The UKFF Retro Gaming Thread

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, TildeGuy~! said:

Been wanting to get into the Remake of LiveALive when I first saw it as a Switch exclusive on a direct years ago, but not owning a Switch stopped me from that, it came to PlayStation in 2023 and I’m sure it’ll be on the Ps Plus service soon so I’m gonna continue to wait.

It’s currently £15.99 on Steam, 60% off, if that’s an option for you (and you’re interested in taking that route, rather than holding off) - it’s a great price for a superb game, whatever the case.

[SuperBacon]

This is great, someone ringing the Nintendo Power Line for Zelda help.

 

[FLips]

A few more Mega Drive games I've been having a pop at over the last few days. I work from home and made space on my desk for the console and my small CRT so needless to say nothing is getting done.

Outrun naturally got a port on the system and it's pretty decent. Not a touch on the arcade version but it benefits from a unique music track and what seemed like a different stage order to mix things up. Graphically nothing to shout about with a disgusting amount of pop-in but hearing that soundtrack on the proper Sega soundchip does it a lot of favours. I managed to finish Route D on my run thanks to the inclusion of an Easy mode.

Sticking with the racing theme is Road Rash 1, 2, and 3. I combine them all together because they're essentially the same game. 1 has the best soundtrack, 2 has slightly tweaked movement which feels a little heavier and better to play, and 3 sounds and looks worse somehow but the gameplay is the same across all 3 with very little to no variation.
You can see why it took off as a franchise as the gameplay is top notch. The speed feels great, the violence unlike anything else at the time and there's a truly impressive incline/decline in the roads that has you weaving up and down as well as left and right and adds a whole new dimension. In Road Rash 2 I went over a hill at just the right time and jumped over a car. In Road Rash 1 I let out an audible holler when I cracked the smug racer Biff off his bike and he ate shit. Thrilling.

Thanks to the recommendation from Jazzy I had a go at Story of Thor which actually has a lot going for it. You could be fooled into thinking it's a Zelda clone as it looks just like one but give it a little time and you'll find gameplay more akin to a beat-em-up and a quite unique magic/item system.
It's not the most amazing thing graphically, and it controls a little loose especially in later platforming areas. The music is bang average which is a let down considering Yuzo Koshiro of Shinobi and Streets of Rage fame did the soundtrack. If his name wasn't on the title screen you'd never know though.
Sadly my save file won't load and I'm not sure why, but I made it to what I believe is the 2nd last dungeon in under 3 hours so it's a fairly short and sweet game well worth your time if you want Link to The Past with Streets of Rage combat. Not bad at all.

I gave a couple of mascot games a go to see if they're as bad as I remember and they are. Aero the Acro-Bat 1 and 2 and Cap'n Havoc are both duds. Havoc at least has nice graphics going for it but both games suffer from frustrating levels and poor movement. Aero is bad all over with an awful diagonal attack and random spikes, and Havoc is a pirate who does a delayed mid-air spin kick instead of having a sword. It really goes to show why games like Rocket Knight, Decap Attack and Dynamite Headdy took off instead of these.

Zoop! is a unique but not all impressive puzzler. You're a little triangle in a square that can face 3 lanes each in 4 directions where coloured blocks are building outside in towards you. You have to zap out to them and you change colours to the one you touch, so the aim is to send your triangle into a row of matching coloured blocks to get rid of them before they reach the middle. It's cute and I like the psychadelic graphics but when you compare it to Mean Bean Machine, Tetris or Columns it doesn't have the staying power.

Probotector otherwise known as Contra Hard Corps is exactly what you would expect. Fast paced, thrilling and impossible to get past the second level. One I'll go back to as it's very enjoyable to play but it's just too difficult for me and despite how it may seem sometimes, I just don't have the time to be sat all day on it like I would have as a kid.

I've got my mate over tonight and no doubt we'll be playing more so expect some more reviews in over the coming days.

I still stand by my statement the SNES was better in nearly every department but let me tell you not a single game on the SNES makes me feel as warm inside as hearing that low BWOWWWW synth noise the Mega Drive does. From a technical aspect it may not have been as good but it makes such good use of the soundchip.
The more I re-familiarise myself with the console the more and more I remember why it was always my console of choice. It's rough around the edges but the pick-up-and-play library, the raw and edgy sounding music and the vast variety of game styles is truly something special.

 

 

[Carbomb]

Welcome news. 

https://www.eurogamer.net/legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-1-2-remastered-announced-via-playstation-listing?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0dvM4UTb0p3qQzh_PWpAfEIYJaV8wJKwEiC3MK9OyCiv98sXk850y_fJg_aem_ORQhWzmBwiuOcbZZCpHDzg

 

Quote

 

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered announced via PlayStation listing

Ahead of tonight's State of Play broadcast.

The widely-expected Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remaster has popped up in a now-deleted PlayStation Store listing, ahead of Sony's State of Play broadcast tonight.

That listing included a trailer for the game, which has now been reuploaded to social media, below. There's a release date, too: 10th December 2024.

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered will include both of Crystal Dynamics' beloved dark fantasy action-adventure games with their original and remastered graphics for you to swap between. Here's a first look:

"Experience the legendary narrative," PlayStation's store listing for the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remaster stated. "Centuries after your former master, Kain, betrays and executes you, you rise again and embark on a relentless quest for revenge.

