Topic: Somewhat old game appreciation thread.

[DrZoidberg]

In this thread we appreciate games that arn't that old yet are still worthy of mentioning. Oh what? Other Systems? I hear that place smells of farm animals. Today's contribution from me is NBA Hangtime for n64. It's a hilarious two on two basketball game featuring genuine NBA stars from the n64 era (shotgun Timberwolves, Isaah Rider) and wacky create-a-player characters. HE'S ON FIRE.

everyone go buy this game now.

oh and throw in other somewhat old games, (psx, n64, gbc, dreamcast, that sort of thing) that are old and not really that popular but should be.




and send me a free copy of every game mentioned.

[Hostile Creation]

Mischief Makers is one of the best games I've played that almost no one has ever heard about.  Lickle for NES is also an incredible game, but is also impossible without save state help.  I don't know if an English version exists, but virtually no text is in the game, so it's alright.

And that damn good game I played on SNES that I can't remember the name of.  I remember it was two player, I believe, and you were these two guys going through China or something.  The graphics were an above view most of the time, but I think it went into side scrolling for fights.  Bright graphics, if I recall correctly.

[Bill Aurion]

I could just about anything from Treasure(mmmm, Mischief Makers), nIGHTS, and also Link's Awakening for crying out loud...It's hard to find people that have even heard of these games, much less play them... :\

[nitsu niflheim]

How about Faxanadu for the NES.  I had no idea what the game was about when I got it, it was a choice between I think Fester's Quest and Faxanadu.  I had played Fester's Quest because I rented it and liked it, but I saw Faxanadu I was enchancted by the lack of anything about the box art that would give me a hint as to what the game was about.  I loved the game, played it several time, that is after I figured out how to get past a spot in the game that had me confused.  Awesome game.

[- NintendoFan -]

I have always been a big fan of Star Tropics for NES. Although it is rather old, it is never really mentioned nor is very known.  

[Ian Sane]

One of my favourite SNES games ever is Saturday Night Slam Masters.  It was a Capcom wrestling game that played like Street Fighter II within wrestling rules.  It only has like ten characters and only two match types but for the time it was the best home console wrestling game available (only because WWF Wrestlefest never had a home port).  It still holds up pretty well today.  The best match type was the four player Team Battle Royal.  It was like a tag team match but everyone is in the ring at the same time and both members of a team have to be pinned.  That mode is worth getting a multitap for alone.

The Genesis version sadly didn't have the Team Battle Royale mode but made up for it somewhat with an exclusice DEATH MATCH MODE!  You got to duke it out in a one-on-one match in a barbed wire roped ring with weapons ramdomly getting thrown in the ring and EXPLOSIVES on the floor.  I would gladly purchase a special version of that game with both the battle royale and death match if Capcom ever re-released it.  The only problem is they would probably port it to the GBA and I would have to buy four copies.

[Hostile Creation]

I don't consider Link's Awakening a not very well known game, but that's solely because it's a Zelda game and I knew a few people growing up who also played it (about three, maybe).  It is an incredible game, though; it's one of my favorite games ever.

[DrZoidberg]

oh, personally I wanted to hear of some not so old unknown gems. SHAKE SHAKE. Also, everyone needs Worms Armageddon for their system of choice.

[The Omen]

Hybrid Heaven for the N64 was a great game by Konami...remember them>?

[nitsu niflheim]

Shadow Man on the N64 (and I guess the other system versions too!) was a decent game.  I have the sequel, but really haven't played it but for a few minutes.

[Ms.Pikmin]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is one I still like to play on SNES.  And although they're hardly little known games, Lemmings 1 and 2 are favorites as well

[mouse_clicker]

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Mischief Makers is one of the best games I've played that almost no one has ever heard about.

I rented Mischief Makers one time and played it so much my left arm was completely worn out, to the point where I could hardly hold the controller. That was such a fun game.  

[MysticGohan24]

Heh, I 've heard of Mischief Makers. I've played it before, there's an english version, I know a friend who owns the game. It was indeed fun, I've beaten it. But it looks like you needed to collect the crytals to get the full ending.

[KDR_11k]

I never managed to play through the GB Megaman game (at least not without that Action Replay). Enker's a bitch and you don't get new passwords after the first Wily level...

[nitsu niflheim]

I always hated the wily level in megaman games, you could get all the way to wily, get a password, and have to start over at the very first level again.  That is just wrong.

[Hostile Creation]

Ah, Zombies Ate My Neighbors.  That was also a great game.

