Thursday, September 30, 2021

Game Reviews Volume 16 From 2021 Part III

More games I played over the last month and a bit

Just played Mario Party Advance on GBA. Its a twist on the N64 games as its 1 player and you move around the board. Each character starts at a different place on the board and only 1 character plays at a time. You roll dice and choose what spaces to go and if you go back on the same dice roll, you get the numbers back.. You gotta do over 40 missions to beat the game and after you do enough, you unlock Boswer Pipes and can go to the Bowser square to access the pipe, then go through it and go to the Bowser space for a mini game thing to earn a Gadget. If you lose a challenge you can use one of your Mushrooms for another chance. You use Mushrooms as Dice Blocks and can win more in Mini Games. After 3 Turns you get a chance to win 3 more Mushrooms in a Mini Game. But you don't get to practice and  get 1 shot at most of them. After you run outta Shrooms you get to start the board over but can choose a new character. But you keep all missions beat from before. The game Autosaves and has a file, but my copy doesn't hold the save so I can't finish this unless I spend several days playing this to get all the missions beat and items collected in 1 long play of not turning it off. some missions can only be done with some characters and you gotta play it multiple times to get all the things. There's no coins either and some squares are lose a turn or a mini game with Kid Bowser or this Toad thing that reminds me of Bokkun from Sonic X. Its not bad but each time you start the game, you HAVE to do a certain mission depending on the character and can't skip it. Also there's a LOT of unskippable text, and it plays each time you try or retry a mission or Bowser Fight. Its not bad but it could be improved quite a bit. I liked it though.

Just beat Asterix and the Great Rescue on my 106 Game Gear Games in 1 GBA Cart. Its kind of an Action Platformer based on the European thing where you play as either Asterix who can use items, crouch walk and move faster, or or Obelix who can push things, Break blue bricks  and do a butt stomp by holding Down when you jump. Its 5 levels with 3 Continues and a few lives per try. 1 button is jump and 1 is punch. Hold punch to use an item or wind up a punch depending on character. Down and jump lets you change the selected item. Down and Punch lets you change characters and they share a life bar. You also get a password system of a bunch of numbers but I think it only gets you to the start of the area and not the zone you were in, as each level has like 6 zones. There are power ups like more life, extra guys and invincibility that gives you more speed for a time. each boss has a way to beat him and the one that gave me the most issue was the log rolling boss where you alternate  Punch and Jump fast to roll the log the other way because I had no idea what to do and kept getting beat. If you go off screen and come back, the item you just collected returns and you can collect it again up to 3 of the same item. its pretty hard and cheap but can be beat if you figure out what to do. I'd say use a guide or walkthrough to know where to go. Also playing on Easy makes a few enemies and obstacles not be there. You gotta know what to do and where to go for this, and what Items to use where, like the plant covering item to get past The Phantom Knights. Glad I played it but  it can be a bit rough. Good colors and Graphics though

Just played Double Dragon The Revenge Of Billy Lee on my 106 Game Gear Games in 1 GBA Multucart. Its by Virgin who is usually good but this time its a bit much. 1 button is punch and the other is kick, but with up it makes you do a rolling jump like Sonic and down makes you do a low kick. Down and punch lets you pick up items like life, extra guys and guns. It controls kinda off and often I try to jump attack and just do a standing kick. Also its kinda unbalanced. Maybe if I played it more I'd get better but its kinda shoddy. You get several lives and 3 Continues but can earn more after each round with Points. You get more points depending on how many hits you gave compared to how many you took. If you bite it you continue where you left off but if you use a Continue it makes you restart the area. There's 6 levels and a few zones per level but there's a lot of cheap hits. The 2nd level boss is pretty overpowered and rough to get by. On level 3 you gotta punch switches and a chain lowers and you gotta jump on it to lift you up. But on the 2nd chain, no matter how I jumped, it wouldn't catch and I couldn't advance. I mean it wasn't a great game or anything, but I was hoping to beat it. I like the rolling jump and the graphics but some parts are kinda cheap. Its not the worst but Virgin usually does better than this.

