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Post by VectorX on Oct 14, 2013 18:15:36 GMT -5
This is in regards to games that needed something extra to make them just a little better, if not great altogether, but they were lacking in something.
One is a curious one, an arcade bomb from Sega I ran across several months ago called Yamato. You control a battleship at the bottom of the screen that has to destroy ships not far above it, along with attacking airplanes overhead. You have to position your ship and cursor in various places in order to take down the current most menacing targets.
First off, if anyone is going to try it out, give it time and try out several games, as it can be very unfair. I found it to be rewarding after a while though if you were to have an actual decent game. A clone of this would actually be nice for the Vectrex, but it would have to be tweaked and changed a bit, since you not only couldn't fit that many targets on a smaller screen, but there would also be too much slowdown.
So, first it can be pretty unfair, I'll admit. But also, I think the biggest mistake that was made is that it's one continuous wave, no end of wave, no bonus or anything, as you could clear out a lot of targets, then poof, suddenly several more will appear. And that sucks (imagine Missile Command being like that, as it IS somewhat Missile Command-ish anyway, but with no end of rounds, no bonuses, no point increases, etc.).
The other one is for the same reason, which is Super Space K'noidtrix, the mini-game found on The Adventures of Willy Beamish for the Sega CD. You control a cannon at the bottom of the screen that must prevent blocks tossed from the top to reach the bottom; if too many stack up to the top the game is over (sorta like Tetris).
This game actually has rounds and such, but by the third one things get so fast that's usually as far as you're going to get. Bosses and/or ways to stop the action here and there would be good, but don't exist. Granted, this was just a mini-game included, which it was made out to being a game older than anything on the Sega CD (as it was on the fictitious "Nintari" console in Willy's room), so it fit in with the theme, but still, this would help improve it.
So what can you guys think of?
EDIT: gliptitude said that possibly this could be expanded to include consoles that needed something extra, so there ya go, an update to this then. (Give that a try too!)
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Post by wyldephang on Oct 15, 2013 2:44:15 GMT -5
That's a good question! Personally, I never understood why the Nintendo-licensed version of Tetris on the NES lacked a two-player mode. Tengen released an unlicensed edition of Tetris that many fans consider to be the superior game, but the cartridge is rare and commands an asking price of $40-50 on average. Had Nintendo released a proper edition of Tetris on the NES, we could have averted this collector's conundrum. Another excellent arcade game that lacked two-player support was Final Fight for the Super Nintendo. How Nintendo could allow an addictive co-op arcade game to be released without a two-player option is beyond me, but the same could be said about U.N. Squadron on the SNES. NBA Jam for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis was missing something, or rather someone--you know, a certain basketball player from the early 1990s. Michael Jordan, that's who! Apparently, the studio couldn't acquire the rights to use Jordan in the game. So, instead of making NBA Jam the most memorable basketball game of the century, Jordan gave us this: Which is better off not being remembered. In NBA Jam, most fans settled with Jordan's wingman Scottie Pippen, but it wasn't the same. There's no substitute for basketball's star athlete.
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Post by gliptitude on Oct 16, 2013 22:25:36 GMT -5
Hey good question.
The first one that comes to my mind is Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) - Actually I feel like all of the Metroid Prime games are missing something, but the DS game is the most frustrating because it is the only game of it's kind on the console, so it is especially disappointing that the game is so difficult to play. The controls are way too difficult and awkward. A game that should be completely immersive is instead quite exhausting.
Lots of games have lots of things wrong with them, which might not be the sort of games that answer this question. ... But a game like Burai Fighter, for example, seems like a game with a great and worthy concept, but one which was never fully realized in a solid and completely developed game. THOSE are the sorts of games I would like to see reprised on current consoles, rather than constantly remaking the games that were already good. There is no unfinished business in the world of Super Mario Bros. But most of the great ideas are lost to the past because they were never successfully executed.
... On the flipside, how many games are there that are actually lacking NOTHING? I'd nominate:
Defender Super Mario Bros 2 Bionic Commando Shadow of the Colossus
Possibly also Ocarina of Time, but I haven't played it enough yet. .. Most of my favorite games don't fit this description and in a way I think you could say that almost every game is missing something. ... But yeah there are flawed games which are still "great".
