This used to be one of my favourite Mega Drive games, not least because of the tiny Sunsoft box it came in, but over the years time has not been so kind and it isn’t as good as I remember it being.
Part of the problem I’ll say upfront: I totally forgot, until the final level where I did it by accident, that it was possible to double-jump. This afforded Batman a bit more height, a bit more distance, and the ability to damage baddies on contact as he somersaults into them. The other problems were things that have worn me down in more recent years, like bosses that require you to repeat the same action, in exactly the same way, over and over again and leaps of faith. Or grapples of faith, on some of the levels – there’s no way of knowing if you’ll grapple up into a baddie or some spikes until it’s too late. And there’s a SuckySuck(TM) bit, only made worse by the repetitive boss fights. The batmobile and batwing levels should have broken up the mostly dull platforming sections, but the former was way too long and easy, and the latter way too hard and frustrating.
I suppose not all games I loved when I can younger can still stand up these days, unfortunately.
More retro stuff! Almost no non-retro stuff! Time to bin the PS4!
Play
Midnight Resistance (Spectrum)
After playing the Mega Drive version last week, I sought out the Spectrum “original”. Yes, I know the arcade version was the original, but that’s not my first contact with the game. Completed it.
Midnight Resistance (C64)
Which I decided to do as well. My word, are C64 emulators stuck in the dark ages compared to other machines. I spent almost as much time trying to figure out configuring controls and stuff than I did playing the game, which is not as good as the Speccy one, but does have better music. Completed it.
Strider (MD)
One of my first Mega Drive games and one very rarely completed – mainly due to the Boss Rush at the end. Stuck with it this time and got it done. It was hard.
Batman (MD)
Much easier than I recall, aside from the batwing level, but with some terrible boss fights. It hasn’t aged well, unfortunately. Also completed.
Land of Illusion (MS)
A big step up from Castle of Illusion. More levels, more variety, more everything. Excellent game, completed.
Legend of Illusion (MS)
A shoddy Game Gear back-port, which improves on the previous two 8bit “Illusion” games in some ways, but is a massive step back in others. A disappointing end to the not-quite-a-trilogy. Completed.
Castlevania: The New Generation (MD)
Better than I remember. Pretty awesome, in fact. Another completed game this week!
Puggsy (Mega CD)
This took a little while to get working, mainly because I had to find a way of ripping the original disc to a bin/cue file pair. That’s done now, and I’ve beaten the first two bosses.
Want
Starting to wonder if I actually want these now, given the fun I’ve had with retro games recently, but:
No Man’s Sky (PS4)
I think.
Lego Marvel Avengers (PS4)
Probably.
Firewatch (PS4)
Do I?
HYRULE WARRIORS LEGENDS (3DS)
YES. This I definitely still need.
Bin
PS4? It doesn’t play Mega Drive games.
Expense
Nothing this week, again.
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Can you guess which letter follows last week’s A? Can you? Well done! It’s:
B
When I originally thought of this series of posts, one game that immediately came to mind for B was Batman. I used to love it, being a great little platformer with some fantastic music and best of all, I had the Japanese Sunsoft version so it came in a tiny box. Unfortunately, when I played it recently for the first time in many years, it hadn’t aged well, so that’s Batman in the bin then. The other Mega Drive Batman games aren’t even as good as the first one so they’re out too.
Many people would suggest Battletoads here, but it’s rubbish. It always was, even the NES version, and I’m amazed anyone ever thought otherwise. TMNT and Streets of Rage are both much better. Bubsy and Bubsy II can both do one as well, for obvious reasons if you’ve ever played either of them. Ballz 3D? Clever idea, but impossible to play. Barkley Shut Up and Jam? Hahaha, no. That doesn’t leave a lot left that’s actually any good. Damn you, Batman.
