(12/19/2014 - 12/25/2014) Game of the Week: Keith Courage

[SamIAm]

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December 19 - December 25: Keith Courage
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(chosen by seieienbu)

The infamous pack-in. Keith Courage is probably the single most widely played Hucard in America. It's impossible to divorce it from the system's identity. Was it a blessing? Or a curse?

Well, whatever it was, a lot of you must have some memories of it. Let us know what you think...and of course, give the game another spin. That's what this GOTW thing is all about, after all.

If only the Supergrafx were more popular, I would love to submit Madou Granzort, the pseudo-sequel to Keith Courage. If you liked the action-heavy bits in KC, I recommend checking it out.

(By the way, this week started a bit early because I will be super busy tomorrow).

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GOTW Schedule:
1. 9/10/2014 - 9/16/2014: Bonk's Revenge (johnnykonami)
2. 9/18/2014 - 9/24/2014: Splash Lake (nullity)
3. 9/25/2014 - 10/1/2014: Gekisha Boy (owlnonymous)
4. 10/2/2014 - 10/8/2014: Parasol Stars (mitsuman)
5. 10/9/2014 - 10/15/2014: Bomberman '93 (_joshuaTurbo)
6. 10/16/2014 - 10/22/2014: Monster Lair (neutopia6)
7. 10/23/2014 - 10/29/2014: Salamander (lukester)
8. 11/6/2014 - 11/12/2014: Shapeshifter (Mishran)
9. 11/13/2014 - 11/19/2014: Download (cabbage)
10. 11/20/2014 - 11/26/2014: Final Zone II (Punch)
11. 11/27/2014 - 12/4-2014: Atlantean (Arkhan)
12. 12/5/2014 - 12/11/2014: Hatris (Necromancer)
13. 12/12/2014 -12/18/2014: Yo Bro (wildfruit)
14. 12/19/2014 - 12/25/2014: Keith Courage (seieienbu)
15. 12/26/2014 - 1/1/2015: Gunboat (nullity)
16. 1/2/2015 - 1/7/2015: Genpei Toumaden (lukester)

Previous Games:
January 15-21: Battle Royale (TheClash603)
January 22-28: Drop Off/Drop Rock (esteban)
January 29-February 4: Bonk's Adventure (roflmao)
February 5-11: Silent Debuggers (vestcoat)
February 12-18: Somer Assault (BigusSchmuck)
February 19-25: Splatterhouse (FiftyQuid)
February 26-March 4: Bloody Wolf (Jibbajaba)
March 5-11: The Lost Sunheart (Gogan)
March 12-18: Sapphire (BlueBMW)
March 19-25: Energy (PunkicCyborg)
March 26-April 1: Air Zonk (_joshuaTurbo)
April 2-8: Veigues Tactical Gladiator (Punch)
April 9-15: 1943 Kai (lukester)
April 16-22: Lords of Thunder (munchiaz)
April 23-29: Ninja Spirit (csgx1)
April 30 - May 6: Bomberman (SamIAm)
May 7 - May 13: Pyramid Plunder (Black Tiger)
May 14 - May 20: Galaga 90' (nullity)
May 22 - May 28: JJ and Jeff (geise)
May 29 - June 4: The Legendary Axe (Damon Plus)
June 5 - June 11: The Legendary Axe 2 (galam)
June 12 - June 18: Aero Blasters (Phase)
June 19 - June 25: Star Parodier (Inframan)
June 26 - July 2: Alien Crush (synbiosfan)
July 3 - July 9: Shockman (toktogul)
July 10 - July 16: Cadash (Bardoly)
July 17 - July 23: Dungeon Explorer (Gentlegamer)
July 24 - July 30: Military Madness (DarkKobold)
July 31 - August 6: Blazing Lazers (tpivette)
August 7 - August 13: Fantasy Zone (jtucci31)

Rules:
-All members are allowed one submission. When there are no further submissions, we will have a reset and everyone will be able to submit another game.
-Each game may only be submitted once.
-If you wish to retract your submission, please do so at least two weeks before your game is due. Your next submission will go to the back of the cue.
-Please don't submit games that have a high language barrier or will take too long to complete (particularly RPGs).
-Please don't submit games that are too expensive. Below $50 is best. Above $100 won't work.

[esteban]

[ccovell]

Domo.  DOMO.

[Necromancer]

I like Keith.... and Nurse Nancy.  It's a pretty decent platformer for its day, but I wish the underworld areas had some variety.

[mitsuman]

I like playing it. My girls like playing it.
I like the sound effects. I like the colors. The movement is good.

It is the epitome of a "basic" video game. You can easily turn it on, play it for 30 minutes, then walk away from it. I do not feel compelled to finish it when I start playing; but I have fun while playing.

