten body of Bob Barker! - BTVS

  8. #28
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    Happy Memorial Day everyone.

    Our next Saturn import is a very difficult to find game, and commands quite a dollar. Thought Crows was hard to find? It's arguable that this is as rare if not a little rarer.

    MIZUBAKU ADVENTURE (AKA Liquid Kids or Mizubaku Daibouken)

    From the excellent maestros at TAITO comes this charming and colorful little adventure platformer. Released in Arcades in 1990, then ported to TG 16 in 1992 and finally Saturn in late October 1998, MA has players transversing all matter of worlds through the form of a platypus named Hipopo. Your weapon is a water bubble (known as a Mizubaku) that you toss at enemies. For smaller enemies it will freeze them where you can thereby touch them launching them across the screen taking out any other enemies in its path (works much like the shells in Mario games).

    For bigger enemies the water doesn't freeze them -- it just damages them but you have to keep throwing the bubbles at them to eliminate them. The cool thing about the water is that it also makes a trail of water if it doesn't immediately hit an enemy, so even if you're on one plane and the enemy one below, you can still freeze/hurt them. Pretty cool stuff.

    Very basic controls. A is bubble, B is jump. Look before you leap! Once in air you have minimal control of going left or right (unlike Mario) and jumping on enemy heads will kill you. MA employs the classic 1 hit and you're dead gameplay style. No mistakes here -- you have to be extra sharp. You can hold down A to make a bigger bubble that is stronger and leaves a much bigger water trail.



    There are 7 worlds in all with each world consisting of 2-3 zones before you face an end boss. All the worlds have their own theme and enemies appropriate to that theme. All bosses are pretty huge creations which take up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the screen and have a long yellow energy bar at the top. The 7 worlds are:

    1. Woodland Forest
    An easy world to aclimate gamers into the game. Boss is a huge floating fire-breathing mechanical rabbit.



    2. Waterworld
    No not the Kevin Costner film that bombed in the mid 90's but rather a lovely world where you guide Hipopo across water fighting green plant monsters, squids and other forms of beasties. There is a cool golden cup where you use bubbles to break the handles one by one before the cup comes crashing down revealing goodies (bonus points in the form of food)... nice sound effects and a nice touch overall. Boss is a giant weird see-through monstrosity that chucks out yellow poison. I refer to him as the Popcorn Man.

    3. Gearworks Factory
    A cool world featuring zany enemies and introduces us to the Knights. Knights take several hits to die and have a killer (literally) stretch attack with their javelin-like weapon. It also introduces us to arguably the game's biggest headache regular enemy -- a big nasty blue meanie that takes about 20 bubble hits and swings a long chained spiked ball. Better load up!
    Lots of classic platform touches found in this world. Falling platforms, timed jumps, etc. Boss is a mechanical flame-torching, foot-solider laying machine of destruction.



    4. Pyramid
    Scampering shrimps, ghouls, mummies, giant rock throwing stone men, and little sand worms are but some of the baddies you'll face in this yellow-colored world. The boss is a giant Camel-Rider... once defeated he chucks the camel and then you fight him! A double duel so to speak... but he is very weak -- watch those bubbles rapidly drain his health!

    5. Wood Tree
    You move up to the top facing some enemies from level 1 and some new ones like the fire breathing green dragons. The boss is a weird gorilla-like creature who climbs up throwing rocks at you -- his arms are made of fire and that's his main weak point.

    6. Cloud Land
    Filled with dangerous fires and lightning, trek your way to the end to meet up with Giant Clown Face and his three joker henchmen.

    7. ????????
    Spanning 4 zones or so the end boss I'll leave for you to find out.....

    MA is good ole fashioned platforming fun. The pastel-colored worlds, the tricky little enemies, the goal to get the highest score possible, this is 90's gaming at its best. After you beat each world you have a choice to go left or right... so the game gives you multiple paths to provide further longevity. I'll give you a hint... after you beat Cloud Land do NOT select the left door! Why? There's an incredibly HARD mid-boss....

    The friend who sold me MA really liked it but he needed the money, and another friend of mine really loves this game. In fact, he loved it so much that in his college film about a guy who was obssessed with video games, shots of MA in gameplay is seen on screen for about 15 seconds or so. It was really this friend who made me aware of this cool little gem. (his movie was about a girl friend moving in and handling her video game obssessive boyfriend... good stuff, and I believe his professor gave him an A for his efforts)

    I've beaten MA once, but haven't been able to since. It's a fairly challenging game but with 99 continues and fair continue points, it's possible to beat the game. If you have controller chucking anxiety though, buckle up... some parts in the game could have you ready to throw a fit.

    Overall MA is a great game that I'd recommend, but again it is pricey and very very hard to find. Is it worth it? Only a question you yourself can answer....

    But definitely one of the many cool oddball Saturn imports out there. Good luck!

    BTW, at title screen press left, right, left, right, left, right, A, B, C, A to unlock semi-translucent bubble mode and English option! Groovy!


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    Well I recently got Hansha de Spark, and have finally had a chance to play it a bit, but I must say this game is HARD!

    I like it alot, or at least I want to like it alot, but I couldn't even get past the first boss in the one player quest mode, so I don't know why Steven says that it's not hard at all.

    The playing fields are extremely small, and it doesn't help that I'm trying to play it on a 13" Samsung GXTV either.

    But, it is very cool. I'm glad that I got it after reading his review of it, but he's right, it's all about tactics and reflexes.
    You can't run with the big dogs if you pee like a puppy!

    Get BIT!

