Rastan Saga II, Any good?

[esteban]

I was packing up a lot of my video game stuff to today and I ALMOST played Rastan Saga II.

I'm with Keranu on this one: it really isn't the worst game. I actually like the sprites. No, they're not my favorite, but I dig them.

It's the gameplay that suffers... I never did make it too far in the game.

[sunteam_paul]

I always thought it looked really impressive from the still screens. But after playing it I went right off the graphics. They're big but somehow unpolished and the gameplay is just not carefully planned or thought out. It dishonours the memory of the original Rastan.

[esteban]

I always thought it looked really impressive from the still screens. But after playing it I went right off the graphics. They're big but somehow unpolished and the gameplay is just not carefully planned or thought out. It dishonours the memory of the original Rastan.

Oh I know, it doesn't play in any way like the original Rastan, which was fast and smooth action.

That's it, dammit, I'm gonna unpack my games and play me some Rastan Saga II! I'm so inspired!

Part 1: Well, folks, our hero in Rastan II on PCE is a SLOW walker, a slow jumper (going straight up), yet remarkably fast (too fast) when he leaps forward.

The limited frames of animation for the characters really ruin any illusion of it being a semi-polished game (look at how some of the enemies swing their swords! Looks like only 2 frame of animation).

Now, for a hack-n-slash platformer, I'm willing to overlook choppy animation as long as the gameplay is solid, but Rastan really fails to be competent in this regard.

The controls, especially the way the character jumps, is absolutley HORRID, especially in later levels (i.e. the lava level) where you need to jump on the tiny pillars. It's all too easy to "overjump" these pillars because of the piss-poor controls. By the same token, you run the risk of *not* jumping far enough since you're overcompensating for this flaw.

You can laugh, but Rastan II *could have* been a real treat, if only they the controls / platforming / speed right. And Jesus Christ, allow poor the poor man to jump properly!

Part 2[/u]: OK, so I forgot some of the stuff that I like about Rastan II...
1. The weapons! The steel Freddy Kruger / Edward Scissorhands gloves!
2. The huge -- yet goofy -- long sword! That thing is stupid big, plus it packs a goofy wallup at the end of every swing.
3. Lightening bolts + Freddy's gloves = AN EVEN BETTER WEAPON
4. I like the enemy designs, actually. The bats are horrid looking (few games have nice bat designs... ), but most of the enemies are pretty neat looking. They're wasted in this game, though. All the bosses (I've seen the first 3-4) are large and decent-looking: an alien that looks like he's from the Atomic Robo Kid universe (stage 1), Medusa, Centaur man, and someone else I'm forgetting...

BUT, lest we forget the silliness:
1. Our hero, swinging on a rope, looks hopelessly foolish. He's doing a spread-eagle, as far as I am concerned.
2. Something is "off" as far as the hack-n-slashing is concerned. It's all wrong. I feel like the enemies are delicate balloons that I'm popping with my bad-ass armaments. The enemies should have taken multiple hits / had better offensive / defensive AI. There is no satisfaction when I hack an enemy.
3. Sunteam_Paul is right, the sprites are a tad too big... it seems as if there isn't enough space on the screen for some proper platforming and slashing. Taito tried to solve this by making our hero walk as slow as molasses pours... but it is a poor solution.
4. This is minor, but shows how little effort Taito put into the game: When our hero dies, he instantly vanishes. After and awkward pause, you respawn in the same spot. It would have been nice to see an animation of our hero being broken and mangled. God knows I want to see it.

Part 3[/u]: For folks who have never played Rastan Saga II, the closest game that comes to mind is Samurai Ghost (US title, I forget the Japanese one). While both games suffer from some of the same flaws... I really like SG, since you can actually get into the game and experience some fun.

RS II lacks this magic, unfortunately. For example, both games feature large sprites and allow you a variety of offensive moves (i.e. parrying attatcks with your sword / shield, slashing upwards / downwards, even while jumping, diagonal swiping, etc.). In some respects, attacking in RS II is less awkward feeling than it is in SG... and yet, despite this, RS II suffers from  boring battles, while SG offers a more enjoyable, and  challenging, experience.

Bottom Line[/u]: Anyway, now I want to see how far I can get in RS II. You can probably get this game cheap. If so, I recommend it -- if only for a laugh. I think it is much more enjoyable than PCE Altered Beast and PCE Golden Axe, so fans of grade Z games should check it out.

And I don't mind the music while I'm playing! I know sunteam_paul razzed it on his show, and I laughed too, but when I play the game it ain't so bad! I'm serious! RS II music ain't so bad! Go figure...

Go ahead, make fun of me

[FM-77]

Anyone, and I mean anyone who likes Rastan Saga II has been brainwashed!    This has to be THE worst game on PCE, and quite possibly the worst game of all time.  

I absolutely hate large sprites (especially large, UGLY sprites, like these) and these are just ridiculous! What were they thinking? Madness! The sprites actually make me sick!

The gameplay, oh the gameplay. It is laughable. This game is actually more or less unplayable. Man this game sucks.  

[esteban]

Anyone, and I mean anyone who likes Rastan Saga II has been brainwashed!    This has to be THE worst game on PCE, and quite possibly the worst game of all time.  

I absolutely hate large sprites (especially large, UGLY sprites, like these) and these are just ridiculous! What were they thinking? Madness! The sprites actually make me sick!

The gameplay, oh the gameplay. It is laughable. This game is actually more or less unplayable. Man this game sucks.  

But who has brainwashed me? I think it would be more accurate to say that I'm delusional.

Seriously though, RS II *is* a bad game. But I'm still having fun playing it.

Seldane , perhaps this will convince you to give RS II a chance:
0. The game starts at Stage "0". So I'll start my list with number zero. Awesome!
1. I love the glorious moment when you pick up a weapon power-up. It's not an exhilerating moment. Rather, it feels like the game has frozen. It's awkward, and the "freeze" lasts too long. Brilliant!
2. Swinging on the vines, especially two vines in succession -- one of the greatest thrills in RS II. You just have to experience this for yourself.
3. When you get the long sword, our hero actually SQUATS (presumably, the stupid-big sword is really hefty) and he proceeds to walk as if he has a really bad case of diarrhea.

[Keranu]

Steve you rock! You mentioned the vine swinging, which I'm surprised I haven't mentioned already! The vine swinging is down right HILARIOUS! It's cheesy to the max. Also like you mentioned, it's absolutely hilarious when you get a power up. Since there are no frames of animation, it's as if he immediately threw away his old up, looks up in the sky with his hands cluched overly acting as if power is really surging into him, and then returns with a new weapon as if nothing happens. I really can't desbribe how hilarious it is, it's really the overly long timing that does it.

Rastan Saga II is far from being the worst game ever made. If you prefer a game like E.T. (yeah I know that sounds very cliche to use) over Rastan Saga II, well you'd have to be an idiot. Rastan Saga II is a very playable game, just not enjoyable for it's kind. Games like E.T., Barbarian, and Energy (though Energy might have a chance) are games you can't even really play.

[FM-77]

I love ET!  

[Keranu]

Me too!

[esteban]

You know, I never really figured out what to do in ET. My friend had it back in the day and even then (as kids) we would laugh at it for a few minutes and then play the kick ass port of JOUST.

All we needed was a manual (which had been long lost) or someone to give us a few basic instructions. IIRC, the tasks / goals really weren't intuitive  (or maybe we were lazy).

What's funny is that years later, this same friend got DDII for his 2600. Now, that was crazy. I'm not dissing the game, but damn, we never got too far in DDII. And he paid a lot of money for it (IIRC). It was a new game and  you had to lay out $$$$.