Together Retro, Jan 20: 2010 RETRO!

[prfsnl_gmr]

I’ve fallen off a bit here, despite the seemingly endless list of great games released in 2010. I determined that, despite the compelling premise and fantastic lighting effects, Alan Wake actually plays like a poor man’s RE4. It also just isn’t very challenging, and if I die, I am only set back a few steps (which is both a blessing a pond a curse in games like this). I’ll finish it someday, but probably not before the end of the month.

Despite, or perhaps because of, my lack of progress in Alan Wake, I am also playing Dark Void Zero. It is a DSiWare title released jokingly as a “lost” NES title to promote the release of the bigger budget Dark Void (360/PS3). The real joke, however, is that, while Dark Void was a ho-hum seventh generation third-person shooter, Dark Void Zero is a pretty great throwback open world platformer. As a result, Dark Void Zero is more fondly remembered today. I’m enjoying it, but it is really quite tough. I’ve spent a good bit of time with it, but I still haven’t been able to beat the first of its three sprawling levels. With a little luck, though, I may be able to beat this before January 31.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Today I decided to start a 2010 game I keep totally forgetting I own: 3D Dot Game Heroes! I tried this a VERY long time ago and I think I got the hookshot before I stopped (so about the 3rd dungeon or so). According to my old PS3 trophies, it was around 9 years ago, back when I was just an annoying kid on the Retroware TV forums (before I graduated to being the annoying kid on here )

The game starts off as I remember: pretty slow. I just finished the 5th dungeon after getting hella hooked and playing like ALL day, because the game really comes into its own at a point, but that point is around after the 3rd dungeon or so (once you get the encyclopedia, I'd say). At that point, you can start doing encyclopedia silliness by beating every enemy (and boss) with the encyclopedia until it gets registered in the book (I accompany it by shouting "READ" at them), and the game really starts getting hard enough that getting really used to things like the sword's swinging mechanic start getting really important. It's a really bizarre yet wonderful homage to Zelda 1, Link to the Past, and Dragon Quest (with toss-ins of cameos from other series) and I'm really glad I stuck with it. Definitely the best 2D Zelda-clone I've played (granted I haven't played THAT many), and honestly stands easily among Nintendo's own 2D Zelda games, as far as I'm concerned.

The only real flaw the game has, I'd say, is the lack of any kind of quest log. It doesn't help that I've been dealing with a terrible lack of sleep and a stomachache all day, so I'm only mostly trying to read the Japanese text (let alone be able to remember it ^^;), but even playing through so much of this game in one sitting, it's hard to remember where certain stuff is. The overworld map sucks and is generally pretty fantastically unhelpful (despite being pretty), and there are no indications of active quests, quest objectives, nuthin' at all, despite the game having tons of side quests you can do. All you have is a list of key items that doesn't even get items taken off of it when you give them away XP. I wanna DO this content because it's fun, but the game seems determined to make it as hard as possible to collect the apparently tons of optional special swords hidden throughout the world XP

[BoneSnapDeez]

Despite, or perhaps because of, my lack of progress in Alan Wake, I am also playing Dark Void Zero. It is a DSiWare title released jokingly as a “lost” NES title to promote the release of the bigger budget Dark Void (360/PS3). The real joke, however, is that, while Dark Void was a ho-hum seventh generation third-person shooter, Dark Void Zero is a pretty great throwback open world platformer. As a result, Dark Void Zero is more fondly remembered today. I’m enjoying it, but it is really quite tough. I’ve spent a good bit of time with it, but I still haven’t been able to beat the first of its three sprawling levels. With a little luck, though, I may be able to beat this before January 31.

Ha, that does indeed look better than the main game.

(Anyone else remember 8-Bit Bayonetta??)

[TheSSNintendo]

Finished up Ys: Oath in Felghana a couple hours ago.

[noiseredux]

@SSNintendo: Awesome!

@Bone: I forgot about 8-bit Bayonetta until you mentioned it. That was a pretty fun game, yeah.

@Partridge: 3D Dot Game Heroes is fantastic, and for years it was the sole reason I kept a PS3 around. If they re-released it on Switch, I'd buy it and play through it again in a heartbeat.

[PartridgeSenpai]

@Partridge: 3D Dot Game Heroes is fantastic, and for years it was the sole reason I kept a PS3 around. If they re-released it on Switch, I'd buy it and play through it again in a heartbeat.

The weird thing is that it kinda feels out of place on a PS3. Feels like something that would've been much more at home on a PSP or a Vita (which hadn't been released yet, so obvs not on that XP). Maybe that's just because the art style reminds me a lot of "What Did I Do To Deserve This My Lord?"

[lordb0rb4]

Haven't had time to post but i'm playing SIn & Punishment on Wii for a while and enjoying it immensely, Pro Controller is crappy as hell but the game more than makes it up for it, the Graphics are amazing but the artstyle elevates it to stardom.
I don't know why i didn't give this game a try until now, Panzer Dragoon and Star Fox are some of my favorite games

[dsheinem]

Don’t think I’ve posted here yet, but I have been playing along some this month and hope to finish up strong in this last week or so.

I’ve spent some time playing Tatsunoko vs Capcom which, for a long time now, has been my fave “Versus” title. I picked up a pair of the official fight sticks for this game back in the day, and have been playing the game on my Wii U this month. I have also been listening to some of my fave music from 2010 while playing, which has been a nice way to boost the “retro” feel (most recently I gave Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest a spin for the first time in a long time).

I also plan to play through Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, which is new to me. I liked the first one well enough and always heard decent things about the sequel, so I am looking forward to seeing how it holds up...

[noiseredux]

I've been doing the same thing with 2010 albums. Halcyon Digest is still fantastic.

[Nemoide]

I'm still playing Super Meat Boy, up to the last full chapter of the game: The Rapture. Let me tell you, at this point, the game is living up to its reputation for being HARD. REALLY HARD. But I'm able to make progress, so I'm still expecting to be able to beat the game. I only need to clear three more levels to be able to fight the boss; the other chapters I beat ALL of the levels just because I could, but now I just want to beat the game.
I'm definitely not going to bother with the "dark world" levels (harder versions of stages you can play after beating the stage quickly) and I don't care if I don't get any more bandages or unlock any more characters. I still might do that because replaying earlier stages is a good way to break up the brutal difficulty in the later levels.

I'd say that I like the game, but I'm ready for it to end.