rhdndescriptions
Game Review - originally written by Kitsune Sniper
The most sought-after game in the entire Castlevania series, and the one we should've gotten in the first place (I hate you, Konami), Dracula X: Rondo of Blood had multiple secret stages, CD audio, awesome synth music, and animated cutscenes. And the game rocked too!
It's Castlevania on steroids. You don't have the multiple-direction whip from Castlevania IV, but in its place you have an item crash, which is a super attack which changes depending on your secondary weapon.
I'd write more, but I haven't played much of it. But know that it rocks. And that the SNES version has nothing to do with this game. OK, so the SNES version is a retooling, but this is much better.
The most sought-after game in the entire Castlevania series, and the one we should've gotten in the first place (I hate you, Konami), Dracula X: Rondo of Blood had multiple secret stages, CD audio, awesome synth music, and animated cutscenes. And the game rocked too!
It's Castlevania on steroids. You don't have the multiple-direction whip from Castlevania IV, but in its place you have an item crash, which is a super attack which changes depending on your secondary weapon.
I'd write more, but I haven't played much of it. But know that it rocks. And that the SNES version has nothing to do with this game. OK, so the SNES version is a retooling, but this is much better.
2001
Game Review - originally written by Gideon Zhi
My initial preconceptions about Hydlide was that the game stank. Upon trying this, they were reaffirmed.
Then I read the docs.
I proceeded to have a decently fun amount of time with a fairly aimless Ys-like game, once I figured out I had to change my character to “Attack” mode for him to actually, you know, hurt the enemies. Then I hit level 3, and half the enemies stopped giving me experience, while the other half continued to kill me in one hit. And I stopped, nearly frustrated back to my initially reserved opinion.
So! In Hydlide, you're this guy Jim, and you run around killing things, looking for three fairies, three jewels, and a big bad demon guy to kill. Hey, it's not particularly deep, but it's an old game, so it's excused. The total lack of any aim is a real problem, though; I constantly found myself going one screen too far in what was apparently the wrong direction, and getting reamed by monsters. Your mileage may vary.
My initial preconceptions about Hydlide was that the game stank. Upon trying this, they were reaffirmed.
Then I read the docs.
I proceeded to have a decently fun amount of time with a fairly aimless Ys-like game, once I figured out I had to change my character to “Attack” mode for him to actually, you know, hurt the enemies. Then I hit level 3, and half the enemies stopped giving me experience, while the other half continued to kill me in one hit. And I stopped, nearly frustrated back to my initially reserved opinion.
So! In Hydlide, you're this guy Jim, and you run around killing things, looking for three fairies, three jewels, and a big bad demon guy to kill. Hey, it's not particularly deep, but it's an old game, so it's excused. The total lack of any aim is a real problem, though; I constantly found myself going one screen too far in what was apparently the wrong direction, and getting reamed by monsters. Your mileage may vary.
Game Review - originally written by Gideon Zhi
This game seems neat. It’s got all sorts of systems in it that I can’t test out ‘cuz they require a second party member. The story’s something about a battle and heaven and soldiers and a guy named Super Zeus, which is neat. Battles go by quickly, which is a plus, and the game seems a bit more in-depth than your dime-a-dozen Dragon Quest clone.
This game seems neat. It’s got all sorts of systems in it that I can’t test out ‘cuz they require a second party member. The story’s something about a battle and heaven and soldiers and a guy named Super Zeus, which is neat. Battles go by quickly, which is a plus, and the game seems a bit more in-depth than your dime-a-dozen Dragon Quest clone.
Game Review - originally written by Gideon Zhi (founder of AGTP)
This game is laughably bad. Most of it's played in a sidescrolling shootemup format. Your character chops up generic-looking aliens with his dual-pronged spear thing, collects the occasional powerup, takes a lot of hits, and tends to get snagged on tiny floating obstacles and pushed off the back edge of the screen. Hit detection's poor, your ranged attack is pathetically weak for the amount of damage enemies tend to take, and you move about as fast as a sunday driver. Did I mention that the colors are extremely washed out and the music sounds like it's coming from a Genesis?
When you reach the end of the level, you're transported into a 1-on-1 boss fight, Street Fighter style. Only, the slightest tap of the controller sends your character zooming around in every direction, your attacks again don't do nearly enough damage for the time limit imposed on you, and again the music and color usage are pretty abysmal. Suffice it to say, if Street Fighter 2 played like this, the genre may have never taken off.