Just beat Double Dragon The Revenge Of Billy Lee on my 106 Game Gear Games in 1 GBA Multucart. Kind of an ordeal. 1 button is punch and the other is kick, but with up it makes you do a rolling jump like Sonic and down makes you do a low kick. Down and punch lets you pick up items like life, extra guys and guns. It controls kinda off and often I try to jump attack and just do a standing kick. Its pretty tough and had cheap enemy's that take come getting used to. The worst are ther chicks with sticks. You get several lives and 3 Continues but can earn more after each round with Points. You get more points depending on how many hits you gave compared to how many you took. If you bite it you continue where you left off but if you use a Continue it makes you restart the zone. There's 6 levels and a few zones per level but there's a lot of cheap hits. On level 3 you gotta punch switches and a chain lowers and you gotta jump on it to lift you up. But on the 2nd chain, no matter how I jumped, it wouldn't catch and I couldn't advance. I looked up a walkthrough and found you gotta walk into it, but only at the right spot. You can't grab or throw guys and can't fall into pits. There's guns you can use and the final boss can be beat by just jumping back and forth over him. Plus some weird alien face in a fall. Oh and a boss rush, complete with the boss you just beat 3 mins ago. The chainsaw guy might be a ref to DD2 on GB. Its not awful once you get used to it, but its not as pick up and play as other ones. I think I preferred DD 3 and 5 on Sega better, but I thought those weren't bad. Glad I finally got through this one. Its kinda like The Lion King: Hard but doable

Just beat Bionic Commando on my 150 NES games in 1 GBA Multicart. Its a Platform Run N Gun where B is shoot and A is Grappling Claw. You can't jump but can swing and climb by aiming up, sideways or diagonal. Select pauses and Start uses the Item like a Life Potion or Flare. You move around a map in a Chopper and choose weapons, items, and communicators to go to these levels and get to the end or beat a boss or blow a generator or w/e. There's good cutscenes you get by communicating or wiretapping in com rooms that tell you what to do and where to go. On the map are enemy vehicles that if you run into, you get a bonus level to go through like Ikari Warriors  and earn Continues. You get a few lives and 0 Continues but can get quite a few from the Ikari Levels, and even farm em. Also after you ice a grunt, he drops a think and you can collect it and with enough, get life bar extended. If you bit it you return to where you last entered the Level and using a Continue puts you back art the map screen, but if you fall on the final boss and continue, you return to the area you fell at. You use the Grappling Claw to swing around like Spider Man or Batman and can cheese through some areas if used right. There's also springs to pseudo jump. It works pretty well. The story is pretty good and its got Hitler coming back in the Japan Version. It controls well but you can't turn while ducking. You can also grind by beating the same guys to get more life. Its a pretty good game that gets easier as it goes on as you get stronger. I used a walk through so I wouldn't be stumbling around and it wasn't too rough often but some parts are a bit tight.

Just beat Rival Turf for SNES on my DS R4. Its a Beat Em Up by Jaleco that's pretty much a discount Final Fight. You play as 1 of 2 guys, a Fast guy in Red and a big guy who's slower but uses wrestling moves instead of  normal throws. You get 5 continues and 5 lives each (4 to 0) and got 6 levels. 1  button is jump, 1 is punch, 1 is stronger attack that has recoil and 1 lets you run. Its kinda simple and has decent graphics and not bad music. There's a kind of Boss Rush where you refight a few bosses before the final guy. Its not bad and controls ok but some enemy's you gotta learn. You often throw guys but if they grab you, they throw you, but it takes em a while. Sometimes I can jump kick out but not often. Some guys are a bit tricky but if you move up and down or just nickle and dime em with jump kicks, its not too rough. In the options you otta turn on the Angry Mode that lets you go all Ben Stiller from Mystery Men and use the power of getting mad to become invincible and do more damage for a bit. Its only once per life and you can't choose when to do it, but it helps. If you bite it or use a continue, you return right where you left off and the options let you choose what buttons do what. Its not bad but could be better. Once you figure out the enemy patters its not so rough. Glad I did this

