Necro's game clears and mindless musings

[Necromancer]

Nice, guys.  It's so cheap that it's hard to pass up; I hope you like it.   

[Necromancer]

Clear # 95 – Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II



If you like the first game (and what heathen doesn't?), here's more of the same.  It shares the same menus, basic game mechanics, and overworld map... but sadly it's not in English.

The Good:  tons of different and varied funky enemies, sometimes with funny failed attacks (like getting their claws tangled and not being able to hit you or a balloon inflating and blowing away); sweet tunes; passable but not terribly exciting cut scenes; and it's a good long game to get your money's worth.

The Bad:  not gaijin friendly, making it hard to guess where you're supposed to go or what you need to do; annoying dark caves, necessitating buying oodles of torches/lamps and causing lots of sprite flicker; and far too much of the game is spent within said caves and mazey corridors, which look much too similar to each other and are rather bland and boring.

The Ugly:  bullshit one hit kills – how'm I supposed to defend against that crap?!?

[Mathius]

Sounds like a game I'd love to hate. I don't like needlessly long/too many mazes in video games. One-hit-kills seals the deal.

[Necromancer]

I guess I've made it sound worse than it is.  Those things stink, sure, but I don't regret playing it.

[Black Tiger]

I love the first game, but the sequel was a chore to play and I quit during a long period of running around in the caves. The character designs aren't as endearing, the cinemas don't feel as special, I don't enjoy the chiptunes which feel kinda goofy instead of epic...

I also played it back before I had access to any kind of Japanese guides.

I'll definitely give it another shot if it receives a translation, but I'd rather play dozens of other PCE RPGs again first.

[Necromancer]

I'll definitely give it another shot if it receives a translation, but I'd rather play dozens of other PCE RPGs again first.

Same here.  Once was enough as it is now.   

[Punch]

I have yet to play the first Dragon Slayer. I guess this is about the right time to start?

[Black Tiger]

Here's some details to help you decude:

You can choose to have stats increase automatically when gaining a level or set it to have complete control over their distribution. So you can have a variety of playthrough experiences by customizing characters. You can get some powerful results from favoring magic or physical attacks.

Similar to Tengai Makyo II, the game is chapter based and early on you have a limited area to explore. In later chapters you can warp to previous areas and near the end you can fly around the world.

Battles seem random at first, but there are actually invisible mobs wandering around. There are items you can use to see them temporarily and one that is permanent.

Rwgular battles are designed to play out very fast.

It has a bunch of fetch questing later in the game.

Many weapons have special effects like killing an enemy with a single hit. Luck seems to affect this, but there also seems to be a hidden luck limit, after which it won't happen any more.

Some special items and gear are only available as rare drops.

It has a great Falcom CD soundtrack.

[Necromancer]

I have yet to play the first Dragon Slayer. I guess this is about the right time to start?

Hells yeah, me lard! 

Regular battles are designed to play out very fast.

Automatic even.  Later in the game when you're strong enough to withstand most any enemy attack, you can seriously cheese grinding, setting it to auto and letting the beasties come to their slaughter while you make a grilled cheese or play a quick round of Hatris on the TurboExpress. 

[Necromancer]

Clear #96 - Island Adventure



I hope not!  I'd love to see it fleshed out to a full length game.   

Here's a fun if short homebrew trip from good guys Cabbage and Sarang.  It was made for a coding competition, so it's quite impressive for the (relatively) short amount of time put into making it; the graphics are basic but serviceable (like an early NES game), the tunes are jaunty fun, and the gameplay is solid.  Give it a spin, you bastards!

[Necromancer]

Clear #97 – Soldier Blade



One of my first buys back in the day, this one quickly became (and still is) my favorite vertical shewty.   

The Good:  awesome tunes; lots of different enemies, many quite large; giant bosses with varied attacks, with the best being the near end boss that tosses bits of the scenery at you and picks up the 'arms' of vanquished versions of himself (a nice variation from the usual reincarnated boss rush); a good selection of weapons with unleashable super attacks; mostly competent backgrounds with smatterings of parallax here and there; and the few voices used are nicely rendered and clear.

The Bad:  they're not really all that bad, but some backgrounds are kinda flat, undetailed, and boring

The Ugly:  NA

[Mathius]

Soldier Blade is mind-blowing both audibly and visually no doubt about it. I'd have few gripes as well though for me I wish the power-up process was extended some. I enjoy shooters that make you go through more than just three pickups to get fully powered. Raiden being a good example. Part of the thrill for me is to juggle becoming incredibly powerful along with surviving. Of course, dying right before your last pick-up can be a huge downer lol

[Necromancer]

Yeah, it'd be cool if they had another thing to build, like missles maybe.  I like that they act like a life bar, though, keeping you from dying instantly.

[Necromancer]

Clear #98 – Niko Niko Pun



Help a cute lil dragon get big and strong in this super cute platformer.   

The Good:  colorful and well shaded backgrounds with nicely animated sprites.

The Bad:  there's only one song for all six levels, and its rather bland and simple.

The Ugly:  the elephant trumpet sounds horrid.

PS – why do you swim away on the dragon's back at the end (godzilla style!) when he's full grown and can fly?!?

[Necromancer]

Clear #99 – Splash Lake



A great puzzley action game that doesn't get mentioned much.  It's not exactly hidden, but it sure is a gem.   

The Good:  super cute and colorful; sweet tunes from T's Music; two player simultaneous - some levels are soooo much easier with two players working together; hunting for hidden items to unlock all the stages, making it a rather long game; several different (and often silly) enemy types with different strategies needed to deal with each; and Ostrich Theater, the humorous little cut scenes between stages.

The Bad:  the maps change for each of three groups of levels, but the backgrounds, music, and enemies are the same; and some levels are crazy tough, requiring several attempts before you'll pass 'em.

The Ugly:  NA

P.S. - the smoking stump is the best enemy ever.