2017 Game Completion Challenge

[celerystalker]

I just played through Tom and Jerry: The Movie for Sega Master System. Despite the name, it doesn't follow the plot of the movie. Would it still count for player's choice?

Yeah, with movie licensed games, pretty severe deviation is pretty normal. Count it.

[biofall]

This week I had some trouble settling on a game for players choice. I started out playing Mad Max(2015) and got about 2 hours in. I enjoyed the game but I really wanted to play some "Persona 5," so decided a 20 hour game this week wasn't in my best interest. I then went and searched through my games for a short movie game. I decided to try out "Disney's Hercules"(ps1) but found myself not really enjoying the game so I stopped that after a little under an hour of play. Thankfully I then remembered a game I hadn't played since its release, "Shrek Super Slam"(PS2). If you haven't figured it out by now, fighting games are my favorite genre, not to mention there single player tends to be short. So I was pretty excited to play the game again.

"Shrek Super Slam" is far from the most amazing game but, it is still pretty good fun to beat up some friends in a chaotic party fighter. The story mode of the game had its share of silly one-liners and ridiculous scenarios, fitting of a "Shrek" game. Unsurprisingly, being that it was a game made for kids, it was a very easy game. Managed to beat it in well under an hour. Wasn't really keeping track of time but I'm guessing it took about a half hour. Overall the mechanics of the game were actually decent. Having a block button that can be broken pretty easily but, that is far from useless, actually allowed for "smart play" instead of just mashing the punch button and hoping for a good item. I've never been a fan of the, build a bar by doing damage, in order to get the only kill move style fighters(think PS All Stars). Which definitely made the game a little underwhelming in my opinion, but all in all not a terrible playthrough.

10247

I attempted to play "Super Spike V'ball" this week. However I found I am really bad at this game. I had some trouble grasping how to effectively play defense. After a little over an hour of playing and failing to even come within 4 points of winning a match, I decided to call it quits. So I think I may be done this week. Now excuse me as I go spend all my gaming time on "Persona 5."

[jperryss]

For the player's choice I finished Super Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back (SNES).

10250

At first glance this game looks like it'll be nearly identical to the first game, just with different levels. But somehow it's just not as good. The hit detection feels worse and there are a lot of cheap hits that make the platforming sections a pain. The controls aren't as tight (the original wasn't perfect either but you learned to deal with it). The flying/mode7 stages are still a nice break, but feel a bit more tedious and not as enjoyable. The level bosses (especially Vader) are drawn out due to very long energy bars (especially the final Vader fight). And many of the stages get repetitive, especially towards the end, and I found myself just constantly double-jumping with the lightsaber to fly through them. The addition of force powers in this one was a neat touch and a few of those boss battles would be brutal without them (especially Heal).

I owned and played through the original many times and it was tough, but when you hit Game Over you knew you'd get better and make it farther next time. Maybe it's been too long and the first game wasn't that good either, but this one feels more difficult in all the wrong ways and just not as fun as the first one. Or maybe I'm just older and not as good as I used to be.


Anyway, I just took the boat overseas in Lunar TSS and will try to start putting more time into that one now.

[Scissors]

I attempted to play "Super Spike V'ball" this week. However I found I am really bad at this game. I had some trouble grasping how to effectively play defense. After a little over an hour of playing and failing to even come within 4 points of winning a match, I decided to call it quits. So I think I may be done this week. Now excuse me as I go spend all my gaming time on "Persona 5."

I found that just mashing the A button starting right before they hit the ball works okay. I rarely tried to jump and block.

[celerystalker]

Yeah, the secret to defense in Super Spike is NOT trying to block a spike. Position your defender about two body-widths from the net, vertically centered, and hit A to dig as soon as they spike. You'll usually dig and have a good chance to return.

Also, glad to see you tried Silent Bomber, Scissors! The last boss stage is irritating until you figure out the chess pieces are killed faster by bigger explosions, but I really liked it. Pretty unique game.

[celerystalker]

New week, new games! Lots of good movie game wins this week! Plus, one day left to beat those pesky Russians at volleyball. I've been struggling with insomnia, and haven't posted much this week (and forgot to post the scoreboard). However, new scoreboard will go up on Monday to capture us current through week 14. On to the games!

-SCAT (NES)

-pick a game from the Bonk franchise. Yes, Air Zonk is allowed. The Gamecube remake/remix is pretty cool, too.

-player's choice: pick a game containing the word "Star" in its title. Examples might include Star Jacker, Star Force, Super Star Wars, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Puzzle Star Sweep, Twinkle Star Sprites, The Red Star (the best PS2 game nobody gives a shit about...), etc.

-import alternative: Gear Fighter Dendoh (PS1)

-A few folks are going strong on Lunar after a month where Emperor Megas took a big jump by beating Muramasa. Who will finish this month?

[Scissors]

Also, glad to see you tried Silent Bomber, Scissors! The last boss stage is irritating until you figure out the chess pieces are killed faster by bigger explosions, but I really liked it. Pretty unique game.

I've actually played it before. I do remember the final boss being a pain. I'm still working on it for this week and I think I'll be done by tomorrow.

Is there an import alternative for next week?

[celerystalker]

I've actually played it before. I do remember the final boss being a pain. I'm still working on it for this week and I think I'll be done by tomorrow.

Is there an import alternative for next week?

