Sunday Roundup: 11/25/12

Aside from having one of the strangest/coolest names for any game I can think of, Adventure Time is a pretty cool game. It looks just like the cartoon series it’s based on, and the gameplay is solid. That being said, initial impressions aren’t excellent around the board. It is incredibly easy and forgiving, making me think the target audience has to be a younger generation. Also, a lack of voice acting hurts what could have been a solid performance by the cast. Still though, it’s entertaining, which is the best thing a game can be!

Round 2 on Area 51, as I already have the game on the PS1. And also, here is the first of eight Saturn games purchased this week! One big reason I picked this one up (besides the decent condition and price) was the fact that I can use my Saturn LightGun with it. While the PS1 version supports a gun as well, it exclusively uses the Konami Justifier gun, which I don’t have. I only have the Namco GunCon. So… I foresee blasting aliens and explosive barrels in my future.

The reviews for this one aren’t great, but that hasn’t halted by interest in this Smash Bros. clone. I think it’s the inclusion of a lot of my childhood favorites, like theSamurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, and of course Dexter. Still though, seeing as GameStop was having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale, I had to grab something, and this one might be a sleeper hit with my nephew as well.

Story time! I remember playing Die Hard Arcade in, where else, the arcades when I was growing up. The beat-em up style, the quick time events (the first game I can ever recall having them), and the amount of weapons made each quarter put into the machine a fantastic experience. Unfortunately when I bought Die Hard Trilogy, a completely different game, for the PS1 I thought I was going to get this game. What I got was a watered down beat-em up that had nothing to do with this one. But no longer! The proper arcade version is finally mine! Thank you, Sega Saturn, you’re paying off already!

Again, when games are free (or in this case Buy 1 Get 1 Free), I am more likely to drop money. I already owned the original Gex on the PS1, and it’s sequel Gex: Enter the Gecko. Actually, Gex was one of the first video games I remember really enjoying, as my parents bought me the PC version in the 90’s. Then and now, the game has excellent sound and a strange if not annoying humorous style. I’m actually not sure how any of the sequels are though…

Easily the game I am most excited about acquiring, Golden Axe: The Duel is a Saturn exclusive game in Sega’s (once) popular Golden Axe series of side scrolling beat-em ups. The Duel isn’t like that at all, and is instead a 1-on-1 Fighter featuring many of the characters from the series. How sweet is that! Also, the fighting is supposed to be alright, and the animations look solid as well. Maybe it’s the nostalgia bug biting or my unnatural draw towards all things fighting games, but this one has me super excited to play!

A remake of an older game (two guesses which one!) with additional characters and play styles, KoF ’98: Ultimate Match came out in 2009 and I was all about picking it up. Except, well, who the hell would I play it with? I mean, come on… no one is playing King of Fighters, and this one was likely released on the heels of Street Fighter IV to try and attract some of that audience. But here we are, almost four years later, and I picked up the game. Still though… who the hell am I going to play this with?!

Kirby games have always entertained me. I honestly can’t think of a time I played a Kirby game and didn’t enjoy it. Even the meh Kirby 64 had it’s moments. And then there was Kirby’s Epic Yarn. I honestly cannot believe I didn’t grab the game earlier, considering how much praise it has received, and now unique the game looks and plays. But one look at GameStop’s Black Friday ad and seeing it marked down to $10 made me drive out of my way to grab it. Not only that, but the case was flawless, the sticker peeled off easily (that’s a first), and it had all the included paperwork (instructions, inserts, etc.). Win!

The outcome of a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale where I simply couldn’t find anything else better, NFL Blitz 2001 joins my slowly but surely growing Dreamcast collection. It’s not that Blitz is a bad game. In fact, I have fond memories of the game growing up, and it’s probably the only Football game I’d play besides Tecmo Bowl, it’s just that I wish there were a better game in the store I could have grabbed. No hard feelings, Blitz 2001. You will be loved from here on out.

The premiere, most recognizable game for the Sega Saturn is in my collection! Nights into Dreams… is from Sonic Team, and features beautiful graphics, 2D and 3D animations, and, according to the back of the box, it tries to emulate the feeling of flying while in game. Unfortunately I didn’t not grab the edition that came with the 3D controller (essentially a beefier Dreamcast controller, just a few years prior), even though they had it there, but the game itself is what I was really seeking. I’m thinking I may start a new feature around the Saturn and this game in particular…

The game came with the case and back insert, but unfortunately no instruction manual. Oh well, it’ll still be a good grab. Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge is the second game in the Darkstalkers series, and an exclusive on the Saturn. It’s a Capcom fighting game, so that should tell you a lot about the game right there. Not only that, but it’s going to be getting an HD re-release the beginning of next year in the form of Darkstalkers Resurrection. Sweet!

Story time: My friend Chris had Mario’s Picross for the original Game Boy and brought it over to our mutual friend’s house way back in high school. Everyone else was playing Guitar Hero, and there I was huddled in the corner Laz-E-Boy playing the game and enjoying the hell out of it. Picross 3D is pretty much the same as Mario’s Picross but… in 3D. It doesn’t sound like much, but just know it’s a solid puzzle game that is addictive and challenging. Pick it up when you can if you’re going on a long car ride or flight. You can thank me later.

Free is good. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is the final chapter in Ubisoft’s PS2 Prince of Persia trilogy, and grabbing this one completes the trilogy in my collection. I’ve only dabbled in the series, playing the first few hours of the 360 reboot and toying with the first of the PS2 titles, but the unreal praise the game’s get makes it well worth a purchase. Or in this case I suppose well worth paying nothing for.

I knew of this game for years, pretty much since it came out, but I never once bothered to give the game a look. A nice $5 price tag intrigued me enough to pick up the game a look at the back of the box. What I noticed was a collection of past Genesis titles on this one disc. Oh, and they are all redone with “enhanced” graphics and updated sound. While that doesn’t sell the game alone, what did it for me was the inclusion of a remade version of Golden Axe. The one picture showed 3D characters models battling in the game’s recognizable first world. Sold!

Free Sonic is the best Sonic. Even if it is the just OK Sonic 3D Blast. I have previously only played the game on the Genesis, where I strangely thought the game good. I think I liked the variance from past Sonic titles: taking away Sonic’s speed was actually intriguing to me. This version is supposed to be the best out there because of slightly better graphics/frame rate and an exclusive CD soundtrack. I wonder if they fixed those awful controls?

The only thing I know about this game came from watching videos and reading retro reviews from just about every game sit out there: The Lost World: Jurassic Park on the Saturn lets you play as a dinosaur terrorizing humans. That only is a worthy sell, and could be it’s own genre in my opinion. The gameplay wasn’t well received during the it’s time of release, but the novelty of playing as a raptor might hold me over for some time.

In a strange turn of events where I don’t buy the first game in a series and jump straight to the second, I purchased Two Worlds II over the original Two Worlds for financial purposed only As part of GameStop’s Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale, I would save more money buying the $8 Two Worlds II than the $4 Two Worlds and getting the game for free. I’m sure I’ll pick up Two Worlds soon enough. And at least the sequel is often regarded as the better game anyway.