Just finished one of the best games i've ever playd, 13 years too late.

[Vuavu]

I've been playing my SNES a bit lately. I'm going through Secret of Mana and finding myself rather underwhelmed. The translation is very shoddy, and the story is bare-bones RPG cliches. I also played a bit of Deus Ex this summer. I didn't get around to beating it, but holy hell was that game ahead of its time.

I really enjoyed Secret of Mana. All the Mana games were pretty good. I can't stand the music in the Dwarf place close to the start of the game though. Worst video game music I have ever heard in my life.

On topic, I think my best example would be Rune. Got that on Steam when it came out and loved it. Not sure if it counts but I guess when the Dark Souls port came out was when I started playing that and it amazed me. Aaaaand I bought the first Fable years ago and haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Also, loved Dragon Age: Origins. Still haven't played more than an hour of DA2. Not because of anything I don't like about it, mind you... it just feels like too much of a commitment to start a game like that sometimes I guess haha

Hm, I actually thought the music was one of the strongest points in the game, even the dwarf theme (yes, it is kinda obnoxious, but I also found it catchy). I think one thing that is making it harder for me to like the game as a whole is I'm a huge fan of Secret of Evermore. Being American-made, there are no translation issues, none of the enemies are cute fluffballs, so I don't feel like I'm raping the wilderness as I go from point A to B, the hero has a better story and motivation than just being "the chosen one", and the graphics and music (done by Jermey Soule, no less) are very atmospheric and grim. To this day I can still go back and play it on a whim and have a blast.

I have never heard of that game, thank you. I am reading about it right now and it sounds really interesting. Is the magic system as cool as it sounds?

Yes and no. Like SoM, you level up your spells the more you use them, but the increases are confined to that one spell, and you can only have 8 at a time. It does make it far more tactical to choose which spells you take along, because there are instances like flash and fireball where the fireball is twice as powerful as flash, but by the time you get fireball, you probably are dealing twice the damage with flash.

As for casting spells, it effectively runs on your money instead of mana points. You just need to stop at alchemy shops to stock up whenever you can, and be careful to not overcast the spells that you don't have access to the ingredients to. Otherwise, it's exactly like SoM, where you have a spell ring, and you choose your spell to cast. However, you have a remaining casts count instead of a MP consumption rate. Since some spells will take the same ingredients as another spell, that number isn't always fixed to the actual number of times you'll use it

Take for example Cure (remove poison) and Heal (restore HP)
Heal: 1 Root, 2 water
Cure: 3 Root, 1 oil

If you say had 5 roots, 10 water and 5 oil in your inventory, the game would tell you you can cast Cure 1x, and Heal 5x. If you cast cure though, you will only have 2 more heals.

Much later in the game you will find some spells take feathers as components, and it's hard to justify using those because feathers are fucking expensive, and hard to find at that point. Sometimes it's worth it though.

I forgot to add in about your dog. If he's set to a low aggression mode or there's no enemies to kill, he will sniff out random locations on the land that are holding ingredients. It's effectively just an invisible chest to open, but the game is well designed where you will find water near puddles and lakes, and ash near fireplaces. The dog does get bored sometimes, so he will go on a random sniffing spree and lead you on a wild goose chase. Having played it as much as I have, I can usually tell when the dog is bored, and I've noticed the places on the ground that contain ingredients are constant from playthrough to playthrough.

Hm, I guess I'm sold. On trying it at least. I think I might check the game store

 

[Vuavu]

I've been playing my SNES a bit lately. I'm going through Secret of Mana and finding myself rather underwhelmed. The translation is very shoddy, and the story is bare-bones RPG cliches. I also played a bit of Deus Ex this summer. I didn't get around to beating it, but holy hell was that game ahead of its time.

I really enjoyed Secret of Mana. All the Mana games were pretty good. I can't stand the music in the Dwarf place close to the start of the game though. Worst video game music I have ever heard in my life.

On topic, I think my best example would be Rune. Got that on Steam when it came out and loved it. Not sure if it counts but I guess when the Dark Souls port came out was when I started playing that and it amazed me. Aaaaand I bought the first Fable years ago and haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Also, loved Dragon Age: Origins. Still haven't played more than an hour of DA2. Not because of anything I don't like about it, mind you... it just feels like too much of a commitment to start a game like that sometimes I guess haha

Hm, I actually thought the music was one of the strongest points in the game, even the dwarf theme (yes, it is kinda obnoxious, but I also found it catchy). I think one thing that is making it harder for me to like the game as a whole is I'm a huge fan of Secret of Evermore. Being American-made, there are no translation issues, none of the enemies are cute fluffballs, so I don't feel like I'm raping the wilderness as I go from point A to B, the hero has a better story and motivation than just being "the chosen one", and the graphics and music (done by Jermey Soule, no less) are very atmospheric and grim. To this day I can still go back and play it on a whim and have a blast.

