2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

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Jake_JacobZu7zu71
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2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Jake_JacobZu7zu71 » July 31st, 2014, 10:27 am


Marauder

Not the best maze shooter, but the review seems quickly done and only represents game 1. Try selecting a higher difficulty (3) or (4). It will be a much faster and challenging shooting game. It's actually not bad.

The overall gameplay is sketchy, but F is too harsh.


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VideoGameCritic
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2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby VideoGameCritic » July 31st, 2014, 10:56 am

Roger that!  I will give it another look.

I'm also open to suggestions for other titles that deserve another look.

Rev1
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2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Rev1 » July 31st, 2014, 6:08 pm

I really think Heart of the Alien (Sega CD) needs another look as well... The game can definitely be annoying but has enough worthwhile attributes to bump the grade up to at least a C.

Jake_JacobZu7zu71
Posts: 37
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Jake_JacobZu7zu71 » August 1st, 2014, 10:20 am

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]Roger that!  I will give it another look.

I'm also open to suggestions for other titles that deserve another look.[/QUOTE]


The review is pretty spot on already... but I think there's a bit of fun in locating or destroying the power cell, while shooting or avoiding the pesky Robots, on a higher difficulty starting point.

Game 1 is super easy at first... but Robot skills increase with each exploding of the Power Cell, located in the white room. Thank goodness.

The importance of destroying this center cell, makes the shooting of Robots a bit meaningless, because they don't add much to your score. As said in review, it's a bit too easy to just run past them. It seems to be all about the (diamond) cell in this game,... and each time you blast it, it awards a big amount to your score. Doing so does earn a free life (every other time), so it's like the whole game is won by looking for it and shooting it. I don't like how it can start you out right inside that very room! There went the challenge of searching through the maze.

The mazes do randomize each time, so when you do need to travel its fun to move, dodge and shoot your way through. That's what really makes the game fun.

I like to start the game on skill 3 or 4... so the Robots will be moving faster and tougher right away and provides a pretty good challenge, you won't rack up a bunch of free lives ahead of time, such as playing through game 1 or 2.

The main problem is Marauder is too easy, and can't compete with a Berzerk this way, which is a shame because it really has the tools to.

OVERALL, IT'S NOT A TOTAL FAILURE AND CAN BE FUN DESPITE THE SHORTCOMINGS. (I love this games concept), BUT I FEEL MARAUDER WASTES ITS POTENTIAL TOO MUCH.

My Grade:
D or C.

WHAT DO OTHER 2600 FANS THINK OF THIS ONE...?

HardcoreSadism1
Posts: 526
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby HardcoreSadism1 » August 1st, 2014, 4:25 pm

I think the Pac-Man 2600 is more of a B- than a full on D.

This is extremely controversial I understand.

goldenband1
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2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby goldenband1 » August 3rd, 2014, 12:00 am

[QUOTE=Rev]I really think Heart of the Alien (Sega CD) needs another look as well... The game can definitely be annoying but has enough worthwhile attributes to bump the grade up to at least a C.[/QUOTE]

A lot of people seem to think highly of the Sega CD port of OOTW, but I thought it played much worse than the SNES and 3DO versions. It felt too quick, and yet at the same time somehow laggy/unresponsive.

As for Heart of the Alien itself, i.e. the "new" game, I thought it was lousy. It felt like it had been designed by a committee of MBAs, and totally lost the integrity, beauty, and flow of Chahi's vision for the game. OOTW always felt fair, somehow, but Heart of the Alien often feels pointedly unfair.

An F overall is probably too harsh, and certainly OOTW itself is an all-time classic -- but I think the Sega CD version is a bad port, myself.

Now if we want to talk about games in desperate need of a re-examination, the Gain Ground review is complete madness -- that game is in my Top 5 on the Genesis -- but at least the VGC knows he's out on a limb and acknowledges that the game is "highly regarded by some".

Rev1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Rev1 » August 4th, 2014, 6:04 pm

[QUOTE=goldenband][QUOTE=Rev]I really think Heart of the Alien (Sega CD) needs another look as well... The game can definitely be annoying but has enough worthwhile attributes to bump the grade up to at least a C.[/QUOTE]

A lot of people seem to think highly of the Sega CD port of OOTW, but I thought it played much worse than the SNES and 3DO versions. It felt too quick, and yet at the same time somehow laggy/unresponsive.

As for Heart of the Alien itself, i.e. the "new" game, I thought it was lousy. It felt like it had been designed by a committee of MBAs, and totally lost the integrity, beauty, and flow of Chahi's vision for the game. OOTW always felt fair, somehow, but Heart of the Alien often feels pointedly unfair.

An F overall is probably too harsh, and certainly OOTW itself is an all-time classic -- but I think the Sega CD version is a bad port, myself.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I don't think Heart of the Alien/OOTW are amazing on the Sega CD but I think an F is a little too harsh. I feel like a C would be a pretty dead on for the game.

TheLastNightmare1
Posts: 158
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby TheLastNightmare1 » August 8th, 2014, 5:29 pm

Slime Word for the Lynx remains the only game to receive a bad review, in part because you didn't understand the basic gameplay mechanics, critic.

I'd ask for a re-review, but you seemed to hate it on a visceral level. Would it really make a difference?

Captain_Crunch1
Posts: 271
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Captain_Crunch1 » August 13th, 2014, 12:27 pm

I think you highly overrated Star Wars Arcade (32X, B) - that game is near-on impossbile. On the other hand, I feel you underrated Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis, C), it's one of the most imaginative platform games I played.

Sut1
Posts: 789
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

2600 Game needs another look - Marauder (Grade F)

Postby Sut1 » August 13th, 2014, 2:08 pm

I second Star Wars Arcade the game practically falls apart in the trench run and destroyer sections and becomes an unplayable mess.
Also Spider-Man on 32x (B-) needs a re-review, that game is a turd. Just because it's rare doesn't make it good. Laggy controls because of over animation, high difficulty and probably some of the worst music I've ever heard (yes including 32x Doom).


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