Top 20 MSX Games

[motley6]

Haven't seen too many threads about some of the great MSX/MSX2 games out there. It's the domain of some of the all time great Konami, Compile and Micro Cabin games out there.


Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Illusion City
Snatcher
SD Snatcher
Aleste 2
Vampire Killer (Castlevania)
Xak II - Rising of the Redmoon
The Goonies
Bubble Bobble
King Kong 2
Fray- In Magical Adventure
J.B. Harold Murder Club
J.B. Harold Manhattan Requiem
Undeadline
The Tower Of Cabin
Golvellius 2
Space Manbow
Contra
Y's III: Wanderers From Y's

[Zebbe]

So there WAS a Golvellius sequel after all...! I beat the Master System version which promised a sequel, but it didn't appear on that console. Please tell me more about Golvellius 2 if you can.

I've never played a MSX, but the following titles have I played on other formats and are great: Snatcher, Aleste, Ys (sic) III: Wanderers from Ys, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Contra and Undeadline.

[smokehouse]

You know, I might try emulating this machine. I'm not normally a fan of emulation but for a system this odd, I don't want to buy it. I'm especially interested in the Konami titles...and of those Metal Gear interests me the most. I love the original NES version and the MSX version looks way better than that...I'd really like to try it.

[motley6]

So there WAS a Golvellius sequel after all...! I beat the Master System version which promised a sequel, but it didn't appear on that console. Please tell me more about Golvellius 2 if you can.

I've never played a MSX, but the following titles have I played on other formats and are great: Snatcher, Aleste, Ys (sic) III: Wanderers from Ys, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Contra and Undeadline.

There is an English translation for Golvellius 2 floating around the net for Japanese MSX.

[Soviet Conscript]

So there WAS a Golvellius sequel after all...! I beat the Master System version which promised a sequel, but it didn't appear on that console. Please tell me more about Golvellius 2 if you can.

I've never played a MSX, but the following titles have I played on other formats and are great: Snatcher, Aleste, Ys (sic) III: Wanderers from Ys, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Contra and Undeadline.

acually...no. there is no Golvellius 2 its just a remake for the MSX2

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/golvellius/golvellius.htm

i almost had an msx2 system last month but it got damaged in shipping :(

[roushimsx]

So there WAS a Golvellius sequel after all...! I beat the Master System version which promised a sequel, but it didn't appear on that console. Please tell me more about Golvellius 2 if you can.

It's not a sequel, it's just a different version of the same game. Sort of. There's a nice HG101 article on the game (http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/golvellius/golvellius.htm) that you'd probably dig.

I'm bummed Woomb went down. I really wanted to play the officially translated Xak games but the service went down a few days before I was about to break down and buy them. Seriously shitty timing on my behalf; I should have just gone hog wild when the service launched and picked up everything I was interested in. Not that I hate Oasis translations or anything, but let's face it...they're generally pretty terrible.

One of these days I'll get to play Dragon Slayer VI and the Xak trilogy in readable english. One of these days....

edit - son of a bitch, beaten! :(

[Gapporin]

I don't really have that extensive of an MSX library (yet), but from what I have so far, Koneko No Daibouken is a neat little Mario clone that adds some different, simple things to the mix. The VCS ports, River Raid in particular, aren't bad, either (but I don't know if I would put them in the top 20).

Oh yeah. If anybody knows how the heck to play Dires - Giger Loop, get in touch with me. Posthaste.

[Ed Oscuro]

Happy news on my part: I got Space Manbow today, and played it a bit.

Further comments on my part about playing Space Manbow for the first time HERE (http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=21829).

I'd say this is rubbing the salt in, but since I'M THE GUY who bought these games, it'd be more like taking a jump into a salt bin myself.

It's quite ironic because I was once one of the bigger boosters of the domestic Japanese computer systems about - the three being MSX2, X68000, and FM Towns (FM Towns should probably be replaced by PC-9801 or any of the other bazillion market-crushing varieties of NEC computer, but as bad as the FM Towns library is, I don't think PC-9801 has much for me).

SPECIAL SUPER NOTE: With the exception of Aleste Gaiden which I just watched a video of on Yew (http://www.shee-eire.com/Herbs,Trees&Fungi/Trees/Yew/Photos/yew-002.jpg)t0ob (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99PcP0aFNE), I HAVE PLAYED ALL OF THESE ON THE BEST NON-TURBO MSX THERE IS, so do not claim that it plays better. With the exception of maybe Undeadline (and I don't think so), none of these games plays any better than I describe it here (although Space Manbow plays better on an MSX2+ than on a regular MSX2).

But anyhow:

- Vampire Killer is so-so at best. From what I remember, repetitive hunt-the-key!!11 "gameplay"
- Contra is flickscreen, also sort of rubbish
- Aleste 2 feels somewhat wrong (I don't actually own this one, came close to buying a copy a few times recently though), I'd much rather buy almost any other game in the series (maybe even the GG titles).
- Aleste Gaiden looks even worse; far too little happening and the jump doesn't make up for that
- Undeadline: Worst Version. It's still not bad at all, but there's massive slowdown at points.
- Space Manbow is alright! It's like Gradius but without force fields or the annoying option pickup stuff.

Zak and Ys are games that - unless I'm wrong - should be available in all-around improved versions on X68000 and probably PC-Engine CD.

So there are, currently, a grand total of TWO games I enjoy on the MSX2+, and one of them is available for LESS money (on average) on two other systems where it also plays better (altough all three versions are slightly different, I believe).

I still count that a success; albeit an expensive one, and the MSX2+ isn't a terrible system. It does put my bitching about how the Saturn just seems to have lots of arcade ports into perspective, doesn't it?

@ Soviet Conscript: Think of it as an opportunity - get yourself an MSX2+ next time. Sorry about the loss all the same.