Weekend Rental Games - Beat it with Practice in Under 8 Hours

[Gredler]

This thread's answers will vary dramatically based on the skill of each player, but I was wondering what do you guys think of as a game that someone can pick up over a weekend and beat it?

I recently finished Ys Book I & II, and instantly wanted to plan for what to start next. In the DoxPhile chat Lukester suggested exile. The Old Rover also suggested it, saying that it's easy and relatively short.

So my plan for my next weekend sit game will be exile in hopes to beat it start to finish over a weekend, and I got to wondering what other people's suggestions are for a game to play over a weekend, from start to finish - including practice! I know there are hundreds of games that are 30 minutes long, but require hours and hours of repetition to memorize or hone reflexes - I am mostly just curious about a laymen's achievable conquest

Edit: I decided to take the suggestions and list them here, and then if anyone has tips on how to beat these games, or suggestions on what a rookie can do to catch up and actual get past them, please post about them!

Aeroblasters : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty Medium-High
Air Zonk/PC Denjin : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty Medium
Ane-San
Atlantean : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Basted
Bazzy
Beyond Shadowgate  : No Moon Runes : Linear Adventure : Difficulty ? Save Often
Bloody Wolf : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform Shooter : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bomberman : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bomberman '93 : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bomberman '94 : JP Only : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bonk/PC Genjin : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bonk/PC Genjin 2 : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Bonk/PC Genjin 3 : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Cadash : No Moon Runes : Linear Action RPG : Difficulty Low
Cyber Core : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Dead Moon : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Dracula X : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Dragon's Curse : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform RPG : Difficulty ?
Dynastic Hero : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform RPG : Difficulty ?
Exile : No Moon Runes : Linear Action RPG: Difficulty Low
Fausette Amour
Final Zone II : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform Shooter : Difficulty ?
Gate of Thunder : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty Low-Medium
Godzilla
Gotzendiener : JP Only : Linear Action Adventure : Difficulty ?
Hatris  : No Moon Runes : Puzzle Score Attack : Difficulty ?
JB Harold : No Moon Runes : Linear Adventure : Difficulty ?
Keith Kourage : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Red/Last Alert : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform Shooter : Difficulty ?
Lords of Thunder : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty Low-Medium
Magical Chase : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Ninja Spirit : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Salamander : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty Medium-High
Shapeshifter
Silent Debuggers
Splatterhouse : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty Low-Medium
Star Parodia : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Super Air Zonk : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Shooter : Difficulty ?
Valis - The legend of the Fantasam Soldier  : JP Only : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty ?
Valis II : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty ?
Valis II : No Moon Runes : Linear Action Platform : Difficulty ?
Valis IV : JP Only: Linear Action Platform : Difficulty ?
Ys III : No Moon Runes : Linear Action RPG : Difficulty Low

[jtucci31]

Dracula X is a good weekend game that may take you either one long night or a couple of nights while playing a few hours.

Ys III is another good one for that.

Salamander was a good shooter that took me a day or two of a couple hour sessions to beat. Not a terribly difficult shooter.

[Gredler]

Dracula X is a good weekend game that may take you either one long night or a couple of nights while playing a few hours.

Hell yeah, this one is obviously so re-playable and can be beaten in a sitting or two easily within a few hours by anyone who's played a bit of the genre, especially if you've beaten any of the contemporary and previous Castlevanias.

Ys III is another good one for that.

I don't want to rush too fast into all the Ys or I'd jump on that next, I have the SNES version - it was the first Ys game I had ever played.

Salamander  was a good shooter that took me a day or two of a couple hour sessions to beat. Not a terribly difficult shooter.

Life force on NES was my favorite shooter until I got a PCE, and I made sure to pick up a copy of Salamander before I ended up getting an everdrive, so that is one of the few physical games I own for the system, and should give this a shot next time I get frustrated by not being able to beat that Blazing Lazers boss rush.

[esteban]

Star Parodia
Cadash
Red Alert/Last Alert
Bonk/PC Genjin series
Air Zonk/PC Denjin
Cyber Core
Splatterhouse
Bloody Wolf
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
 
There are more, but these are all fun (for me) games that you can easily conquer in a weekend.

[Necromancer]

Esty has some goodies, to which I'd add Gotzendiener, Basted, Dead Moon, Super Air Zonk, Magical Chase, Godzilla, Hatris, Ane-San, Atlantean, Beyond Shadowgate, Dynastic Hero, Final Zone II, and Bazzy.

[Black Tiger]

Aeroblasters
Ninja Spirit
Bombermans
Valises
Fausette Amour
Last Alert
Bloody Wolf
Dragon's Curse
Dynastic Hero
Shapeshifter
JB Harold
Beyond Shadowgate


Exile is a great choice and a great game.

[esteban]

^ Holy Cr@p, B_T! I still have a hard time beating AeroBlasters on one credit...and I've been playing that damn (great) game since it was released!

You also put me to shame when it comes to Shapeshifter (I get stuck...I never beat it, at least, I don't remember ever beating it) ...and Valis III tools me longer than a weekend to beat! Ha!

[Medic_wheat]

This feels like a fun challenge thread.


Post a game to be played over the weekend and see who can beat it.


Maybe alternating systems and games?

[bob]

exile is super short and is a good choice.
beyond shadowgate is great, but the pace makes exploring a bit time consuming.  just remember to save often as you never know when that next death will happen.
silent debuggers can be handled as well

[Gredler]

Thanks for playing along guys. It's great to hear the lists and suggestions, but tips for whyand or how the listed games are conquerable in a weekend would be great! I was certainly expecting a large discreprency in what games are able to be beaten in a weekend due to skill level - Aero Blasters is one I've popped in on the old everdrive a few times but never got very far - always getting game overs. Honestly, however, I've never commited to beat the game in a weekend so maybe it's due for that!

Star Parodia
Cadash
Red Alert/Last Alert
Bonk/PC Genjin series
Air Zonk/PC Denjin
Cyber Core
Splatterhouse
Bloody Wolf
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
 
There are more, but these are all fun (for me) games that you can easily conquer in a weekend.

No Blodia? Ballistix? Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame.

[csgx1]

^ Holy Cr@p, B_T! I still have a hard time beating AeroBlasters on one credit...and I've been playing that damn (great) game since it was released!

Anyone that can 1cc Aero Blasters has got some phenomenal shooter skills.  That's a really tough one to 1cc.

 
Keith Courage, which most people here should have already beaten it.