prfsnl_gmr wrote:It would be hilarious if there was a picture of Kirby mixed in there.
Hey Kirby was white!........ in the first game.
1.
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
2.
Gyromite (NES)
3.
Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- (Steam)
4.
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Famicom)
5.
Radical Dreamers (SNES)
6.
Video Games 1 (TI-99/4A)
7.
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
8.
Exile (TurboGrafx CD)
9.
Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (TurboGrafx CD)
10.
Xak (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
11.
Xak II (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
12.
Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
13.
Captain Silver (Sega Master System)
14.
Märchen Veil (Famicom Disk System)
15.
Vanguard (Atari 2600)
16.
Kangaroo (Atari 2600)
17.
Front Line (Atari 2600)
18.
Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)
19.
Harmonia (Steam)
20.
Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)
21.
Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600)
22.
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (TurboGrafx CD)
23.
Gorf (Atari 2600)
24.
Neutopia II (TurboGrafx-16)
25.
Dungeon Magic (PlayStation 2,
Taito Legends 2)
26.
The Lost Vikings (SNES)
27. Blue's Journey (Wii Virtual Console)The SNES had
Super Mario World. The Genesis had
Sonic the Hedgehog. The TurboGrafx-16 had
Bonk's Adventure. The Neo Geo had...
Blue's Journey? Yeah, technically there are several platformers on the Neo Geo but this is the most straightforward hop & bop "mascot-y" one out of the bunch.
Blue's Journey was initially released in 1990 and was made available on the old Neo Geo trio: MVS, AES, and CD. It then appeared on the Wii Virtual Console many years later, and, if you're completely insane, you can even find it on the Neo Geo X. The collector in me has desired a cartridge for the longest time, but they go for about $100 a pop. Virtual Console it is.
The plot has a sort of shoehorned environmentally-friendly bent to it, kinda like the one seen in
Eco Fighters. Blue is a dude living on the planet of "Raguy" (which is the Japanese title of the game). It's rife with beautiful flora and fauna. Some a-hole extraterrestrials invade with the purpose of destroying the planet, so it's up to Blue to save the day. Oh, and there is also a princess to be rescued. This is a video game after all.
To achieve victory Blue must work his way through a series of 2D (mostly) linear platforming stages. There's a "branching paths" map system between each level, so more than one playthrough is required to see the entire game. I have no idea why the game is designed like this, perhaps Alpha Denshi thought it was too long otherwise. While appearing somewhat cookie-cutter at first glance,
Blue's Journey does a lot to differentiate itself. In fact, those expecting a straightforward Mario-esque trek might feel there is
too much going on. There are a couple of different attack methods. Blue can hop on most enemies, though the hit detection here never feels quite right. It's best to attack with the "leaf drop" - the eco-friendly method of smacking foes with a giant leaf. This does not outright annihilate enemies but stuns them; they can then be picked up and tossed at their cronies. Multiple enemies can be stacked in Blue's arms, much in the same way Noah can hold an entire flock of the sheep. The controls are spot-on and combat is fluid and satisfying. Blue's jump is lengthy and easy to steer, and the game is chock full of moving platforms, vines, and so on. There's no "running" here, however, just a constant steady trot.
Blue can also shrink down to about a third of his regular size. While in this state he can maneuver into smaller areas but is unable to deal damage. It's a wholly underutilized mechanic, but does help in nabbing some specific tucked away items. There are also a handful of offensive power-ups, like a bomb (with the expected annoying arc) and boomerang.
Each level contains a few NPCs. Some will offer a specific item for sale (never essential) while others want to barter, gamble, or shoot the shit. There are designated shops as well, all run by a scantily-clad fairy girl. These offer up health refills, speedy shoes, and a few other goodies. Currency consists of flowers that can be collected throughout each stage, much like Mario's coins or Sonic's rings. Naturally the flower count is reset to zero upon a Game Over. I don't care for the character designs, personally. They all have that goofball smarmy smirky look seen in so many SNK games. Blue himself looks like a complete chode up-close, sporting some sort of insectish helmet with a hole for his hair to poke through. His in-game sprite is much better. The princess is a total qt3.14 I will admit, there is no denying that.
Visually,
Blue's Journey is absolutely stunning. It's absurdly colorful, almost too colorful if such a thing was possible. There's an incredible attention to detail in each stage, but it's done in such a way that the background elements never become obtrusive or distracting. The game takes a sudden turn from lush to industrial come the final cluster of levels, reflecting the environmentally destructive aims of the villains. Music is jovial throughout, though not particularly memorable. I do particularly enjoy the steel drum centered stage one theme.
The game's pretty hard, which I suppose is unsurprising given its arcade nature. Enemies are incredibly numerous in the final areas, and thus difficult to avoid. There are also a few tricky spots where it's absolutely essential to be in "small mode." It always took me a moment or two to figure this out. Bosses also put up quite a fight. They're incredibly quick, can summon hordes of standard enemies, and the battlefield is small and cramped. Expect to lose most "quarters" during these skirmishes.
Overall, this is an unexpected and unexpectedly fun game. As someone who's not a shmup or fighters connoisseur I sometimes have a tough time connecting with the Neo scene, but semi-hidden gems like this keep me coming back. It doesn't have a ton of staying power or replay value, but it's heavily entertaining throughout its 45-minute duration. In all good conscience though, I can't recommend dropping a c-note on this. Hit up that VC playa.