I'm one crystal away from the full ending of Mischief Makers.  But I will get it someday.

[Infernal Monkey]

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
One of my favourite SNES games ever is Saturday Night Slam Masters.  It was a Capcom wrestling game that played like Street Fighter II within wrestling rules.  It only has like ten characters and only two match types but for the time it was the best home console wrestling game available (only because WWF Wrestlefest never had a home port).  It still holds up pretty well today.  The best match type was the four player Team Battle Royal.  It was like a tag team match but everyone is in the ring at the same time and both members of a team have to be pinned.  That mode is worth getting a multitap for alone.

Holy crap, yes! I loved this game on SNES. It was one of those games I picked up just because it was on sale at the time. Like, $14.95 from $119.95. Any game is worth buying at a reduction like that. Even Superman 64. I believe it had the mayor dude from Final Fight in it, didn't it? I can't remember his name, which is giving me bowel cancer.

Spin Dizzy Worlds on SNES also rocked. Hardly anybody knows of it.
You played as a spinning top thing (IT'S BEEEEYBLAAAADE) and had to spin around Marble Madness type levels collecting gems and stuff, it even had bonus levels that acted like Pac-Man! Hurray! I think it was also on Amiga and NES. Er, except without the 'Worlds' part on the end of the title.

And ShadowGate. A thread like this isn't complete without the NES' (and Game Boy Color) ShadowGate.
It was rad because it was so very very unfair and annoying. "You use the hammer on the mirror, it leads to another dimension, game over" "You open the trap door, a rat springs out and bites you, you feel dizzy. Game over"

Yay!

blol edit: oops, I just realized these are old old, not recent old unknown gems.

[Hostile Creation]

I saw Dizzy several times in your post, Infernal, and that made me think of the game (Genesis, I believe) Dizzy.  Not my favorite game ever, but pretty cool.

[Ian Sane]

"I believe it had the mayor dude from Final Fight in it, didn't it? I can't remember his name, which is giving me bowel cancer."

Mike Haggar.  As if Slam Masters wasn't already awesome enough.

[DrZoidberg]

I had Spin Dizzy on Amiga, it was hilariously rad, I didn't know it was on SNES =o, to ebay! I've also gotta grab a copy of every battle toads game ever.

[Caillan]

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Also, everyone needs Worms Armageddon for their system of choice.

That reminds me I had a demo of Worms Armageddon for the PC... I loved it so so much! One of the training missions, crazy crates, I played for hours and hours and hours. I got to the point where I could get an endless loop of the crate positions, and ended up playing one round for more than 30 minutes once. Anyone else remember that minigame?

I've just started playing Megaman for the GB now, and there's something original about the design that makes me love it. I've never really played anything quite like it. The jumping controls at first seemed awkward and unnatural to me, but now I see why they are so. This is how hard all games whould be!

Diddy Kong Racing is a game I will always remember as being particuarly polished and fun to play. The graphics were clean, bright and gave off a light-hearted atmosphere that just made it fun to play. The music is some of the best I've ever heard in a game still... I have a 30 minute long recording of the T.T. music over and over again.

Throughout the 64 era, I would often meet with my friends to have 'gaming nights'. During these nights, we would solely play games. Unfortuatly now our social gatherings are blighted by seemingly more interesting things, and they've jsut lost their magic appeal. A few years ago, however, Mario Party stole the show. It still pisses me off how much Nintendo neglects this franchise with such a large number of crap sequels.  To me, it's games like the original Mario Party that really show what Nintendo can do and what brings them above their compeditors. Bumper Balls will one-day prevail!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Master System (not to be mistaken for it's Mega Drive (or Genesis NSTC) counterpart): this game is awsome. When I was 4 years old, and had no school or anything to do, I would play this and Alex the Kid for at least 6 hours a day. I remember sending in my score to a Sega catalouge and being estatic when I saw how much I owned everyone else. This I consider to be the first modern Sonic game. The first one I also owned, but it lacked the speed which makes the series so famous.

When I was very young - about 3, I think - my mother owned a pub. She would take me there before it opened in the weekeds, and I would play the original Space Invaders game that was there form the 70s or whenever. It was like a coffee table, and you had to look over it to see the screen. The joystick and buttons were on the side. I was never very good at it, but I always wanted to play it. I'm sure that thing would be a fortune now, and I'm still trying to track it down.

I've never played Mischief Makers or Nights, which realy pisses me off. I have no idea how I could obtain them, any suggestions?

