prfsnl_gmr wrote:Beyond Good and Evil, Spider Man, Koudelka, Gunstar Heroes?! You guys are playing through some awesome retro games right now. Keep it up!
Don't get too excited: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=52350&start=50#p1137146
Games Beaten 2018
-
noiseredux
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 38148
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:09 pm
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Don't get too excited: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=52350&start=50#p1137146
-
ElkinFencer10
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8582
- Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
- Location: Henderson, North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Games Beaten in 2018 So Far - 88
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (3 Games Beaten)
88. Game of Thrones - PS4 - August 5
Let me preface this by saying that I've neither read nor seen any of Game of Thrones. Aside from the internet's saturation of "Winter is coming" memes, I had no exposure to the series whatsoever before this game. With that said, it's important to note that my impression of Telltale's Game of Thrones series comes from a total newcomer to Game of Thrones rather than established fans who are familiar with the source material.
If you've played any of TellTale's series, then you know how Game of Thrones goes from a gameplay perspective. You make some choices, talk to a bunch of people, realize that your choices were stupid and kick yourself mentally for the next four hours, do some quick time events, and repeat. Game of Thrones is entirely keeping with the established norm for TellTale's narrative series, and that's what makes it so damn good. Like their other series (at least the ones I've played), the character development is so incredibly well done that you really do grow attached to them, and because it's Game of Thrones, their inevitable gruesome deaths hurt all the more because of it.
You play as some random soldier dude - I don't remember his name, so we'll call him Greg - on the eve of some big event (I think maybe the apparently infamous Red Wedding?) when you're attacked out of nowhere by ninjas or something. Well, it was just another regular army attacking your army, but it was a cripplingly effective surprise attack, so I'm going with ninjas. Anyway, after you escape from the ninjas, you make your way back home just to be told "Hey, you're our scapegoat. Off to the certain-death exile place with you!" to serve on a suicide mission. From there, the story revolves around the noble family that Greg was serving and the lord's children through their various exploits. At one point or another, you play as all of the kids except for the adorable younger daughter. You learn about the world, the politics, the places, and the characters that inhabit that world. Then you scream, cry, and sometimes throw your controller in rage when they meet their inescapable and tortuously well voice acted demise.
As is the case with the Game of Thrones novel and TV series from what I've been led to believe, this game plays with your emotions and revels in putting your heart through an orange juicer. Good luck putting the controller down, though, because the characters and story are just too damn engrossing to stop playing no matter how much pyschological turmoil the game causes you. I have absolutely no attachment to Game of Thrones, and I was still ensnared from the first half hour. It was begrudgingly that I turned off my Playstation after episode four to go to bed. I can't speak for how much long-time Game of Thrones fans would feel about the game, but for a total newcomer who loves a good story and well written characters, this game is a near masterpiece.
TellTale's Game of Thrones is perhaps their best work yet. At the very least, it's second only to their Walking Dead series. It's masterfully written and pulls the player in with or without any previous exposure to the IP. My only complaints with the game (only one of which is a legitimate gripe about this particular game) is that there were some performance issues - I had several instances of crashing - and the fact that season 2 has been delayed multiple times although TellTale insists that it's still happening. Eventually. I cannot recommend this game highly enough. It's worth noting, though, that my friend, Jerome, took exceptional umbrage to the game's toying with his emotions, and was left with an opinion of the game a bit more bitter than mine.
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (3 Games Beaten)
88. Game of Thrones - PS4 - August 5
Let me preface this by saying that I've neither read nor seen any of Game of Thrones. Aside from the internet's saturation of "Winter is coming" memes, I had no exposure to the series whatsoever before this game. With that said, it's important to note that my impression of Telltale's Game of Thrones series comes from a total newcomer to Game of Thrones rather than established fans who are familiar with the source material.
If you've played any of TellTale's series, then you know how Game of Thrones goes from a gameplay perspective. You make some choices, talk to a bunch of people, realize that your choices were stupid and kick yourself mentally for the next four hours, do some quick time events, and repeat. Game of Thrones is entirely keeping with the established norm for TellTale's narrative series, and that's what makes it so damn good. Like their other series (at least the ones I've played), the character development is so incredibly well done that you really do grow attached to them, and because it's Game of Thrones, their inevitable gruesome deaths hurt all the more because of it.
