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Post by grolt on Nov 23, 2008 18:44:05 GMT
Haha, welcome back! Considering how many people come and go on message boards over the years, it's always nice to see a familiar face return. Where in Canada are you? I'm in Calgary.
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Post by grolt on Nov 23, 2008 18:42:36 GMT
Any suggestions? What would make an already great game greater? Continues. I'd also like the controls to be switched to adhere to the SMS II button layout rather than the original. Just less awkward that way. If you could tighten the control, too, so it doesn't play so loose on land, then that would be aces.
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Post by grolt on Nov 23, 2008 18:33:12 GMT
I'm going to pull this one out for another go right now! Gotta see this ending... if i make it. Have come close but I always give up! Yeah, they certainly don't make it easy...but once you make it past level 8 it's not so bad. The last level, especially, is mostly easy as long as you get a good break on the lion guy.
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 19:27:06 GMT
So just an update for the curious - apparently the FM music was taken out of the western versions to make room for the additional space the English translation requires, since many more characters are needed for an English word compared to one in Japanese. Apparently this also happens on Phantasy Star, Wonder Boy III and a few others.
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 19:21:42 GMT
I really hate the water blob boss, but the ending is great.Today i finished this game. Absolute cool. Yeah, the more I think about it the more I think it's one of the best endings on the system. I love it when they strive for a message outside the game that sort of breaks the fourth wall and talks right to the player himself.
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 19:16:53 GMT
All the US SMS games play perfectly on a PAL console. There are some PAL games that don't like being played on an NTSC system though. The US Space Harrier will play about 20% slower than the PAL version, when played on a PAL console. PAL Space Harrier was the only game to be recoded to play at the same speed in PAL. I never knew that, that's interesting. Totally makes sense though, because I can't imagine having to play that game even faster than it already is.
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 19:06:34 GMT
I totally missed that message, Adol. I've PM'd you.
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 10:38:15 GMT
I've been playing this one the last few days. Finally finished it. Most of it is reasonable, but man, the last few levels are just insanely difficult. Considering it all just gets repetitive at that point too, I think the game would have been better had those levels been axed. I really liked the water blob boss - some really good strategy there, mapping out his moves and preempting his attacks. Most of the other bosses though, were either too easy (plant, sphinx, dude with the rotating orbs around him) or too frustratingly erratic (lion, bird). It's funny though, because as Stan said, once you get to the final boss it becomes the ultimate in ant-climax. Those little snake dudes are tougher to kill than big bertha at the end.
At first the music was really loud and bombastic, but you know, it grew on me. I was humming it around the kitchen and my girlfriend thought I was going crazy. It's like circus music meets Alf. The FM track is a lot more tolerable, but I repeat, both are catchy.
What I love about the SMS are games like this. There's never a game that feels just like another, and this is another one of those weird blends of platformer and action RPG, with more of a platformer slant. Definitely not a flawless game, and definitely not the best, but again, it was a unique and fun experience. Glad I played this one!
Oh, and the ending...yes! It had been awhile since I had experienced any ending as motivational and all out metaphysical as the finale for the great Enduro Racer, but man, this one comes close. If I saw this as a kid (which I never would have, since the game is fricken impossible) I probably would have designed a cure for cancer at this point in my life. Seriously, though, I'd love to see a kid's reaction. SEGA pulled a great bait and switch with this game - promoting the fact that this guy is all about money and finding a paradise of riches, but in the end he finds that the riches of the mind are what really matters. For an 8-bit video game, that's pretty deep...
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Post by grolt on Nov 22, 2008 6:53:36 GMT
But isn't the last boss pretty much the same as the first like in smb? That's how I remember it which is why I thought it was lame. No, not at all. All the bosses are different, and the final boss especially. There's a screenshot in my review there - he's the big S.O.B. The first boss is a small little pig I think, I can't remember now, but he is much smaller and doesn't lunge like that...it's more a run. Maybe that's how they are in the Nintendo version?
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Post by grolt on Nov 21, 2008 5:45:08 GMT
Happy birthday, fellas. Doing anything special for the occasion?
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Post by grolt on Nov 21, 2008 5:19:26 GMT
I tried playing the Mark III version and it plays the FM perfectly. I also tried another US version of the game, and it too did not play the FM. Unless the Euro version is different it looks like the FM cannot be played back on English language versions, which is a shame.
Do any of you techies have anything to add? Are there other western FM titles that won't play back that way on the Japanese SMS?
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Post by grolt on Nov 21, 2008 5:10:05 GMT
Okay, I take back what I said about the bosses. Those last two bosses were a total blast. It was a lot more than just waiting for the debris to clear and then attacking them, as is usual in these games. For these, there was some real strategy, especially the end boss. Basically, every time you hit Dark Dekt, a piece of the platform disappears where you've struck. So you have to plan to hit him along the perimeter first so you don't paint yourself into a corner. It can be quite challenging, but it's real fun trying to execute, and once you figure out the techniques killing the final boss is within reach. It's not like other games, like Golvellius, where the final boss is just like every other one, just with a mammoth amount of hit points.
The crawling through the tower that comprises the last half of the game is pretty good - it's a labyrinth in there, and even though there is some back tracking, it's reasonable. I just wish you didn't have to walk so long outside the castle walls on every floor before getting inside with all the monsters.
It's quite easy to level up - you only go to 10, and it's pretty easy to do that in the mines even before you get to the tower. In fact, I couldn't even defeat the boss in the mines until I leveled up that much, so players take note.
One thing that disappointed me in the end is that there's hardly any opportunity at all to use your top level sword, shield and armor, and, if you read the faqs, it's actually *not* as effective against the final boss as the silver equipment. What gives?
Again though, I can't stress how awesome the final boss is. It really made reaching the end worth it. The ending is cool too, the way you read the last book and then are instantly brought to the final text scroll. There's quite a bit of story there covered at the end, and then just when you think it's going to end without any picture, a really nice landscape graphic comes in shades. Like Golvellius, a sequel is promised, and like Golvellius, it never saw the light of day on the Master System. At least there actually were sequels, though.
In summary:
Pros: -Huge selection of moving music -The touch attack system has a fair bit of strategy to it -The ring system allows for plenty of strategy and use of the inventory -The final two bosses are very creative, the final boss being the exceptional standout -A very detailed story with lots of textual development -Lots of people running around, feels more like reality than a game
Cons: -Aimless; it's tough to get direction on what to do or where to go without seeking a guide -The tower is way too labyrinthine -Touch system tough on a few bosses because of the size difference -A lot of time spent just leveling up at the beginning
Final verdict: Deep action RPG that stands out from the pack with an innovative battle system and a fleshed out dramatic story.
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Post by grolt on Nov 21, 2008 0:58:21 GMT
Welcome! I just always assumed the only people who had Smurfs 2 were on this board. I guess that means there are a bunch more floating around out there too.
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Post by grolt on Nov 21, 2008 0:21:58 GMT
Ever since the great man known here as Sinistral sold me his Japanese Master System, I've been enjoying the delights to be found in FM soundtracks. Oddly, though, my US Y's does not have the FM track when using Bock's external connector. All my other US games with FM capability work fine - is this a glitch with my particular game, or did the western versions of the games just not have those tracks?
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Post by grolt on Nov 20, 2008 21:45:48 GMT
Don't buy Danan...it will haunt your dreams!!!!!
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