Each time I've played the game, I've chosen a different route, and have now completed three games in which Junpei was killed. The first, he was stabbed in the back. The second, he discovered a note in a safe which meant that he discovered the true identity of Ace, was told that Zero had lost the game, and then was knocked out by a gas grenade - I suspect he was killed after that. The third, he discovered a submarine, then found everyone else dead before being killed himself. Each time I've learnt more about my compatriots, the the extent that now, on my fourth playthrough, where I seem to have chosen some good doors to go through, I can piece together exactly what happened nine years ago and who everyone is. I think I'm close to the end of the game, and the amount of extra material I've had to go through on this playthrough indicates this might be the good ending. I hope so - I'm not sure I can face another playthrough.
Uncharted: constant shooting
Many people have complained that the recent Tomb Raider game is too combat-oriented, which is very true when you compare it to the older games in the series. But if you compare it to Uncharted, Lara is a veritable peace-loving hippy. Exploration seems to take second fiddle to hiding in cover and shooting enemies, then picking up their ammunition before going through the next door and taking cover again. There have been a few puzzles, but nothing more complex than finding a key to open a door or pulling a couple of levels to flood a room. The platforming is probably the best part of the game, having to work out how to get to high-up ledges, and it's a shame there's not more of it - and it's annoying the controls are quite so imprecise. A lack of lock-on to enemies from cover doesn't help.
Still, it's a fun game with some spectacular setpieces, even if the best parts of these are generally non-interactive. I've just finished a section where I was speeding through canals on a jetski - well, I say speeding, but it was easier and more efficient to inch forwards, stopping every few seconds to shoot the explosive barrels and enemies in my path.
Oh dear, it doesn't sound like I'm having much fun, does it? Oddly, I'm looking forward to continuing - as long as this doesn't outstay its welcome. I think the problem this game has is that Tomb Raider has since done it so much better, and this suffers from being played second.
Er, of course I did play this before Tomb Raider - I got my first two trophies on 15 April 2011 - but I was expecting a purely platforming exploration game and the constant gunfights put me off. I cleared the first three chapters, I think - up until the submarine in the jungle. I continued from there, which meant a good few minutes of trying to work out which button did what, causing at least one hilarious death where I threw a grenade at my own feet. Let's not mention that.
Still, it's a fun game with some spectacular setpieces, even if the best parts of these are generally non-interactive. I've just finished a section where I was speeding through canals on a jetski - well, I say speeding, but it was easier and more efficient to inch forwards, stopping every few seconds to shoot the explosive barrels and enemies in my path.
Oh dear, it doesn't sound like I'm having much fun, does it? Oddly, I'm looking forward to continuing - as long as this doesn't outstay its welcome. I think the problem this game has is that Tomb Raider has since done it so much better, and this suffers from being played second.
Er, of course I did play this before Tomb Raider - I got my first two trophies on 15 April 2011 - but I was expecting a purely platforming exploration game and the constant gunfights put me off. I cleared the first three chapters, I think - up until the submarine in the jungle. I continued from there, which meant a good few minutes of trying to work out which button did what, causing at least one hilarious death where I threw a grenade at my own feet. Let's not mention that.
Spacechem: my brain is getting too old
It started off so well. I followed the tutorial easily, seeing how the reactors were built, how to drop and pick up atoms and molecules. And then there's a spike in difficulty, where you have to drop off two atoms from the same origin point and bond them. My solution wasn't entirely elegant.
Reflecting on it later, you could have had the blue doobrie following the red a few spaces behind, moving the atom one more space along, then the red would drop another on the original drop point, move over the first atom and bond, then carry them away before the blue tried to pick up the second. I know that doesn't make much sense but I may try it.
Anyway, it got even more complicated than that. Pipelines delivered atoms at different times, multiple reactors were needed, and I kept on getting the C=O molecule the wrong way around, trying to bond the Hs to the O.
Even when I did get it the right way around, I kept colliding molecules inside the reactor. It took ages for me to work out how to manipulate the molecules correctly. I'm sure there's a lot of slack time here, but it worked.
My brain hurts just looking at that.
Reflecting on it later, you could have had the blue doobrie following the red a few spaces behind, moving the atom one more space along, then the red would drop another on the original drop point, move over the first atom and bond, then carry them away before the blue tried to pick up the second. I know that doesn't make much sense but I may try it.
Anyway, it got even more complicated than that. Pipelines delivered atoms at different times, multiple reactors were needed, and I kept on getting the C=O molecule the wrong way around, trying to bond the Hs to the O.