I have never heard of that game, thank you. I am reading about it right now and it sounds really interesting. Is the magic system as cool as it sounds?

Yes and no. Like SoM, you level up your spells the more you use them, but the increases are confined to that one spell, and you can only have 8 at a time. It does make it far more tactical to choose which spells you take along, because there are instances like flash and fireball where the fireball is twice as powerful as flash, but by the time you get fireball, you probably are dealing twice the damage with flash.

As for casting spells, it effectively runs on your money instead of mana points. You just need to stop at alchemy shops to stock up whenever you can, and be careful to not overcast the spells that you don't have access to the ingredients to. Otherwise, it's exactly like SoM, where you have a spell ring, and you choose your spell to cast. However, you have a remaining casts count instead of a MP consumption rate. Since some spells will take the same ingredients as another spell, that number isn't always fixed to the actual number of times you'll use it

Take for example Cure (remove poison) and Heal (restore HP)
Heal: 1 Root, 2 water
Cure: 3 Root, 1 oil

If you say had 5 roots, 10 water and 5 oil in your inventory, the game would tell you you can cast Cure 1x, and Heal 5x. If you cast cure though, you will only have 2 more heals.

Much later in the game you will find some spells take feathers as components, and it's hard to justify using those because feathers are fucking expensive, and hard to find at that point. Sometimes it's worth it though.

I forgot to add in about your dog. If he's set to a low aggression mode or there's no enemies to kill, he will sniff out random locations on the land that are holding ingredients. It's effectively just an invisible chest to open, but the game is well designed where you will find water near puddles and lakes, and ash near fireplaces. The dog does get bored sometimes, so he will go on a random sniffing spree and lead you on a wild goose chase. Having played it as much as I have, I can usually tell when the dog is bored, and I've noticed the places on the ground that contain ingredients are constant from playthrough to playthrough.

Hm, I guess I'm sold. On trying it at least. I think I might check the game store

 

[jollybarracuda]

I played it around that time. It frustrated the hell out of me and I rage quit. It had some moments but I don't want to play it again.

You know, i've heard quite a few people say that same thing, that it made them rage quit. Now im not one to defend the game to death, as I have my own issues with it as well (ugh...Ravenholm), but would you explain what it was that you hated? It's not an especially difficult game, though maybe a bit directionless in some parts. I'm just curious, really, because it is something i've heard quite a few people say but i've never really understood exactly why.

Anyways, Deus Ex is probably the best example of an old game I just recently played and beat about a month ago. And damn was that a good game. It hasn't aged in the visuals department, like...at all, but the depth and complexity to just about everything in that game is mindblowing.

Also, i've dabbled in Morrowind a little bit, and while i wouldn't say its the greatest game ever, it's surprisingly fun. Though the stamina meter going down just by changing your speed from snail to sloth is incredibly frustrating. The Overhaul mod helps keep it looking pretty, as well. So that kinda might be cheating.

 

[Ix Rebound]

i played the first empire earth with my sister a couple months ago
geez i don't remember the game being that hard (or time-consuming)
it seems that the defense towers - the regular ones- are made of fucking adamantium!
just one can decimate your land army before it goes down!

even on easy difficulty the enemy base is like a fucking cancer! you leave it out of your sight for more than two minutes and their single mud hut has transformed into a shiny metropolis!

 

[Signa]

I've been playing my SNES a bit lately. I'm going through Secret of Mana and finding myself rather underwhelmed. The translation is very shoddy, and the story is bare-bones RPG cliches. I also played a bit of Deus Ex this summer. I didn't get around to beating it, but holy hell was that game ahead of its time.

I really enjoyed Secret of Mana. All the Mana games were pretty good. I can't stand the music in the Dwarf place close to the start of the game though. Worst video game music I have ever heard in my life.

On topic, I think my best example would be Rune. Got that on Steam when it came out and loved it. Not sure if it counts but I guess when the Dark Souls port came out was when I started playing that and it amazed me. Aaaaand I bought the first Fable years ago and haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Also, loved Dragon Age: Origins. Still haven't played more than an hour of DA2. Not because of anything I don't like about it, mind you... it just feels like too much of a commitment to start a game like that sometimes I guess haha

Hm, I actually thought the music was one of the strongest points in the game, even the dwarf theme (yes, it is kinda obnoxious, but I also found it catchy). I think one thing that is making it harder for me to like the game as a whole is I'm a huge fan of Secret of Evermore. Being American-made, there are no translation issues, none of the enemies are cute fluffballs, so I don't feel like I'm raping the wilderness as I go from point A to B, the hero has a better story and motivation than just being "the chosen one", and the graphics and music (done by Jermey Soule, no less) are very atmospheric and grim. To this day I can still go back and play it on a whim and have a blast.

