2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

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hi there

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby hi there » March 13th, 2009, 8:21 pm

Me, I have no idea how you could enjoy Legend of Kage's broken jumping physics (when you jump , Kage freezes in the air and then falls down slowly, and all you can do is hope that the enemies ignore you), repetitive stage design (it rehashes the same thing over and over, whoo.),  the fact that it gives you the ability to jump high but doesn't encourage it (The levels consist of mostly flat plains and some stairs, and did i mention the broken jumping physics?), and the lovely sequence in the second area (the castle wall with the moat) where the enemie's projectiles  BLEND INTO the background.  And then you have the balls to gave a sequel that fixes all the problems mentioned above and actually makes a good game out of it.  Wonderful.

First game: F
Second: B


Sudz1
Posts: 816
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby Sudz1 » March 13th, 2009, 10:48 pm

" The first save opportunity doesn't appear until an hour in!"

That's all I needed to hear - PASS!
Sudz


MigAlley

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby MigAlley » March 14th, 2009, 12:20 pm

I really enjoyed Chrono Trigger. I dare say bump it up a grade if you are a fan of RPG's like I am. However, I can't understand what it is held in such reverence. Good game? Yes! Great game! Not sure. I completed the game but had to use a FAQ in order to do so. My biggest gripe was that the old dude that was supposed to help steer you in the right direction only gave you extremely vague hints on what to do next. I don't want my hand held but with so much distance (and time zones) to cover I think the game could of done a better job keeping you on track. That said, a very good game. I think you can bump it up a letter grade if you are a fan of RPG's.

I am not sure what to think of Metal Slug 7. Every time I see these reviews pop up I am like "automatic A" which is usualy the case. I enjoyed the game but I don't think there is enough variety to distinguish itself from the 100 other metal slug games out there. I think this is a case of the VGC giving too much credit or value on "arcade" or "old school" games. Personally, I think the series needs some sort of major refresh..it is getting stale.

Anayo1
Posts: 758
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby Anayo1 » March 14th, 2009, 1:37 pm

I really enjoyed Chrono Trigger. I dare say bump it up a grade if you are a fan of RPG's like I am. However, I can't understand what it is held in such reverence. Good game? Yes! Great game! Not sure. I completed the game but had to use a FAQ in order to do so. My biggest gripe was that the old dude that was supposed to help steer you in the right direction only gave you extremely vague hints on what to do next. I don't want my hand held but with so much distance (and time zones) to cover I think the game could of done a better job keeping you on track. That said, a very good game. I think you can bump it up a letter grade if you are a fan of RPG's.

I'm maybe 17 hours into the game now, but before playing it I was heavily influenced by a lot of the hype this game got, too. I'm going to venture to say it's not an "OMG MUST PLAY" game, but it is definitely worth playing. It doesn't really do any one revolutionary thing that knocked my socks off, all the individual parts (graphics, story, gameplay) just came together in a nice kind of way to make it endearing and fun.

PSXferrari

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby PSXferrari » March 15th, 2009, 1:07 am

I'm maybe 17 hours into the game now, but before playing it I was heavily influenced by a lot of the hype this game got, too. I'm going to venture to say it's not an "OMG MUST PLAY" game, but it is definitely worth playing. It doesn't really do any one revolutionary thing that knocked my socks off, all the individual parts (graphics, story, gameplay) just came together in a nice kind of way to make it endearing and fun.
 
 
 
Yeah, I think that's well put. Thinking back to the time this game was released I would imagine that many of the gameplay innovations and the time-travelling multiple-ending storyline were amazing... but the RPG genre has come along way since those times. I remember loving Final Fantasy III (aka VI) when it was released on the SNES, and then wondering what all the fuss was about when I played the re-release on the PS1. Guess I had been spoiled by FF7 by then. Then again, who knows if FF7 even really holds up at this point. All I know is I love that modern RPGs have axed the concept of random encounters and it's hard to go back to that when playing old school RPGs. At this point, some of the amazing storylines of the SNES/PS1 era are about the only reason to play those games IMO. The gameplay conventions themselves are worn out and tedious.


Oltobaz1
Posts: 1605
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby Oltobaz1 » March 15th, 2009, 5:26 am

[QUOTE=MigAlley]I really enjoyed Chrono Trigger. I dare say bump it up a grade if you are a fan of RPG's like I am. However, I can't understand what it is held in such reverence. Good game? Yes! Great game! Not sure. I completed the game but had to use a FAQ in order to do so. My biggest gripe was that the old dude that was supposed to help steer you in the right direction only gave you extremely vague hints on what to do next. I don't want my hand held but with so much distance (and time zones) to cover I think the game could of done a better job keeping you on track. That said, a very good game. I think you can bump it up a letter grade if you are a fan of RPG's.