Ha, yes, still a little loopy. I've only slept 5 hours since Monday. Fixed. :)

[biofall]

-player's choice: pick a game containing the word "Star" in its title. Examples might include Star Jacker, Star Force, Super Star Wars, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Puzzle Star Sweep, Twinkle Star Sprites, The Red Star (the best PS2 game nobody gives a shit about...), etc.

Just double checking, if the title contains the plural "stars" it still counts, correct?

[celerystalker]

Just double checking, if the title contains the plural "stars" it still counts, correct?

It does. Plurals are fine.

[Scissors]

It seems I was closer to the end then I thought. I beat Silent Bomber. I'm not sure why I had so much trouble with the final boss last time I played. I easily beat him on my second try this time.

[celerystalker]

It seems I was closer to the end then I thought. I beat Silent Bomber. I'm not sure why I had so much trouble with the final boss last time I played. I easily beat him on my second try this time.

I dig the game a lot. The final boss itself isn't so bad when you learn his pattern, but the chess battle always drives me nuts, even after I had it down. It's just long. Still, one of the more underrated action games on the console, hokey story and all.

[Cornelius]

Not sure if it counts for anything since I started it weeks ago, but I *completed* it just now. And it could go in the movie inspired category...

I played with some mods installed, most notably the Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge mod. I thought it was pretty amazing for a fan mod, though certainly not without its flaws. I'd say it is worth playing, but a lot of it is told through playable flashbacks, which I was pretty dang sick of by the end. Overall the addon was longer than it needed to be, but still, props to the creators. I'd also forgotten how much stuff you can miss in this game if you aren't careful; sidequests, dialogue with companions, etc. I played a female, with the Romance Bastilla mod, but failed to get the kiss scene. Darn. Ah, the things that titillated me in my youth!

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww75/evanwink42/IMG_20170408_235434.jpg

[celerystalker]

Not sure if it counts for anything since I started it weeks ago, but I *completed* it just now. And it could go in the movie inspired category...

I played with some mods installed, most notably the Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge mod. I thought it was pretty amazing for a fan mod, though certainly not without its flaws. I'd say it is worth playing, but a lot of it is told through playable flashbacks, which I was pretty dang sick of by the end. Overall the addon was longer than it needed to be, but still, props to the creators. I'd also forgotten how much stuff you can miss in this game if you aren't careful; sidequests, dialogue with companions, etc. I played a female, with the Romance Bastilla mod, but failed to get the kiss scene. Darn. Ah, the things that titillated me in my youth!

http://i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww75/evanwink42/IMG_20170408_235434.jpg

Well, good news, it counts since it was completed in the right week. The choice is, do you count it as player's choice forweek 14 or 15?

[Aussie2B]

For the player's choice, I played through the first Densetsu no Starfy game on GBA (not to be confused with The Legendary Starfy on DS, which is actually the fifth Starfy game). I'm probably stretching the rules in more ways than one here, considering it's not the word "star" (or "stars") by itself, and the hero's name is even romanized as "Stafy" at the start of the credits roll, as seen here. But when the series was finally brought to the West, Nintendo decided that his name would officially be spelled as "Starfy". Anyway, if it doesn't count, no biggie. It was fun to finally sink some time into this game. :)

http://i.imgur.com/GYCpd7k.jpg

[celerystalker]

For the player's choice, I played through the first Densetsu no Starfy game on GBA (not to be confused with The Legendary Starfy on DS, which is actually the fifth Starfy game). I'm probably stretching the rules in more ways than one here, considering it's not the word "star" (or "stars") by itself, and the hero's name is even romanized as "Stafy" at the start of the credits roll, as seen here. But when the series was finally brought to the West, Nintendo decided that his name would officially be spelled as "Starfy". Anyway, if it doesn't count, no biggie. It was fun to finally sink some time into this game. :)

http://i.imgur.com/GYCpd7k.jpg

It counts. I still haven't gotten around to playing that series yet. Seems like they'd be pleasant, inoccuous little platformers, but I just haven't felt the tug. Time to get out the notebook and put up the newest scoreboard. It's been a couple of weeks.

[celerystalker]

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks, but here's your current scoreboard as of today:

RP2A03-25

Snow Bros
Bucky O'Hare
Guerrilla War
Magic Sword
Tiny Toon Adventures
Mega Man X
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Wheel of Fortune starring Vanna White
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Crystal's Pony Tail
Bats & Terry
Vice: Project Doom
Double Dare
Chiki Chiki Boys
Psycho Dream
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu
Comic Sakka Series Touma Senki 2
Eggerland
Star Trek Generations

jperryss-19

Breakthru
Grind Stormer
Duck Tales 2
Guerrilla War
Mega Man X
Lords of Thunder
Soul Blazer (RPG)
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Metroid
Monster Party
Vice: Project Doom
Final Fight
Chiki Chiki Boys
Dragon Warrior 2
Super The Empire Strikes Back

Cornelius-12

Space Invaders Extreme
Duck Tales
D
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Lords of Thunder
Golden Axe Warrior
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Scissors-25

Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Road Runner
Trap Gunner
Strider
Bucky O'Hare
Metal Storm
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Red Alarm
RayStorm
Valis
Burning Force
Monster Party
Vice: Project Doom
Aztec Adventure
Chiki Chiki Boys
Vanark
Super Mario Land
Sonic Spinball
Super Spike V'ball
Silent Bomber
Tom & Jerry: The Movie

Emperor Megas-19

Pocket Fighter
Puyo Pop Fever
Aladdin
Insector X
Target Earth
Thunder Force II
Black Tiger
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Syd of Valis
Monster Party
Muramasa
Samurai Shodown
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars
Astal