Even when I did get it the right way around, I kept colliding molecules inside the reactor. It took ages for me to work out how to manipulate the molecules correctly. I'm sure there's a lot of slack time here, but it worked.
My brain hurts just looking at that.
Aladdin: still amazing
I've been fiddling with the emulators on the Wii recently and have finally managed to get them in a state where they're easy enough to use. I've also been experimenting with ROMs I've picked up.
The joys of being an adult and being interested in retro games is that many of the cartridges you long after when you're young can be had for a pittance when you're older - and you have the money to spend on them as well. The disadvantage is having space to store them and the machines. I've been buying various cart games off eBay for years, but often these have sat unplayed because my Mega Drive, Master System Converter, Game Gear, and so on, are all in the loft. This emulation gives me a handy way of playing the games - and, of course, adding features such as save states and allowing me to run it through my video capture box. It's not as good as using original hardware, due to the controllers, the lack of a clunk as the cartridge engages, and some emulation oddities, but it'll do.
The other benefit is that I get to try out some of the games I never played when I was young. I've never owned a SNES, though have played many of the games through Virtual Console or other rereleases. One day I will get a second-hand console, but until then this is ideal.
Anyway. When setting the emulators up, the first game I wanted to try was the Mega Drive version of Aladdin. This was always one of my favourite games when I was young, and I was great at it - making it all the way through without losing a life or even throwing any apples. I thought that at the same time, I should try the SNES game, which was made by a completely different company, and also try the Master System and Game Gear games, which I own on cartridge but have never played.
I immediately noticed that the game felt faster, which probably means that the 50Hz conversion wasn't entirely optimised. Having said that, the difference felt marginal, and if anything controls felt a little less defined than I remember. I last played the game on the Mega Drive about four years ago, so it may be a memory trick.
I ran through the first level with ease; I can remember ever jump, every enemy, every secret. I lost a life on purpose just before the end of the level since I couldn't remember what happened - the genie int eh boxing ring. I picked up the golden Abu and completed the bonus stage.
I played halfway through the desert before deciding that I ought to get on with one of the other versions, rather than spend the entire day playing this again. It's still an amazing game, one of my favourites of all time, and I will play it again soon even if only to get to the rug ride stage.
It certainly looks nice, though the animation on Aladdin feels a bit off - his running animation isn't quite at the same speed as he moves. And the controls feel a bit off as well, though this may be due to the emulation. I went in expecting a bit of a rubbish game, because I've always been told it's not as good as the Mega Drive game ... and while it's definitely inferior, it's actually pretty good anyway. You don't feel as free and athletic running through the streets, there isn't the same sense of scale and exploration, and it's doesn't make you smile as much when dispatching enemies. It's still fun.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I've never heard much about it at all, other than how great it looks. And you know, it does look pretty amazing. Obviously it suffers from direct comparisons to the Mega Drive game, but the animation is still top-notch, and it's vibrant and colourful.
What really surprised me was the complete difference in game style. This is more like the endless runners that are now popular on the App Store, except with an end point. The screen constantly scrolls, and you have to jump obstacles and avoid enemies in order to not get caught behind. At first it's quite tricky, but you soon learn the level and can breeze through it.
The backgrounds are impressively drawn and the game moves at a fair pace. I only completed the first two levels, but I will be back for the rest at some point - I do own the cartridge, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays on original hardware.
As with most games of the time, the Game Gear version is just a port of the Master System game, with a reduced window and slightly brighter graphics. This makes the game a lot harder, as obstacles appear in front of Aladdin with much less notice. It was no doubt great for anyone without other versions to compare it to, but against the Master System game it just seems unfair.
The joys of being an adult and being interested in retro games is that many of the cartridges you long after when you're young can be had for a pittance when you're older - and you have the money to spend on them as well. The disadvantage is having space to store them and the machines. I've been buying various cart games off eBay for years, but often these have sat unplayed because my Mega Drive, Master System Converter, Game Gear, and so on, are all in the loft. This emulation gives me a handy way of playing the games - and, of course, adding features such as save states and allowing me to run it through my video capture box. It's not as good as using original hardware, due to the controllers, the lack of a clunk as the cartridge engages, and some emulation oddities, but it'll do.
The other benefit is that I get to try out some of the games I never played when I was young. I've never owned a SNES, though have played many of the games through Virtual Console or other rereleases. One day I will get a second-hand console, but until then this is ideal.
