I think this is where Parsec would really fit. It doesn’t require any reflexes, so lag wouldn’t be an issue.
4 Likes
Two ninja games for the post of one!
The Ninja Warriors
One thing I notice right away is that I can choose my character and their outfit colors. I love the way my soft exterior tears away to reveal my cold, metal insides.
Shinobi
I always thought it was odd that SEGA would license their properties to other consoles, but here it comes across as really savvy. In the same year this port is released, SEGA would release the Mega Drive sequel, which is more impressive in every way. It feels like a subtle attempt for SEGA to say their console is the future.
On the topic of SEGA licensed ports, I also dipped into the Juuoki/Altered Beast releases. I’m not sure if I’ve forgotten how to play them, but I can’t get nearly as far in them as I could in the Mega Drive release. I just want it to be known that I am pro Altered Beast. I will not take any slander against it.
7 Likes
Energy
Folks we have a Kusoge!!! Unskippable opening cutscene that just starts making you advance text at a point. Infuriating non mechanics of shooting and float jumping. A long and generous lifebar which seems to be a PC Engine staple. Oh and you have to enter your bullshit name very slowly.
Also water kills you instantly forcing you to reset the console and start the 70 second process over again.
6 Likes
the fan translation of Energy increases the scrolling speed during screen transitions by like a factor of 10
i am in awe of how slow the original devs made the scrolling
7 Likes
Takin’ it to the Hoop
I was prepared to hate it, but this is actually a pretty decent basketball game. I even had streaks where I was doing pretty well. If I had read the manual beforehand, I probably would have won. It straight up tells you that Miami is the best team. Why didn’t I play as Miami??
The manual also tells you what the numbers under each player’s name mean. If I had read it, I wouldn’t have put Tanaka on my team, I’ll tell you that much. But Adams? Adams would have been snatching the ball out of the other teams’ hands like candy from a baby’s. I didn’t know from looking at him. His face looks so soft. I was trying to pick mean-looking guys, but really the scariest thing is a man with zero expression.
12 Likes
that looks a lot like sega’s basketball nightmare on master system (but without the monsters)
3 Likes
Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman
I played an hour of this game early on in the month. I kept toying with the idea of playing it together with someone else, but I couldn’t bring myself to invite anyone. The movement is too janky. The level design is too bland. The only thing I like about it is the Bionic Commando-style digital comics around the stages.
The pace of the game is similar to a Mega Man. I play through 3/4 of the stage until I die. Then I now the enemy patterns and I can play through it again to beat it. The problem is that the stages are monotonous and ugly. They remind me of really low-effort Mario Maker stages.
Masaya made two more of these for the PC Engine and I’m curious if they ever get good. We’ll see in 1991!
9 Likes
i really like shubibinman 3! and the snes beat em up shubibinman zero!
3 Likes
Makai Hakkenden Shada
This is Ys if Ys sucked. Sorry Data East. The bumping has no friction. I can die in two hits. Gaining my first level means the opening area enemies no longer give me XP which means my only option are gorillas that murder me if I am off by one pixel. I tried to cross a bridge, a guy asked if I was a warrior. He then killed me or the gorilla killed me instantly. I load up instantly at my last save, enjoy your grinding the game says.
SonSon II
Did I talk about SonSon II already? I tried it again, now 50 games or so deep into this library. I’d rather play The KungFu. I am keeping a personal ranked list for this thread. I’ll tell you The Kungfu is pretty high on that list. I keep waiting for good games to knock it down some pegs. SonSon has a lot of fruit to collect but your weapon is stretchy but inaccurate against your slime enemies. I remembered other video games existed and moved on.
6 Likes
This is some of the worst character physics I’ve ever felt but this is still better than Keith Courage somehow.
The music is like I am in a Japanese Supermarket in the rotten food department trying to decide between bug ridden onions or maggoty bread.
7 Likes
That’s a really apt description. It’s odd that this was popular enough to lead to three sequels.
1 Like
I just went back to Keith Courage and after those 3 games hell yeah Keith Courage you are janky and broken but have more charm and are funny.
2 Likes
Takeda Shingen
This owns. It’s like worse than a lot of flash games in 2004. Fantastic. Look at all this blood. Wow this is bad I love it. I have to go play a good game tonight or I will lose my mind. Tatsunoko Fighter has to wait. What if that also sucks?
2 Likes
i have avoided talking about takeda shingen as it represents one of the unfortunate facts of life in 80s videogames: it’s a bad port of an ok arcade game
the arcade game is like renegade with swords
3 Likes
A good game hmm…Military Madness, Ys, Bonk, Pac-Land…but these are known quantities. Kyuukyoku Tiger and the Hanii in the Sky romhack are maybe the best of the lesser-known.
3 Likes
cyber cross is good, play that
and final lap twin
3 Likes
play Valis III
no this is not a trick, why would I ever be duplicitous
3 Likes
That’s next month!
1 Like
Gambler Jikochuushinha
I’m taking every mahjong game as an opportunity to learn something else about mahjong. This time, I’m just trying to hone my “tile efficiency.” That means I discard tiles that are least likely to complete a set, while keeping those that have the highest probability of completing a set or replacing a weak set with a higher scoring one. I’m still not very good, but I’m pleased to say that I won a turn against three other players. I guess that means I’m improving!
I think the next big step is learning how to turn a winning hand into a big winning hand. You see, you can earn huge amounts of points for having really valuable hands. So far, most of my winnings hands have been weak, open hands, so they don’t really pay off in the long run.
For what it’s worth, I’d say this is the best PC Engine mahjong of the year. Thanks Shin-Nihon Laser Soft.
10 Likes