"Wield the powers of a Wraith. Slay your former vampire brethren with your claws, bolts of telekinetic energy, and the elemental Wraith Blade. Grow stronger by devouring the souls of your enemies. Shift between Realms. The Elder God has granted you the ability to shift between the Spectral and Material Realms. Traverse the realms to solve puzzles, reveal new paths, and defeat your foes.

Back in July, branding for the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remaster was spotted at San Diego Comic-Con, included on display plaques accompanying statues of game characters Kain and Raziel.

There's been other activity for the Legacy of Kain brand, too. A Soul Reaver graphic novel prequel, The Dead Shall Rise, was published last month by Dark Horse Comics. This month, a Legacy of Kain Collection including both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver arrives on retro handheld console Evercade.

Crystal Dynamics has hinted at plans for a Legacy of Kain revival since a 2022 survey asked fans about their interest in the franchise making a comeback. Over 100,000 people responded positively, to which Crystal Dynamics boss Phil Rogers replied: "Rest assured, we hear you loudly and clearly."

 

 

[Merzbow]

I'm torn that Aspyr are behind it, the Tomb Raider remasters were good (even if AI was used in parts) but the Star Wars: Battlefront ones around the same time were dreadful. I'd have prefered a more faithful Nightdive remaster, but even they have their bad days.

[Jesse]

Not actually Retro, but might appeal to some of us sickos - UFO 50 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/

It's 50 games presented as if they had been made chronologically by a decent but obscure developer in the 80's, so they get graphically and mechanically more complex as they go. The way I've seen it described is like finding out there was a third 8-bit console that you hadn't heard of as a kid and running through it's catalogue. I won't have a chance to dive in for a while, but it looks fascinating

[BomberPat]

I've properly tried around 10 of the games and I already love UFO 50. It's completely convincing. It's not like the fad for "retro" from a few years back that only ever meant "has pixel art", everything feels completely genuinely of the era it's supposed to be from, and there's some really great ideas in there. It could so easily have just felt like one of those cheap "100 games in one" cartridges, but you could lose yourself in any of the games, they all seem so well made, even if I've found a few kind of baffling at first - because, true to the era, there's very little steer or explanation as to what you're meant to do in most of them.

There's also apparently a few secret games found through easter eggs and the in-game terminal too, and I'm purposefully avoiding spoilers on that front. 

[RedTwoster]

22 hours ago, FLips said:

Zoop! is a unique but not all impressive puzzler. You're a little triangle in a square that can face 3 lanes each in 4 directions where coloured blocks are building outside in towards you. You have to zap out to them and you change colours to the one you touch, so the aim is to send your triangle into a row of matching coloured blocks to get rid of them before they reach the middle. It's cute and I like the psychadelic graphics but when you compare it to Mean Bean Machine, Tetris or Columns it doesn't have the staying power.

I remember Zoop! getting great reviews at the time. I also own it, and it’s always struck me as a game that has loads of potential if the mechanics were built on somehow - totally possible in the modern era. A version of the game that takes inspiration from Lumines or Tetris effect in its aesthetic, with a greater emphasis on music could be really brilliant. There’s definitely something there, as far as the mechanics are concerned - I’m kind of surprised that no one has taken a stab at a spiritual sequel. 
 

EDIT: @BomberPat - I’ve been torn between buying this one for Steam Deck and waiting for a console port - I’ve heard that quite a few of the games are multiplayer - is that the case? Is online play available? I don’t have a dock for the Steam Deck, meaning it might not be the best way for me to enjoy the game with friends.

Edited Thursday at 01:42 PM by RedTwoster

[BomberPat]

Quite a few of the games are two player, but I haven't tried multiplayer yet. It looks like it's local multiplayer or remote play, no online, from what I can gather.

 

[Devon Malcolm]

There's another one like that called Super 56, no idea if it's any good though.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659150/SUPER_56/

[Hannibal Scorch]

I’m sure this must have been pointed out before, but was new to me. The music from Super Mario Bros and it’s inspirations https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-7k9DYtSwa/?igsh=aXhvaXdtYXAzZXlz

[FLips]

34 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I’m sure this must have been pointed out before, but was new to me. The music from Super Mario Bros and it’s inspirations https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-7k9DYtSwa/?igsh=aXhvaXdtYXAzZXlz

Check out Travelers by T-Square for Guile’s Theme

Morning Glory by Tatsuro Yamashita for the Zelda Fairy Fountain music

And I’ll even let you watch them without me sat below pointing at them. 

[RedTwoster]

3 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said:

There's another one like that called Super 56, no idea if it's any good though.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659150/SUPER_56/

This game is more like Warioware than UFO 50. You’re looking at Micro/mini games as opposed to the full blown titles you get in the latter. It’s pretty fun, though.

[Merzbow]

Little Big Adventure has a remake coming out and there's now a demo on Steam, it's an interesting game to bring back with a whole new version instead of just a remaster as I don't know if it was ever quite that popular despite being a great game that reviewed well. I get the feeling it was loved in countries like Germany, has that very European vibe to it. I've actually set up the original in ScummVM which has branched out from just playing 2D point & clicks.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2318070/Little_Big_Adventure__Twinsens_Quest/