Az-8

Street Fighter II
Pit Fighter
TMNT Tournament Fighters
Magic Sword
Guerrilla War
Psychic Force
Alien Storm
Super Final Fight Gold

biofall-13

Hotline Miami 2
Vice: Project Doom
Power Stone 2
Pocky & Rocky 2
Fatal Frame 2
Crash Warped
Parappa the Rapper
Adventures of Lolo
Hebereke's Popoitto
Cyberbots
Shrek Super Slam

Niku sama-1

Rad Racer

Aussie2B-2

Thomas Was Alone
Densetsu no Starfy

brandon913-2

Adventures of Lolo
Battleship

FieryReign-21

Super Fantasy Zone
Street Fighter II
Strider
Pit Fighter
Quackshot
Rastan
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
Snow White
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Galactic Attack
That's so Raven 2
Ranger X
Bare Knuckle 3
Burning Force
Vice: Project Doom

Lots of big wins lately. Emperor Megas was the only one to finish the March RPG, biofall, brandon913, Aussie2B, and Niku-sama all made the scoreboard for the first time, with biofall racking up a ton of points in a hurry! The first imports were taken down, and Scissors, jperryss, and RP2A03 continue to steadily jam out wins.

As always, let me know if I missed any of your victories so you get your points!

[celerystalker]

A few interesting statistics, assuming I counted correctly:

All of you players have combined to complete 117 games so far!

While RP2A03 and Scissors are currently tied with 25 points each, Scissors has completed the most individual games at 21. Not bad for less than four months, guys!

11 different players have made the scoreboard so far.


Thanks everyone for playing along and sharing your thoughts on the games! It's a lot of fun for me to get to recommend games I enjoy, hear your thoughts, and get to see what you pick for player's choice games. I enjoy reading all of your thoughts every day!

Thanks, and good luck this week!

[RP2A03]

I couldn't help but notice that the scoreboard is getting rather unwieldy, so I took the liberty of placing it in a table.







USER

SCORE

GAMES



RP2A03

25

Snow Bros
Bucky O'Hare
Guerrilla War
Magic Sword
Tiny Toon Adventures
Mega Man X
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Wheel of Fortune starring Vanna White
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Crystal's Pony Tail
Bats & Terry
Vice: Project Doom
Double Dare
Chiki Chiki Boys
Psycho Dream
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu
Comic Sakka Series Touma Senki 2
Eggerland
Star Trek Generations


Scissors

25

Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Road Runner
Trap Gunner
Strider
Bucky O'Hare
Metal Storm
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Red Alarm
RayStorm
Valis
Burning Force
Monster Party
Vice: Project Doom
Aztec Adventure
Chiki Chiki Boys
Vanark
Super Mario Land
Sonic Spinball
Super Spike V'ball
Silent Bomber
Tom & Jerry: The Movie


FieryReign

21

Super Fantasy Zone
Street Fighter II
Strider
Pit Fighter
Quackshot
Rastan
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker
Snow White
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Galactic Attack
That's so Raven 2
Ranger X
Bare Knuckle 3
Burning Force
Vice: Project Doom


Emperor Megas

19

Pocket Fighter
Puyo Pop Fever
Aladdin
Insector X
Target Earth
Thunder Force II
Black Tiger
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Syd of Valis
Monster Party
Muramasa
Samurai Shodown
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd and the Lost Stars
Astal


jperryss

19

Breakthru
Grind Stormer
Duck Tales 2
Guerrilla War
Mega Man X
Lords of Thunder
Soul Blazer (RPG)
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Metroid
Monster Party
Vice: Project Doom
Final Fight
Chiki Chiki Boys
Dragon Warrior 2
Super The Empire Strikes Back


biofall

13

Hotline Miami 2
Vice: Project Doom
Power Stone 2
Pocky & Rocky 2
Fatal Frame 2
Crash Warped
Parappa the Rapper
Adventures of Lolo
Hebereke's Popoitto
Cyberbots
Shrek Super Slam


Cornelius

12

Space Invaders Extreme
Duck Tales
D
Illusion of Gaia (RPG)
Lords of Thunder
Golden Axe Warrior
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic


Az

8

Street Fighter II
Pit Fighter
TMNT Tournament Fighters
Magic Sword
Guerrilla War
Psychic Force
Alien Storm
Super Final Fight Gold


Aussie2B

2

Thomas Was Alone
Densetsu no Starfy


brandon913

2

Adventures of Lolo
Battleship


Niku sama

1

Rad Racer






To add someone new just insert the following any place immediately following [/TR]





name

0

games

[celerystalker]

Thanks, that's a much cleaner presentation, and I'm not the savviest with code (i.e. not at all familiar). :)

[Cornelius]

Well, good news, it counts since it was completed in the right week. The choice is, do you count it as player's choice forweek 14 or 15?

Well, I guess I'd go with week 14 on the off chance I play through another Star game. On that note, Luna just barely made it onto the ship. It was pretty intense, and I thought she'd wind up in the drink, but phew, she made it after all. Now the adventure can really begin... again... for the third time, I think.

[celerystalker]

Nobody playing SCAT yet? It's the shit. :embarrassed:

Actually, it's kinda like Forgotten Worlds meets Contra. One of the more underrated NES shooters, though it finally started getting pricey thanks to the word "Natsume" on its cover.