Just beat the NES game Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti on my DS R4. Its a kind of parody Prequel to the trilogy where you play as Rick and chip with an axe and sometimes use a Shotgun to bust through these G Rated Grade School horror things like Jack O Lanterns and Ghosts and Bats and Spiders. The bosses are based on 80s horror like The Fly or The Exorcist and its done in a fun way. A is Jump and B is attack and you control the jump height by holding the button longer. Its got likable graphics and good music and controls pretty well. You get a bigger life bar by busting more guys and there's a 4 number password to return to the levels you were at. The password don't save your life extension but it don't leave you too low. You get no lives and 5 Continues and that just returns you to the part you left off at instead of restarting the area like with passwords. Its pretty good and there's 2 spheres you gotta collect by going to the right places in certain levels to get the good ending. The 2nd one is in the final level. The rat boss with wind blasting that barfs out smaller rats took some time and I think that inspired Ryokan or w/e that furry who barfs wolves was called in Inuyasha. Its kinda like Kid Dracula with its cheerful atmosphere and fun kids horror. Glad I played it. It holds up well

Just beat Power Blade 2 foe NES on my DS R4. Its kind of a Mega Man style game where A is Jump, B is attack, Select is Item and Start pauses and lets you change armor with the D pad. Like Castlevania you gotta collect Power Ups to increase the Power and Range of your weapon (A Bladerang) and biting it drops it a level. Down and Jump goes a slide and each armor you unlock by beating a mini boss has a different power was swimming or flying or wall climbing or barrier but it runs on an energy meter that's refilled by getting Walkie Talkies. You get infinite Continues and a password but using it sends you to the start of a level and restarts you w/o any power ups. You can grind for more Power Ups but there's a Time Limit, but its usually like 600 seconds. Like Mega Man there's Spikes or Drills or w/e that kill in 1 hit and puts. In each level is a Life Refill that us used with Select to refill the Life Bar and Energy Refill that restores your Armor energy automatically when it runs out. There's 1 checkpoint in each level and you only get 3 guys per Continue (2 1 0) so often you'l be restarting the level a lot. Its kinda tough at times and takes some getting used to, but is a pretty good game. It took me 4 hours to get through and its got really good graphics, art and nice music. I like the black BG and pixel art. Its like the NES Batman. The main character is a big beefy manly man outta the 80s and is so tough, he don't need air, as he stays underwater as long as he wants. Also some parts are autoscrolling up or down and if you go before the floor shows up you bite it. Its not a bad game but is a bit of a challenge at times. Glad I played it.

Just played the SNES Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on my DS R4. Its a beat em up on 1 plane like Altered Beast but not autoscrolling. B is Jump, Y is Attack and X is Screen Nuke you get 1 per level max but can get a replacement from a power up. Most of it is fighting Puttys and halfway through the level you go from human to Power Ranger forme, then fight through more until you get to the boss and face him. Its pretty forgiving and you can take a lot of damage. I never bit it once while playing. Its got a Password system that's only 4 numbers like Alien Soldier and its got colorful graphics and nice music, esp of the Power Rangers Theme. It plays well and each of the 5 rangers looks different, but when they morph its all the same Suit Sprite just recolored. Its pretty each and I could've beat this if the game didn't crash  in the 4th level when the Chandelier fell. I tried with different characters and screwed with the settings but it still glitched out. Its a pretty good game and good simple clean fun. Glad I played it but I with I could've beat it.