There is painfully little story in it as well. It's largely boss fight chats, and even these don't last very long.
All in all, Tekkaman Blade is a stinker through and through. It's a pity, as it really could have been something really good, but it fails to achieve even the most minimal of quality standards.
This game is laughably bad. Most of it's played in a sidescrolling shootemup format. Your character chops up generic-looking aliens with his dual-pronged spear thing, collects the occasional powerup, takes a lot of hits, and tends to get snagged on tiny floating obstacles and pushed off the back edge of the screen. Hit detection's poor, your ranged attack is pathetically weak for the amount of damage enemies tend to take, and you move about as fast as a sunday driver. Did I mention that the colors are extremely washed out and the music sounds like it's coming from a Genesis?
When you reach the end of the level, you're transported into a 1-on-1 boss fight, Street Fighter style. Only, the slightest tap of the controller sends your character zooming around in every direction, your attacks again don't do nearly enough damage for the time limit imposed on you, and again the music and color usage are pretty abysmal. Suffice it to say, if Street Fighter 2 played like this, the genre may have never taken off.
There is painfully little story in it as well. It's largely boss fight chats, and even these don't last very long.
All in all, Tekkaman Blade is a stinker through and through. It's a pity, as it really could have been something really good, but it fails to achieve even the most minimal of quality standards.
1987
Game Review - by Kitsune Sniper
The granddaddy of all stealth action games. Metal Gear (this version anyway) is what Hideo Kojima had in mind with the series. The graphics are great in comparison to the NES version, and this has more bosses, a bit more dialogue, and is generally more fun to play.
(editor's note: on some level this is extremely basic trivia but the MSX version doesn't have the opening sequence parachuting into the jungle, it just starts you at the base, and you don't even get to fight Metal Gear itself in the NES version, only on MSX, overall the NES version is severely compromised)
1990
Game Review - by Gideon Zhi (founder of Aeon Genesis Translation Project)
Parallel World is a surprisingly good, if not particularly original, puzzle game. When I first looked at gameplay screenshots, I admit that I didn’t think much of it, but now that I’ve actually tried it, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
The game stars two children who witness the sky break open and are drawn into the void and, thus, a parallel world. They see some sort of strange castle and feel compelled to explore it. Or something. That’s what I got out of the game’s introduction, anyway.
Speaking of, the intro is actually rather pretty. Colors are used well, the characters are animated competently, and the hole breaking open in the sky is a fairly neat effect. That said, the actual levels in the game, which are very much tile-based, feel much more cluttered than they actually are. This is probably in part due to the dancing thingies that border the level, and in part due to the checkerboard pattern of the floor. It creates a lot of visual noise which, personally, I could have done without.
The game itself is fairly standard puzzle fare. Your objective is twofold - first, you need to push the path-patterned pillars into enemies to crush them. One of them will be carrying a key that will unlock the door to the next area. Second, once the door is open, you need to manipulate the pillars with paths drawn on them to let you reach the exit. You do this by pushing them around and rotating them to create a single steady line from an immovable white pillar to the exit door. It gets difficult pretty quickly.
Parallel World is a surprisingly good, if not particularly original, puzzle game. When I first looked at gameplay screenshots, I admit that I didn’t think much of it, but now that I’ve actually tried it, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
The game stars two children who witness the sky break open and are drawn into the void and, thus, a parallel world. They see some sort of strange castle and feel compelled to explore it. Or something. That’s what I got out of the game’s introduction, anyway.
Speaking of, the intro is actually rather pretty. Colors are used well, the characters are animated competently, and the hole breaking open in the sky is a fairly neat effect. That said, the actual levels in the game, which are very much tile-based, feel much more cluttered than they actually are. This is probably in part due to the dancing thingies that border the level, and in part due to the checkerboard pattern of the floor. It creates a lot of visual noise which, personally, I could have done without.
The game itself is fairly standard puzzle fare. Your objective is twofold - first, you need to push the path-patterned pillars into enemies to crush them. One of them will be carrying a key that will unlock the door to the next area. Second, once the door is open, you need to manipulate the pillars with paths drawn on them to let you reach the exit. You do this by pushing them around and rotating them to create a single steady line from an immovable white pillar to the exit door. It gets difficult pretty quickly.