[Scissors]

I plan on playing SCAT. I've played it before and thought it was a pretty good game.

I tried playing Bonk's Adventure on Game Boy this week, but the game froze on me twice (the first time towards the end of stage 3 and the second time when I was at the final boss). I may not bother trying again.

I'll probably give Star Soldier (PS2) a go for player's choice, but If I can't get into it, I'll give Densetsu No Starfy a try.

[jperryss]

For the Bonk challenge I completed Super Genjin 2 (aka Super Bonk 2) for the Super Famicom. This one was partially translated.

10260

10261

I've played through the three TG16 Bonk games countless times (especially the first two) and was eager to try this one out.

Liked:
-New power ups. The original games basically had Angry Bonk, Angrier Bonk, and tiny/large Bonk in the third game. In this game you can fly, double-jump, and use a long tongue to climb or grab items behind walls. And each power up has a bonus level designed for it.
-The music is a lot of fun.
-Password system: The TG16 games didn't really need this, and with only 6 stages this one doesn't seem like it should either, but the levels are pretty long and it was a welcome feature.
-Farting Monkey.

Disliked:
-Even for a Bonk game, the controls feel a bit sluggish.
-The continue-where-you-die system of the previous games has been replaced with a checkpoint system which doesn't feel right for this game.
-Some of the power up sprites are kind of hideous, especially the tank one.
-The game doesn't present much of a challenge until the last two stages. The stage 5 boss is annoying and has an instant-kill move which you don't see much in this series. The last level is really long and includes the usual boss rush, but with tedious levels in between. Starting over at the beginning got pretty frustrating by the third attempt.



Nobody playing SCAT yet? It's the shit. :embarrassed:

Actually, it's kinda like Forgotten Worlds meets Contra. One of the more underrated NES shooters, though it finally started getting pricey thanks to the word "Natsume" on its cover.

I wasn't a fan of FW but am going to try this one out tonight.

[Scissors]

I tried playing Bonk's Adventure on Game Boy this week, but the game froze on me twice (the first time towards the end of stage 3 and the second time when I was at the final boss). I may not bother trying again.

Since Bonk's Adventure wasn't working for me, I played through Bonk's Revenge on Game Boy for player's choice. Can't say I thought either of them were all that great. They were much too easy.

[RP2A03]

Bonk's Adventure (NES) completed.


http://i.imgur.com/igxUOazh.png (http://i.imgur.com/igxUOaz.png)




Thanks, that's a much cleaner presentation, and I'm not the savviest with code (i.e. not at all familiar). :)

It's not that hard to understand. The hard part is not getting lost amidst all the nested tags. If you need any help just let me know.

[brandon913]

Just finished playing through Bonk's Adventure for the NES. Found it to be a rather fun game and not to terribly difficult.

http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad148/brandon91383/Weekly%20Game%20Challenge/snap0008_zps7dvjfopy.png (http://s930.photobucket.com/user/brandon91383/media/Weekly%20Game%20Challenge/snap0008_zps7dvjfopy.png.html)

[RP2A03]

I took an easy point for players choice and went with Star Fox. Judging by my performance, I am a little rusty.


http://i.imgur.com/6CqT5sVh.png (http://i.imgur.com/6CqT5sV.png)


Fun fact: due to a bug, on the REV 1.0 version of the game it is impossible to score more than 87% on Fortuna.



http://i.imgur.com/o1zhlyHh.png (http://i.imgur.com/o1zhlyH.png)



http://i.imgur.com/LeK4LKyh.png (http://i.imgur.com/LeK4LKy.png)

[celerystalker]

Looks like lots of late scoring this week. Good to see a few Bonk clears. They're pretty simple, fun little romps. Still hoping to hear some thoughts on SCAT. It's another pretty short, easy one, though it's fairly uncommon for an actual cart.

[Cornelius]

I just pulled out SCAT and had a go for about an hour. Only made it to the second boss :/ I'm just not very good at this type of game anymore, though I was never a wiz or anything. It is really good, though. I would have totally played the crap out of this game as a kid. I'll try to spend some more time with it, but completion seems unlikely.

[celerystalker]

15 weeks strong, and it's time for the new batch of challenge games! Good luck for everyone working on week 15 for the next day and a half. Anyhow, new week, new games:

-Phelios (Genesis, Arcade)

-LA Machineguns (Arcade, Wii)

-Player's choice: pick any game with 5 letters/numbers or less in its title. Examples might include Limbo, 1943, Tai Fu, Golf, NARC, etc.

-Lunar is getting some love from a couple of folks. Anyone else gonna take on the April RPG franchise?

-Import alternative: Wolf Fang (PS1, Saturn, Arcade)

Ha, sorry this post is late. I finally fell asleep while typing it 10 hours ago, but it feels amazing to have finally slept for more than an hour in the last several days!!

[Scissors]

I finished SCAT and Star Soldier (PS2). SCAT is pretty good, but a bit on the short side. I didn't really like Star Soldier. It wasn't exactly bad, just unremarkable in every way.

[celerystalker]

I finished SCAT and Star Soldier (PS2). SCAT is pretty good, but a bit on the short side. I didn't really like Star Soldier. It wasn't exactly bad, just unremarkable in every way.

Was Star Soldier the remake from the Hudson collection where they did Adventure Island, Bonk, Star Soldier, and Cubic Lode Runner? That version of Star Soldier is pretty vanilla as shooters go. I think Final Soldier is probably my favorite in that franchise.