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    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iron Draggon
    Well I recently got Hansha de Spark, and have finally had a chance to play it a bit, but I must say this game is HARD!

    I like it alot, or at least I want to like it alot, but I couldn't even get past the first boss in the one player quest mode, so I don't know why Steven says that it's not hard at all.

    The playing fields are extremely small, and it doesn't help that I'm trying to play it on a 13" Samsung GXTV either.

    But, it is very cool. I'm glad that I got it after reading his review of it, but he's right, it's all about tactics and reflexes.
    Heh cool, I was wondering when you would post on HDS! yeah, the play arenas are a bit small-ish. The Castle boss isn't hard. When he jumps just look at his shadow and where he lands, and move out of the way, then, avoid the bats and attack. Repeat. It just takes to getting use to, then it's a cinch.

    The later bosses are bitches though, I can only beat the 1st 2 bosses.

    I started out disappointed in it, but it came around the more I discovered the little nuances. I give it a 7.5/10

  11. #31
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    Tonight is a triple whammy. And I apologize to your sanity/wallet if your want list has increased mucho, but I'm just the messenger. =P

    Fortunately, maybe you won't have to lift that pencil after this entry... we'll see.

    Leading off tonight's batting order is a funky little puzzle game PAPPARA PAOON




    Got a chance to finally play this 1995 puzzle from the folks at Ecole. It had long been on my "that looks interesting but I'm in no rush to get it" list.

    It's very bare bones, what you see is what you get. There is a vs. CPU mode and a 2P mode.

    You shoot colored "blocks" (ranging from triangles to circles, etc.) to the side of the screen, trying to "push out" your opponent. It's a halfway interesting concept. If you liked playing "connect four" growing up (I know I did) I guess there are some similarities.

    You connect four or more like-colors to burst blocks.

    It's not a terrible game per se, it's just not all that exciting or addicting. It's only worth it if you're a diehard puzzle nut and I would not pay more than 10 bucks for it.

    Interesting note though, in 2P mode you can play it one of two different ways. One is where you and your opponent can go all out crazy and keep launching blocks OR you can make it more like Chess where there are turns. This is probably the coolest feature of the game. It slows the game down and makes it into a real thinking man's kind of puzzler. For this gameplay system, it works brilliantly.

    Like I said, not a great game, not a horrible game. Your mileage may vary. If you're mainly a solo gamer I'd probably skip. If you got a fellow puzzle fan who is open minded this could be fun.

    BTW, too bad those drab graphics are quite bad looking. I normally don't really care for graphics but these are so low-res you can't help but point it out. If it had colorful graphics like Puzzle Fighter then that certainly wouldn't have hurt..

    Overall, a decent little game but remember -- it's just that -- a little nice game.


    Next we have CLOCKWORKS

    From the guy who made Tetris comes this interesting little game of get to the exit unharmed. The intro is claymation and it's just bizarre. We have a regular Joe sleeping in bed when his alarm clock rings off the hook. He shuts it up but realizes the clock turns into a vile monster that then transport him into a whole 'nother world! From here the game begins and it's up to you to guide our Regular Joe friend through a variety of mazes unharmed.

    You remember those geoboards we got to play with in Geometry right? The boards where you placed rubber bands on to see how many different squares you can make?

    The gameplay field basically looks like that... and we have a midget version of Joe swinging around. Scattered about are hazards like bombs and rotating clock hands. Touch either one and it's bye bye. You have 3 minutes to successfully move Joe from point A to point B -- the exit onto the next level.

    This is a rather cool little game -- a nifty brain teaser if there ever was one. There are 100 levels I've been told, and some of them get really difficult!

    Joe is constantly rotating clockwise or counter clockwise. You can change direction by pressing up. This is essential because as you move Joe to a new point, a clock hand might be nearby coming at you that you will have to quickly switch directions.

    B moves Joe in a rotating U and upside down U. C moves Joe in an upside down U from one to the next. Mastery of these commands and knowing when to use which and when not to use which is key to survival.

    There are other things in the playing field later on like walls, doors which need to be opened by touching a box somewhere away from the door, guns that when Joe presses a button will shoot a bullet, etc. It all adds to the challenge. Easy is easy while normal and hard will test the truest of the hardcore.

    The more I played it the more I became addicted to it. It's not close to capturing the magic of Tetris but it ain't a half-bad game. It's also known as Clockwerx on the PC. All levels have names and you can save your progress. It's a nice little game.





    Lastly we have K-1 FIGHTING ILLUSION SHOW





    This was also released on PSX but for Saturn came out import only. US gamers didn't lose out on much; the gameplay doesn't capture the intense lightning-quick fury of these savage fighters, but the more I played K-1 the more it grew on me. Though the game doesn't move fast, there was a certain satisfying feeling to kicking the CPU upside his head silly... the feeling of the 1-2-3 combo's, and the leg sweeps.

    You have VS. CPU mode where you pick 1 of 12 K-1 fighters, go through the rest and then you meet your ultimate challenge in Master Ishii. You have VS. Mode for 2P. You have Team Battle mode for VS CPU or VS 2P. Here each person selects 3 fighters and whoever wins the most battles wins the overall competition. Then you have Tournament mode where you can play up to 8 humans to find out who is the ultimate fighting machine.

    Remember Center Ring Boxing on Saturn? It's kinda like that. Low polygon count on the characters, kind of a slow game, but here we have the addition of kicking. Each character has their own moveset, and I found it kinda fun to go through each fighter.

    It's not a bad game, but it's not something that will on your playing list too much. I guess if you can find a 2nd player to play with, this game would be a lot better... as can be said for most games. My bro was watching me play it but he quickly returned to his Final Fantasy 11 in the next room. I bet I would have taken him, lol.