Game Review - originally written by Gideon Zhi (founder of Aeon Genesis Translation Project)
This is a game about a monkey and his stick, trying to find some balls.
….all jokes aside, that really -is- what it’s about. You play as Son Goku or somesuch, and you go around bashing things with a big stick while searching various Realms for elemental orbs. Or something similar, anyway. The game doesn’t exactly tell us too much of the story. It’s apparently one of those classical tales from East-Asian mythology, but I really wouldn’t know about that. (editor's note: I'm sure he knows about it now, but even if it was 20 years ago I find it completely unbelievable that the founder of one of the single most notable and long-lasting video game translation groups was apparently unacquainted with Journey to the West, at least in passing, it's like the first piece of trivia anyone can name about DBZ)
Action is typical platform fare, although the controls for aiming the monkey’s stick take some getting used to. I see no reason you should -have- to jump in order to thrust upwards with it. The graphics are suitably cartoony, decent for their time, although the title screen looks like something out of 1986 and the music could use some help. The expression on the monkey’s face when he takes a hit is classic, though.
This was apparently released in the United States as “Whomp ‘Em”, but I never played that. Apparently, though, the main character was changed into a Native American kid, the Buddha was changed into a totem pole, and some other graphics are changed.
This is a game about a monkey and his stick, trying to find some balls.
….all jokes aside, that really -is- what it’s about. You play as Son Goku or somesuch, and you go around bashing things with a big stick while searching various Realms for elemental orbs. Or something similar, anyway. The game doesn’t exactly tell us too much of the story. It’s apparently one of those classical tales from East-Asian mythology, but I really wouldn’t know about that. (editor's note: I'm sure he knows about it now, but even if it was 20 years ago I find it completely unbelievable that the founder of one of the single most notable and long-lasting video game translation groups was apparently unacquainted with Journey to the West, at least in passing, it's like the first piece of trivia anyone can name about DBZ)
Action is typical platform fare, although the controls for aiming the monkey’s stick take some getting used to. I see no reason you should -have- to jump in order to thrust upwards with it. The graphics are suitably cartoony, decent for their time, although the title screen looks like something out of 1986 and the music could use some help. The expression on the monkey’s face when he takes a hit is classic, though.
This was apparently released in the United States as “Whomp ‘Em”, but I never played that. Apparently, though, the main character was changed into a Native American kid, the Buddha was changed into a totem pole, and some other graphics are changed.
2003
Game Review - originally written by Kitsune Sniper
This game rocks.
There’s no story. There’s no plot. All you do is shoot ships until your time runs out. But these are not just ordinary ships; the enemy keeps getting better, bigger, and more agressive as you clear stages, you have a time limit which will increase by twenty seconds if you beat the boss, but it will also decrease twenty seconds for every time you die. Hence the name Warning Forever.
And that’s it. You can also direct your shots towards any direction (with the proper control scheme) so you can hit anything, even if they’re attacking from behind. There are no powerups, no speedups, or anything else. And there’s plenty of options to keep the game fresh after a while.
(editor's note: I agree this game rocks)
This game rocks.
There’s no story. There’s no plot. All you do is shoot ships until your time runs out. But these are not just ordinary ships; the enemy keeps getting better, bigger, and more agressive as you clear stages, you have a time limit which will increase by twenty seconds if you beat the boss, but it will also decrease twenty seconds for every time you die. Hence the name Warning Forever.
And that’s it. You can also direct your shots towards any direction (with the proper control scheme) so you can hit anything, even if they’re attacking from behind. There are no powerups, no speedups, or anything else. And there’s plenty of options to keep the game fresh after a while.
(editor's note: I agree this game rocks)
Game Review - originally written by Kitsune Sniper
A Roleplaying game set in Feudal Japan, sequel to Kishin Korinden Oni. In this game, you fight against traditional Japanese demons and ghosts. So everything, including the text display boxes, looks very Japanese in style.
(editor's note: based off the same period of Japanese history and same legends that brought you Like a Dragon Ishin, i.e. the bakumatsu era, twilight of the Edo period)
A Roleplaying game set in Feudal Japan, sequel to Kishin Korinden Oni. In this game, you fight against traditional Japanese demons and ghosts. So everything, including the text display boxes, looks very Japanese in style.