You play as some random soldier dude - I don't remember his name, so we'll call him Greg - on the eve of some big event (I think maybe the apparently infamous Red Wedding?) when you're attacked out of nowhere by ninjas or something. Well, it was just another regular army attacking your army, but it was a cripplingly effective surprise attack, so I'm going with ninjas. Anyway, after you escape from the ninjas, you make your way back home just to be told "Hey, you're our scapegoat. Off to the certain-death exile place with you!" to serve on a suicide mission. From there, the story revolves around the noble family that Greg was serving and the lord's children through their various exploits. At one point or another, you play as all of the kids except for the adorable younger daughter. You learn about the world, the politics, the places, and the characters that inhabit that world. Then you scream, cry, and sometimes throw your controller in rage when they meet their inescapable and tortuously well voice acted demise.
As is the case with the Game of Thrones novel and TV series from what I've been led to believe, this game plays with your emotions and revels in putting your heart through an orange juicer. Good luck putting the controller down, though, because the characters and story are just too damn engrossing to stop playing no matter how much pyschological turmoil the game causes you. I have absolutely no attachment to Game of Thrones, and I was still ensnared from the first half hour. It was begrudgingly that I turned off my Playstation after episode four to go to bed. I can't speak for how much long-time Game of Thrones fans would feel about the game, but for a total newcomer who loves a good story and well written characters, this game is a near masterpiece.
TellTale's Game of Thrones is perhaps their best work yet. At the very least, it's second only to their Walking Dead series. It's masterfully written and pulls the player in with or without any previous exposure to the IP. My only complaints with the game (only one of which is a legitimate gripe about this particular game) is that there were some performance issues - I had several instances of crashing - and the fact that season 2 has been delayed multiple times although TellTale insists that it's still happening. Eventually. I cannot recommend this game highly enough. It's worth noting, though, that my friend, Jerome, took exceptional umbrage to the game's toying with his emotions, and was left with an opinion of the game a bit more bitter than mine.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
-
prfsnl_gmr
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 12198
- Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Re: Games Beaten 2018
noiseredux wrote:prfsnl_gmr wrote:Beyond Good and Evil, Spider Man, Koudelka, Gunstar Heroes?! You guys are playing through some awesome retro games right now. Keep it up!
Don't get too excited: http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 0#p1137146
It isn’t that you loved it, it’s that you got through it and that people are playing some solid, old games. Good stuff.
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ElkinFencer10
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8582
- Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
- Location: Henderson, North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Games Beaten in 2018 So Far - 89
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (4 Games Beaten)
89. Star Trek - Steam - August 6
I have a lot of feelings about the Kelvin timeline in Star Trek. I've been watching Star Trek literally my entire life. I don't like prequels, and I don't like alternate timelines; Jar Jar Abrams' reboot film is both, and this game takes place shortly after that movie. So how does this 2013 Star Trek game stack up for a long-time Star Trek fan and a Prime timeline elitist? Well...it's not terrible.
Have you played Gears of War? Imagine that with the steroids and chainsaws removed and replaced with space ships and Vulcans. Throw in a pinch of unpolished game mechanics, and that's basically Star Trek. It's a third person cover based shooter geared towards co-operative multiplayer in the same fashion as Resident Evil 5 - two protagonists one of which is AI controlled if playing solo. Unlike Shiva in Resident Evil 5, however, Spock is not helplessly stupid and a bigger threat to you than the final boss. Also unlike Resident Evil 5, Star Trek is actually rather fun to play.
Unfortunately, being a licensed movie ti-in game, Star Trek is just pretty good. It's not great. It's not memorable. It's not innovative. It's fun, but it's little more than a decent way to pass time. It doesn't offer an experience of any true depth. I only played solo, so it may well be a fantastic co-op experience, but from my time with the game, it was good, but not amazing. It looks nice. It plays decently although the cover mechanics are annoying and not nearly as smoothly polished as Gears of War or Mass Effect. If you're a fan of the Abrams movie, then you'll probably really like it. If you're a fan of real Star Trek, you'll probably find the game decent but annoying.
Star Trek is an enjoyable game, but it's an extremely okay game. It's a run of the mill cover based third person shooter that doesn't really do much wrong, but it also doesn't really do much right. It's an enjoyable enough romp for Star Trek fans, but for folks who aren't fans of the franchise, there really isn't a lot to offer as there are much, much better cover based third person shooters. If you find it for less than $5, then it's probably a worthwhile play, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (4 Games Beaten)
89. Star Trek - Steam - August 6
I have a lot of feelings about the Kelvin timeline in Star Trek. I've been watching Star Trek literally my entire life. I don't like prequels, and I don't like alternate timelines; Jar Jar Abrams' reboot film is both, and this game takes place shortly after that movie. So how does this 2013 Star Trek game stack up for a long-time Star Trek fan and a Prime timeline elitist? Well...it's not terrible.