    Option mode where you adjust difficulty, rules, rounds and such.

    Each fighter has an energy bar that which hit will deplete but there's always a lighted section where you can recover a bit -- a la Vampire Savior. It employs that kind of system.

    Knockouts feel pretty sweet, and when you win a match with a knockout there's a pretty cool replay system showing it three times with last replay being in slow mo.

    My favorite moment came when I kicked this fool's head and he bounced off the nearby ropes... he was then temporarily stunned when I unleashed my character's special dashing knee. RIGHT IN THE GUT! KO'ed his sorry butt! That was sweet.

    Not a game I would actively hunt, but if you happen to buy it for 5-10 dollars, hey, you could do a lot worse.


    can you defeat Master Ishii?

  12. #32
    ServBot (Level 11) Iron Draggon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steven
    Quote Originally Posted by Iron Draggon
    Well I recently got Hansha de Spark, and have finally had a chance to play it a bit, but I must say this game is HARD!

    I like it alot, or at least I want to like it alot, but I couldn't even get past the first boss in the one player quest mode, so I don't know why Steven says that it's not hard at all.

    The playing fields are extremely small, and it doesn't help that I'm trying to play it on a 13" Samsung GXTV either.

    But, it is very cool. I'm glad that I got it after reading his review of it, but he's right, it's all about tactics and reflexes.
    Heh cool, I was wondering when you would post on HDS! yeah, the play arenas are a bit small-ish. The Castle boss isn't hard. When he jumps just look at his shadow and where he lands, and move out of the way, then, avoid the bats and attack. Repeat. It just takes to getting use to, then it's a cinch.

    The later bosses are bitches though, I can only beat the 1st 2 bosses.

    I started out disappointed in it, but it came around the more I discovered the little nuances. I give it a 7.5/10
    Avoiding the castle isn't the problem I'm having. I already figured out to watch it's shadow. It's all the damned bats that I'm having trouble avoiding. It seems that those shoes they give you are necessary to make you agile enough to avoid them, at least with the character that I've tried so far, the blue guy. And I haven't landed a single hit on that boss yet. I'm firing sparks, but they just turn into stuff and then sit there. I fire more sparks, finally one bounces around and kills me while I'm trying to avoid all the damn bats, or a bat gets me while I'm avoiding everything else.
    You can't run with the big dogs if you pee like a puppy!

    Get BIT!

  13. #33
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    The year was 1994.

    It was the year of the 2D fighter.

    The year of the Doom clones.

    The year "T.G.I.F" was in its absolute prime

    The year of the 16-bit wars in full throttle

    The age of innocence.

    It was a hot summer night, and somewhere in Sacramento was a 2 story house filled with laughter and joy. The parents talked and laughed with the other parents, and us kids, we did our own thing. We spent the night Dragon Punching*, slam dunking** and blowing each other up***. In fact, we spent much of the early-mid 90's doing just that on our get-together sleepover bonanza's. Ohh it was the best of times... THE BEST.

    Basic overview: our group was an out of town friendship thing... 5 families, 18 kids... est. circa mid-late 80's. The dads who survived the Vietnam War, bonded and kept in touch; we all grew up together... our get-together sleepovers were legendary -- truly some of the defining moments of my childhood with plenty of coming-of-age moments. I could write a whole novel on it but I'm sure no one came here for that, heh heh.

    Ah yes, '94... it was the best of times...



    *



    **



    ***


    *tires screeching sound effect*

    Then 1995 came.

    Couple of the older friends in our group got girlfriends. Or became more involved with local friends. Some lost interest in video games. Times were a'changing. The parents got a little older. Suddenly the long drives were looking less and less attractive. The 16 bit wars was pretty much over, with the 32-bit generation breathing down its neck and SNES clearly beating out the poor Genny. I wanted no part of it. Too much change... too fast

    *steps out of time machine*

    Ah that was an interestng look back at more innocent, fonder days. And what the hell did that have to do with my next writeup?

    I'm happy to say that this next game is a pure rocket buster straight from the days of old. It's just a kick to play, and harkens back to the days of innocence when wide-eyed kids would gather round the TV and stay there for hours on end.

    What game am I talking about?

    HATTRICK HERO S!!




    We recently took a look at Taito's magnificent Mizubaku Adventure, now let's check out their ace soccer game. (by the title one might easily assume it's a hockey game but it's not)

    HHS is an arcade-type game as opposed to a sim. Kind of like Neo-Geo's Super Side Kicks series except it was on Taito's F3/Cyber Core arcade system.


    Super Side Kicks 2 from Neo Geo fame

    HHS is a smooth playing soccer game with funny old school blocky sprites running about kicking a rubber ball. The game is almost entirely in English. You have:

    -Arcade Mode: pick an ace and a team, and see how far you can advance! Can you reach the final team -- the dreaded MAX team??

    -World League: Basically a tournament type mode

    -Exhibition: One game

    -PK Mode: Penalty Kick mode... nice little mode for bragging rights.




    There are 8 "aces" to select from (players), once you select an ace you get to pick 1 of 42 country teams. Everyone from China to Nigeria is represented. Then you can set up formation and your lineup of players.

    A is shoot, B is pass, C is turbo on Offense

    On defense, A is sliding kick, B is punch/jump kick/sweep kick

    On defense I recommend using A. It's not as effective as jarring the ball loose from your opponent, but B is a violation that sometimes gets called for a yellow card! (depends on whether the ref caught you or not... it seems about 50/50) But you know... sometimes you just see that punk there and you wanna punch his lights out. ^_^

    Camera angle is adjustable and very nice. You can go high, low, near, far, etc. All on the fly too. L and R for near or far. X and Z changes the angle, and Y sets it back to default. Good stuff.