Just beat the NES/Famicon game Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger on my DS R4. Its based on the show that Season 1 of Power Rangers was made of and has music from it. A is Jump and B is attack and you can pause. You get a few lives and can earn more by getting enough Coins in each level which also refills your health when the last one you need is got. Its a simple game if you know what to do and can be beat in like half an hour. You have 5 levels, each with a different Ranger, and gotta get to a door to get the Weapon, then it replaces your blaster and you get to the next door fight a boss. The Green Ranger is in cutscenes and there's mini games where you play Pong with the Zords or Hot Potato with Scorpina. Also are Trivia Games where you Choose A B or C but its in Japanese. There's no Continues but a 3 image password that returns you to the start of the level. If you bite it on a boss you resummon and continue the fight with the boss at the same damage. It you bite it on a level you start over. Its not a bad game and has some good stuff. If you want a simple and clean game to beat quick, This is a good one. Glad I played this

Just beat Road Rash on my 106 Game Gear Games in 1 GBA Multicart). What an ordeal! 1 button is Gas and 1 is punch and there's no brake so you gotta release Gas and hope you slow down enough. You gotta get through 5 races in California 5 times and come in 4th or better to beat it. There's cars going down both sides of the road and after you go by 1, there's usually another on the other side coming soon after, even if you fall of and repass the same one. If you take enough crashes the bike breaks and you're outta the race and gotta pay for repairs. If the cops catch you off your bike you're out and got pay a fine. But the cops ONLY go after you AND can appear outta nowhere after you crash and get you. Also the 5 race tracks are the same over and over but get longer each level you go up. Some of these races take over 8 minutes. And 1 mistake and you gotta start the whole thing over. Its pretty much the same as the Genesis one but if you get hit from behind soon after getting back on a bike: it don't knock you off but instead boosts you. After you beat all 5 races 5x you get to do the last 5 over and over forever. You don't got lives or continues but have money and when its out its game over. There's a password system with letters and numbers to keep track of your stats and its kinda rough. Its got personality with character pictures between races and comments from the racers and has good music. The graphics are rough as its so small and grainy and screws up your eyes after a while so you gotta take breaks. Plus its hard to make out when a car is coming or if there's an oil stain on the road to screw up your tires, or a deer to knock you off your bike. Its impressive how well it captured the Genesis game in 8 bit but its hard on the eyes. Often I bump something, fly off my bike, skid on the ground for a while, eventually get up, and slowly walk back to the bike, but get hit by another racer or car and go flying or trip on a rock I walked into. There's rear view mirrors and you can buy better bikes with money. You get more money from doing better in races and higher level races give more, but you still get a little from coming in 10th or so. You can redo the same race you're good at to grind for money til you get enough to get the better bikes tough. Its pretty angering and unfair and if you're playing on a real game gear, its gonna be hard as  it'll probably run outta batteries before beating 1/4th of the racers. Its fun at times but gets far too tough and irritating. Skip this one if you are going for beating it. Its not worth it.

Just beat Batman Returns on my 106 Game Gear Games GBA Multicart. You play as him and have unlimited Continues to get through 5 levels. But if you run outta guys you start the level over. Each level besides the last one has an Easy and Hard route and with the easier one being Route 1. 1 button is attack with Batarang or fist if its already out and the other is jump, but pressing it again uses a cable that you can swing on with with the D Pad. If you pause there's a menu that lets you change Batarangs from higher range or damage and have a screen nuke that does well on bosses. You get a life bar and Bosses that use a pattern and you collect more life or Nukes by hitting Bats hovering in some areas. Its pretty simple and easy and plays pretty well but some parts feel like you can't avoid being hit. Good graphics and music and it can be beat in like half an hour. I liked this one and its a nice lite game that's a good run. Glad I played this.

Just played Holy Diver on my 150 NES games in 1 GBA Multicart. Its like Castlevania but with a lot of metal and rock refs to the names of characters and such. You go through these side scrolling levels with A to jump, B to attack, a pause menu wit Start and Select turns on a super move that is used with B that uses Magic points. Its got good graphics with dark heavy themes and is by Irem who did Hammerin Harry and R-Type. The music isn't bad but the real issue is the difficulty. Its far too hard. Worse than Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden. There's only 6 levels and you get Unlimited Continues with 3 lives each and biting it sends you back to the start of the area you bit in it, but using a Continue makes you restart the whole level. There's a few levels where you turn into a Green Dragon and can fly and fire mouth shots. But I got to this 1 boss on level 4 with 3 rotating turrets on a tower that are often out of range, and its above a put with moving platforms to jump across, So if you get hit by one of his 3 turrets, you fall off and die. Even using save states to not have to do the whole level to get back to him, I still couldn't beat him and it was just too much. I know the top, then middle, then bottom, them top again turrets fire in that order, but on moving platforms and only able to hit them at certain times, unless you use a long blast that has limited ammo, it was too much. I wanted to finish this game, but that part makes it just too much stress. I regret playing this game. Its got some good parts, but its not worth it. Oh and you get permanent life/magic extenders and items for more abilities.

