I'm still going to continue with my SMW 96☆ playthrough but I just got a classic game that I've never played before which will certainly slow me down a little.
Paper Mario for the N64. Anyone play it? I played the sequel to it, The Thousand Year Door, on the Gamecube and I fucking loved it.
Paper Mario is excellent. Thousand Year Door is better, but that's only because it builds upon what was great about the first one. Definitely let me know what you think! That's one of my favorite N64 games.
The Paper Mario series is actually a tragic tale. The N64, GameCube, and Wii games were excellent (though still paling in comparison to Super Mario RPG) but they started taking the series in a different direction and Paper Mario is no longer really an RPG series.
Sticker Star was garbage.
Last edited by Mark Hammer; January 27th, 2019 at 12:28 AM.
I tried Super Mario RPG one time and got fairly far into it. I really enjoyed it but then I got to some type of master/sensai guy you had to beat to move on and it was going to require so much leveling up that I just quit.
This is why I've still only ever beaten two rpgs.
Dragon Warrior (took me years)
Tales of Symphonia (played it two player with my brother who forced me to keep playing)
I hit a similar bruck wall when I got to Adel in Final Fantasy VIII when you couldn't just blast your way through with GFs anymore or you'd kill Rinoa. 6 months later levelled up and Aura with Irvine's Shot sorted Adel.
What are you playing Mario World on? I just started up on it to get the 96, and I'm doing it on the GBA. Something I dont remember being able to do on the SNES (which you can on GBA) is save anywhere on the map (I think on SNES it was only after a castle or ghost house), and also being able to pause in the middle of a stage and quit (to basically save a life and restart the stage).Originally Posted by Rancid_Planet
I'm up to world 3 now (and unlocked all the star road stages), and a lot of it has become a breeze now that I can just go get a blue Yoshi before starting every level and fly my way through. I guess the hard part is trying to get every Yoshi coin as that in most cases forces you actually play the stage.
I'm doing it in the SNES classic.
My old school way was to go back to a super easy ghost house or castle (Donut Ghost House is a breeze) and save if I wanted to stop playing in the middle of a random level.
And yeah screw that Yoshi coin thing. If it's a yellow level and I can fly right through it then that's what I'm doing since it has no effect on getting the 96☆.
Although really they should've put some kind of challenge mode into it to make you try and beat the game that way.
Its easier on the GBA but seeing how its the more complete/definitive version of the game, I thought I'd play on there. The downside is that with the smaller screen and aspect ratio, parts of the screen are of course cut off, so sometimes you can't see certain platforms that you're supposed to jump down to, which actually adds a new level of difficulty in some places.
My plan is to start playing some of these old school games again and archiving the save files on the PC, so I'm trying to pick out the "best" version of every game. I think the GBA one is the better one, with the added intro sequence and the checklist for stages and Yoshi coins when you press Select on the map. But it sucks that its on the smaller screen/awkward aspect ratio. The same with Final Fantasy 6 which has its best version on the GBA, or Chrono Trigger on the NDS. Just awkward if you want to play on your TV.
I used to have that GBA player that you plugged into the bottom of the Gamecube so you could play on the tv. No idea where it went. Not that it matters as I didn't collect many GBA games. Portable has never really been my thing.
That's what I'm currently using. Swapping between that and the Gameboy Micro when I want to go portable. But even when playing on the TV, you're still stuck with the GBA's resolution and aspect ratio, so it doesnt really solve any of the issues.
I was only really into GBA for a short while when the frontlit clam shell GBA SP came out. I got a platinum edition and a copy of Wario Ware that day and played the shit out of it. Finally being able to actually see the goddamn screen was a gamechanger. Threw my old GBA away.
I just completed the intro and first chapter. Finishing with the Koopa bros fortress. I'm having a blast. I could tinker with the badge system all day.
One thing that struck me right away is how well graphical styles like this hold up over time. The game is far more fun to look at than Super Mario 64.
Currently up to 49 exits on Mario World. I honestly thought everything would come rushing back to me but it turns out I actually only really remember the first two worlds and Star world "inside out". I'm at the point now where I'd having to find secret exits again like its the first time. I havent done the Yoshi coins but plan on going back over all the levels again later for them.
Yeah I'm about to get into the Vanilla Dome myself. Right where the difficulty starts to go up a bit.
Okay Vanilla Dome time.
Super Mario World 96☆ replay.
