Miguel Sanchez Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) Right, no sense putting it off any longer IN JOINT 179th, WITH 1 POINT EACH Game: Jungle Strike Release date: 1993, 94 and 95 Platform: Sega Genesis, SNES, Amiga Gameplay: Longplay video of the Mega Drive version available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdJ8XtuJBuU Game: FIFA 19 Release date: 28 September 2018 Platform: Windows, Xbox 360 & One, PlayStation 3 & 4, Nintendo Switch Gameplay: It's FIFA, innit User comments: "It had Dundee in it" Game: Knockout Kings Release date: 1998 Platform: PlayStation Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=III33EP89es Game: Bully (Canis Canem Edit) Release Date: 17 October 2006 Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows, Nintendo Wii Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pmE_N_nM7o Poll-maker comments: I played this not long ago and reviewed it: Spoiler Since I live in a country where Bully was forcibly renamed to Canis Canem Edit before it was ever released, I suppose I had some pre-conceived notions about what it would be like. That isn't to say I would ever have legitimised the media panic by thinking it in any way justified, but expectations without knowledge aren't always going to be accurate. It's made by the same people who make (well, publish) Grand Theft Auto games. You play as a teenager in a school. It's called Bully. You can carry out acts which would fit any usual description of bullying in schools. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this game certainly wouldn't have turned me into a delinquent and I doubt it would have served as much inspiration for anyone else of a similar age to its protagonist. You are Jimmy Hopkins, apparently troubled child who is shipped off to a boarding school in the town of Bullworth. Over the course of the school year you do everything a 15 year old does in such a situation. You go to classes, you wedgie boys, you kiss girls, you play off against the complex politics of each social group in the school and surrounding town while trying to maintain neutrality and a fair approach, that sort of thing. I really enjoyed playing this game. It reminded me of the things I played when I was younger which were GTA clones even though I never realised it. The Simpsons Hit & Run and Jak II spring to mind. Being able to run around the school and town on foot, skateboard, bike and go-kart is just plain fun, even if the controls can be a bit clunky and dated. By the time you unlock weapons like the spud gun and bottle rocket launcher, or have eggs and stink bombs to throw at people, it's a familiar yet different experience. Despite the less mature premise, the game never feels childish or like a watered down version of something else. It's not without its faults, and not all of them can be explained by age. The controls and the camera are poor. The camera in particular is dreadful. You know how in third person games you often move your character and the camera independently of one another to get a better view of your surroundings while you move? If you do that here and move the camera too far Jimmy will turn sharply and start moving in the direction of the camera. Beyond annoying. The skateboard and other transport objects I mentioned might be speedy but they're often fiddly and difficult to control, and of course hitboxes are all over the place so if you graze something you'll probably end up on the floor. This often happens when you're being chased by the police of the school prefects (who all want to be police), and it's not something that you can really improve with experience. Whether it's constrained by the setting or the characters I'm not sure, but the story isn't the strongest either. The game's split up into five main chapters where you largely side with one clique against another. This is fine and it helps the game serve and send up some classic American high school tropes, but from chapter to chapter there seems little to connect your actions. The ending in particular appears suddenly and with an antagonist who was largely absent for the middle 50% of the game. It also doesn't help that every time you're at war with one clique their members will start chasing you and trying to fight every time you see one on campus or in town. Aside from missions where you have to do things for your delinquent teachers or go to various places around town, a lot of the gameplay is mini-games. I appreciate there's not much you can do with academic subjects in this sort of context, but there are times when the game feels like a vehicle to take you from one button pressing exercise to another. It's at times like this you feel the game is a really good concept which was made as well as it could be, but still has a few things holding it back. There's not much to say beyond what I have already. The game's main faults are its age. The controls I mentioned and a few other technical issues can make it feel really dated. The map design also leaves something to be desired, and the pacing of the story is strange. Beyond all that though the game is what an enjoyable sandbox should be. Something realistic but a bit exaggerated, where there's always something to do and never anything you can get stuck on for so long you end up resenting playing it. The subject matter is more tasteful and tactful than I was expecting, and I really think