Anyway. When setting the emulators up, the first game I wanted to try was the Mega Drive version of Aladdin. This was always one of my favourite games when I was young, and I was great at it - making it all the way through without losing a life or even throwing any apples. I thought that at the same time, I should try the SNES game, which was made by a completely different company, and also try the Master System and Game Gear games, which I own on cartridge but have never played.
Mega Drive
I immediately noticed that the game felt faster, which probably means that the 50Hz conversion wasn't entirely optimised. Having said that, the difference felt marginal, and if anything controls felt a little less defined than I remember. I last played the game on the Mega Drive about four years ago, so it may be a memory trick.
I ran through the first level with ease; I can remember ever jump, every enemy, every secret. I lost a life on purpose just before the end of the level since I couldn't remember what happened - the genie int eh boxing ring. I picked up the golden Abu and completed the bonus stage.
I played halfway through the desert before deciding that I ought to get on with one of the other versions, rather than spend the entire day playing this again. It's still an amazing game, one of my favourites of all time, and I will play it again soon even if only to get to the rug ride stage.
SNES
It certainly looks nice, though the animation on Aladdin feels a bit off - his running animation isn't quite at the same speed as he moves. And the controls feel a bit off as well, though this may be due to the emulation. I went in expecting a bit of a rubbish game, because I've always been told it's not as good as the Mega Drive game ... and while it's definitely inferior, it's actually pretty good anyway. You don't feel as free and athletic running through the streets, there isn't the same sense of scale and exploration, and it's doesn't make you smile as much when dispatching enemies. It's still fun.
Master System
I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I've never heard much about it at all, other than how great it looks. And you know, it does look pretty amazing. Obviously it suffers from direct comparisons to the Mega Drive game, but the animation is still top-notch, and it's vibrant and colourful.
What really surprised me was the complete difference in game style. This is more like the endless runners that are now popular on the App Store, except with an end point. The screen constantly scrolls, and you have to jump obstacles and avoid enemies in order to not get caught behind. At first it's quite tricky, but you soon learn the level and can breeze through it.
The backgrounds are impressively drawn and the game moves at a fair pace. I only completed the first two levels, but I will be back for the rest at some point - I do own the cartridge, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays on original hardware.
Game Gear
As with most games of the time, the Game Gear version is just a port of the Master System game, with a reduced window and slightly brighter graphics. This makes the game a lot harder, as obstacles appear in front of Aladdin with much less notice. It was no doubt great for anyone without other versions to compare it to, but against the Master System game it just seems unfair.
Brothers – a Tale of Two Sons: completed!
I've played through this over the last couple of evenings, and have loved it. It's easy to think of the game as a gimmick, with the idea of controlling two characters at once, but once you get used to this (which takes a while!) the game reveals itself as a clever puzzle platformer with moving story.
The puzzles throughout the game are varied enough to not outstay their welcome, without the need for any sort of power-up mechanic. Some of the highlights were manoeuvring a long metal pole through a maze with limited turning points, and a long section where one brother hung from a conveyor belt while the other opened gates. These were by no means the only clever puzzles, and even those which are pretty standard parts of videogames were freshened by the control scheme.
The story was equally innovative, in that it explored the themes of sickness and death more intimately than most other games. The game starts with the background story of the little brother witnessing (and finding himself responsible for) his mother's death, followed by the main story of his father's sickness. The two brothers journeyed to get medicine to cure their father, emphasising the importance of the family. The strong bonds that the story imposes are all the more effective when ... things happen ... at the end of the game. I've rarely felt such a sense of shock and horror.
Well worth playing through, though don't expect happiness and fun all the way through.
The puzzles throughout the game are varied enough to not outstay their welcome, without the need for any sort of power-up mechanic. Some of the highlights were manoeuvring a long metal pole through a maze with limited turning points, and a long section where one brother hung from a conveyor belt while the other opened gates. These were by no means the only clever puzzles, and even those which are pretty standard parts of videogames were freshened by the control scheme.
The story was equally innovative, in that it explored the themes of sickness and death more intimately than most other games. The game starts with the background story of the little brother witnessing (and finding himself responsible for) his mother's death, followed by the main story of his father's sickness. The two brothers journeyed to get medicine to cure their father, emphasising the importance of the family. The strong bonds that the story imposes are all the more effective when ... things happen ... at the end of the game. I've rarely felt such a sense of shock and horror.
Well worth playing through, though don't expect happiness and fun all the way through.
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