Have you played Gears of War? Imagine that with the steroids and chainsaws removed and replaced with space ships and Vulcans. Throw in a pinch of unpolished game mechanics, and that's basically Star Trek. It's a third person cover based shooter geared towards co-operative multiplayer in the same fashion as Resident Evil 5 - two protagonists one of which is AI controlled if playing solo. Unlike Shiva in Resident Evil 5, however, Spock is not helplessly stupid and a bigger threat to you than the final boss. Also unlike Resident Evil 5, Star Trek is actually rather fun to play.
Unfortunately, being a licensed movie ti-in game, Star Trek is just pretty good. It's not great. It's not memorable. It's not innovative. It's fun, but it's little more than a decent way to pass time. It doesn't offer an experience of any true depth. I only played solo, so it may well be a fantastic co-op experience, but from my time with the game, it was good, but not amazing. It looks nice. It plays decently although the cover mechanics are annoying and not nearly as smoothly polished as Gears of War or Mass Effect. If you're a fan of the Abrams movie, then you'll probably really like it. If you're a fan of real Star Trek, you'll probably find the game decent but annoying.
Star Trek is an enjoyable game, but it's an extremely okay game. It's a run of the mill cover based third person shooter that doesn't really do much wrong, but it also doesn't really do much right. It's an enjoyable enough romp for Star Trek fans, but for folks who aren't fans of the franchise, there really isn't a lot to offer as there are much, much better cover based third person shooters. If you find it for less than $5, then it's probably a worthwhile play, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
-
Markies
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 1410
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 4:29 pm
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Markies' Games Beat List Of 2018!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*
1. The Granstream Saga (PS1)
2. Perfect Dark (N64)
*3. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)*
4. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (XBOX)
5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
*6. Pikmin (GCN)*
*7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (N64)*
8. Shining Force II (GEN)
*9. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter (PS1)*
*10. Mafia (XBOX)*
11. James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (GCN)
12. ChuChu Rocket! (SDC)
*13. Super Metroid (SNES)*
14. Final Fantasy II (NES)
15. Devil May Cry (PS2)
16. Mega Man: The Wily Wars (GEN)
17. Secret of Evermore (SNES)
18. Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PS2)
19. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN)
*20. Paper Mario (N64)*
21. Grandia II (SDC)
22. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (PS2)
23. Bomberman Hero (N64)
24. OutRun (GEN)
25. Dragon Warrior IV (NES)
26. Super Monkey Ball (GCN)
27. Mischief Makers (N64)
28. Dragon Valor (PS1)
*29. Beyond Good & Evil (XBX)*
30. Tokyo Xtreme Racer (SDC)
I beat Tokyo Xtreme Racer on the Sega DreamCast this evening!
Two years ago, I was well into my Dreamcast collection, but I was noticing a pattern. Many games that I bought were turning into duds. Games like Space Channel 5, Hydro Thunder and Sonic Shuffle were all removed from my Backlog. With the Dreamcast, I was either getting really good games or really bad games. So, I went to my favorite local game store to trade in the bad Dreamcast games when I noticed a large selection waiting for me. I picked up several Dreamcast games to refill my collection and one of them happened to be Tokyo Xtreme Racer. I had found it while I was searching for games before I picked up the console as the game appeared interesting. With a fondness for racing games, I decided to give it a shot this past week.
The most interesting aspect about Tokyo Xtreme Racer is the two life bars at the top of the screen. The game is a racing game with no laps as you are all racing around one large circle. Since it is a street racing game, you come up behind your opponent, flash your brights and then the two of you race. The loser's health bar slowly depletes depending on how far behind they are compared to the winner. And when it is gone, the race is over. It is a very unique concept as races can last anywhere from thirty seconds to several minutes. It all depends on how evenly matched up you are with your opponent. With each victory, you gain money to upgrade your car and to even buy new cars.
The major problem with the system is the rubber band effect the game has. If you crash, the race can be over in seconds. However, it always feels like the opponent is right behind you, so they can overtake you in a second. Thankfully, you can find the opponent soon after and race again to try to win. Also, even though it is one large track, the game gets super repetitive rather quickly. You'll have the track memorized in a few hours and then nothing else really changes. You race to win money, upgrade your car, beat your rivals, beat a boss and then repeat the process three more times.