this could and should have a follow-up game made with more resources and content. Like a lot of games I missed out on in my early teens, I'm glad I got to play this one. I think I would have really enjoyed it back then, but I still had fun with it now. Game: NBA Jam It occurs to me that I forgot to check which version of the game this referred to. Think FIFA Street but with basketball Game: Detroit: Become Human Platform: PlayStation 4, Windows Release date: 25 May 2018 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVywqFx0GdE User comments: "The genre keeps on advancing and this was one of the first where i was blown away with the depth of choice. " Poll-maker comments: Please. I posted a review of this on here a few months ago Game: FTL: Faster Than Light Platform: Windows Release date: 14 September 2012 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NebYyP9qJ9g Zero Punctuation review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7DT1Z5523s Game: Pro Evolution Soccer 5 Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Windows, Xbox Release date: 2005 Gameplay: It's football, innit? Game: Batman: Arkham Knight Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Release date: 23 June 2015 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsCNrHG0g70 Zero Punctuation review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-BcdgD-1c Poll-maker backlog status: It's on there. Just need to get the two superior games in the series out of the way before I jump in the Batmobile simulator. Game: RollerCoaster Tycoon Platform: Windows Release date: 1999 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wF60AjPWqo User comments: "Another of the Business Sim type games, I still have this one on steam and can occasionally play it, still the best one of all of the genre IMO." Cultural impact outside of games: Responsible for "Mr Bones Wild Ride" Mr Bones Wild Ride. (Long, but well worth the read.) - post - Imgur Game: Grand Prix 3 Platform: Windows Release date: 2000 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECEuVwjzHB4 Game: Crackdown Platform: Xbox 360 Release date: 2007 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09lbpX-QJw User comments: "This was the first game I owned/played on the next gen, and it absolutely blew my mind. Haven't felt the way about a game the way I felt about Crackdown the first day I played it beofe or since. It probably hasn't aged well, but has to make my list" Poll-maker comments: I remember a friend of mine excitedly showing me this when I was at his. I thought it looked like shit. The most generic, basic open world experience possible. I think I saw that after I had played inFamous which I largely disliked for the same reason. Game: Worms Platform: Amiga Release date: 1995 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2LmeqexsxU User comments: "there's genuinely never been a better "mates round for a smoke and/or some cans" game ever made." Poll-maker comments: Don't do drugs, kids. Game: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II Platform: Xbox, Windows Release date: 2004 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut6qGIEkLx8 Game: Stranded Deep Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Release date: 2020 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKtz1zHve8 Game: Halo 3 Platform: Xbox 360 Release date: 2007 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUKdc2xiNkk Poll-maker comments: Nothing quite sums up my attitude to video games from 2004 to 2009 quite like Xbox fanboys acting like the man with the helmet was an interesting character or that his games were good. Game: Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Platform: PlayStation 2 Release date: 2001 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1Uw2kPkK8 Poll-maker comments: This was my 10th place vote. I could have voted for Jak II like someone else did and got it a bit higher, and in all honesty I liked that game more, but something compelled me to include this here. This was one of the first non-racing games I played and there's something perfect about my perception of the whole game that isn't purely wrapped up in nostalgia. I know the feelings of the sounds and the music and the things that happen on screen are part of that but the game is just a little bit more than the sum of its parts to me, and I think as a series it's woefully under-appreciated from a PlayStation-centric perspective. Poll-maker backlog status: The PS4 version is on there. I've toyed with making it my 175th platinum but I might have Project Cars set up for that by the time I reach it, so I'm not sure. Game: Golden Axe Platform: Sega Release date: 1998/99 Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VRP_mg8PtM Edited March 7, 2021 by Miguel Sanchez 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Bully is excellent. I played it on the Xbox 360 with the Scholarship Edition. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Sanchez Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 I was surprised at how deep Bully was and how well it held up. There seemed to be some talk of a sequel when I was playing it in late 2019, hopefully something comes of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) I've always meant to give the Strike games a go. Do they hold up these days? I've tried playing through Bully a few times, but ended up giving up fairly far in (I think) because it eventually becomes a bit repetitive with all the mini-games. I enjoyed what I played, though, maybe more so than the GTA games of the time. FIFA is FIFA is FIFA. The only ones that should be considered separately are the ones from 1993 to 1997, as the actual game was sufficiently different back then, IMO. It's all been extra moves, higher-def models, team licences, and squeezing cash from the gullible since then. I thought I'd be the only one to list FTL. Seriously folks, look it up and give it a go if you like the idea of something you can burn through in an hour, but come back to hundreds of times without getting bored. Worms is the classic example of a game that's the bollocks in multiplayer, but a bit shit if you're on your own. I seem to remember it picking up a few poor reviews on release because of that. Kudos to whoever chose Golden Axe. There have been better scrolling fighters in the thirty years since, but everyone loved that game back in 1990. Before it comes up again, yes, someone tried to remake it, and it was utter bollocks. Edit: almost forgot to say that there are some really good mods for Bully going about that update various elements for modern-day machines. Edited March 7, 2021 by BFTD 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Thompson Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I've always meant to give the Strike games a go. Do they hold up these days? I've tried playing through Bully a few times, but ended up giving up fairly far in (I think) because it eventually becomes a bit repetitive with all the mini-games. I enjoyed what I played, though, maybe more so than the GTA games of the time. FIFA is FIFA is FIFA. The only ones that should be considered separately are the ones from 1993 to 1997, as the actual game was sufficiently different back then, IMO. It's all been extra moves, higher-def models, team licences, and squeezing cash from the gullible since then. I thought I'd be the only one to list FTL. Seriously folks, look it up and give it a go if you like the idea of something you can burn through in an hour, but come back to hundreds of times without getting bored. Worms is the classic example of a game that's the bollocks in multiplayer, but a bit shit if you're on your own. I seem to remember it picking up a few poor reviews on release because of that. Kudos to whoever chose Golden Axe. There have been better scrolling fighters in the thirty years since, but everyone loved that game back in 1990. Before it comes up again, yes, someone tried to remake it, and it was utter bollocks. I played hours and hours of Desert Strike on the amiga back in the day. Fired it up on an emulator a while ago and the answer to your question is, no. No it doesn't. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19QOS19 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 "Joint 179th" said no poll, ever! Fantastic [emoji38] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Mr X said: I played hours and hours of Desert Strike on the amiga back in the day. Fired it up on an emulator a while ago and the answer to your question is, no. No it doesn't. Shame. Maybe a candidate for a modern reboot in proper 3D, with extra bells and whistles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiGi Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I was a Jak II voter. That and Jak 3 were hard to separate but II took the series in a darker, more adult direction and I wish there were more games in the pipeline for current gen. But no argument against Jak and Daxter either. Classic childhood game from naughty dog. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) FIFA's biggest positive shift imo was, I think, 2008 when they basically lifted Pro Evo's gameplay and became a much better game for it. The worst shift was the introduction of Ultimate Team which made the developers incredibly lazy about innovating the format as they already, AFAIK, make EA's entire turnover target from UT alone nowadays. Detroit: Become Normal might be the stupidest game I've ever played which is remarkable given I've also played Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain. David Cage seems like a video game developer who dislikes video games but knows he would never get a comparable budget for a TV series or movie, Was Arkham Knight the one where everyone really hated the Batmobile? I thought it was a good game and it only pales in comparison to City and Asylum because those games were so good. Knights of the Old Republic 2 was superb and started the trend (okay maybe it was only 2 game series) of Obsidian making a far better game of someone else's IP. You can tell Rian Johnson played a power of it as well given he seems to dislike the Jedi as much as Obsidian do. I really need to download it again with the Restored Content Mods and do another run. Halo 3 was class. 