Those remakes, though... Cubic Lode Runner is the star of the bunch. That game made a beautiful 3D evolution of classic Lode Runner instead of being a simple remake. I love that one.

[Scissors]

Was Star Soldier the remake from the Hudson collection where they did Adventure Island, Bonk, Star Soldier, and Cubic Lode Runner? That version of Star Soldier is pretty vanilla as shooters go. I think Final Soldier is probably my favorite in that franchise.

Those remakes, though... Cubic Lode Runner is the star of the bunch. That game made a beautiful 3D evolution of classic Lode Runner instead of being a simple remake. I love that one.

That's the one. I've played the Adventure Island and Bonk remakes too and was equally unimpressed. In both cases, I felt I would rather have been playing the originals. I haven't tried the Lode Runner one yet.

[Emperor Megas]

Between work, Easter, and a few other things, I missed out on a few really easy points these last couple of weeks. Hopefully I can get back in now. Phelios is a game I wanted since it was first released but hadn't acquired until a few years ago, but I never played until last year. I only played it a few times, and got nowhere near the end, so this is a good place to try to jump back in. Sadly, I've lost more than 2 weeks of RPG time, so I doubt that Lunar will get completed, but that won't stop me from trying.

[Scissors]

I played through the delightfully terrible Alf for player's choice. There is something endearing about how lazily designed the game is, along with the amazingly bad collision detection.

[celerystalker]

I played through the delightfully terrible Alf for player's choice. There is something endearing about how lazily designed the game is, along with the amazingly bad collision detection.

Oh, wow! That one is a mess! I have that one, and it is easily one of the sloppiest Master System games in the library. Congrats on having the stones for that one!

[celerystalker]

Between work, Easter, and a few other things, I missed out on a few really easy points these last couple of weeks. Hopefully I can get back in now. Phelios is a game I wanted since it was first released but hadn't acquired until a few years ago, but I never played until last year. I only played it a few times, and got nowhere near the end, so this is a good place to try to jump back in. Sadly, I've lost more than 2 weeks of RPG time, so I doubt that Lunar will get completed, but that won't stop me from trying.

Glad things are slowing down a bit for you. I hope it was all good stuff going on! Good luck finishing Phelios and Lunar. Phelios is fairly tame as vertical shooters go, so you'll probably take it down as long as you have time to get a feel for it.

[Emperor Megas]

What's the official policy on subtitles and taglines?

Like would a game like Halo: Combat Evolved, or Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller work, or would the subtitles disqualify them? What about re-releases that have a gratuitous or a commercially necessary tagline that just denotes it's a updated version of an existing game, like Okami HD, or Bully: Scholarship Edition?

Or what about games with a tagline with even less prominence, like P.N.03 Product Number. 'Product Number' doesn't appear on the spine of the game case at all, it just reads P.N.03. It's the same with Riven: The Sequel to Myst

Also, do games with titles that are acronyms count if they subtitle it with the acronyms meaning? Like MUSHA - Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor, or F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon for example?

:?

[celerystalker]

What's the official policy on subtitles and taglines?

Like would a game like Halo: Combat Evolved, or Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller work, or would the subtitles disqualify them? What about re-releases that have a gratuitous or necessary tagline that denotes it's a updated version, like Okami HD, or Bully: Scholarship Edition?

Or what about games with a tagline with even less prominence, like P.N.03 Product Number. 'Product Number' doesn't appear on the spine of the game case at all, it just reads P.N.03. It's the same with Riven: The Sequel to Myst

Also, do games with titles that are acronyms count if they subtitle it with the acronyms meaning? Like MUSHA - Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor, or F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon for example?

:?

Subtitles and tag lines can be ignored for this week's challenge. Halo, FEAR, MUSHA, etc. would all count.

[Emperor Megas]

Subtitles and tag lines can be ignored for this week's challenge. Halo, FEAR, MUSHA, etc. would all count.One more question then, since subtitles can be ignored: Do Roman numerals count as individual letters, or do they have Arabic numeral values?

For example: With MYST III: Exile, since we can ignore the Exile subtitle, I'm wondering if the main title, MYST III, would be considered an invalid 7 letters/number combination? OR, would be counted like MYST 3 would (with III being only 1 number), and qualify as only 5 letters/numbers, and be valid?

:hmm:

[RP2A03]

For the player's choice, I played an unlicensed Mega Drive game called Chess.


http://i.imgur.com/GSNJZh0h.png (http://i.imgur.com/GSNJZh0.png)

[celerystalker]

One more question then, since subtitles can be ignored: Do Roman numerals count as individual letters, or do they have Arabic numeral values?

For example: With MYST III: Exile, since we can ignore the Exile subtitle, I'm wondering if the main title, MYST III, would be considered an invalid 7 letters/number combination? OR, would be counted like MYST 3 would (with III being only 1 number), and qualify as only 5 letters/numbers, and be valid?

:hmm:

Roman numerals count as individual letters. While they technically represent a single number, so does something like 1943. Since there are games whose entire titles are roman numerals as well, they count as multiple spaces. So, XIII would count as 4 letters/numbers, as would 1943. If a game uses both systems of enumeration, whichever is on the title screen counts.

Also, in case it comes up, punctuation marks such as apostrophes, exclamation points, colons, etc. can be ignored. Only letters and numbers count.