Overall, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is not bad for what it is. It gets repetitive rather quickly and there is not much variety. However, for a short racing game that makes you feel like you are street racing through the night in Tokyo, it is an enjoyable experience. With modifications abound, it balances that fine line between simple and complex.
*Denotes Replay For Completion*
1. The Granstream Saga (PS1)
2. Perfect Dark (N64)
*3. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)*
4. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (XBOX)
5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
*6. Pikmin (GCN)*
*7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (N64)*
8. Shining Force II (GEN)
*9. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter (PS1)*
*10. Mafia (XBOX)*
11. James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (GCN)
12. ChuChu Rocket! (SDC)
*13. Super Metroid (SNES)*
14. Final Fantasy II (NES)
15. Devil May Cry (PS2)
16. Mega Man: The Wily Wars (GEN)
17. Secret of Evermore (SNES)
18. Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PS2)
19. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN)
*20. Paper Mario (N64)*
21. Grandia II (SDC)
22. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (PS2)
23. Bomberman Hero (N64)
24. OutRun (GEN)
25. Dragon Warrior IV (NES)
26. Super Monkey Ball (GCN)
27. Mischief Makers (N64)
28. Dragon Valor (PS1)
*29. Beyond Good & Evil (XBX)*
30. Tokyo Xtreme Racer (SDC)
I beat Tokyo Xtreme Racer on the Sega DreamCast this evening!
Two years ago, I was well into my Dreamcast collection, but I was noticing a pattern. Many games that I bought were turning into duds. Games like Space Channel 5, Hydro Thunder and Sonic Shuffle were all removed from my Backlog. With the Dreamcast, I was either getting really good games or really bad games. So, I went to my favorite local game store to trade in the bad Dreamcast games when I noticed a large selection waiting for me. I picked up several Dreamcast games to refill my collection and one of them happened to be Tokyo Xtreme Racer. I had found it while I was searching for games before I picked up the console as the game appeared interesting. With a fondness for racing games, I decided to give it a shot this past week.
The most interesting aspect about Tokyo Xtreme Racer is the two life bars at the top of the screen. The game is a racing game with no laps as you are all racing around one large circle. Since it is a street racing game, you come up behind your opponent, flash your brights and then the two of you race. The loser's health bar slowly depletes depending on how far behind they are compared to the winner. And when it is gone, the race is over. It is a very unique concept as races can last anywhere from thirty seconds to several minutes. It all depends on how evenly matched up you are with your opponent. With each victory, you gain money to upgrade your car and to even buy new cars.
The major problem with the system is the rubber band effect the game has. If you crash, the race can be over in seconds. However, it always feels like the opponent is right behind you, so they can overtake you in a second. Thankfully, you can find the opponent soon after and race again to try to win. Also, even though it is one large track, the game gets super repetitive rather quickly. You'll have the track memorized in a few hours and then nothing else really changes. You race to win money, upgrade your car, beat your rivals, beat a boss and then repeat the process three more times.
Overall, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is not bad for what it is. It gets repetitive rather quickly and there is not much variety. However, for a short racing game that makes you feel like you are street racing through the night in Tokyo, it is an enjoyable experience. With modifications abound, it balances that fine line between simple and complex.
-
alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8775
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Now, I just want to qualify that I love you Markies, you're a great dude.
But this....
I don't know how to feel about you anymore after that...
But this....
Many games that I bought were turning into duds. Games like Space Channel 5... I was ... getting really bad games.
So, I went to my favorite local game store to trade in the bad Dreamcast games...
I don't know how to feel about you anymore after that...
-
ElkinFencer10
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8582
- Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
- Location: Henderson, North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
alienjesus wrote:Now, I just want to qualify that I love you Markies, you're a great dude.
But this....Many games that I bought were turning into duds. Games like Space Channel 5... I was ... getting really bad games.
So, I went to my favorite local game store to trade in the bad Dreamcast games...
I don't know how to feel about you anymore after that...