[/QUOTE]


Yeah, it's A material. I played it on my SNES years ago, it's a real gem. Come to think of it, there are at least two issues:

- It's not challenging at all, as the fights are really too easy. And I never   had to rely on faq/guides in order to find what to do next.
- As an RPG, it's a little too short for my taste (about 35 hours).

The story is great, and the graphics are gorgeous. Yeah, the fights are easy, but fun nonetheless. I'll definitely pick this one up for my DS, as there are two new optional dungeons this time around, and at least one new ending.

steer

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby steer » March 15th, 2009, 8:56 am

I think it is popular because of the atmosphere.

I mean, you have a frog who needs to redeem himself - 'Sometimes we just have to grit our teeth....'

ajsmart1
Posts: 609
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby ajsmart1 » March 15th, 2009, 9:46 am

I just finished the PS port of Chrono Trigger.  While I did enjoy it well enough, it seems a bit over rated to me now.  However, if I had played it as a youth back in the snes days I know I would have adored it. 

My only real complaint about the game is...
<spoiler maybe, highlight to see>
the downright tedious boss sequence once you get to the Black Omen.
</spoiler>


Jon Hornbaker

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby Jon Hornbaker » March 15th, 2009, 4:40 pm

You can access the world map as soon as you begin the game! As soon as you leave Crono's house.... you're on the map. Yikes.

Also, once you go back in time to 600 A.D. at the start, you end up on the world map just a few moments afterward.

I don't get how it takes an hour to access the world map when you can navigate it freely until the events at the fair are set in motion.


Novalon

2009/3/12: Nintendo DS: Chrono Trigger, Legend of Kage 2, The, Metal Slug 7

Postby Novalon » March 17th, 2009, 7:02 pm

As usual, I enjoyed the reviews however I'd like to ask a few things anent your Chrono Trigger viewpoint. I don't entirely understand what you meant by tedious inventory management but is it not possible to simply press X, navigate into the inventory, and use any item all without laying a finger on the stylus? Or were you referring to some complex arrangements that only the stylus is capable of performing? Even so, I still think it's quite gratuitous. Apropos of the save point feature, is that not a staple of any standard JRPG regardless of portability? And as the others have said, it is definitely possible to save right after leaving home at the beginning of the game! -_-

Surely, those two diminutive flaws were not what dragged this game down to a B. In any case, I would give the game a B with the justification that the character development/NPC dialogue could still be enhanced; many of the NPCs in the game seemed reminiscent of the lifeless drones in Morrowwind who spouted jejune dialogue as if they were merely talking signposts. It seems that the only reason for their presence is to direct or give hints to the player. Simply put, the game world lacks vitality; the characters are just devoid of verisimilitude, which would have made them more memorable. 

Now that we've segued into the nitpicking, I have to ask what's up with all the anachronisms? In the prehistoric era of the game, I was rather shocked that the villagers were selling potions; were they that technologically advanced already? To add insult to injury, those varieties appeared to be just as potent as their topical counterparts (they heal the same amount of HP)! You'd think that an antiquated healing solution would be inferior to some contemporary medical source but this game proves it all wrong. I mean, the least they could have done was replace the term "potion" with something more fitting like "raptor steak," But other than that, the fluid transition from exploration to battle and vivid battle animations were pretty much flawless as you mentioned.

As for Metal Slug 7, slugalicious? Are you coining terms for the industry now? If so, you might want to consider demanding for royalty checks. Anyway, I agree with many points such as the hackneyed level design, boss designs, and poor usage of the dual screens however I do have some other gripes. Firstly, the frame rate problems are inexcusable as the DS has already proven itself to be capable of running much more graphically intensive games sans the lethargy; obviously, the development team is the culprit.

Next, I think the series is starting to suffer from Mega Man syndrome; sequels keep coming out but only with incremental changes to gameplay. Sure, it's only up to seven but at this stage, some of us still want to experience something that's actually fresh. Even though I'm a long time zealot of these arcade titles, I'm honestly starting to believe that even this series, known so much for its zaniness and creativity can become anemic if not enough variations are made to the general formula.

Unlike some of the more hardcore gamers, I like to adhere to a more anti-conservative perspective. In other words, I'm plenarily against the statement "If it ain't fixed, why change it?" This is essentially why I was disappointed with Metal Slug 7.

I suppose one could justify this stagnancy of gameplay concepts by stating a counter example like the notorious Suikoden IV, which marked a principal transformation for a celebrated series only to be met by foul cries from many fans. Only when the series returned to its primordial roots with the fifth installment, did they rejoice. SNK Playmore probably took some notes from games like this thus refraining from making any major gameplay changes to their progressively banal series.




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