[fsa]

Its been a long time since I played me so Keith, I might plug it in over the holidays. I might check out this supposed sequel to it also (Madou Granzort).

Overall a decent game to pass time as the over world tends to get long as the game progress.

[esteban]

Its been a long time since I played me so Keith, I might plug it in over the holidays. I might check out this supposed sequel to it also (Madou Granzort).

Overall a decent game to pass time as the over world tends to get long as the game progress.

Granzort, sadly, isn't as awesome as I thought it would be. It is OK-good, but it should have been FANTASTIC.

Back to Keith:

It had the guts of a great platformer/slasher (underworld), but the sheer monotony/lack of variety reduces it to @blah".

I honestly believe that the game engine is fine...it feels good to slash the sword (bombs could have been given more thought/relevance, though).

The overworld is even worse than the underworld when it comes to boring stage design/monotony...I was so bored with overworld.

Overworld could have really been engaging, but it would have required more work to get it to be "great", whereas the underworld is very close to being "great".

Keith Courage demonstrates how vital (1) creative stage design and (2) a variety of obstacles/enemies can be...

[Gentlegamer]

I'll take this opportunity to spend some quality time with Keith Courage this weekend. I've never played it for more than a few minutes. My take away has been that it's a prettier version of a really mediocre NES action platformer. We'll see if this view is modified.

[johnnykonami]

This is the game from the original TV commercials that sold me on the TG-16.  I still love it to this day, but the only thing that sucks about it to me is the grinding for the better swords in the overworld.  I remember that seemed to take forever.

[csgx1]

I had some good memories with friends and lots of nostalgia for Keith Courage since it was the only game I owned/played when I first got my Turbografx new.  It was something like a year or so after I bought the system was when I was able to get a second game.   

Relentless respawning enemies and blind jumps into spikes were some of the annoyances I remember.  I'll have to do a play-through soon.

[Damon Plus]

Mixed feelings for this one. I really like the overworld stages, slow as they are. Not a big fan of the underworld, too many spikes and blind jumps. As a whole, I find it a very charming game for what it is, and I replay a couple of levels often.

As a pack-in is an absolute horrible choice, though.

[Paddyfitz18]

I'm a fan.  Notwithstanding some of the problems that were mentioned already (blind jumps, grinding to get the proper sword, etc.).

Just a note: if you haven't checked it out, which I doubt anyone on here hasn't by now, there is good little discussion of Keith Courage as part of the HuCast Podcast which was done live from MGC this (almost last) year.  Including the problem with the monotony of the level design.

But that part at the end of each overworld where Keith goes into the underworld and embarks in the Nova Suit, I love that shit.  Always will.

I think the bosses are pretty good too.

It gets criticized for being a sub-par pack-in, and that is true.  But in those days and even  now, I tend to think in terms of the entire library or potential or generally how much I think I will like the system itself.  The fact that Keith Courage came with the Turbografx-16 did not affect my decision to buy or not buy.  I remember thinking of pack-ins as sort of freeware/"throwaway" games, so if they were good at all, that was a plus.  I guess you could say I had low expectations starting out.   But that's just my opinion and my recollection of how I thought about pack-ins.

 I wish I could think of a better analogy than this right here on the spot, but I can't: 

If there is an awesome new car you want to buy, you aren't going to be discouraged from buying it just because you don't like the floormats that come with the car, right?

 (or vice versa, really, really awesome floormats aren't going to entice you to buy a particular car over another).

[seieienbu]

Just got through the first 3 levels then died to the boss in Toxic Zone.  Keith Courage is exactly as I remember it; bright and happy overworld with weird cat, frog, and cloud enemies harassing our hero and then you get to the sweet, sweet Nova Suit.  Suddenly the enemies pace becomes frantic and often I can't react to things.  I haven't played it in so long I definitely don't have the paths memorized so I went slow to avoid accidentally murdering myself.  I had a good deal of fun playing it.  Yeah, I had to kill a dozen or so cats to get a Laser Sword but as the game isn't much grindier than that I think I can part with the minute that it took to grind the gold.

I never exactly understood the hatred I'd read about this game online; no it's not exactly Super Mario World but I never found it to be any worse than, say, Altered Beasts.  It's an alright game where stuff like spikes or the rapid homing enemies are a little annoying from time to time but it's hardly a broken/unplayable game. 

[esteban]

It feels good to jump and slash in the underworld. The SFX of the Nova Suit are kool, IMHO.

I don't think it is a bad game. But, DAMN, it could have been a masterpiece.

I don't hate Keith Courage.

I can taste the wasted potential it possessed, though.

[Necromancer]

I can taste the wasted potential it possessed, though.

Agreed.  It needed 40% more cow bell.