-------
-Vanilla Dome 1- (red dot level)
Yeah right off the bat I can see the difficulty going up in this world. I died a couple times. That was challenging.
The second exit is obvious to find and it looks like you need the red switch block to access the key and keyhole but then I noticed a blue shell so I just came back with a Yoshi and beat it by flying up over the red dotted line blocks. This opens up Vanilla Secret.
-Vanilla Dome 2- (red)
The first exit is easy enough. Just make it to the item roulette blocks, get the starman and run to the finish. This opens the path to Vanilla Ghost House.
The Red Switch palace is opened up by getting the key here. And the exit is tricky as fuck. You have to hit the p- block after carrying it to the left as far as you can. Then move as far to the left as you can after hitting it.
If you don't then you wind up falling down into the wrong area where you can't get the key.
-Vanilla Secret 1- (red)
Easy enough to beat the first way. The second is tricky as fuck. Gotta fly up and to the left on the second level to find a pipe that you would otherwise never see.
After a couple of weeks trying to get the game working properly (for some reason the graphics didn't sync up properly with the gameplay on my emulator, so my character would be able to walk on parts of the screen where he shouldn't be, but not parts he should be, making it really confusing and basically unplayable), I've finally got properly started on my first play-through of Final Fantasy VII in...I dunno, maybe 17 or 18 years? The graphics are a mix of dreadful and fantastic, with terrible, blocky characters but stunning backgrounds which completely hold up to modern standards...but the story is immediately hooking me back in. I've only played an hour or so, so far, but I feel like I'm getting more out of it than I did as a kid, understanding the various motivations a lot more. So far I've remembered pretty much everything that has happened from my previous times playing it, probably because I started and then lost interest in that first hour so many times before, but I'm looking forward to getting a bit further in to a point where I don't remember much of it.
My memory of FF7 is really weird and broken down, in my head it's basically:
Disc 1: Midgar
Disc 2: Snow
Disc 3: Sephiroth
I know there's so much more to it than that, but really that feels how it breaks down in my head. I really feel like it has a weird layout, with Midgar this incredibly detailed, long first chapter, then the world is expanded in terms of size but suddenly becomes much more sparse. Feels like that should have been the other way around.
Thats kind like how Final Fantasy IX was (didnt play VIII which was the only other multi disc game in the series), where the first few areas are very detailed and dense, then you start exploring the rest of the bigger world and it feels more sparse. I think that might be partly due to hardware limitations (RAM and disc space?) and the storyline progression being written around that. Which I guess would make sense. But either way, its something I sort of expected after seeing how long it took to get out of Midgar. I felt there's no way the rest of the cities in the game are as long as this (not that it would've been an issue, of course).
I can't remember if I talked about it here but I played FF VII for the first time about 6 months ago. It was always just one of those unexplainable things when people asked why I hadn't played it before. I thought it would be an interesting experiment as I'd always thought the nostalgia with this game was the main reason it was so revered, so I went into this with the mindset of "Lets see how good this really is." considering I don't have that same sentimental attachment to it.
The game only took me less than a couple of weeks to finish (IIRC), but I put a shit load of hours per day into it. My feeling about the game in the end was sort of like "Its good, and I can see why people liked it, but its not that good." Which actually annoyed one of my mates who'd been nagging me to play this game for years.
I guess with all the praise the game has got over the years and the thought that I was "missing out", maybe I was looking to scrutinise the game. Having said that, there were many aspects of the game that actually didnt appeal to me (which I wont bother listing unless someone here actually wants to talk about it), so I was disappointed with the game on some level.
I think FFVII is like my fourth favourite Final Fantasy game.
I can only speak for my own experience but it's the best narrative game I've ever played by an absolute mile - gameplay-wise it's nothing special, but the story is just utterly engrossing, or at least was to me as a 14-year old. Maybe your expectations were too high because of the reputation it had - I bought it knowing it had a great reputation but expecting not to like it because I thought that RPG games were nerdy and shit, in fact I think I literally just bought it as a punt, it got 97% in whatever PS1 magazine I used to buy and it was only a tenner or so second-hand from CEX. And honestly it absolutely blew me away, it was the first game I'd ever played where I cared about the characters and really thought about it when I wasn't playing it.
The graphics definitely won't have helped you if my recent experience is anything to go by, the character graphics have dated astonishingly badly where older consoles like SNES still stand up in their own cartoon-y way, but if you didn't enjoy the story then I don't really know what to say, I thought it was great. The remake should be incredible if they don't fuck with the story too much and give it a modern look.
