Key-Glyph wrote:@prfsnl_gmr:
Oh man, I have
no doubt you're going to smash Hardcore Mode outta the park, as you have always been killer about these lists. I actually expect you to go Nightmare+ Mode before summer's end.
We’ll see! I always pick ten games, but if I recall correctly, seven is as many as I’ve completed over a summer. I picked some shorter, more easily accessible games this year, though; so, maybe I’ll have more success this year?
Key-Glyph wrote:Super intrigued to hear about your adventures if you take on Summer Carnival '92 Recca. And have you never played Contra, or never finished it? You're also reminding me that I've never given Bionic Commando a shot outside of a few minutes at a friend's house in the 90s. I should be taking notes from all of you for future summers.
I’ve made runs at Summer Carnival '92 Recca before, but I’ve never completed it. It is a REALLY impressive game, but it’s also REALLY hard. I feel bad abusing save states to get through it, but I’ll probably rely on them when I attempt it this summer. My goal is to beat each level with a single ship, saving after boss fights. That should allow me to get through the game without throwing my 3DS against a wall!
Contra was one of the games I owned as a child, and I’ve beaten it many, many times. I learned recently, however, that the Famicom version has some extra features (e.g., cutscenes, graphical flourishes, etc.), and I’d like to check those out. (That version is available on the Contra Collection.)
The NES version of Bionic Commando is AWESOME, and you should definitely play it sometime. It is easily one of the best NES games, and it remains one of my favorite action platformers. The arcade version, which I’m planning on playing this summer, is a very different game. I understand it is much worse than the NES game, but I still want to play it since it spawned a very long series of games that are well-regarded to this day. (Eventually, I’d like to play through all the Bionic Commando games.)
Key-Glyph wrote:Here's my tentative list, in no particular order:
1. EarthBound Beginnings (Switch)
2. Toejam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron (GEN)
3. Scribblenauts (DS)
4. Journeyman Project: Turbo! (PC)
5. Prince of Persia (ApplII)
6. Out of This World (GEN)*
This is a solid list. I also need to get through Earthbound Beginnings at some point, and I wish you the best with it.
I also think both Sceibblenauts and The Journeyman Project are classics. Scribblenauts was the first in a long-running series. I’ll warn you, though, it’s a lot rougher than later games, and I bounced off it. I hope it captures you, though, and that you enjoy it. I also recall The Journeyman Project being a really popular PC game in the ‘90s, but you don’t hear much about it today. I’m really looking forward to reading your impressions!
I have a love/hate relationship with cinematic platformers. I’ve beaten a fair number of them, including Out of This World (which is pretty great), but I absolutely hate some stone-cold classics of the genre (e.g., Flashback). I also keep bouncing off Prince of Persia. If, after you’re done with these, you’re looking for something with similar aesthetics, but much more approachable gameplay, I recommend the criminally-overlooked Olija. It’s a modern game I played last year, and I LOVED it.
Key-Glyph wrote:Regarding my own list, I just remembered this evening that I had been planning to play
Parappa the Rapper for the first time for the challenge and had gotten myself all psyched up about it a few months pack. So I walked over to eBay to see its going price and...
Anybody know if the remastered version on the PlayStation store is worth it?
Eh…Parappa was great at the time, and it helped establish a genre. It’s a classic, undoubtedly, but it’s only OK. The art direction and music are charming, but the gameplay is just OK. You can also beat the game in a little over an hour; so, I wouldn’t spend too much on it. I hope that helps!