4847 replies to this topic

[Lejes]

I decided to play the Shantae series. The first game is really good for a random GBC game. I was excited to see how the sequel would improve upon the first game, but the PC port is junk. It crashes after the first screen. That'll teach me not to research something before buying. It's on Wii U also, but I'm not sure I can justify spending 10 dollars on another copy of a game I already own...

[thepsynergist]

The music of that game though.

EDIT: My sig dances to the song perfectly.

Edited by thepsynergist, 23 September 2016 - 04:02 AM.

[kurt91]

PC port of Risky's Revenge? I have that one. Are you using Windows 10? I think that I played that one before upgrading, and my PC used to be on 7. Maybe compatibility mode will help? It's genuinely a really good game. The only issue with the PC version is that it's a direct port from the DS, so it's going to be insanely pixelated. There are filters and shaders, like SweetFX, that can help smooth things out, and they actually look pretty damn amazing. Much better than just a smoothing filter, you'd have to either try it for yourself or look for some comparison photos.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, if you bought the PC version on Steam, don't forget that you can always get a refund if the game doesn't work. If you end up having to go that route and re-buy it, try to get one of the handheld versions. It was designed for a smaller screen, and will look best on one.

Edited by kurt91, 23 September 2016 - 04:02 AM.

[Nicholas Steel]

I decided to play the Shantae series. The first game is really good for a random GBC game. I was excited to see how the sequel would improve upon the first game, but the PC port is junk. It crashes after the first screen. That'll teach me not to research something before buying. It's on Wii U also, but I'm not sure I can justify spending 10 dollars on another copy of a game I already own...

I think it was the last game released for sale on the GBC? The various delays in finding someone to publish it let them enhance the game for the GBA if it is played on one (colours and contrast get enhanced when played on a GBA and I think it also has stereo audio support).

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 23 September 2016 - 04:14 AM.

[Lejes]

There's a secret transformation dance for playing on the GBA, too. I looked around on the Steam message board for Risky's Revenge, and someone had solution to the crash: play the game in Windows XP SP3 compatibility mode. No idea why, since Windows 7 was already out when the game was released, but it works. I got through the first dungeon. First impression: the production values are kind of ridiculous, but the game also already feels smaller than the first. I already know there are only three dungeons, and the overworld looks kind of small too. Hopefully this fix keeps up through the entire game and it doesn't crash at some later spot.

[Fiyaball]

. First impression: the production values are kind of ridiculous, but the game also already feels smaller than the first. I already know there are only three dungeons, and the overworld looks kind of small too. 

It was originally supposed to be part of a trilogy, but they eventually scrapped that idea and just made one game.

[Lejes]

I beat Risky's Revenge today. Final boss was pretty good. Having to walk through the dark room, the cutscenes, and fighting Risky's ship just to attempt it got kind of tiresome, though. The ending was kind of a downer, too. It felt like it didn't go all that well with the mood of the series? According to Steam there are four endings, though. No hint given by the game for what unlocks them, so I'm going to assume it's game time and/or completion percentage. I'll play through Magic Mode fast and see.

This game was a mixed bag overall. Speeding up the transformations alone made the gameplay a lot more fluid than the first Shantae, but certain sections of the game just didn't flow very well, like the hunt through the desert for the animal powerups. You don't really know in advance if you're going to find one, or a cave that requires one you can't access yet. It got even worse on the hunt for the mermaid power. You have to explore every underwater cave to find the squids, but half those caves are blocked off by mermaid power barriers. So you immediately go back to the places you had just been once you get it. And the second dungeon wasn't even a real dungeon.

Time to move on to the third game.

[Nicholas Steel]

The map is also abysmal in the game, better than it not having one but only barely.

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 25 September 2016 - 02:35 AM.

[The Satellite]

And A Link Between Worlds is done. With this, my little trek through certain Zelda titles is at last complete. Strangely though, I wish it weren't.

 

Because I was having a hell of a good time.

 

Okay, let's start off with the negatives. They haven't totally shed their attempts at guiding the player. For example, save statues will spazz out if you have a new heart container or otherwise have made significant progress, as well as make some odd chirping sound. It won't be satisfied until you save. I get you're looking out for us but this is kind of annoying, almost as annoying as the occasional message after saving suggesting you take a break; this is an attitude Nintendo needs to drop forever. It even tells you how to quit your game! It wouldn't even be that bad if there either wasn't a second message or it didn't keep you paused in place for a full two seconds between those messages.