I have never heard of that game, thank you. I am reading about it right now and it sounds really interesting. Is the magic system as cool as it sounds?

Yes and no. Like SoM, you level up your spells the more you use them, but the increases are confined to that one spell, and you can only have 8 at a time. It does make it far more tactical to choose which spells you take along, because there are instances like flash and fireball where the fireball is twice as powerful as flash, but by the time you get fireball, you probably are dealing twice the damage with flash.

As for casting spells, it effectively runs on your money instead of mana points. You just need to stop at alchemy shops to stock up whenever you can, and be careful to not overcast the spells that you don't have access to the ingredients to. Otherwise, it's exactly like SoM, where you have a spell ring, and you choose your spell to cast. However, you have a remaining casts count instead of a MP consumption rate. Since some spells will take the same ingredients as another spell, that number isn't always fixed to the actual number of times you'll use it

Take for example Cure (remove poison) and Heal (restore HP)
Heal: 1 Root, 2 water
Cure: 3 Root, 1 oil

If you say had 5 roots, 10 water and 5 oil in your inventory, the game would tell you you can cast Cure 1x, and Heal 5x. If you cast cure though, you will only have 2 more heals.

Much later in the game you will find some spells take feathers as components, and it's hard to justify using those because feathers are fucking expensive, and hard to find at that point. Sometimes it's worth it though.

I forgot to add in about your dog. If he's set to a low aggression mode or there's no enemies to kill, he will sniff out random locations on the land that are holding ingredients. It's effectively just an invisible chest to open, but the game is well designed where you will find water near puddles and lakes, and ash near fireplaces. The dog does get bored sometimes, so he will go on a random sniffing spree and lead you on a wild goose chase. Having played it as much as I have, I can usually tell when the dog is bored, and I've noticed the places on the ground that contain ingredients are constant from playthrough to playthrough.

Hm, I guess I'm sold. On trying it at least. I think I might check the game store

Unless you mean used, I don't know of a single place that sells virtual copies of it. You're probably going to have to resort to emulators if that's the case. If you do mean used, I wish you luck in finding one and I hope you cherish your copy as much as I do. My brother scoffs at me for playing old games, but even he admits that he'd go back and play SoE if the time was right.

If you're expecting a SoM expereince, you will get one that is very close, but there are some chief differences. First off, there is no multiplayer, so don't expect to be having any friends join in. However, this also is a boon because it means your companion can get completely off-screen without it delaying you. I've had to backtrack several times because I took a corner too fast in SoM, and all my allies got stuck. Also, the game ends if your character dies (the dog can die at any time, it's ok). So that means there is no revive spell/item for him, just the dog. You can preemptively use Pixie Dust to put a several minute protection on you that will revive you if you die while it's still active. Lastly, your weapon charge levels are capped at 3, but there are no mana orbs to prematurely lock out out of the higher levels. You also can move at full speed while charged/charging. This helps later because you can use your charge levels to help you run further. Also, the game tells you when you strike a miss. SoM was bothering me because I didn't know if I was landing hits within the hit detection of the enemies.

I think it's greatest sin by today's standards is it doesn't tell you that the dog can jump over certain chasms. I think it only applies in the second era, but I got stuck for hours because I didn't know I had to take control of the dog to proceed. There's also a few maze areas that could get frustrating if you're not keen on old-school SNES games, but I don't think that will be a problem for you.

 

[necromanzer52]

I do this all the time. I play far more old games than new ones.

For instance, I played metal gear solid for the first time last summer, and I friggin loved it. Then I got the sequels and metal gear solid 3 is currently one of my favorite games of all time. I plan on getting a ps3 soon, just so I can play mgs 4. There are other games I want, but that one pushed it over the edge for me.

I also played half-life for the first time back in 2010, and I thought it was much better than the sequels, which I didn't really care for.

I played Ocarina of time for the first time last year, and Majora's mask for the first time this year. They're both good games, but compared to Twilight Princess, they definitely felt lacking.

 

[Rawne1980]

I've recently got hold of a few older titles from Good Old Games myself, Planescape Torment being one of them. The other being the first Fallout that I owned but never really played when it first came out.