Just beat Daikatana on GBC. Its kind of a Zelda clone where you play as this future Samurai and go across time with a magic sword. A is jump, B is attack, Start brings up the Save Screen and Select opens the Menu to choose weapons. Some have Ammo and others have unlimited uses. You can save at any time and enemies resummon when you return. Unlike Zelda there's no world map and you are sent where you are meant. Life is numbers that goes up as you beat bosses and there's Armor that takes hits before the Life does. Its got a good story and nice unseen twists and a lot of unskipable cut scenes but it holds up. Nice 8 bit graphics and music and it controls pretty well. No lives or continues but you just go back to the start screen when you bite it. Some parts took a bit of figuring out like that 1 square you had to hit with the hammer in the Yellow and red symboled floor and I had to look it up. Its a pretty good Zelda clone and it was worth going out of my way to get a repro cart of, as it was never released in America cuz the N64 version was awful. Glad I got this. It can be beat in a few hours so its not a big investment. Oh and in some parts we control other players and they can't use some weapons, but its not bad.

Just beat Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker on GBC. Its a beat em up based on Batman Beyond the movie where you play as Batman and beat up The Jokerz for like an hour. There's cool cutscenes and Batman's sprite is black with white pixels for an outline to look good. A is jump and B is attack, Start pauses and Select opens a menu to change weapons. You find em in crates and have things like Nunchaku and a Staff that weren't in the show but seem cool. Its pretty easy as you got 3 lives and are better than all the other guys, but they ain't in a high tech batsuit so it makes sense. Not only do you get a password to continue, you have unlimited Continues AND restart at the start of the room you bit it in. The enemy AI is a joke. They walk around and right into your fists, and often walk off cliffs. But its The Jokerz so they ain't rocket scientists. If there's a pipe or statue between you and a foe, you can kick em through it and they go down easy. Its not a bad way to kill an hour and follows the movie pretty well.  Probably the most forgiving Batman game I ever did. I got the European version as it was cheaper and I'm glad I got it. If you use a Continue you don't keep all your items, but you don't need em. Also you can glide on wings by jumping and holding Jump, and can guide it. Its pretty decent if you like comic accurate games where you can take anyone on no sweat.Just beat Toki on my 218 Sega Genesis games in 1 Multicart. Its a Run N Gun Platformer where you play as a Jungle Caveman who was devolved into a Chimpus annd has to save his gf. You get up to 7 Continues with up to 9 guys each but can collect enough food or points to get more. 1 button is jump, 1 is fire and Start Pauses. If you bite it you restart the area and there are 9 worlds with 3 areas plus a boss fight. You bite it in 1 hit and move kinda slow but there are power ups like Sneakers for better Jumping or Stars for Invincibility. You can also jump on bad guys and aim up, diagonal up, lower when crouched or diagonal down when on a slope. Its got pretty good  music and the graphics  are well done. There's 1 water world and each level stands out as unique. You can't play the last level on Easy and if you use a Continue on the Final Boss you redo Level 9 3, But biting it on him doesn't make you replay the 1st forme. Its pretty good over all and there's a Level Select code to choose any non boss level you want. Also there are not only power ups for different attacks, but they wear off after a while or go after you bite it. The enemy's have fun names in the credits and have good designs. Glad I played it. Its a decent game and there's often a quick way to get to the end of each level if you have a power up like blasting a brick wall or using Sneakers.

No comments:

Post a Comment