 

Then there's some other minor gameplay-interrupting moments that are a little annoying. Like a cutscene to stop and point out the wall you just bombed open, even though you knew what you were doing when you set that bomb. Or reusing the mechanic from PH/ST of locking you in dungeon rooms with enemies you have to kill first, while playing dramatic battle music. It goes by much quicker in this game thankfully, but this kind of thing is a carryover from the 3D titles that just doesn't work well in the overhead games; it doesn't feel natural whatsoever.

 

Good thing these are the only real negatives to the game then. Like I mentioned in my last post, there's a bit of an intro sequence but it's incredibly tiny and you're let loose quickly. Hell, even after a short bit in that intro sequence, you can still freely explore most of the world before the game truly begins. There's a couple of gates, such as rocks blocking the path to Death Mountain and the inability to swim preventing you from seeing what's on that island in Lake Hylia, but they're easy to find. In a way, they might as well be default abilities, but they serve as a way to set up certain important characters. Otherwise, there's very few barriers, and I will have a minor complaint about some seemingly unnatural barricades here and there, but it's honestly not that much worse than some A Link to the Past had (hammer peg bridge, anyone?). 

 

But this game hits almost all the high notes. Open and free exploration, plenty of side content, quick and simple combat, fast text, enjoyable music, excellent and entertaining dungeon design... Its boss design is a bit on the "meh" side of things with a couple exceptions, but as I've stated many times, Zelda bosses in general haven't exactly been the greatest thing in... ever. Still, this is an excellent gameplay package that was really needed, and future games definitely need to pay attention to for inspiration. There's definitely room for improvement, don't get me wrong, but the core of this game is great.

 

In a way, I wish we'd had a completely new game instead of reusing a previous game's world to make it even more fun, a true sense of new discovery, but it's still a great time here.

 

I suppose if there's any real downfall it's that there's no real extras worth exploring for. There's some bottles, but the majority of your finds are just gonna be heart pieces and rupees, thanks to the rental shop monopolizing all the major items. What made A Link to the Past's world so interesting was the various hidden optional goodies you could find to really provide many ways to tackle things. You never need the Magic Cape, Cane of Byrna, or Bombos to beat the game... but hell if they don't make it more fun, Bombos especially. Sure, you can pick up the blue mail, red mail, and even the Hylian Shield (in Lorule?), as well as an item that increases your stamina gauge, but... they're all in dungeons. There's also Master Ore, which you can use to power up your weapon... but again, in dungeons. I'm a little torn because it's nice to have rewards in dungeons, but why not spread out some of this stuff to the overworld, make it more worthwhile to explore? Otherwise you're just sorta exploring places to get places. Which is fun, but rewards really sweeten the deal as well, making you really feel like you've discovered something.

 

But absolute freedom is still a great first step.

 

Let's talk about the wall merge mechanic: It's fantastic, I love it and the new opportunities and puzzle solutions it creates. I would love to see it again to be honest. That was easy, next topic: Rental shop. I don't hate it, but in some ways I feel like it could have been a little more evened out. It honestly makes sense to be able to buy some items from a shop, like a bow or bombs, but then special items like hookshots or magic rods I feel should be rewards from dungeons or maybe hidden in the overworld. I suppose it works better in a smaller game; in a larger game, it would be easier to have that sort of older system where you must uncover the items yourself.

 

Also item upgrades are totally overpowered and I love them.

 

The only thing I'm not too big on is the story. It has a bit of promise, but I never really feel attached to... any of these characters. They try, they try to introduce you to them in the beginning, but they just come off less as characters and more as roles. And then there's the part where Ganon has nary a line and just willingly decides to team up with Ghirahim's ripoff, which just seems like an insult to the character. Also, Zelda can suddenly talk while a portrait, and give you a bow that just so happens to only work in walls? Sure, you could say it's because she gave it to you while a portrait... but how does she even give it to you in that state in the first place?! I dunno. This game's story is just a bit weak to me. Overall, the atmosphere just seems to lack in personality compared to A Link to the Past. The sole exception is Thieves' Town, where they seem to be fond of song, which is kind of neat.