[Emperor Megas]

For the player's choice, I played an unlicensed Mega Drive game called Chess.


http://i.imgur.com/GSNJZh0h.png (http://i.imgur.com/GSNJZh0.png)Despite badgering celerystalker with hypotheticals, I was actually going to play (PS1) Chess as well. :-D

[Az]

Played through the Wii version of LA Machineguns last night with around a lame 1.5+ million end score. I must have changed Wii memory cards and didn't notice since none of my previous scores on this or Gunblade NY were on the system.

LA Machineguns is fantastic, doesn't get enough love. The combo system is great and it's dripping in that late 90's Sega coin-op asthetic that unfortunately disappeared very soon after. Some may complain the port is light on content, but if you appreciate rail shooters and its arcade/score attack origins it has plenty to offer.

I also think this is one of those games perfect for the Wii remote and probably would have not been as good with a Guncon. Having the trigger held down permanently along with constantly swooping the crosshair around just wouldn't work as well with an actual gun controller.

[celerystalker]

Played through the Wii version of LA Machineguns last night with around a lame 1.5+ million end score. I must have changed Wii memory cards and didn't notice since none of my previous scores on this or Gunblade NY were on the system.

LA Machineguns is fantastic, doesn't get enough love. The combo system is great and it's dripping in that late 90's Sega coin-op asthetic that unfortunately disappeared very soon after. Some may complain the port is light on content, but if you appreciate rail shooters and its arcade/score attack origins it has plenty to offer.

I also think this is one of those games perfect for the Wii remote and probably would have not been as good with a Guncon. Having the trigger held down permanently along with constantly swooping the crosshair around just wouldn't work as well with an actual gun controller.

I agree; a traditional light gun wouldn't feel right. The Zapper setup actually feels okay, too. I tried it in hope to get a feel similar to the mounted guns of the arcade cabinet, and while imperfect, it didn't feel half bad. I love both that and Gunblade NY. I wish there was a port of the Terminator game that was a conversion kit for those cabinets as well. The Wii did those games proud.

[jperryss]

I hate myself for saying this but I lost interest in Lunar and don't think I'll be finishing it. I did have fun with this one for awhile but it couldn't hold my interest. I don't fault the game, I guess I just can't get into a new RPG and stay entertained for long. Even Super Mario RPG and Earthbound, both games that I played for the first time last year and really liked, I just couldn't drive myself to finish and instead wanted to move on to something more action-oriented. Yet for some stupid reason I'll still suffer through a familiar grindfest like DW2. Can't really explain it.

Next time an action RPG is on the list, I'll try to give it a fair shake.

[celerystalker]

I hate myself for saying this but I lost interest in Lunar and don't think I'll be finishing it. I did have fun with this one for awhile but it couldn't hold my interest. I don't fault the game, I guess I just can't get into a new RPG and stay entertained for long. Even Super Mario RPG and Earthbound, both games that I played for the first time last year and really liked, I just couldn't drive myself to finish and instead wanted to move on to something more action-oriented. Yet for some stupid reason I'll still suffer through a familiar grindfest like DW2. Can't really explain it.

Next time an action RPG is on the list, I'll try to give it a fair shake.

Fair enough. I'm trying to change up the style of RPG every month to keep it fresh. Started with Ogre Battle for strategy, then the Heaven and Earth games for action, Vanillaware for a different kind of action, then Lunar for more of a traditional JRPG. I have a few ideas for the next few months, but I'm still kicking the tires on the order. I'll be sure to counterbalance the 30-40 hour stuff with 10 hour stuff now and again.

[Emperor Megas]

I didn't want to wait until the last minute to get any points on the board this week, so I went with another of my all time favorites, Valis. I wanted to knock it out as quickly as possible, so I played through the Genesis version rather than the longer, prettier, and more difficult PC Engine CD version.

It's been a while since I'd played this version, and while I don't speak Japanese to know what they're saying on the PC Engine version, the sequels tell a backstory completely different from the weird story they tacked onto the Genesis game. "Yin and Yang", "negative energy called Vacante", really?

The ending cutscene doesn't even wrap the story up at all. Meh, I don't care, I just really love this series. I wish there was an official, canon (non hentei) manga to expanded on the story.

[Aussie2B]

I can claim an easy player's choice point this week, as I was already playing Norn9 on Vita. I cleared Itsuki's route:

http://i.imgur.com/QA9mw7s.jpg

(Yes, I took a crappy phone photo, even though the Vita has a built-in screenshot function, haha. I can't be assed to set up the content manager and all that junk to transfer screens from my Vita to my PC.)

[Scissors]

I Played through Wolf Fang on PlayStation. Overall, I wasn't crazy about it. It seemed weird that I could shoot my weapon diagonally up, but not directly up. I did like how after your mech explodes, you eject out of it and can continue fighting without it.

[Emperor Megas]

Could they have made your character's hit box any bigger on this game? It feels like you take up a third of the screen, and holy shit, how sparse are the power ups? This game is also rife with really cheap hazards that run on for a lot longer than they need to. The gauntlet with the Griffin Knights approaching from behind you, the potato throwing brutes on the ocean platforms, and is there really only ONE SINGLE life replenishment in the ENTIRE GAME!?

:|

They give you a 4 slot life bar with only 3 slot filled and in the entire game they only give you a single life replinishment, which only fills A SINGLE SLOT!? Really?

There's a lot more I could say about this game, but it's late and I'm tired. Suffice it to say that it didn't exactly live up to my expectations. Granted, those hopes were built up for almost three decades, so I probably set the bar a little higher than I should have.