(editor's note: based off the same period of Japanese history and same legends that brought you Like a Dragon Ishin, i.e. the bakumatsu era, twilight of the Edo period)
Game Review - originally written by DaMarsMan
The story of Glory of Heracles 3 consists of the protagonist who wakes up in a village of pixies without even remembering his name. Throughout the game the protagonist (which is named by the player) is continually brought to a dream world while he sleeps.
Along the journey he finds others whom he saw in the dream and searches to reveal his true self and his past. Companions gather along the way and overcome many great tribulations together. Some of these include being swallowed by a giant sea monster, using the great Trojan horse, flying Daedalus’ kite, speaking with the divine Lord Zeus, and much much more.
The story of Glory of Heracles 3 consists of the protagonist who wakes up in a village of pixies without even remembering his name. Throughout the game the protagonist (which is named by the player) is continually brought to a dream world while he sleeps.
Along the journey he finds others whom he saw in the dream and searches to reveal his true self and his past. Companions gather along the way and overcome many great tribulations together. Some of these include being swallowed by a giant sea monster, using the great Trojan horse, flying Daedalus’ kite, speaking with the divine Lord Zeus, and much much more.
Game Review - originally written by Kitsune Sniper
This game is based upon the Twelve Gold Cloth saga in the Saint Seiya animated TV series that was produced in the 1980’s. Currently the show is being broadcast in the USA, but very badly censored and edited. Green blood? Please. I saw this show when I was nine years old, nudity and blood and all, every saturday morning, and our parents didn’t complain! Much. Ahem.
Anyway, the game is fun, it plays like a sidescroller at times, but when it’s time for a real fight, you have to input commands via menus, similarly to an RPG. But since I can’t understand a thing, I always lose.
This game is based upon the Twelve Gold Cloth saga in the Saint Seiya animated TV series that was produced in the 1980’s. Currently the show is being broadcast in the USA, but very badly censored and edited. Green blood? Please. I saw this show when I was nine years old, nudity and blood and all, every saturday morning, and our parents didn’t complain! Much. Ahem.
Anyway, the game is fun, it plays like a sidescroller at times, but when it’s time for a real fight, you have to input commands via menus, similarly to an RPG. But since I can’t understand a thing, I always lose.
Game Review - originally written by Kitsune Sniper
BS Super Mario USA is the game that we knew as Super Mario Bros. 2, released on the Japan-only BS Satellaview system. You know, the system that let you download and play games only on certain dates and times? Well, the game is just like Super Mario Bros. 2 on Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES, except there’s no music (probably an emulation issue), and there are hidden statues in the game. There are four known dumps, and each dump goes through one world and a final boss. Oh yeah, there’s a score, too! And it seems like characters speak to you, but you can’t hear or read anything for some reason. And you can only use Mario.
But the games are just as fun as the original.
(editor's note: you can hear them speak to you now and the game is a little more complicated than just being SMB2 again, they used this as a basis for SMA1)
BS Super Mario USA is the game that we knew as Super Mario Bros. 2, released on the Japan-only BS Satellaview system. You know, the system that let you download and play games only on certain dates and times? Well, the game is just like Super Mario Bros. 2 on Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES, except there’s no music (probably an emulation issue), and there are hidden statues in the game. There are four known dumps, and each dump goes through one world and a final boss. Oh yeah, there’s a score, too! And it seems like characters speak to you, but you can’t hear or read anything for some reason. And you can only use Mario.
But the games are just as fun as the original.
(editor's note: you can hear them speak to you now and the game is a little more complicated than just being SMB2 again, they used this as a basis for SMA1)
Game Review - originally written by (wraith)
This is a strategy game, and it’s full of those standard-issue Bandai giant robots everyone seems to love. It’s also in Japanese still, so I can’t really offer much more of an opinion on it.
This is a strategy game, and it’s full of those standard-issue Bandai giant robots everyone seems to love. It’s also in Japanese still, so I can’t really offer much more of an opinion on it.
2017
Game Review - originally written by Shih Tzu
One of the holy grails of console game prototypes, the unreleased Starfox 2 is apparently indeed the first developed sequel to the SNES 3D polygonal shooter Starfox. Fox McCloud and his equally anthropomorphic crew are back to battle the evil ape Andross, with two new female pilots, Miyu and Fay, joining the fight. In contrast to the first game, however, which features lots of arcade rail-shooter action, the sequel adopts a somewhat more strategic, exploratory tone. The game plays out on a galactic map, where you direct a pair of pilots around, intercepting enemy squadrons, attacking enemy bases, and so on. In the meantime, mean old Andross is launching missiles at your home planet of Corneria, and if you let too many get by, you won’t have any home left to save.