Here’s the top two (there were going to be three, but well, Batman) of what’s left:
Bonanza Bros is a 2.5D heist game, with lovely cartoon graphics. Two player mode is where it shines, but dodgy collision detection and some really frustrating sections are off-putting – especially the springs you have to jump on (but can’t see!). It’s funny though, and flattening guards or slamming doors open in their faces never gets old.
Bio-Hazard Battle isn’t an early Japanese spinoff of Resident Evil, instead being a side scrolling shoot ’em up. It isn’t my favourite genre, and it isn’t my favourite game in that genre, but it is fun and has some interesting organic enemies and some gorgeous backgrounds. And it begins with B.
And the Alphabest?
I’m disappointed that B gave such a poor selection of titles. Even the two I’ve narrowed it down to aren’t especially great, but needs must so the winner is:
Bonanza Bros. Despite the flaws, it’s a jolly arcade game with blue skies and comic slapstick, and is especially good in two player mode. So play it in two player mode.
Next time! C! Bet you didn’t C that coming. Ahoho.
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In 2016, I completed a whopping 110 games. My previous record, because of course I’ve been keeping count, was 84 in 2015. You’d think with a number like that, I’d finally be on top of my backlog, right? Ahahahahano.
I didn’t anticipate completing that many. Like in previous years, I did strive to finish the RetroCollect 52 Game Challenge (which I managed before the end of June) and then expanded that to 104 games just for a laugh (and I sorted that by mid-December), but of course I had to go and beat that too, didn’t I?
There may be some arguments over what constitutes a “game”, and what counts as “completed”. There’s no hard and fast rule, whatever feels right for a title, usually. However, normally a game is “something you play” and “completed” is “reached the final goal”, “got all the achievements” or “watched the end credits” as appropriate.
DLC and addons are usually classed as separate games even if technically they’re not – like Life is Strange episodes, or the Lego Dimensions level packs.
Anyway, here’s the full list of 110:
Fallout 4(PS4 15/01/2016)
Batman Returns(Lynx 24/01/2016)
Grim Fandango Remastered(PS4/Vita 30/01/2016)
Thomas Was Alone: Benjamin’s Flight(Vita 30/01/2016)
Hatoful Boyfriend(Vita 31/01/2016)
Nova-111(PS4 15/02/2016)
Bayonetta(Wii U 15/02/2016)
Sonic the Hedgehog(MS 28/02/2016)
Street Fighter Alpha(GBC 28/02/2016)
Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush(Wii U 05/03/2016)
Disney Infinity 3.0(PS4 06/03/2016)
ToeJam and Earl(MD 10/03/2016)
Midnight Resistance(MD 12/03/2016)
Mega-lo-Mania(MD 12/03/2016)
Castle of Illusion(MS 12/03/2016)
Midnight Resistance(Spec 15/03/2016)
Land of Illusion(MS 16/03/2016)
Midnight Resistance(C64 17/03/2016)
Strider(MD 17/03/2016)
Legend of Illusion(MS 19/03/2016)
Batman(MD 19/03/2016)
Castlevania: The New Generation(MD 20/03/2016)
Hyrule Warriors Legends(3DS 28/03/2016)
Puggsy(MCD 02/04/2016)
Time Gal(MCD 02/04/2016)
The Legend of Galahad(MD 03/04/2016)
Lego Lord of the Rings(360 04/04/2016)
Broforce(PS4 05/04/2016)
My Nintendo Picross – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess(3DS 09/04/2016)
Psycho Fox(MS 10/04/2016)