    On offense, you can pass the ball then hold the pass button down to set up overhead kick passes. The announcer yells "GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!" quite enthusiastically when someone scores, then there's a shot of the two coaches- one cheering and the other cringing. Some players even celebrate by doing a fancy dance. It's hilarious. Also there is a neat slow mo replay system after goals are scored.




    You can power up your players to do a "Super Shot"- this is sweet, the game will stop and the announcer yells "Super Shot!" followed by a close up of your player kicking the ball toward the screen. You've got to get the ball to the right player for this to happen though. After this, it goes back to the in-game screen where the ball flies insanely fast toward the goalie, it knocks him into the net, and you get a goal. You have to earn enough "Units" to use this though. "Super Play" (this allows super shots, hyper shots and whatnot) can be turned off at the option screen if you'd rather not use it. Shaolin Soccer, anyone?

    And then if this wasn't all enough good old fashioned fun for you, Taito pulls something wickedly random out of their sleeves....

    Take a guess...

    FEMALE STREAKER!!!! , the first time I saw this I was both befuddled and cracking up! I thought it was a bug at first but then realized... hey crazy things happen during soccer games all the time, Taito just wanted to capture that! Don't get TOO excited though, she's not a "full-fledged" streaker. Haha I think I just heard a collective groan. "Yes Bob take a point off." To top off the hilarity of this event the word HAPPENING! flashes on screen. ... gotta love that "broken english/old english" type usage there. There is at least one more "happening"... and that involves an animal scurrying through the field. There might be more, but those are the two I've seen so far. They happen like once every 3 games or so...

    I dunno bout you but it's little things like that that makes video games so cool and fun... it's always about the little things...

    Another random cool feature: you can knock out the ref! I've seen soccer balls that have knocked the poor ref down, and sometimes he gets caught in a melee! He gets up after about 4 seconds lying on the ground. When he is down you can attack your opponents with "B" as the ref can't yellow card you since he's obviously stunned on the ground. Good stuff.

    Here is another person's (quick) take on HHS:

    Before the time of polygon based soccer games there was sprites. Hat Trick Hero is a perfect example of the older times. Blocky sprites wobbling up and down the pitch in what looks like a feeble attempt to run (^o^), hahaha. Great game for those nostalgic nights.

    --

    Overall, Hattrick Hero S scores a definite GOAL! for me. The best thing was, I got this game for a measly $2.99. So it's NOT expensive AT ALL.

    I'll never forget the first time I played it. It was 0-0 down to the wire. I kicked the ball toward the goal... the goalie left his feet to block it... the ball then ricochet to my other player, and I quickly kicked it in! I ended up winning 1-0.

    Overall especially at its low price I recommend this game particularly if you're not opposed to the odd arcade soccer game here or there. It has a solid pick-me-up-and-play factor... and yes, it's 1-4 players. Just a fun, fun game. Of course I'm sure someone will play it and say "I don't get it? What's so fun? It seems a little crappy to me." Hey, not everyone liked even Tetris.

    To end this I do want to say that the group is still cool. No we don't meet up every month like we did in the old days, and no we don't spend every major holiday together like we used to, but whenever we do get together, we pick up where we last left. We still manage to crank out good times. Like the big "Reunion" Lake Tahoe trip in '99... damn good times still. So... its a new era, generation, whatever you want to call it... but.... it's a friendship/bond for life.

    Just like the oleee SEGA Saturn.
    Have a good one.

  14. #34
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    double post oops :P

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    Key (Level 9) fishsandwich's Avatar
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    You know... I hate sports game, but this review coupled with the pictures, the arcade-like gameplay, and the streaker makes me want to play this. I believe I shall ebay it.

    Cheers

    Thanks for indulging my gaming habit when I was young, Dad. You were the best. I miss you. ~David Barnes 1926-2007~

  16. #36
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    OK the next game we are looking at is actually two... but both are fairly similar. By the way, tomorrow's game will be very interesting indeed...

    LODE RUNNER: THE LEGEND RETURNS and LODE RUNNER EXTRA

    No, this isn't the SUPER old school Lode Runner, these games are based upon the revamped mid-90s PC versions of Lode Runner. They feature new gameplay kinks and better graphics, but the characters are still that small Command & Conquer size.


    wow... talk about old skool!

    Lode Runner is a classic game and is represented well on Saturn. For anyone who never played LR before, it's basically a never-ending series of levels, maze-like levels with ladders and such, where you aim to collect all the gold and get to the exit before the evils can get you. Classic stuff, and gets ROCK hard later on.

    Going deep beneath the Earth to find piles and piles of gold may sound exciting (and profitable), but when you throw in a bunch of mad cannibal monks chasing after you trying to protect these riches, the scenario changes.

    Here's the story...

    You are Jack Peril, an adventurous chap who tries his darnest to take back the gold that the keepers of the underground stole from above. But to do so, you must avoid dozens of traps, deadly gaping holes and of course, those crazy monks. But Jake is able to set traps of his own and use various items like the jackhammer to get away from the evil-doers.

    The 1st level is simple with no monks. The 2nd introduces monks, the 3rd even more monks and so forth. Before you know it, levels will seem IMPOSSIBLE to beat. Toward the end most mortal gamers want to pull their hair out from how hectic it is. But for puzzle action games, this is a good thing.

