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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:33 am

Juan Aguacate wrote:Incidentally, I love the movie too, which seems to be a divisive opinion in some places.


Thank you! The movie is great, and I do not understand why people would hate it. The AVClub - my favorite site for film analysis and reviews - even ranked it as one of the best films of the last five years.
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by ElkinFencer10 Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:04 pm

Games Beaten in 2017 So Far - 4

January (4 Games Beaten)
1. Persona 4 Arena - Playstation 3 - January 1
2. Chrono Trigger - SNES - January 7
3. Ys: The Vanished Omens - Master System - January 8
4. MUSHA - Genesis - January 10


4. MUSHA - Genesis - January 10

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M.U.S.H.A.: Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor is one of the premier shmup titles of the 16-bit era. It's also one of those games so rare and expensive that it's a prized piece of any collection. And yes, I do have an actual CIB copy. MUSHA is one of those shmups that does almost everything right. The style is metal af, the music is pumpin, the action is non-stop, and the control is solid. It's not flawless, but it's pretty close.

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MUSHA is a lot of things, but one thing it's not is easy. It seems like I had a harder time with it than most, but it did get much more manageable for me once I realized two things. First, your hit box is enormous. Just accept the fact that you have ZERO margin for error in MUSHA. I'm used to shmups with smaller hitboxes that give a little bit of breathing room, but MUSHA makes no such allowances. That took me a long time to get through my head. Second, power-ups will let you take a couple hits. I don't know why this took me so long to figure out - I suppose because many shmups don't afford any protection from power-ups - but once you realize that, things get more doable. The game is also relatively generous with its power-ups, so keeping one usually isn't too tall an order.

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Let me be upfront with something before I continue - I played MUSHA on my Retron 5 using save states. I feel no shame about this, personally. Normally I prefer to beat shmups by bashing my head against the wall until it goes through, but even with finally understanding the two things I mentioned above, MUSHA is a tough game. It's also just absolutely oozing style, so I really wanted to see everything that it has to offer. You bet I'll be going back and playing again on my Genesis sans save states, but I wanted to experience the full range of music, environments, and enemy designs that MUSHA had to offer, and I don't regret it a bit. I'm normally one of those guys who prefers the SNES's smoother sound chip over the grittier sound of the Genesis, but MUSHA really shows that, with the right musical style and composer, the Genesis has some damn good tunes to offer. I had to make a point not to play this until after my roommate got out of bed because headphones just wouldn't do MUSHA justice; I had to have the soundbar and subwoofer cranked up.

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Screenshots don't really do it justice, but the backgrounds are just fantastic. What makes them so great is the way parallax scrolling is used. I know that parallax scrolling is extremely common in Genesis and Super Nintendo games, but it's used to great effect in MUSHA. Compile proved that they really knew what they were doing back in the day. The enemy designs are also incredible. I meant it at the top; this game is metal as fuck. You've got baby faces that split in half to reveal death rays, skulls spewing lasers, Satan's face on a battleship sailing through an ocean of magma - fucking metal as shit, bro. The visuals in this game are just outstanding all around. The problem, however, is that the hardware can't always seem to keep up with the visuals. There's a LOT of slowdown when the screen gets super crowded and busy. Fortunately it only gets to that level a handful of times, but it is worth noting - any change in the run speed of a shmup is going to throw a wrench in the flow of action.

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MUSHA is a damn good shmup. It's one that every shmup fan needs to play, and while the cartridge is hella expensive these days, it's on the Wii virtual console (accessible on the Wii U), so there is an affordable option. I guess you could also emulate if you're a punk ass bitch, but I'll look down on you in shame. I can't say it's perfect - there is some noticeable slow down, and while I know that it's a stylistic choice, I'm not a fan of the huge hit box - but damn if it's not close. Even with its few flaws, you're doing yourself a HUGE disservice by foregoing MUSHA.
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TSTR
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by TSTR Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:01 pm

Yeah, but did you get that 1CC, bro?
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Juan Aguacate Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:10 pm

TSTR wrote:
Juan Aguacate wrote:The game's not really super balanced for solo play...