The Witness(PS4 24/04/2016)
Firewatch(PS4 27/04/2016)
The Beginner’s Guide(Mac 01/05/2016)
Freedom Planet(Wii U 02/05/2016)
Affordable Space Adventures(Wii U 06/05/2016)
Hudson Hawk(GB 07/05/2016)
Streets of Rage 3(MD 07/05/2016)
Sonic 3 & Knuckles(MD 08/05/2016)
LocoRoco Cocoreccho(PS3 13/05/2016)
Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure(MD 14/05/2016)
Rainbow Islands(MS 14/05/2016)
Gauntlet 4(MD 18/05/2016)
Star Fox Guard(Wii U 22/05/2016)
Emily is Away(Mac 22/05/2016)
Quiet, Please!(Wii U 26/05/2016)
Quiet Christmas(Wii U 28/05/2016)
Vacation Vexation(Wii U 28/05/2016)
Candy, Please!(Wii U 29/05/2016)
Star Fox Zero(Wii U 03/06/2016)
Teddy Boy(MS 04/06/2016)
James Pond II: Codename Robocod(MD 04/06/2016)
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars(MS 04/06/2016)
Asterix(MS 11/06/2016)
The Lucky Dime Caper(MS 12/06/2016)
Assassin’s Creed Unity(PS4 13/06/2016)
Kirby: Planet Robobot(3DS 21/06/2016)
The Temple of No(Mac 28/06/2016)
Battlefield 4(PS4 29/06/2016)
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse(3DS 02/07/2016)
There’s Poop In My Soup(Mac 02/07/2016)
Gunpoint(Mac 29/07/2016)
Missing: An Interactive Thriller – Episode One(Mac 30/07/2016)
McPixel(Mac 03/08/2016)
Beware Planet Earth(PC 15/08/2016)
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE(Wii U 16/08/2016)
Sakura Spirit(Mac 17/08/2016)
StreetPass Trader(3DS 15/09/2016)
StreetPass Slot Racer(3DS 16/09/2016)
Running Battle(MS 18/09/2016)
Ranma 1/2(SNES 18/09/2016)
StreetPass Explorers(3DS 19/09/2016)
StreetPass Ninja(3DS 21/09/2016)
No Man’s Sky(PS4 10/10/2016)
StreetPass Chef(3DS 11/10/2016)
Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~(3DS 16/10/2016)
Catherine(PS3 17/10/2016)
Pokémon Y(3DS 25/10/2016)
Year Walk(Wii U 28/10/2016)
Gargoyle’s Quest(3DS 30/10/2016)
Actual Sunlight(Vita 02/11/2016)
3D Fantasy Zone(3DS 05/11/2016)
3D Puyo Puyo 2(3DS 06/11/2016)
3D Thunderblade(3DS 06/11/2016)
3D Altered Beast(3DS 06/11/2016)
One Night Stand(Mac 11/11/2016)
3D Power Drift(3DS 12/11/2016)
3D Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa(3DS 12/11/2016)
3D Galaxy Force II(3DS 13/11/2016)
PaRappa the Rapper 2(PS4 13/11/2016)
Virginia(PS4 15/11/2016)
3D Maze Walker(3DS 17/11/2016)
3D Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa (MS Ver.)(3DS 17/11/2016)
3D Sonic the Hedgehog(3DS 19/11/2016)
Lego Marvel Avengers(PS4 21/11/2016)
Retro City Rampage DX(3DS 21/11/2016)
Apartment 666(Mac 26/11/2016)
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter(PS4 26/11/2016)
Super Fantasy Zone(MD 26/11/2016)
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure(NGPC 27/11/2016)
SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium(NGPC 27/11/2016)
Sonic Triple Trouble(3DS 07/12/2016)
Letter Quest: Grimm’s Journey Remastered(PS4 10/12/2016)
Sonic Blast(3DS 11/12/2016)
Lego Dimensions(PS4 15/12/2016)
Box Box Boy!(3DS 23/12/2016)
Ultratron(Wii U 24/12/2016)
Lego Dimensions: Back to the Future(PS4 26/12/2016)
Lego Dimensions: Adventure Time(PS4 28/12/2016)
Lego Dimensions: The Simpsons(PS4 30/12/2016)
Lego Dimensions: Midway Arcade(PS4 31/12/2016)
Now, will I repeat that in 2017? I doubt it. I’m not even going to try.
Oh, and I’ll write some more about some of my favourites in another post another time!
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