    These games also has a level editor option where you can fill your own levels with whatever you want and make them as easy or difficult as you wish. When you're done you can save the levels to the memory card.



    It may look dated, but plays well and the classic 2D thinking man's feel will attract to die hard gamers and gamers who miss the days of ole.

    In these two games you will go through 10 "stages" with each "stage" having PLENTY of levels. They are:

    1. Moss Caverns

    2. Fungus Delvings

    3. Lost City of Ur

    4. Crystal Hoard

    5. Winter's Dungeon (you guessed it, an icy world)

    6. Skeleton's Keep

    7. Inferno's Playground

    8. Shimmering Caverns

    9. The Shadowlands (insanely unfair)

    10. Meltdown Metropolis

    Those monks are fast and relentless! Even when you kill them, they respawn immediately and continue hunting you. Poor Jack... we hardly knew ya!

    Here's the difference between Saturn LR and PSX LR:

    PlayStation: Lode Runner

    Pros:

    -- Includes both Lode Runner: The Legend Returns and Lode Runner Extra.

    -- Includes the same ten music and backgrounds used in the two Saturn games; the construction mode is the same, and all the levels are there.

    -- Includes a nice, brief video introduction from Douglas E. Smith, the creator of Lode Runner.

    Cons:

    -- Doesn't have all the options available in the Saturn games.

    -- The speed seems stuck somewhere between "normal" and "slow." It only bothers me when I play it after the Saturn ones.

    The Saturn games:

    Pros:

    -- You can jump to any level in both versions. If you're stumped on a particular stage, skip it and try later.

    -- Infinite lives! Note that a Japanese warning pops up when you do this -- I believe it simply won't save any record created with infinite lives on.

    -- You can choose from three speed settings: Slow, Normal, and Fast. This can be a life saver sometimes on Slow, or a time saver on Fast when having to repeat stages a lot.

    -- I don't believe the PSX game lets you switch between mono and stereo. The Saturn games do.

    -- Each include the construction kit, and both appear to be identical. I don't know if the save files are compatible between versions, but I'd imagine they must be.

    -- Only 10 memory blocks to save.

    Cons:

    -- No video introduction by Doug Smith.

    -- You have to buy two games. Then again, it won't cost that much more than the single PSX disc. I've seen Legend Returns go for $12-$18 and same for Extra.

    Note that Lode Runner: The Legend Returns was released first. It has 150 levels and is a good bit easier than the follow-up. Lode Runner Extra contains 110 all new levels and is more difficult than the first release. INSANELY difficult. The 32-bit Lode Runner games introduce new weapons to use to avoid enemies and collect gold, all of which work well though it may take a bit to get used to them. There is a pick axes to dig up into the ceiling, a jack hammer to dig straight down (including through material you can't dig through), an "ice gas" gun to stun enemies, bombs to blow up parts of levels, booby traps to permanently eliminate one enemy (or yourself if you're not careful), sticky paint cans to slow down walking speed along a small strip, and some others like keys, teleports, and so forth.

    Overall, if you gotta get one, I recommend Saturn Lode Runner The Legend Returns. It has some slick production values (back of manual and front of disc is much more aesthically pleasing than EXTRA) and the game is VERY hard but not as CRAZY HARD as Lode Runner Extra.

    But hell, get both and spend the rest of your lifetime JUST trying to get to Skeleton's Keep.

    I recommend them both, but if you're kinda iffy, I'd just recommend The Legend Returns. Keep in mind, I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say these games are ROCK HARD. But the level jumping feature and whatnot, it's worth trying your hand at each level at least once. Good stuff.

    I'll be back tomorrow with a most intriguing obscure import.... til then!



    and so it begins... run Jack run! Those savage monks move fast! 1 more level down... only 142 to go....

  17. #37
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    *cue movie trailer voice guy*

    You have heard of him.

    You have feared him.

    You know his name.

    He is the manifestation of all horror put into one.

    It doesn't matter who you are or where you grew up.

    He is a universal DEMON.

    Hollywood has tried to capture him.

    From a recent 2005 horror movie to one of the most notorious screen slashers -- MICHAEL MYERS from the Halloween films, he's been displayed and he's slayed.

    That's right baby.

    He's the one older brothers use to scare their little brothers.

    He's the reason you got that uneasy feeling whenever your back was turned to an open dark closet.

    He's why the hair on the back of your neck stood up as a child when your mommy and daddy said good night and turned off the lights.

    He lurks in the shadows...

    Watching...

    Waiting....

    And tonight... you will know him better than ever.

    TONIGHT, you will come face to face with an old nemesis.

    TONIGHT, he will invade your SEGA Saturn.

    *end movie trailer voice guy*

    Well OK... not THAT Boogeyman... but his cousin, for sure.

    This game was on my want list since 2001. 4 years.

    Was it worth the long wait? Or is it a horrible bust?

    The package was received on a warm May day. I thought to myself again. 4 bloody years -- VINDICATED! I ripped the package open.

    Popped it in.

    The intro began to play.

    Little grainy.

    But the intro set the tone just right. I was on the edge of my seat. The dreamy-ness and the spookiness of it all... this is right up my alley.

    Figured out what game I'm talking about yet?

    Here's a hint:

    It's NOT a Japanese import!

    NO!

    It's a PAL (European game) exclusive.

    Still stumped?

    Mix the the following and whadaya get?

    -NiGHTS
    -Pandemonium!
    -Zombies Ate My Neighbors
    -Zelda
    -Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
    -Nightmare on Elm Street
    -Haunting (yes, that old cult-hit MegaDrive game)
    -Things That Go Bump In The Night
    -Boogeyman

    And what do you get?