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Post by wyldephang on Oct 17, 2013 1:21:18 GMT -5
Good point about Metroid Prime Hunters. Even though the game took only eight hours for me to complete from start to finish, I had to break up my sessions into smaller frames because my hands would cramp up after thirty minutes. Still, I remember having a lot of fun with the game; the multiplayer mode was a nice addition until it was ruined by players using cheat devices. Possibly also Ocarina of Time, but I haven't played it enough yet. Well, for what it's worth, I can confirm that Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time could easily be considered one of the most complete video games today. A few years ago, I completed a write-up on another forum summarizing my thoughts on the game: An engaging story, fantastic cast of characters. After the game was completed and the player had brought peace to a desolated kingdom, mini-games could occupy hours of one's time and start public competitions for various in-game challenges like fishing or Bombchu bowling. And after that, there was the matter of collecting all of the valuables and upgrades available in the game. You may have finished Ocarina of Time, but did you find all of the collectible caps [masks]? Did you achieve a full life meter? Meet all the Great Fairies? Construct Biggoron's Sword? Visit all the towns? Learn all the ocarina songs? Kill all the gold Skulltulas; find all the Poes? Buying and completing Ocarina of Time meant you were truly getting your money's worth.The original Legend of Zelda had a lot of replay value, too, but this conversation could very well be deserving of a thread of its own. Returning to Darryl's original question, I was playing through WWF Super WrestleMania on the SNES the other day and noticed how strange it is that none of the wrestlers in the game are able to perform their actual finishing moves. Can you imagine Hulk Hogan without a leg drop? What about "Macho Man" Randy Savage without an elbow drop, or Sid without jumping off the turnbuckle and viciously breaking his leg in half? Boo! We want authenticity! Another game that suffered from some omissions is the PC shooter Doom. Actually, my complaint concerns the console ports. Until the Xbox Arcade release, Doom was never represented on a console without making some compromises, whether it was the music, levels, or enemies. And how could I have forgotten one of the more infamous video game omissions of the 1990s, one that actually prompted the studio to re-release the game under a different title: Mortal Kombat 3! If you had followed the series since its inception, then by 1995 you would have been very familiar with a certain iconic pair of ninjas: Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Well, you could imagine the indignation of Mortal Kombat fans when Scorpion failed to make the casting cut in MK3 and Sub-Zero donned an outfit that made him unrecognizable. The fans spoke and Midway listened: before long, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 hit arcades and video stores nationwide, signaling the long-awaited return of Scorpion and Classic Sub-Zero. Disaster averted! While I'm on the subject, I won't fail to mention the greatest Mortal Kombat omission of all: blood! The SNES version of MK1 lacked it entirely, and the Genesis version required a code to unlock it. (But almost every Mortal Kombat fan knew the code.) This was addressed in the second game as all console ports of Mortal Kombat II were shipped with blood and gore intact.
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Post by gliptitude on Oct 17, 2013 2:51:14 GMT -5
the game took only eight hours for me to complete from start to finish DAMN
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Post by gliptitude on Oct 17, 2013 15:28:14 GMT -5
... Heh what if we expanded this to CONSOLES that needed something extra:
-External controllers for modern handhelds - I think most of them have blue tooth now, so why wouldn't this be possible? I know it's an obscure request, but sometimes I'm afraid of wrecking the permanent controls. Also on the 3DS XL, the screen is big enough to set in front of you on a table, and having it in a stable position is really the best way to get a stable (not blurry) image. ... There is already the "Circle Pad Pro" which adds a second analog stick. I'm not sure how that device interfaces with the 3DS, if it actually plugs in or is blue tooth or whatever. ... A stand or mini cabinet with a fresnel lens and blue tooth controller could make a sweet Vectrex-like tabletop 3DS setup!
-Original Game Boy - Backlighting for the screen. ... There is a kit for doing this now, but it is tricky.
-Vectrex - A good adventure game.
Super Nintendo - A sequel to Bionic Commando.
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Post by VectorX on Oct 17, 2013 16:00:46 GMT -5
... Heh what if we expanded this to CONSOLES that needed something extra: Why not? Think I'll change the original title of this thread to reflect that as well in a minute. Built-in speakers for the Atari 2600 as was originally intended. -Vectrex - A good adventure game. Berzerk II for the Vectrex...whatever that was supposed to be. Super Nintendo - A sequel to Bionic Commando. Sub-Terrania for the Genesis hinted that there would be a sequel to it if you beat it, but that never happened. Another Sub game would've been cool.
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Post by wyldephang on Oct 17, 2013 20:55:07 GMT -5
... Heh what if we expanded this to CONSOLES that needed something extra: Why not? Think I'll change the original title of this thread to reflect that as well in a minute. Built-in speakers for the Atari 2600 as was originally intended. While we're on the subject of Atari, it's unfortunate that the Atari 7800 never made use of an upgraded sound chip. By the time the 7800 came out, people were already experiencing the Nintendo's 5-channel sound chip, which allowed for more elaborate compositions ( like this one, with its time signature changes, polytonal melodies, and counterpoint) and authentic sound effects. The 7800's 2-channel chip was underwhelming.
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Post by VectorX on Oct 17, 2013 20:59:13 GMT -5
^Trammel did stuff on the cheap...
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Post by TrekMD on Oct 17, 2013 22:47:41 GMT -5
^Trammel did stuff on the cheap... Yes he did. Ironically, Atari had talked about releasing an expansion module to attach to the 7800 to add memory and a POKEY chip as this would keep the cost of the carts down. Unfortunately, it was never released. Hopefully, the system will be released soon by Legacy Engineering (it's supposed to be in the final stages) and that added capabilities (along with a Yamaha chip) will be available for homebrewers to make better games. In fact, the new Donkey Kong XM is superb.
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