I've only played FF7 and maybe half of FF8 before I fucked that off (not helped by my copy being a snide one borrowed off esteemed former Rajah poster @Harry which he got from America and only worked in black and white), honestly no other RPG has ever interested me in the slightest.
My friend Frank and I were very into Phantasy Star for Sega Genesis.
I'm also right now trying to attempt this "negative world" in Super Mario Bros.
In terms of engrossing story and fully fleshed out characters FF6 has 7 beat.
Soundtrack too.
Is it safe to say the best stretch for the franchise would be 6-8?
The graphics werent an issue at all. You kinda forget about the visuals when you're playing RPGs (at least I do). Maybe saying "didn't appeal to me" isnt the right way to put it. It was good, and I'd love more games like it. I just don't put it up there as "arguably the greatest RPG" like some people think it is.
With the storyline, I feel as though Cloud's is great, but the story overall as a whole isn't that good. You'll always have your standard "threat to the world", which has been the case in pretty much every Final Fantasy game. But what needs to set them apart is the characters and storylines within that. And the only thing that mattered in FFVII was the story of Cloud finding himself. All the other characters don't really matter or aren't interesting to me. Something like FFVI and FFX had a better ensemble of characters IMO, and were strong enough to break away from the main story arc and keep you engaged for hours on their own (which in FFVI's case you actually did at multiple points in the game).
Besides Cloud, the only other good character was Sephiroth (and even that is debatable). And while he may have been a good character, I didnt feel he was a great villain. Its hard to hate him when they make him such a cool badass. If this was pro wrestling, fans would be cheering him and he'd have to be turned babyface. Kefka from FFVI is good example of a villain. An asshole with zero redeeming qualities. Aerith may have been worth mentioning if she wasn't dead for more than half of the game.
And then beyond the storylines, the characters in game dont have much variety either. In FFVII, everyone is pretty much the same besides the equipment they can use. You basically decided for yourself what you're going to use each character for, based on the materia you give them. In FFVI, every character had unique abilities, strengths, weaknesses, before you start factoring in the equipment, the espers (kinda like materia), etc. You actually put some thought into your party selection in FFVI. In FFVII you basically go with the three characters with the highest level. Nothing else mattered.
I suppose you would think that about the story if the only game you've got to compare it to is PES 2008.
I didn't care for 8. I've tried several times to get into it over the years; it's just so... bland.
6 and Tactics were the best of the series by my estimation (granted I never played past the PS1 era). 9 was good too just very forgettable.
It maybe nostalgia, but I prefer the VII soundtrack
I'd say 9 and 10 are up there as some of the best. It entirely depends on how you're looking at it though. 4 and 5 were fun to play as well, but purely from a gameplay POV and disregarding the storyline. 7 for me was more about the story while the gameplay wasnt as good. 6, 9 and 10 for me a more well rounded games in that respect but none of them had a main character as deep as Cloud and his backstory (Tidus is the only one that comes close).
The one problem with FF6 for me is that you don't really know who the main character is supposed to be. You'd naturally assume its Terra seeing how she's on the cover, and how the story starts with her. But then when you consider the fact that you play (or at least can play) large parts of the game without Terra in your party, you wonder if its someone else (or for you to decide).
Replaying Link to the Past and just got through that dreaded ice palace. Biggest difficulty was remembering how to get to that treasure. Falling down a hole to the same room but not reaching it. Then it occurred "Oh you're supposed to throw a bomb to make another hole!"
I really need to play Tactics. Not many people have played it, but those who did, say the story was really good.
After playing FF6, it was hard to me to listen to FF7 and not think of some of the similarities.
Aerith's theme sounded a bit like Celes' theme. Red XIII's theme reminded me of Gau's theme.
FF7 did have some really good ones though. The Mako Reactor theme is great and one of my personal favourites of all time. I loved the theme that plays over the world map. And One Winged Angel is of course kinda badass, especially when it kicks in during the last fight in Advent Children (I think I enjoyed that movie more than the game).
VII's got loads of great themes. Still More Fighting (Black Mages cover is excellent too), the Lifestream theme, Anxious Heart, the bombing mission theme, the hurry up themes. The town themes match up great with the graphics and atmosphere too. Nobuo's a genius.
The story and music are great as is the insane level of party customization. It's hard as shit too which makes being victorious extremely rewarding, though playing via emulator and utilizing savestates is an easy way around it if you think it's too difficult.