    That's right!

    You get

    SWAGMAN !!




    It came out on US PS1 and on eBay is very common and can be had for 5-10 bucks easily. The Saturn PAL version is hard to find and a lot more expensive. You could just get the PS1 version.... but why?

    Basically, Swagman is a top down action/adventure game with classic elements borrowed from other games. I guess "NiGHTS in platform well, form" is not too bad a description. You first start out upstairs at your house, and make your way through the house fending off some of Swagman's henchmen, before going to places beyond just your house. You locate keys, use them to open locked doors, collect various items, solve simple puzzles and classic trademarks like timed jumps, etc.

    You first start out in Zack's upstair bedroom. You collect a flashlight to use as a weapon. You leave the room and there's a huge gaping hole in the ground. There are gaping holes in a lot of the rooms. From here spits fire and fireslugs.




    You go through the house exploring, killing, and trying to piece the clues to the puzzle and unlock new areas to explore and what have you.


    Kitchen Mayhem


    There are mirrors that when you enter you enter Swagman's evil worlds, and here you take on the form of a beast where the game becomes much more action-oriented.

    Here's a basic study guide:

    Paradise Falls: The town that has been cursed on one fateful night. Population: 220

    Zack: Good guy. 8 years old. You control him

    Hannah: Good girl. Zack's twin. You control her too (once you rescue her)

    Swagman: Evil demon. Leader of the Night Terrors

    Night Terrors: Swagman's henchmen.

    Dreamash: The bad stuff Swagman spreads around to keep nightmares alive

    Dreamflight: A good group of angels. You must save them to restore peace to Paradise Falls.

    Dreamdew: Like Dream-Ash, except used by the Dreamflight for good purposes i.e. keeps nightmares away

    Dreambeasts: What Zack and Hannah turn into once entering the Terrortries

    Terrortries: Swagman's dark evil worlds

    Scarab Leader: The leader of Zack's bug collection. Will pop up here and there to lend advice and save games

    The rest... well.... I'll let SEGA SATURN MAGAZINE take it away...


    OI! YOU DIRTY SWAG!

    Been having bad dreams lately? Sleepless nights spent tossing and turning, your mind drifting off into a nightmare world of strange creatures and shadowed places? If the answer's "yes," you've probably just entered the creepy twilight world of the Swagman. Matt Yeo catches 40 winks...

    Are you sitting comfortably children? You are? Very well, then I'll begin... "Late one night when the small town of Paradise Falls had fallen asleep, Zack and his twin sister Hannah decided to read a poem about the Swagman and his gruesome gang of Night Terrors. It tells the tale of how these sinister characters emerge from their twisted, bad-dream landscape -- the Terrortries -- to spread nightmare-inducing Dreamash on sleeping folk.

    As Zack and Hannah read this, a rush of wind and a noise from the window freezes them in alarm. But a soft light illuminates the room around them and as they turn, they see a Dreamfly sprinkling Dreamdew into their room. The kids rush to the window, watching as she flies back off across town. But hunched in the darkness on the bough of a tree is the Swagman. Reaching his crooked hand up toward the Dreamfly, he captures her in a swarm of Dreamash. She is fated to be imprisoned in one of his bell-jars -- just like the other members of the Dreamflight.

    With them captured in this way, the Swagman can safely send his Terrors through the portals between his and our world to extend the boundaries of the Terrortries. Without the Dreamflight to neutralize the bad dreams coiling through sleepers' minds, they will never waken from his nightmare. As Zack and Hannah witness this from their bedroom window, a loud splintering sound from the landing and the kids cower in fear!

    FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
    Whoa, spooky stuff, eh? Well at least that's what Core are hoping. You see, the Derby based company have been patiently waiting for Swagman to emerge from the development time warp it's been stuck in for the last few years and finally make it to the Saturn sometime before the end of the decade. Of course the two year wait is nothing compared to Virgin's oft delayed Heart of Darkness but when a title constantly overshoots its deadlines it's often a miracle if the game ever makes it to store shelves at all. Fortunately, the good news is that Swagman has been completed at last. What's more, Saturn owners are in for a rare treat as this creepy mix of Tim Burton cast-offs, Halloween has-beens and classic puzzle games is something of a fresh breath of air in an industry where who's-got-the-highest-polygon-count are the order of the day.

    Taking its inspiration from a number of obvious sources, Swagman represents something of a departure for Core whose recent products, such as Tomb Raider, have pushed the boundaries of 3D gaming even further. Settling for a unique 2D overhead playing angle, the game follows the adventures of twins, Zack and Hannah, as they enter the enchanted and deadly nightmare world of the Swagman. If there's something about these screenshots that seems strangely familiar, you'd be right. The Swagman team are more than happy to cite their influences and are keen to point out that the films of Tim Burton have been the main inspiration behind the style and mood of the game's characters and settings. However, while the visual allure may be blatantly "borrowed" from the likes of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice, the gameplay takes it cues from the legendary Zelda series and a cult 16-bit title some of you maye recall, Konami's Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

  18. #38
    ServBot (Level 11) Steven's Avatar
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    A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
    As the game begins, players discover that Hannah has been shrunk by one of the Swagman's devious Skallywags (a bizarre green-skulled monstrosity) and imprisoned within the twins' toy bird cage. As if that wasn't worrying enough, the Swagman has also cast a powerful spell over Paradise Falls permanently trapping the inhabitants (all 220 of them) within a deep, never-ending sleep. Zack knows that he and Hannah are the only people awake in the entire town and the only ones who can fight the Swagman and his invading army of Night Terrors. It's now up to him to free Hannah, discover the whereabouts of the Good Great Dreamfly and the eleven members of her Dreamflight, and to rescue them from the clutches of the Swagman and his terrifying Night Terrors so that we can all sleep peacefully once again.

