Terra Cresta II

[Gredler]

I tried this game out recently while perusing the library on the everdrive; I've heard of the NES game but had never played it, and figured I'd try the PCE big brother out while I was thinking of it. I don't have an everdrive on the NES or I would have tried it there, but my curiosity over this terra cresta business made me pop it on

http://pcengine.co.uk/HTML_Games/Terra_Cresta_II.htm


Initially I wasn't a huge fan, but after the tunes got pumping and the powerups started flowing, I got way into it! A lot of fun, and something I will come back to again soon probably.


What are your guys thoughts on the game? In a sea of similar titles do you think think this one stands out, or am I just starved to get back to playing PCE after a few months of not being able to.

[Arkhan]

It's a great game.

That ice level was really fun, and the music in it is pretty f*ckin cool.  It doesn't have soldier blade caliber instrumentation but it's still good.     The powerup system is also interesting and different enough that it's worth playing for that.   

I wish the NES one would've made it to PCE too. 

[gilbert]

I am always a fan of the original Terra Cresta, and the PCE sequel is great too, especially when a remixed version of the original theme tune comes up. I've heard that the Saturn 3D sequel isn't very good though.

IMO the Famicom version is already a fantastic conversion of the original given the hardware limitation. Among the games in Nichibutsu's combining mecha "series", I'd rather see MagMax on the PCE and I think it could make a very good conversion, at least it won't sacrifice the parallax ground like the Famicom version. (Don't get me wrong, a port of the original game on the PCE would be great too.)

[Arkhan]

I am always a fan of the original Terra Cresta, and the PCE sequel is great too, especially when a remixed version of the original theme tune comes up. I've heard that the Saturn 3D sequel isn't very good though.

IMO the Famicom version is already a fantastic conversion of the original given the hardware limitation. Among the games in Nichibutsu's combining mecha "series", I'd rather see MagMax on the PCE and I think it could make a very good conversion, at least it won't sacrifice the parallax ground like the Famicom version. (Don't get me wrong, a port of the original game on the PCE would be great too.)

MagMax would f*cking RULE.

I love that game.

We used to get excited and go AW YEAH WE GOT THE ROBO BONER POWERUP because that's basically what it looks like.

[gilbert]

Just imagine. Its W.E.I.R.D.^TM music coming out from the PCE's sound chip!

[Gredler]

I've not played MagMax, or the original Terra Cresta as mentioned in the op... but danm now I more and more want a NES Everdrive..

Glad to hear I wasn't insane or just starved for some old school games after resurrecting my flooded game room / basement. It really caught me off guard how good the game was, as I had only heard of the NES version and never really heard specifically good things about that.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback.

[esteban]

I thought *majors* was going to chime in and talk about this game! I saw him recently (he was up in NJ at a  convention) and I finally played Terra Cresta II (on majors’ PCE Shuttle, no less).

I know everyone plays games differently, but Terra Cresta II, for me, is ALL ABOUT THRUSTERS (shifting speed as an ongoing strategy, meta-game).

I have so much fun shifting speeds (1) frequently and (2) aggressively. It makes the game so much fun for me (your ship can move RIDICULOUSLY fast...so nimble and quick, without any need for power ups).

So, basically, I love that the Terra Cresta II allows (I would argue that it encourages) to play with the speed/thruster mechanics.

I know, I know: a lot of PCE games allow you to shift speeds...but not all of them provide a satisfying, visceral “meta-game” like Terra Cresta II.

I wish Armed F Formation (whatever!)  had the charm of Terra Cresta II... because I think Armed F Formation could have been quite special (full disclosure: I have a soft spot for Armed Formation F...don’t hate me).