Help me: recommendations

[Monster Bonce]

Courtesy of a forum member I am buying a lovely PCE Duo to go with my original white PCE so I need a few recommendations for games. What should I buy?

Here's what I already have—and what I think of them. Note, the ratings are not meant to be indicative of a game's quality, just my subjective response to it to give an idea of what I like in order to aid recommendations.

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PCE HuCard
Bomberman: 5/5 - Oh yes, I do so love this game
Bikkuriman World: 4/5 - a classic, great but a bit fiddly
Dungeon Explorer: 3/5 - might get a better rating if I could understand more of it but seems fun
1943 Kai: Not sure. Not really my style. Wouldn't be fair to rate as I don't really play it
Outlive: Not sure. Slightly incomprehensible. Seems fun enough
Power League Baseball: 3/5 - Strange American sport, seems a bit like rounders ;-)
Nectaris: 4/5 - Very enjoyable
The Kung Fu: 1/2 - Terrible. Oh, how I wanted this game back in the day. It gets a point for nostalgia and for large sprites but it's rubbish really
Kato-chan and Ken-chan: 2/3 - Too annoying
Tales of the Monsterpath: Not sure

Wii Virtual Console
Dragon's Curse: 4/5 - great fun bit a bit fiddly
Bomberman '93: 5/5 - what  can I say? Superb
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Obviously I want Neutopia I and II (and III ;-)) but what else? The Duo is coming with Ultrabox 6, Doukyusei and Ys I & II.

I quite like console RPGs (especially quirky ones) but they'll need to be in English (or have a translation available) and platformers with a bit of depth. On other consoles I like Mystical Ninja Starring Goeman (N64), The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES). Ocarina of Time is fun enough but I find it a bit, well, dull in terms of the story.

Finally, how good are Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars and is there a version of Bubble Bobble available?

Oh yes, before you say Dracula X, I'm not paying that!

[Tatsujin]

Finally, how good are Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars and is there a version of Bubble Bobble available?

very nice, both of them. but oh yes, you will not paying those as well.

[Monster Bonce]

Yes, I looked at Play Asia and was, to put it mildly, distressed by the prices!

[Turbo D]

Parasol stars is kinda gay, but its entertaining. Especially because the main character looks like cartman  I suggest that you buy final soldier, one of my personal favorites. Its a solid shooter and is fairly cheap at $20 or less on ebay. Any game in the soldier series is good. As far as dracula x goes, man that game is one of the best on the console. You owe it to yourself to atleast play a burned copy from someone, seriously its amazing 

[Monster Bonce]

I probably would get a burned copy of Dracula X, but I wouldn't even know where to start looking.

[Tatsujin]

I probably..a burned copy of Dracula X..

[Monster Bonce]

Point taken. Nonetheless, any recommendations?

[Necromancer]

I'd recommend adding a little Bonk and Splatterhouse to your collection.  Since you like Nectaris (and who doesn't?), look for Neo Nectaris and Vasteel.  Bomberman '94 isn't all that different than '93, but it's rather cheap and an excellent addition to any library.  R-Type or the Soldier series would be good for shooters, and Ys III and Cosmic Fantasy 2 are great RPG entertainment (in English).

[Tatsujin]

BM'93 is far way better than '94 in terms of BGM and battlefields. '94 sounds and looks lame and overloaded compared. BM'93 is the best BM ever exist. it's just perfect. still simple, but has just the items you need for maximum fun on the field.

[nat]

BM'93 is far way better than '94 in terms of BGM and battlefields. '94 sounds and looks lame and overloaded compared. BM'93 is the best BM ever exist. it's just perfect. still simple, but has just the items you need for maximum fun on the field.

I disagree on all but one point.... I believe Bomberman '94 to be the better game in a number of different aspects. The levels in '94 are simply amazing (I don't find them "overloaded" at all), while '93's are just good. Both games have far superior level design over the original Bomberman, however. Graphics in '94 are better than '93. I like the "piece collecting" dynamics of '94.

Where Hudson really dropped the bomb, er, ball on '94 was in the sound department. While the effects themselves are the same as the previous games, the music really just falls apart on '94. Often times I find myself wanting to turn down the volume. There are some good tunes here and there, but my favorite stage (the underwater level), has some particularly bad music. I just don't know what happened.