4 player Legendary Co-op was one of the funnest things I've ever played. The two Scarabs from The Covenant is still class even if I died like a hundred times doing it on Legendary solo. The multiplayer is still kinda broken on the MCC though despite it being 7 years old. Edited March 7, 2021 by NotThePars 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Thompson Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Shame. Maybe a candidate for a modern reboot in proper 3D, with extra bells and whistles.That would be awesome. Shooting up stuff with a helicopter was still fun but the utter tediousness of flying there and back ruined it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) I see to remember Arkham Knight looking absolutely stunning when it came out. Bit of a surprise, as the previous games had looked good, but not that good. ...unless you had a PC, of course, where it was the Batman slideshow that you never knew you didn't want. Edit: also, the Batman games' Harley Quinn pisses all over the film version. Edited March 7, 2021 by BFTD 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Sanchez Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 23 minutes ago, GiGi said: I was a Jak II voter. That and Jak 3 were hard to separate but II took the series in a darker, more adult direction and I wish there were more games in the pipeline for current gen. But no argument against Jak and Daxter either. Classic childhood game from naughty dog. I forgot to mention it's the last good thing Naughty Dog ever did. 6 minutes ago, NotThePars said: Was Arkham Knight the one where everyone really hated the Batmobile? I thought it was a good game and it only pales in comparison to City and Asylum because those games were so good. If you miss my pithy comments like calling it the Batmobile Simulator this thread is going to feel like a waste of time tbh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Ooh, Miguel throwing shade on P&B's current all-time favourite video game. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludo*1 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I voted for Knockout Kings. I was struggling and whilst the Fight Night games that followed were massively superior, that was the first boxing game I played and I loved the wee training mini games. I also loved the career mode and it had a cracking classic roster of boxers. If I'd remembered Golden Axe, that would have slotted in no doubt. Did anyone not play as the wee old dude? He was the main character as far as I was concerned. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 6 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said: If I'd remembered Golden Axe, that would have slotted in no doubt. Did anyone not play as the wee old dude? He was the main character as far as I was concerned. Aye, I always played as Gilius Thunderhead. The lassie was pretty cool too, as she could make a fucking dragon swoop down and nuke the entire screen. Nobody played as the main character, with his blue Speedos. Fanny. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I was the one that picked Arkham Knight. The other two are probably superior games overall, but it was the one I enjoyed the most (despite it being a bit heavy on the batmobile and the fucking Riddler trophies), and is the one I am happy to go back and play regularly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 16 minutes ago, BFTD said: Aye, I always played as Gilius Thunderhead. The lassie was pretty cool too, as she could make a fucking dragon swoop down and nuke the entire screen. Nobody played as the main character, with his blue Speedos. Fanny. Gilius Thunderhead (the wee old dwarf guy) had the most powerful attacks. The lassie (Tyris Flare) had the most powerful magic. The lad in the blue (Ax Battler) was a middling bore. Golden Axe is ace. Some laugh when you smash f**k out of Death Adder and rescue the king and the princess and you think you've completed the game, only for the king and princess to 'ask' you to go on and take out the real bad guy, Death Bringer, who is a big fucking chear who uses your own magic against you. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Burton Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Golden Axe was my pick. Nice to see others enjoyed it too.It was for me the best side scrolling beat me up and I played it over and over again when I was a wee kid.First played the arcade version, our local wee store bizarrely had an arcade machine or two outside the shop. Got to the stage where I could finish it one go. Just need to hear the opening music for a huge hit of nostalgia.I got it for my Master System and mind being gutted when I realised you could only play as the barbarian. Had to wait till I upgrade to a Megadrive to be able to play as the other two characters outwith the arcade.Second game was fairly decent too while the 3rd was released only in Japan but isn't that great. The Golden Axe Beast rider for the 360/PS3 was fairly rubbish. There was supposed to be a proper remake but Sega binned it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 I never took to Golden Axe. I found Streets of Rage to be far superior. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 1 hour ago, DA Baracus said: Golden Axe is ace. Some laugh when you smash f**k out of Death Adder and rescue the king and the princess and you think you've completed the game, only for the king and princess to 'ask' you to go on and take out the real bad guy, Death Bringer, who is a big fucking chear who uses your own magic against you. That was an addition to the Mega Drive version, for some reason; the arcade original ended after Death Adder got his arse handed to him. I'm definitely just repeating my posts from the last Greatest Games thread now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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