This shift toward strategy extends to the core gameplay as well. While there are plenty of Wing-Commander-style dogfights, many of the scenarios require the player to find switches to press or navigate through enclosed mazes. A key innovation is the ability to transform your Arwing into a bipedal gun turret and walk through some stages Doom-style, firing, strafing, and dodging. All the while, the clock ticks down as other battles rage elsewhere in the galaxy, and you will frequently get frantic radio messages from your commander about incoming missiles and other threats.
On “Normal” difficulty, the game can be beaten without much effort or time; I won my first game in under 15 minutes (and I’m frightfully bad at these games). The higher difficulty levels, however, feature new enemies, expanded stages, and a lot more gameplay in general. “Expert” level is truly demanding, but it’s also where you’ll see the most interesting developments. Factor in the challenge of topping your high scores and a healthy amount of randomness, and you’ve got a good amount of fun to be had for fans of this series who want to pull back the curtain for a glimpse of what might have been.
(editor's note: iirc the way the original prototype leaked, and don't quote me on this, was that Sonic Cult administrator Pachuka was hanging around in the #rareroms IRC channel on EFnet pretending to be one of the channel owners, when a regular messaged him with a download of the rom thinking he was the guy he was disguised as, fascinating story)
One of the holy grails of console game prototypes, the unreleased Starfox 2 is apparently indeed the first developed sequel to the SNES 3D polygonal shooter Starfox. Fox McCloud and his equally anthropomorphic crew are back to battle the evil ape Andross, with two new female pilots, Miyu and Fay, joining the fight. In contrast to the first game, however, which features lots of arcade rail-shooter action, the sequel adopts a somewhat more strategic, exploratory tone. The game plays out on a galactic map, where you direct a pair of pilots around, intercepting enemy squadrons, attacking enemy bases, and so on. In the meantime, mean old Andross is launching missiles at your home planet of Corneria, and if you let too many get by, you won’t have any home left to save.
This shift toward strategy extends to the core gameplay as well. While there are plenty of Wing-Commander-style dogfights, many of the scenarios require the player to find switches to press or navigate through enclosed mazes. A key innovation is the ability to transform your Arwing into a bipedal gun turret and walk through some stages Doom-style, firing, strafing, and dodging. All the while, the clock ticks down as other battles rage elsewhere in the galaxy, and you will frequently get frantic radio messages from your commander about incoming missiles and other threats.
On “Normal” difficulty, the game can be beaten without much effort or time; I won my first game in under 15 minutes (and I’m frightfully bad at these games). The higher difficulty levels, however, feature new enemies, expanded stages, and a lot more gameplay in general. “Expert” level is truly demanding, but it’s also where you’ll see the most interesting developments. Factor in the challenge of topping your high scores and a healthy amount of randomness, and you’ve got a good amount of fun to be had for fans of this series who want to pull back the curtain for a glimpse of what might have been.
(editor's note: iirc the way the original prototype leaked, and don't quote me on this, was that Sonic Cult administrator Pachuka was hanging around in the #rareroms IRC channel on EFnet pretending to be one of the channel owners, when a regular messaged him with a download of the rom thinking he was the guy he was disguised as, fascinating story)
Game Review - originally writtenby Kitsune Sniper
Arcturus (not to be confused with the UK-developed game with the same title) is what appears to be a role playing game, originally released in Korea in the year 2000 and reissued for Japan in 2003 (on my birthday!). It was developed by Sonnori and Gravity (yes, the Ragnarok Online people), and released in Japan by Falcom.
I've found little information on this game, but RPGamer lists it as being similar to Xenogears. I wish I could tell you if that is good or bad, but since I've never played Xenogears, you'll have to hope for the best. The graphics are VERY pretty for such an old game, though!
Arcturus (not to be confused with the UK-developed game with the same title) is what appears to be a role playing game, originally released in Korea in the year 2000 and reissued for Japan in 2003 (on my birthday!). It was developed by Sonnori and Gravity (yes, the Ragnarok Online people), and released in Japan by Falcom.
I've found little information on this game, but RPGamer lists it as being similar to Xenogears. I wish I could tell you if that is good or bad, but since I've never played Xenogears, you'll have to hope for the best. The graphics are VERY pretty for such an old game, though!