Yes you need to try it.
I played the FF Tactic on the GBA (entirely different game), which was fairly easy up until the end. It had a very generic story to it though and not much in terms of customisation. I did enjoy the multiplayer co-op missions in that though.
I also played a bit of the Tactics on the Nintendo DS. But apparently none of them come close to the PSX one.
They're fun spin-offs but no, they don't hold a candle to the original.
I never really got that from those songs. I've definitely heard similarities, like a lot of similar instruments, but there weren't really any that directly made me think of a song from the other game. Decent call on the Celes theme, but I didn't get a connection between the Gau theme and Red's theme. Nothing overt, anyway.
I can sort of see the slight "in the great outdoors" touch but no I don't think they're that similar either. I think the Red/Cosmo Canyon themes come as more peaceful with an air of curiosity about what's going to happen. The Veldt's is pretty catchy but still basic hunting music.
Oh also Gau's theme when he meets his Dad. Yeah I don't think that's similar either.
Last edited by Badger; February 5th, 2019 at 4:21 PM.
I LOVED the drum beat to The Veldt theme.
Best part about is it plays uninterrupted during battles in the Veldt.
Added a few games. Dark Alliance 1 & 2, Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, and Mega Man X Collection. Got a lot of gaming ahead of me.
Time to start plowing through this. Paper Mario has just sucked me in.
Anyway.
Super Mario World 96☆ replay challenge.
-Vanilla Ghost House-
This one is easy as shit with only one exit. Only the giant green bubbles are of any challenge and they can be largely avoided with a spin jump bounce.
-Vanilla Dome 3- (yellow)
This is the one with the skull platform and the lava dinosaur monster things. No real prob here.
The sound in these cave levels is awesome though. The echo effects and music add so much.
-Vanilla Dome 4- (yellow)
Easy as shit. You use the cape and fly from one end to the other.
-Lemmy's Castle-
I loved this one as a kid. The rising and lowering platforms above the lava and all those timed jumps. Simple but fun. I smashed the castle and I'm off to finish the area on top of the mountain.
-Vanilla Secret 2- (yellow)
Easy level with a cape. Hard without. Also there is a 1up secret here. Do you know it? There is a rare gray P-block located a little more than halfway through the level. Get it and take it back to the beginning with the four million koopas. Hit the block to turn then into gray coins. Grabs as many coins as you can and get 30+ lives.
-Vanilla Secret 3- (yellow)
Another easy one with a cape. Hard as fuck without. That blowfish can suck my ass.
-Vanilla Fortress-
Fun little water level but short. Another 1up tip here. The end of the level has two little boney beetle guys walking back and forth in front of the door. You can just float back and forth hopping on them never touching the ground and gain a ton of lives. Though it takes forever.
-Butter Bridge 1- (yellow)
This one was a tough little bastard. Gotta have perfect timing jumping from each sinking platform.
-Butter Bridge 2-
Cape. Flew straight through.
Okay that's it. I'll conquer the bastard that is cheese bridge's secret exit later.
I'm up to 75 exits now. A couple of levels away from the castle on that world.
I had to use a guide online (hopefully the one and only time) for one of the exits. It was kinda hard to figure out unless you just knew how to do it. You'll see what I mean when you get there.
Something I've only just got to appreciate today is how even this late into the game, its introducing new enemies, obstacles, etc. You'd think by now you've pretty much seen everything, and it was just a matter of raising the difficulty as the game progressed.
Where was it?
I think the classic hardest bastard is the cheese bridge one. I know it took me forever to find it when I was a kid. That's why it always sticks out for me.
Sorry, forgot to mention that I'm at chocolate island now, and nearly at the castle there. The secret exit was for Chocolate Island 2.
apology accepted
I'll look out for that one. Interesting to see if we both get stuck in the same place.
Picked up my first Gamecube with Mario Kart Double Dash for $15, then, a day later, grabbed Mario Sunshine, also for $15.
Last edited by Brock Kasady; February 13th, 2019 at 12:45 PM.
I am King Gamecube of the island of misfit consoles.
If you want to discuss anything cube related or want advice on a game please ask.
Is MKDD online still a thing, and if so, how do I get one of these broadband adapters?
It never was as far as I know. But you could get an LAN adapter and hook up a bunch of tvs in one house and play multilayer that way.
So yeah Nintendo still thought the Internet was a fad in 2002.
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