Gotta love the fan service though, I suppose...

http://rs1320.pbsrc.com/albums/u527/EmperorMegas/20170422_022543-1_zpsta9hq9eh.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip

[jperryss]

For the Player's Choice challenge I finished P.O.W. for the NES.

10265

10266


A to kick, B to punch, A+B to jump kick. Sound familiar? Yep, me too. But in this game you can also get a machine gun and grenades.

Overall not bad for a NES title.

[celerystalker]

For the Player's Choice challenge I finished P.O.W. for the NES.

10265

10266


A to kick, B to punch, A+B to jump kick. Sound familiar? Yep, me too. But in this game you can also get a machine gun and grenades.

Overall not bad for a NES title.

I love POW! I even bought two of the arcade pcb and gave one to my brother. You have a few more moves in the arcade, which has 3 buttons (one for jump, punch, and kick each). You have a back fist and a headbutt as well using different combinations of the buttons. The jump kick is by far the most effective attack in either version. The NES game is cool because it added weapons and rooms in the stages, as well as bosses. The arcade game doesn't really have bosses save a kind of unique enemy at the end stage, but has two player co-op, more moves, and better graphics. Great choice!

[celerystalker]

Could they have made your character's hit box any bigger on this game? It feels like you take up a thurd if the screen, and holy shit, how sparse are the power ups? This game is also rife with really cheap hazards that run on for a lot longer than they need to. The gauntlet with the Griffin Knights approaching from behind you, the potato throwing brutes on the ocean platforms, and is there really only ONE SINGLE life replenishment in the ENTIRE GAME!?

:|

They give you a 4 slot life bar with only 3 slot filled and in the entire game they only give you an single life replinishment which only fills A SINGLE SLOT!? Really?

There's a lot more I could say about this game, but it's late and I'm tired. Suffice it to say that it didn't exactly live up to my expectations. Granted, those hopes were built up for almost three decades, so I probably set the bar a little higher than I should have.

Gotta love the fan service though, I suppose...

http://rs1320.pbsrc.com/albums/u527/EmperorMegas/20170422_022543-1_zpsta9hq9eh.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip

Nice win! It helps with Phelios if you'd played it in the '90s, but I really like the game's look a lot. You do have a big hit box for sure, but I really like the sprites and backgrounds a lot.

[Emperor Megas]

http://rs1320.pbsrc.com/albums/u527/EmperorMegas/tmp_10601-20170422_0213181609788151_zpsejklhlxy.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip

So, they used notebook paper or legal pads in Olympus? I was too tired to knit-pick this shit last night. I can look past the cursive English and all, since they want you to understand it, but lined paper? Or is this not from Artemis to Apollo?

Like, is it supposed to be from her to you, the player, via the development team?

[celerystalker]

http://rs1320.pbsrc.com/albums/u527/EmperorMegas/tmp_10601-20170422_0213181609788151_zpsejklhlxy.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip

So, they used notebook paper or legal pads in Olympus? I was too tired to knit-pick this shit last night. I can look past the cursive English and all, since they want you to understand it, but lined paper? Or is this not from Artemis to Apollo?

Like, is it supposed to be from her to you, the player, via the development team?

I like to think it's from a horny developer to Artemis.

[Emperor Megas]

http://rs1320.pbsrc.com/albums/u527/EmperorMegas/tmp_22891-20170422_021223-11609788151_zpsucp8dv1b.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip

Yeah, when every image of her is some shit like this, I wouldn't doubt it.

What's funny is the screen hung on that image of Artemis for what seemed like a long time when I completed the game, so I thought maybe I had to press a button to advance the screen. When I did, the game wrote 'BE PATIENT' across the top of the screen, then Artemis started giving bed room eyes right after.

Like, what the fuck? ^_^

[celerystalker]

Well, where it seemed like a slow week at first, there's been a nice little flurry of wins toward the end. Anyhow, new week, new games. Here we go!

-SOS/Septentrion (SNES) (not Sink or Swim; just SOS)

-WarTech: Senko no Ronde (Xbox 360)

-Player's choice: pick any game whose title ends in the letter "L." Examples may include Danger Girl, Eggs of Steel, Magic Pengel, Link: Faces of Evil, RBI Baseball, Project Overkill, Ghost in the Shell, Heavy Barrel, Cabal, etc. For the record, I have a strong feeling I know which game RP2A03 picks. I'd say what, but Heisenberg and all.

-Still a week left to knock out a Lunar series game for the April RPG. Will anyone make it?

-Import alternative: Space Hunter (Famicom)

[Emperor Megas]

I have WarTech, but I've never played it. What sort of game is it? I don't think there's been (m)any post 6th generation games, save some RPG options.

I'm guessing it's a fairly short game, yeah?

[celerystalker]

I have WarTech, but I've never played it. What sort of game is it? I don't think there's been (m)any post 6th generation games, save some RPG options.

I'm guessing it's a fairly short game, yeah?

It's a 1 on 1 shooter. It's like a cross between a fighting game and danmaku shooter. It's pretty unique. And, yes, short. It was an arcade game. Same folks who did Gradius V, Border Down, and Under Defeat.

[Az]

I love POW!

P.O.W. is one of those games that gets a pass from me from nostalgia and aesthetics alone. The punch/knockout effect is one of most meaty, brutal ones ever in a beat 'em up, and teenage me thought pistol-whipping thugs with your M-16 after you run out of ammo was bleeding edge innovation. The stage 1 intro is memorable enough to rank right up there with Final Fight's and Double Dragon's.