 

But still though, even with some of its (honestly minor) shortcomings, A Link Between Worlds is a great game that's still fun upon every replay. It was especially refreshing after seeing the series get so constricting to see it open back up again, and it seems to be the direction the series will be sticking around in for the most part. I'm happy with this. Here's looking forward to Breath of the Wild.

[Nicholas Steel]

I feel like the dungeons needed more special items to find, with the Master Ore being overworld/puzzle rewards (or a second super secret reward in dungeons, maybe). With all the items being rentable you'll basically never encounter a situation where you don't have the required item to complete a puzzle or dungeon. Having the items rentable outside of the dungeons means that the dungeon designs can make use of those items right from the get go which also means there is no mystery in the level design and  no need for you to struggle through the place until you get the required item to properly explore the place, or solid reward for exploring a dungeon other than the boss it self and the subsequent heart container. It also means that all the puzzle designs are discovered early on and the interesting aspects of the dungeon are exhausted early.

 

The Save Bird I think also acts crazy if it has been a while since you last saved (In addition to when you make progress/get permanent items).

 

The game has an issue where your sword goes in to the ground if attacking a sloped path/path on the side of a hill so your sword range is abysmal on such pathways as well as on stairs when standing below an enemy (Not an issue in any other Zelda game afaik).

Edited by Nicholas Steel, 27 September 2016 - 05:33 AM.

[Cukeman]

   I never found myself using potions or the fruit items, and there's really no point in buying rental items except that's the only thing to spend money on in the game and you can't upgrade stuff unless you buy it- and you don't need to upgrade anything so... yeah, basically I was collecting tons of rupees for nothing. The rental shop is the reason we don't have non-dungeon items, incidentally.

 

   I was really pleased with the playful variations on the LttP music, and how each dungeon had a unique, yet familiar theme song.

   A handful of puzzles are based on abilities you'd never guess you have, or switches that I thought I couldn't reach because they appeared to be on a different level than they were due to the top-down perspective.

   A minor complaint is that you can't look around in first person view. I know this is to keep the wall-merging puzzles from being too obvious, but sometimes I just want a closer look at the environment and enemies. It's hard to see all the nice graphical detail when you're zoomed out so far.

   I also wish that once you unlocked a new area you could "build a bridge" between areas so that you could eventually walk from one end of the map to the other without using the broomstick or dimensional cracks. Late game navigation can get tedious.

 

   I do love how the action is a lot more challenging than the majority of games since OoT. I can easily see myself losing a lot of lives on a 3-heart challenge, especially in the boss rooms, whereas in other titles 3 heart mode wasn't even tough (OoT is a perfect example of an easy 3 heart mode).

   The merge timer extension really should've been one of the early items in the game.

I really do like a lot of things about the game though.

Edited by Cukeman, 28 September 2016 - 04:28 AM.

[Lejes]

"You got the HAM STINK!"

I finished Shantae and the Pirate's Curse today. It's easily the best of the series. The transformations of the first two games were an interesting concept, but the pirate equipment from the third was a lot more fun to use and less situational. This game set the bar pretty high, so Half-Genie Hero will have a lot to live up to.

[The Satellite]

Oh yeah, that was another minor complaint I had about the broom: There's a point where I wish Irene would stop commenting every time I summon the broom. I just want to move already, stop talking! At least the dialogue boxes are fast, though. I sort of agree about wishing bridges would be built between regions after reaching them, because I'm not as big a fan of the segmented regions. At least you can still reach them in any order.

[Nicholas Steel]

A minor complaint is that you can't look around in first person view. I know this is to keep the wall-merging puzzles from being too obvious, but sometimes I just want a closer look at the environment and enemies. It's hard to see all the nice graphical detail when you're zoomed out so far.

The problem is that in order to use 3D models and make everything look like a classic top-down Zelda game they had to make all the models and environments lean severely. So if you could switch to 1st person mode everything would look really awkward! Source: https://www.reddit.c...between_worlds/

[Cukeman]

Sure, but I'd still do it. I mean there were times when Link was in a wall and I got to see an armos statue or something and was like, oh neat, look at all the detail on the enemies and walls, which I couldn't see before. Maybe they're more visible on the larger XL screen, but I just own a 2DS