 

[Kursura]

To quote my post in another thread: "I first played half-life 1 in 2007 (about 9 years after it launched) and thought it was excellent (even without modern graphics and nostalgia). The atmosphere, simple but effective controls and interesting method of storytelling makes it one of my favourite games."

Other games would be: Half-life 2, opposing force and abes oddworld exodus.

 

[BrotherSurplice]

Lets see now . . .

This year I played Half Life 1 for the first time, last year I played Starcraft for the first time, and recently I've been getting into the Mechwarrior games, including the first one from 1989.

 

[4RM3D]

Wow, just wow.

Just took it upon myself to drag my apendage out of my rectum and chat my bonebox at the last boss of planescape torment.


I knew it was going to be good, and i'm sure i would have appreciated it more if i'd actually played it thirteen years ago. But at the same time i could actually play it without any crippling bugs (something that seems to haunt most of the black isle wonders).

When I read the thread title, I was thinking: "could he be talking about Planescape Torment?". Well, it seems I thought correctly.

Spoiler: Planescape Torment story spoilers

Did you try out all 3 endings?
Did you also 'complete' all the character back stories, like learning that Morte was a traitor?

 

[Verkula]

I finished Fallout 1 few months ago. The first game i the series i played was the 3rd, and after i saw some videos about the first 2 games, i couldnt resist and had to buy the collection with F1-2 and Tactics. Wish i had time to finish the second game as well, but im a bit busy these days.

Also, Banjo Kazooie, finished that as well not long ago, probably one of my favourite plaformer now.

 

[Xaio30]

Just took it upon myself to drag my apendage out of my rectum and chat my bonebox at the last boss of planescape torment.

I did the same thing two years ago and like you I was blown away.
Before that, I kept hearing about how amazing the game was but I simply thought they were over-hyping it.
I shall forever remember the story of The Nameless One.

Captcha: Poetic Justice
I couldn't describe the story better myself.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Every time I go back and play a very old "great" game I find it to be dull.

I played Half Life 2 a few years late and loved it. Went back and played Half Life 1 after that and it was terrible.

Same goes for Deus Ex.

One day I'll find a 10 or more year old game I've never played and actually enjoy it.

 

[tehroc]

I) is NWN II vanilla THAT bad that i don't want to play it just to get a MC into MotB?

II) have you played a dance of rogues, if so. is it as good as i've been led to believe?

You NEED Mask of the Betrayer if you are to pick up NWN2. The expansion contains almost all of the optimizations. It runs like ass without the expansion.

 

[Jordy Hartog]

Seeing as i was one of the few people around my part of the world who actually enjoyed their PSP by getting it to run all the old ps1 classics i never got to enjoy (i'm looking at YOU silmeria) i'd reccomend "Tactics ogre let us cling together" i loved it

Thanks, I'll check that one out

 

[God'sFist]

diablo 2 FTW... yeah most recent just have to fix a bug and I can play again

 

[jollybarracuda]

That level where you had to deal with zombies and then escape on the rooftops was the start. I didn't know what I was supposed to do to get out of there and the zombies kept coming and were infinitely respawning. I blew through most of my ammo and stuff to throw with the gravity gun before I figured it out. I just wanted to find out where the hell I was supposed to go which was annoying enough without infinitely spawning enemies.

But I digress, and I like Portal anyway. So yeah that was a big issue but the final straw came when you were on the beach in that buggy. IIRC there were these very large crabs that took a lot of hits to kill and the game made me think that there was going to be large sections of this. Since these crabs were tough to kill and a big nuisance I just rage quit. I really didn't want to sludge through all that.

Ah, yah, that makes sense. Those two levels were, if I remember correctly, practically back-to-back with each other, and neither of them were very fun. Ravenholm was fun for me the first time, and then became one of those levels where I just never want to play through it again when i get to it. And the Dune Buggy level was like one, giant platforming section with not being able to touch the sand. At least that level let you drop cargo containers on Combine soldiers. Though yah, they do outstay their welcome and end up being a big buffer zone before getting to the meat of the game. If you ever have the chance, i'd suggest trying to power through those levels, or finding a way to unlock the levels past them, as it truthfully does get better from there. Unless you didnt even like the actual mechanics of the game, of course.

 

[The Harkinator]

Yes, I played the original fallout recently, fucking class game (Still not finished it).

I love the original Fallout too, first playthrough still in progress. But there are some moments which annoy me such as Ian accidentally shooting Killian Darkwater in Junktown and killing him when he retaliated. Which then broke the main Junktown quest, had to reload