Nice win! It helps with Phelios if you'd played it in the '90s, but I really like the game's look a lot.

I managed to make it through Phelios last Thursday. I've owned the JP Mega Drive for 15+ years and this was the first time I had even plugged it in. Never played the arcade version so I don't know how it stacks up. I thought it was a decent game worth a playthrough but I probably won't be revisiting it. I liked the concepts, the detailed story, and a few enemies (especially the 3 witch things with severed floating heads).

I totally agree about the life-bar complaints, especially where it doesn't even refill between levels. The many voice samples are of such a scratchy, low quality that they shouldn't have even bothered. Your character starts out slow as shit, but as soon as you start/respawn your always instantly given 2 speed ups, so why even set it up like that? I felt there was way too much reliance on using your charged shot, beyond the point of it being a just a risk/reward strategy to the point where it's an absolute requirement and regular shots are totally pointless.

[RP2A03]

I have a strong feeling I know which game RP2A03 picks.

How did you know I was going to play Bishoujo Control?


It is a vertical shooter in which your ship is a penis and you shoot sperm at various things coming at you such as bras, mouths, stars, and scissors. Colliding with kanji gives you points. bananas gives you a laser upgrade, and condoms grant you invincibility. In order to move on to the next stage you must collect most of the tiles that reveal a picture of a sexy lady. After every third or fourth stage clear you get to see a picture of a green haired chick in stages of increasing undress.



http://i.imgur.com/H7Ff0Xgh.png (http://i.imgur.com/H7Ff0Xg.png)


http://i.imgur.com/W0S7JvMh.png (http://i.imgur.com/W0S7JvM.png)


http://i.imgur.com/mMH0sbDh.png (http://i.imgur.com/mMH0sbD.png)

[celerystalker]

Ah, I was wrong. I was betting on MTV's Remote Control.

[RP2A03]

Ah, I was wrong. I was betting on MTV's Remote Control.

I wasn't even aware of it's existence.

[celerystalker]

I wasn't even aware of it's existence.

A game show NES game you didn't know? Color me surprised. They've made some quick and dirty clears for you a few times.

[RP2A03]

A game show NES game you didn't know? Color me surprised. They've made some quick and dirty clears for you a few times.

I probably saw it when looking when looking through my ROM set, but quickly dismissed it as unplayable trash when I saw MTV.

[celerystalker]

I probably saw it when looking when looking through my ROM set, but quickly dismissed it as unplayable trash when I saw MTV.

If that was your instinct, it wasn't a bad one. It's pretty lousy even for a game show game.

[Cornelius]

Well, I just kicked some Nipple Yanker butt. I thought they'd be harder, or at least more painful.


So I'm starting to worry that I haven't made it to the second disc yet. Story-wise, it seems like I should be getting near the end, but the disc 2 thing has me worried. This is the PS1 Lunar Silver Star Story Complete. Not sure why the games have taken a turn for the randy recently, but Lunar has surprised me a bit so far and fits in pretty well.

[celerystalker]

Slow week so far, and only a couple days left to push on Lunar. Anyone try WarTech or SOS yet? SOS can be infuriating at times, but I've always found it fascinating. Bad ending counts on that one, by the way!

WarTech is a neat hybrid of Virtual On and Gradius. I hope someone gives it a whirl, as I feel like it's one of the better 360 games that gets very little love, though it does work better as a versus experience.

[celerystalker]

Figured I'd get week 18 games posted early, as most folks seem to have their best time on the weekend. Soooo...

-Pick any game based on the Rambo film franchise. Rambo III on Master System is a pretty solid light gun game, the arcade game is a good cursor gallery shooter... I like the derided PS3/360 game a good deal, too.

-Whomp 'Em (NES)

-Player's choice: pick any game that has an anthropomorphic animal as its main character. Examples might include Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, Tail Concerto, Punky Skunk, Klonoa, Parappa the Rapper, Knuckles Chaotix, Rocket Knight Adventures, etc.

-Two days left to finish Lunar! Cornelius is making progress, and I know Emperor Megas started... will anyone make the finish line before Monday?

-Import alternative: ESPGaluda (Arcade, PS2)

[Cornelius]

Took a second try with better planning to get Royce to go down. Here's hoping I have time to finish up tomorrow!

[Scissors]

I played through Study Hall on NES for player's choice. It kinda reminded me of Donkey Kong Jr, but a bit longer and simpler. I wasn't crazy about it.

What is the import alternative for week 18?

[celerystalker]

I played through Study Hall on NES for player's choice. It kinda reminded me of Donkey Kong Jr, but a bit longer and simpler. I wasn't crazy about it.

What is the import alternative for week 18?

I'll have to check out Study Hall. Not familiar with that one.

ESPGaluda for the Import Alternative this week. In case anyone doesn't know the game, it's one of my very favorite vertical shooters. It gives you the unique power to activate slowdown instead of just simple smart bombs, which gives you your big point multiplier and makes things easier, but when it runs out, things briefly speed up like crazy, creating a cool risk/reward mechanic. It has a 360 sequel, but it's the first one (I guess technically the second if you count ESP Ra De) for this week.

[Emperor Megas]

-Pick any game based on the Rambo film franchise. Rambo III on Master System is a pretty solid light gun game, the arcade game is a good cursor gallery shooter... I like the derided PS3/360 game a good deal, too.http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z329/GumUggum/Gifs/troll-dance.gif