All that said, there's no reason not to get both games. Personally, I own all three. They are different and fun enough to all get substantial play time in my TurboGrafx as well as my GT, but when all is said and done, I believe Bomberman '94 to be the best of the bunch.

[Monster Bonce]

I'll probably get all of the Bombermans (Bombermen?) eventually but it's not a priority.

Dracula X is out – I saw it on eBay for €51 – 116. Not a chance. I've just lost a writing contract so I need to cut costs and €100 computer games are out. Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars seem to be in the €40 – 60 area so they're out for now too.

I might buy Implode just to encourage the indy development in whatever tiny way I can. I'm dying to get my hands on the Mysterious Song and Neutopia III.

Thanks for the Ys III and Cosmic Fantasy 2 tips. Bonk I might go for if I can get it cheap (without the case) because though I like it I know I won't bother with it for long.

Any opinions on the following TGCD games?

Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest (is this the old ST game?)
J.B. Harold Murder Club
Prince of Persia
Shape Shifter

[termis]

JB Harold and Prince of Persia aren't both bad. 

If you ever played any other Prince of Persia, it's the same thing, but the graphics are probably better than vast majority of the other ports, and IIRC it had a continuous music track as you play... (it's been a looong time since I booted mine up, so I'm a bit fuzzy there).  And of course, there's non of that silly copy protection stage where you had to drink the correct potion to move on.

JB Harold is also decent, if you're into the whodunnit type storylines.  Voice acting is half decent from what I recall, and it's not a bad way to spend a few (or more) evenings trying to solve a mystery.

[Tatsujin]

BM'93 is far way better than '94 in terms of BGM and battlefields. '94 sounds and looks lame and overloaded compared. BM'93 is the best BM ever exist. it's just perfect. still simple, but has just the items you need for maximum fun on the field.

I disagree on all but one point.... I believe Bomberman '94 to be the better game in a number of different aspects. The levels in '94 are simply amazing (I don't find them "overloaded" at all), while '93's are just good. Both games have far superior level design over the original Bomberman, however. Graphics in '94 are better than '93. I like the "piece collecting" dynamics of '94.

Where Hudson really dropped the bomb, er, ball on '94 was in the sound department. While the effects themselves are the same as the previous games, the music really just falls apart on '94. Often times I find myself wanting to turn down the volume. There are some good tunes here and there, but my favorite stage (the underwater level), has some particularly bad music. I just don't know what happened.

All that said, there's no reason not to get both games. Personally, I own all three. They are different and fun enough to all get substantial play time in my TurboGrafx as well as my GT, but when all is said and done, I believe Bomberman '94 to be the best of the bunch.

i agree with you with the graphical aspect. and when i'm talking about bomberman, i do more talking about the vs.-mode, rather than the real 1P game. and there, hudson really dropped it with the BGM. therefore i also like "deden no den", which has the original battlefield and items from BM'94 but the Sound of BM'93. just missing the bombermen

anyway you're right. all three is the way to go.

[vestcoat]

If you like Bikkuriman World you should get Dragon's Curse (more or less the next game in the series).

Sellers frequently overprice Parasol Stars, but it's actually quite a bit cheaper than Rainbow Islands.  Rainbow is in the $50-80 range while you can find Parasol Stars for $20-35 if you wait a while.  I believe Parasol is the better game--it has bigger sprites, two-players and better play control.  They never ported the classic Bubble Bobble, but you'll probably enjoy Don Doko Don.  It's another BB clone made by Taito with two-players and costs a mere $10 or so.

I noticed you don't have any racing or fighting games.  Both Outrun and SF2 are cheap if you're looking for that kind of thing.

Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest -- Good if you like intense computer RPGs and have a lot of time on your hands.  You may want to try Order of the Griffon before this one.
J.B. Harold Murder Club -- I still haven't invested any time in this.
Prince of Persia -- Awesome
Shape Shifter -- Action/RPG not unlike Cadash.  I like it.  Some people whine about the play control.

All four of these games are average-good and worth picking up before TZD runs out.

[Tatsujin]

for racing games, go with Victory run!! amazing game for '87!! outrun is a must have too, if you don't own the saturn sega ages.

rainbow island is the best port you can get platformwide. graphic is 1:1 arcade-like and it contain the original "over the rainbow"-theme, which was removed in almost all other ports due to license conflicts.