    Players are initially only able to control Zack as he searches valiantly for a way to free his trapped sister. Fortunately he won't have to face this frightening task all on his lonesome as he enlists the aid of some creepy crawler friends.

    In the world of dreams, Zack's proud bug collection becomes one of his greatest tools and in fact the leader of the insects is even transformed into a mystical guide who pops up from time to time in order to impart wisdom and handy hints upon weary adventurers. During your journey through each of the game's 16 massive levels (there are also an additional 56 sub-stages to discover), players are required to collect as many bugs as possible. In later levels the bugs reveal their true usefulness by mapping out safe routes through certain danger filled stages. The twins also employ a number of special devices to protect them from the Night Terrors including a powerful torch, a homing frisbee, a nifty yo-yo and mini bombs.

    DREAMS CAN COME TRUE
    Once Hannah has been rescued, the game takes on a completely new life as players are able to combine the twins' abilities and are often required to make them act co-operatively to complete certain tasks. For instance, if a ledge is out of reach, Zach and Hannah may stand on each other thereby gaining a much need height boost. Once players have mastered the individual and combined abilities of both characters, their world is turned upside down once again as they access the Dreamworld proper.

    While the initial levels are set in a slightly warped version of our own world, the twins now enter a new dimension: the Swagman's Terrortries. These truly bizarre levels not only feature environments that exist purely in the realm of dreams but they also see the twins undertaking a radical transformation. By entering strategically placed mirrors in the Real World, Zack and Hannah are physically altered and take on the form of Dreambeasts, monstrous creatures with inhuman strength and fiery breath. During these stages, players find themselves fending off attacks by even more bizarre creatures but Zack's Power Punch and Fiery Breath and Hannah's Claw Ripper and Eye Laserbeams are usually powerful enough to fend off any assault. As the game's many levels are travelled and discovered, Zack and Hannah find themselves spending more and more time in both the Terrortries and in their new bodies.

    Swagman Interview (cut and condensed)

    SSM: How long has Swagman been in development?

    Chris Long: It seems forever now, but about 2 years.

    SSM: Why so long?

    CL: Swagman is an arcade adventure with RPG undertones. All of the backgrounds and enemies are fully 3D rendered images. The game itself is enormous -- level one alone has over 20 different graphic sets so it's taken quite a while to get everything finished!

    SSM: Why did you decide to produce this type of game?

    CL: One of the original reasons was the fact that most games tend to be polygon-based these days -- we wanted to get away from that. Even though Swagman uses polygons for certain objects, most of the game is set in a pre-rendered two-dimensional world. We felt that there was enough room in the market place for a different type of game.




    SSM: What did you set out to achieve with Swagman? How does it differ from other games of the genre?

    CL: We wanted to create a virtual cartoon world for the players to explore -- in doing so I think we've managed to create a virtually unique graphical style. I don't think there's really anything similar around at the moment. Also, the main characters, Zack and Hannah, interact in a fairly unique way -- they help each other through the adventure. The game world is split into two halves: the Real World and the Swagman's Terrortries. When Zack and Hannah enter the Terrortries they transform into two new Dreambeast characters and the gameplay becomes more action-charged.

    SSM: What factors influenced Swagman's development?

    CL: The strongest influence is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The style and mood seemed to fit perfectly to the initial concept for the game. We also looked at Zelda and Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the SNES -- elements from both of these games have been blended into Swagman in an attempt to create one mega adventure!

    SSM: How many spooky foes can players expect to encounter in Swagman?

    CL: There are around 50 enemies in the adventure but some areas are secret and could contain some nasty surprises....

    SSM: How do the twins interact with each other?

    CL: The two characters can co-operate with each other in a number of ways. Once can jump on top of the other thus allowing access to otherwise unreachable places, or pressure pads must have the combined weight of both characters on them to stay active. Also Zack and Hannah have different weapons/abilities so it requires a combination of efforts from each character in order to progress.

    SSM: Have you usrd any special graphical effects to achieve Swagman's unique look?

    CL: One of the main goals was to incorporate as many new FX as possible. This include mirrors, true light-sourcing, shadow casting from fixed or moving lights, swirling abyss holes, polygonal warps and many more.

    SSM: Finally, although a technically proficient machine some 2D Saturn games still run at quite a slow frame rate. How does Swagman compare?

    CL: Swagman runs at 60 frames per second which many other games simply can't achieve using multi-linked objects, particle FX, polygon objects, transparencies, etc. The result is a smooth, solid enviroment that we hope will scare the wits out of players!

    ---

    SSM awarded Swagman with a very respectable 88%. Here are some bits pulled out from their review:

    "The real challenge soon becomes apparent as players are required to figure out how best to utilize the twins' abilities in certain situations while being attacked from all sides by creatures of all shapes and sizes. That's not to say Swagman becomes a frustrating game. In fact there's nothing more rewarding than finally solving a tricky puzzle room and being rewarded with a level warp, secret stage or power-up. It soon becomes apparent Swagman's lengthy development period has been spent wisely, resulting in a clever, engaging and enjoyable title that harkens back to the glory days of 16-bit gaming.

    Give it time, patiently tackle each level and puzzle logically and you'll soon discover that Swagman is a clever, ingenious little title that's guaranteed to give you many sleepless nights.