I take no pleasure in this, but we have no choice but to sentence him to death.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
-
ElkinFencer10
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8582
- Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
- Location: Henderson, North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
Games Beaten in 2018 So Far - 90
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (4 Games Beaten)
September (1 Game Beaten)
90. Pokemon Vega - Game Boy Advance - September 18
When I recently bought an Everdrive GBA, the very first thing I did was start loading promising-sounding Pokemon ROM hacks, and of all the ones I downloaded, Pokemon Vega looked to be the most promising. One of the things I was looking for was a hack with well designed Fakemon, the community-given name for new Pokemon a hacker creates and puts into his or her ROM hack. From what I'd read, Vega was pretty much the best of the best as far as Fakemon go, so that's where I began. Fortunately, there's an English translation that's readily available given that the hacker is Japanese.
It's obvious from the first few minutes that Pokemon Vega is an exceptionally well made fan hack that had an enormous amount of care and skill put into it. It's an all new region, about half of the Pokemon in the game are Fakemon, and something like a half or a third of the real Pokemon had to be added in by the hacker as they're from DS and later generations (I think they're all or mostly Gen IV). Not only that, but the game features a handful of entirely new moves. Despite all this, it feels completely natural; one could be forgiven for mistaking it for a legitimate Pokemon game made by Game Freak. No half-assed sprites, no only-somewhat-tweaked world map, no obviously self-insert characters. It all feels completely natural and organic. The best part, though, is undoubtedly the creation of the most glorious Pokemon past present, or a future, and the TRUE evolution of Pikachu - the almighty Electric/Fighting type, Machu (pictured above from the intro sequence)!
Story-wise, Vega picks up where its predecessor, Pokemon Altair and Sirius, left off. As such, there are references to the protagonist's exploits in Hoenn from Altair and Sirius, but there are never any tie-ins major enough to necessitate playing the previous game; I've never touched it, and I had no problem following what was going on aside from not knowing what the "Hoenn Catastrophe" referenced a few times was. I've also seen a lot of folks on Pokemon ROM hack forums suggest just skipping straight to Vega as it's apparently a FAR superior game (which makes sense given that the hacker would have honed his skills a lot during the production of Altair and Sirius).
You start the game immediately encountering new Fakemon as your starter choices are all new. Your fire starter ends up Fire/Steel, your water starter ends up Water/Poison, and your grass starter ends up Grass/Flying. I won't go into details of the story as it's actually one of the more interesting ones I've seen in a Pokemon game (although not quite as interesting to me as Diamond/Pearl or Black/White), but be warned - this game is BALLS hard. Expect gym leaders to be 10 to 15 levels above you when you get to a new town while the surrounding Pokemon are going to be 10 to 15 levels below you, making grinding a pain in the ass. There also exists a fan hack of the fan hack called Vega Minus that is essentially exactly the same except that gym leader and Elite Four levels have been lowered so that they're only 5 to 10 levels above you. That's the version I played because I'm impatient when it comes to grinding, and even with the lower (read: less brutally high) difficulty of Minus, it's still an extremely tough Pokemon game that took me about 68 hours to beat (and by beat, I mean clear the Elite Four and become the new Champion).
While Vega is extremely difficult, it's absolutely worth while. It's a hack of FireRed which I, personally, consider to be the best game in the Pokemon series (although it FireRed/LeafGreen and HeartGold/SoulSilver always swap for #1 every few weeks for me), so it's already got that going for it. Even with those, though, I'd still say it's a better Pokemon game than any of Game Freak's Pokemon games after the GBA era (except for the aforementioned Gen II remakes). It's not for the faint of heart or those unwilling to bash your heads against a brick wall grinding, but it's absolutely worth the struggle if you have the patience. Everdrive, emulator, reproduction cartridge, whatever - however you do it, just play this game if you're a Pokemon fan.
* denotes a replay
January (16 Games Beaten)
February (18 Games Beaten)
March (10 Games Beaten)
April (7 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (20 Games Beaten)
July (8 Games Beaten)
August (4 Games Beaten)
September (1 Game Beaten)
90. Pokemon Vega - Game Boy Advance - September 18
When I recently bought an Everdrive GBA, the very first thing I did was start loading promising-sounding Pokemon ROM hacks, and of all the ones I downloaded, Pokemon Vega looked to be the most promising. One of the things I was looking for was a hack with well designed Fakemon, the community-given name for new Pokemon a hacker creates and puts into his or her ROM hack. From what I'd read, Vega was pretty much the best of the best as far as Fakemon go, so that's where I began. Fortunately, there's an English translation that's readily available given that the hacker is Japanese.