[Infernal Monkey]

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Originally posted by: Caillan

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Master System (not to be mistaken for it's Mega Drive (or Genesis NSTC) counterpart): this game is awsome. When I was 4 years old, and had no school or anything to do, I would play this and Alex the Kid for at least 6 hours a day. I remember sending in my score to a Sega catalouge and being estatic when I saw how much I owned everyone else. This I consider to be the first modern Sonic game. The first one I also owned, but it lacked the speed which makes the series so famous.

<3
Sonic 2 and Fantasy Zone on Master System were the reasons I got so addicted to gaming. The first time I got up to the likes of Aqua Lake Zone and Green Hill Zone was an amazing experience somehow. I also loved the quirky bosses, and the fact that the boss stages gave you no chances to obtain any rings. One hit and you were gone. BAM.

Try hunting around pawn shops like Cash Convertors for NiGHTs or Mischief Makers. That's how I got my copies.
Or there's always eBay.

Oh hey, anybody play Buck Bumble on N64? That was a hilarious Lylat Wars kinda game. You played as a robot bee! "NO MY ROBOT BEE!" and you shot things like the garden hose for no reason. It also had absolute gold multiplayer modes, like bee soccer!

[KnowsNothing]

"YOU'RE AFTER MY ROBOT BEE!"

Yeah, I have Buck Bumble.  I suck at that game so badly I would laugh about it if I felt the need to.  And the Robot bee isn't as cool as Zim's. *nope*

Hey, I confused Sonic 2 with teh genesis version, and here's my response.  That was my first videogame ever.  I never got past Act 2 of Zone 2 but I played it over and over again for hours.  Hurrah!

[Caillan]

! I'm so glad that people recognise Sonic 2 for the MS! I always thought tht hardly anyone knew about it for some reason. There's definately far to much emphasis placed on the Genesis Sonics when referring to the good 'old Sonic". I would definately recommend playing it again. When I tired just a few months ago, I could only win without the chaos emeralds and a continue. Strange how it seems Sonic 2 was an indroduction into gaming for all of us eh?

The second act in the second zone is hard with the spikey bit and the hanglider, but if you get it right, you can sail through the clouds (and a chaos emerald) and never see a single one of those horrid spikes. On the other hand, if yoou keep your cool and wait a bit after dropping off the edge before you sail foward, you can get through the spike tunnel usually within a few goes.

I heard of Buck Bumble quite a bit due to my obession with print gaming media at the time, and I was interested in it at first. But whan I saw the screen-shots full of fog, a blocky leaf or two and little else, I was a bit put off. I was going to mention Lylat Wars (or Starfox 64 NSTC) in my first post, but I never got around to it. I really, really loved that game... it just never seemed to get boring. Some people said it lacked a level select, but I disagree: there's something about playing a game fluidly from start to finish that is destroyed by even the presence of a level-select feature. Playing Sonic Advance just doesn't interest me... I feel that the level select takes away any challenge, and gives a hollow feeling to completing a level.

I design games as a bit of a hobby, and one of my friends is a good programer. We know a few artists, and at some point we plan to get together and study a few selected RPG's. I mean, we would each play to a certain point in a game then at our next meeting discuss it. When I say 'study', I mean examining aspects of the game, then discerning why they are there: we are more interested in the resons behind the decisions than the decisions themselves. I rekon that if we did it seriously enough and played the right games, we could end up with a pretty solid design framework for an RPG. I thought that maybe this would be a good place to ask for suggestions? I would like to focus on earler, less CGI-based games than some of the modern ones, and I don't think that studying any more than 6-7 games would a realistic goal. I don't have a definate list yet, but off the top of my head, I would already have something like:

Chrono Trigger
Tales of Phantasia
Skies of Arcadia
Secret of Mana/Terranigma (I'm unsure of which one would be best)
FFVI
FFVII (I haven't, to my shame, played this yet, but I hear good things about it. If it's too similar to FFVI I won't bother with it.)

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Try hunting around pawn shops like Cash Convertors for NiGHTs or Mischief Makers. That's how I got my copies.
Or there's always eBay.

Thanks, I'll see what's around my town. I always mistrusted Cash Converters on some fundemental level, I don't know why, but the prospect of retro-gaming will ease my troubles, I'm sure

[Hostile Creation]

Ah, Buck Bumble.  I rented that once. . . I don't recall much about it that struck me as particularly good, aside from bee soccer.  My sister and I played that for hours, laughing our asses off.  Absolutely hilarious.  Great multiplayer game.

I'll have to check out NiGHTS, though.