This was my issue with it.


It's definitely something that bothered me when I first played it. I prefer a more balanced game that isn't so weighted in favor of co op, but it gets easy to stack the odds in your favor when you start finding ways to get lots of money. Then you can load up on extra lives, max out your levels and stats, get snacks that are basically like energy tanks from Mega Man, and if all else fails just use the cheat to get the power of love sword

It's not one of my favorite beat 'em ups of all time or anything, but it's fun when you have other players. Incidentally, the online still works. I've been getting some of the online focused Wallace DLC trophies with another player

I actually think the most memorable thing about the game is that amazing Anamanaguchi soundtrack

prfsnl_gmr wrote:
Juan Aguacate wrote:Incidentally, I love the movie too, which seems to be a divisive opinion in some places.


Thank you! The movie is great, and I do not understand why people would hate it. The AVClub - my favorite site for film analysis and reviews - even ranked it as one of the best films of the last five years.


It seems to be the type of movie that appeals to a certain type of viewer. It's very niche. I love the visual effects, the nostalgic video game references, and the humor (which is one aspect of the movie I've noticed some people DON'T like). One of my favorite scenes is the battle at the concert with the twins.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:17 pm

Juan Aguacate wrote:One of my favorite scenes is the battle at the concert with the twins.


*internet high five*

The film is just so visually exciting.

I also very much enjoyed people exploding into loose change, and I laughed out loud when Scott made friends with NegaScott.
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by marurun Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:25 pm

I read the comics first and was delighted by how well the movie stuck to the feel of the comics. Of course some stuff was changed, but the two FEEL connected in a way many other adaptations don't.
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TSTR
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by TSTR Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:29 pm

I enjoyed the movie. Story is pretty lame looking back on it, but the visuals were great.
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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Xeogred Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:43 pm

Look at all that Sega Genesis porn!

MUSHA rules.
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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by PartridgeSenpai Wed Jan 11, 2017 6:57 pm

Partridge Senpai's 2017 Beaten Games:

1. Tales of Hearts R (Vita)
2. UPPERS (Vita)

3. Volume (Vita)

This game is more or less Thomas Was Alone's story (at least thematically) meets Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions' gameplay. Stage based, line-of-sight and gadget-based stealth gameplay. I really enjoyed Bithel's last game (TWA), so I picked this right up when I heard it was getting a Limited Run release. It's kinda what I expected Metal Gear Solid to be back when I only knew that it was some kind of serious plot-having stealth game.

The gameplay is really fun! It even has a level editor and an online mode where you can play others' levels, so if you want to you don't really have to stop after the first 100. One a side note, this is the only game I've ever gotten the platinum trophy for on PSN, and that's because this game probably has the most doable achievements out of any I've played, if that means anything to anyone (just thought I'd mention it). It's not a terribly long game at 4 to 5 hours, but the story is very charmingly presented, and I enjoyed my time with it.

My biggest problem with it is that the Vita version runs like ass. The game crashed 4 or 5 times on me during the 5 to 6 hours I played it (did a liiittle bit more afterwards to mop up a couple of easy achievements). While this certainly isn't the first Vita game I've had crash on me (I think Uppers crashed once on me after a very long play session), it was just such a pain in the ass after a while. It wasn't so huge a problem though, just annoying. Like Uppers, it's very stage based, and these stages are a couple minutes long at max, so you're really only losing the time it takes to boot the Vita back up each time it crashes. Personally, I'd much rather have a game like this portable, so I just grinned and dealt with the crashes. It was a very small price to pay for such bit sized pieces of very well crafted stealth missions.

Verdict: Good game, bad port. If you liked the idea of the stealth MGS 1 had (I can't speak for any other MGS game, as I've only played 1), then this game is perfect for you. It's a great isometric stealth game, and it's a fun diversion portably (even if it crashes sometimes).
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by ElkinFencer10 Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:25 pm

TSTR wrote:Yeah, but did you get that 1CC, bro?

No, I'm a filthy casual.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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