It's obvious from the first few minutes that Pokemon Vega is an exceptionally well made fan hack that had an enormous amount of care and skill put into it. It's an all new region, about half of the Pokemon in the game are Fakemon, and something like a half or a third of the real Pokemon had to be added in by the hacker as they're from DS and later generations (I think they're all or mostly Gen IV). Not only that, but the game features a handful of entirely new moves. Despite all this, it feels completely natural; one could be forgiven for mistaking it for a legitimate Pokemon game made by Game Freak. No half-assed sprites, no only-somewhat-tweaked world map, no obviously self-insert characters. It all feels completely natural and organic. The best part, though, is undoubtedly the creation of the most glorious Pokemon past present, or a future, and the TRUE evolution of Pikachu - the almighty Electric/Fighting type, Machu (pictured above from the intro sequence)!
Story-wise, Vega picks up where its predecessor, Pokemon Altair and Sirius, left off. As such, there are references to the protagonist's exploits in Hoenn from Altair and Sirius, but there are never any tie-ins major enough to necessitate playing the previous game; I've never touched it, and I had no problem following what was going on aside from not knowing what the "Hoenn Catastrophe" referenced a few times was. I've also seen a lot of folks on Pokemon ROM hack forums suggest just skipping straight to Vega as it's apparently a FAR superior game (which makes sense given that the hacker would have honed his skills a lot during the production of Altair and Sirius).
You start the game immediately encountering new Fakemon as your starter choices are all new. Your fire starter ends up Fire/Steel, your water starter ends up Water/Poison, and your grass starter ends up Grass/Flying. I won't go into details of the story as it's actually one of the more interesting ones I've seen in a Pokemon game (although not quite as interesting to me as Diamond/Pearl or Black/White), but be warned - this game is BALLS hard. Expect gym leaders to be 10 to 15 levels above you when you get to a new town while the surrounding Pokemon are going to be 10 to 15 levels below you, making grinding a pain in the ass. There also exists a fan hack of the fan hack called Vega Minus that is essentially exactly the same except that gym leader and Elite Four levels have been lowered so that they're only 5 to 10 levels above you. That's the version I played because I'm impatient when it comes to grinding, and even with the lower (read: less brutally high) difficulty of Minus, it's still an extremely tough Pokemon game that took me about 68 hours to beat (and by beat, I mean clear the Elite Four and become the new Champion).
While Vega is extremely difficult, it's absolutely worth while. It's a hack of FireRed which I, personally, consider to be the best game in the Pokemon series (although it FireRed/LeafGreen and HeartGold/SoulSilver always swap for #1 every few weeks for me), so it's already got that going for it. Even with those, though, I'd still say it's a better Pokemon game than any of Game Freak's Pokemon games after the GBA era (except for the aforementioned Gen II remakes). It's not for the faint of heart or those unwilling to bash your heads against a brick wall grinding, but it's absolutely worth the struggle if you have the patience. Everdrive, emulator, reproduction cartridge, whatever - however you do it, just play this game if you're a Pokemon fan.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
-
Markies
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 1410
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 4:29 pm
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2018
ElkinFencer10 wrote:alienjesus wrote:Now, I just want to qualify that I love you Markies, you're a great dude.
But this....Many games that I bought were turning into duds. Games like Space Channel 5... I was ... getting really bad games.
So, I went to my favorite local game store to trade in the bad Dreamcast games...
I don't know how to feel about you anymore after that...
I take no pleasure in this, but we have no choice but to sentence him to death.
*Laughs*
Okay, I put that wrong.
Space Channel 5 is not a bad game.
I am really bad at Space Channel 5. Like REALLY bad.
I played that game and could not stop laughing at how inept I was at it. I couldn't even beat the first level. There was no way I was going to beat it, so I just traded it in.
I plead guilty to my sins and I only hope I can rebuild my reputation in the future.
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2018
The sentence of death is commuted. Your shame is punishment enough.
I'm pretty bad at Space Channel 5, too. I don't think I ever managed to beat it. I play it a lot in college, but as I spent the last two years of college working between 50 and 60 hours per week, taking 22 hours of classes (including my internship) every week, and doing all of the homework that accompanied those classes, I didn't get enough sleep to form long term memories, so who know?
I'm pretty bad at Space Channel 5, too. I don't think I ever managed to beat it. I play it a lot in college, but as I spent the last two years of college working between 50 and 60 hours per week, taking 22 hours of classes (including my internship) every week, and doing all of the homework that accompanied those classes, I didn't get enough sleep to form long term memories, so who know?
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.