    Another triumph for Core and another top quality title for Saturn. A creepy blend of puzzles, platforms and phantoms."


    What do I think of it? Not an essential game, but it's solid and worth adding to the ole library if you have the means. If you particularly enjoyed Zelda, Legend of Oasis or Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Herc's Adventures, and you loved the whole NiGHTS storyline, you'll probably get quite a thrill out of Swagman.

    It really does harken back to the glory days of 16-bit gaming. And I must say the music is flat out awesome, composed by the talented duo of Nathan McCree and Martin Iveson.

    Swagman might not be the best game ever, but it's sure to leave you with a certain satisfying feeling.


    Swagman awaits.... but first you must go through terrors like this one! Can you save Paradise Falls? Find out... on a Saturn (or PlayStation) near you!

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    double post, oops

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    Ah the last title we looked at was Swagman, a nice little game as cool as the other side of the pillow.

    Like monsters?

    Good.

    We'll keep that theme.

    Quick question:

    What Saturn game features a dracula?

    OK so Dracula X comes to mind.

    K, lemme add, also features a frankenstein, werewolf, mummy and merman? And is chain combo city?

    OK so the 2 Capcom Darkstalker games come to mind...

    Alright...

    This game was released only in Japanese arcades and Saturn.

    AH-HA!

    Now I've got you stumped.

    Let's take a glander at...

    MONSTER SLIDER





    This is a gimmicky puzzle game that features quasi-SD monster characters in a very chain-combo-friendly system.

    WAKU WAKU MONSTER, reviewed not too long ago, featured monsters of the POKEMON variety, MONSTER SLIDER on the other hand gives us creatures we would more readily define as actual monsters. Two obscure puzzle games featuring monsters? Only on SEGA Saturn, baby, only on SEGA Saturn.

    As the title suggests, sliding is a factor in the game. The field is slanted left or right, and at any time you can hit R to shift the field right, whereby gravity takes over and shifts the pieces accordingly, or you can hit L to shift the field left, and the pieces go accordingly likewise. As these pieces slide, any 3 or more like-colors touch, they disappear. It doesn't matter if they're "suppose" to keep sliding -- as long as any 3 or more touch -- it automatically disappears. So, as you might imagine, pure luck of the draw adds up to numerous 5+ hit chains that really, requires little skill and is all luck.

    This just causes for all-matter implosion of chain "whoa I meant to do that!" combos. Thought Deron Dero Dero (AKA Tecmo Stackers) was "scrub friendly?" Thought there was too much luck involved with Puzzle Fighter? You haven't seen SHIT til you see this.

    A minimum of three like-colors must touch to disappear. Due to the field being on a slant, you have two chances for the price of one to touch. OK that sounded wrong, and I know it's hard without a proper visual (QUIET YOU) but once you see it you get it. There are six colors:

    sky blue
    dark blue
    red
    yellow
    green
    purple

    There is also a special block that comes in each of the six colors, but has a distinctive look to it in the middle. Say you get a red block like this. Basically pop any 3 pieces touching this special block and ALL the red pieces on the field will disappear. This also can lead to some huge chain attacks.

    The controls are not super. It's not that moving pieces left and right are too slow, in fact it's too DAMN fast!

    You can select from 12 monsters, and each has their own unique form of attack.

    -Dracula (as seen on cover)
    -Girl (as seen on cover)
    -Skeleton
    -Merman
    -Old Ice Monster
    -Faceless Knight
    -Frankenstein
    -Mummy
    -Werewolf
    -Madusa
    -Sucubus (sp?)
    -Rock Monster

    In the options mode there is a cool music test feature where the
    monsters pop outta graves to dance to the beat.

    Each character has an appropriate attack. For example:

    -Big Frank makes your field black out... with only streaks of lightning to light the field
    -Madusa turns your pieces into statues
    -Ice monster freezes your blocks

    etc. Pretty cool.

    There is a Story mode (where you have to control the main girl character on front cover and only her). There is a 2P mode and a standalone mode. Overall pretty bare stuff. I was hoping for a VS. CPU mode or at least that the story mode allowed us to pick any of the 11 other monsters. Standalone mode does let you pick out of the 12, but it's just not the same.

    So, if you're a lone gamer, the mileage here automatically dips.

    I actually bought this game back in July of 2003. I remember playing this game 4th of July. I was scheduled to take my cousins to go see the fireworks show, and thought "eh can't hurt to try this game out for 15 minutes." I fired up the stand alone mode and well... couldn't die quite frankly.

    47 minutes later and I was already late on schedule but I just couldn't believe my eyes that I was still alive.... It just sucked me in. Not so much the gameplay but the fact that I was never in any REAL threat to die, as the chains kept COMING AND COMING. It was insane combos galore!

    My highest chain (on my 1st time playing too) was 9. I got several 8's and 7's. So unbelievable that when I *wanted to die* I just stacked them up as to die. And yet STILL somehow I created 5 and 6 hit chains! Unbelievable.

    I dunno why, but this game feels like an N64 game... can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's just me though.

    Overall, I'd say skip this unless you're a hardcore puzzle fanatic. It's not that it's a wretched (puzzle) game by any means, but it just isn't as addicting or charming as other puzzlers out there. I also question its longevity if you're a lone gamer, and quite frankly, it's WAY too much on the luck side of things... I want a little more skill and thinking in my puzzle games.

    Monster Slider has unique gimmicks and may appeal to some, but me I just never could get into it like I hoped. It is oozing with personality but... at the same time lacks personality. It's hard to explain. In the end this is like eating a candy bar. Leaves you feeling empty and wanting something with more substance.

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