The Coop

WipeOut 64 (N64)- This game is basically the N64 version of WipeOut XL. It has the same feel, look and speed, but it's been tweaked giving it new tunes, tracks and such. It's plays just as well as WOXL, and it's one of the best racers on the system. The music is done well, the graphics (though a bit fuzzy) are good, and the racing is fast and action filled. YES. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)- Like the translation of the first game, Lunar 2 for the Playstation expands the story and world by giving you greatly updated graphics, new music that sounds more realistic, and a more fleshed out story. It still plays like its 16bit original, but that's hardly something to hold against it. It's a great update to an already great Sega CD game. YES. Raiden Project (PS1)- Take what is basically arcade perfect translations of Raiden and Raiden II, add in some nice remixed versions of each game's music, and here's what you get. Both game's are very good shmups, with good graphics, solid gameplay and challenge, and two player simultaneous action. Of course, part II cranked up the graphics to add all sorts of great little touches, and added the now infamous "toothpaste laser". It may only be two games, but it's a fantastic compilation nonetheless. YES. Soviet Strike (Saturn)- Take the PS1 version of the game, add in a new difficulty select, and crank up the pyrotechnics a bit, and here ya go. Nice graphics, a tough challenge, fun missions, and some great presentations make this a solid entry in the "Strike" series, that just nudges the PS1 version out of the way in terms of which one's better overall. Borderline YES. Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi (PC)- Better graphics, cooler story, good cinemas, more ships, some extra mission diversity... it took the solid gameplay of the very good original, and built on it. A wonderful follow up. YES. Warhawk (PS1)- Yeah, it's a first gen PS1 game. But it's also one of the best first gen PS1 games out there. The graphics were great for the time, the music is very good, the missions are tough and fun, the flight mechanics are good, and it's arcadey gameplay makes it fast and explosion-filled. It was one of the main reasons to get a PS1, and it's still a lot of fun to play. YES. Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 (import Saturn)- This compilation is made up of Thunder Force IV, and the rarely seen Thunder Force AC. TF4 should be pretty well know to most people, as it's one of the (arguably THE) best 16bit shmups made. Graphics, music, gameplay, levels, weapons, challenge... it pretty much nailed everything. This Saturn port does the game justice for the most part, save for one area... the sound effects. For some reason, they're rather tinny sounding in this compilation. The music's fine, but the effects are off. But, considering this version gets rid of the slowdown present in the original 16bit version, it kind of balances out. Also, you can play as the TF3 ship in this version of TF4, so that's a rather cool bonus. As for TFAC, it's an arcade version of Thunder Force III with a couple levels replaced (one new, one borrowed from TF2). The music and graphics are fine, but again, the sound effects are rather tinny sounding. Not sure why, but they are. Nonetheless, it's a tough to come by game that any fan of the series should play. If you don't own a Genesis, this is the next best way to play these awesome shmups. YES. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)- C'mon. Does this really need explaining? A huge world, a seemingly never ending set of quests, freedom to be good or evil to any degree, good voice acting, great music, great graphics... it's the game TES3 should have been. YES. Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)- After the horrid 2003, 2004 came along and wiped away those memories. Much better gameplay, nicer graphics, better AI, more polished game modes, a longer single player game... it delivered what 2003 seemed to try and promise in its own busted way. A great FPS. YES. Gunstar Super Heroes (GBA)- While not quite as good as the Genesis original, this sequel is still a very good game. Well drawn graphics, good music, a solid challenge, some diverse levels that change up the gameplay from time to time, and lots of fast action. Goof stuff. Borderline YES.

I'm surprised no one said "There's no techno on OCR" at this

Resident Evil 2 (PS1)- Where the first RE failed, the sequel managed to pick up some of the slack. Better models, better controls, a larger quest with two characters to play through as, better weapon balance (the knife isn't so useless), and even the voice acting got improved a bit. There's still a good amount of back tracking, but it's not as bad as the first game. It's a bigger, deeper game that offers more enjoyment and replayability than its predecessor. Borderline YES. WipeOut XL (PS1)- The sequel to the surprise hit on the PS1 ups the ante on quite a few fronts. Better graphics, better gameplay, and a serious sense of speed that makes the second class of ships in the first game look slow. The music, while not quite as nice, is still good, and there's a bigger selection of ships and tracks too. It took what made the first game work, and built on it to make for an improved sequel. YES. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn)- Take the the rich world of the 'Panzer' games, and really flesh it out into an RPG. What you get is a fantastic realm to explore. Using the shmup gameplay that was so previlant in the first two games, the battles and exploratory scenes are action packed and involving. The graphics are wonderful, the designs are great, the music and sound effects are well done... there is so much that turned out well in this game, it's a shame that it didn't get a bigger release so that more Saturn owners could play it. If there's a kink in the game's armor, it's that it's not a long RPG. A lot of the four discs is made up of cinemas, making the game itself take roughly 20 hours. Even so, it's an innovative, amazing RPG. YES. PowerSlave (Saturn)- For a time, people were saying the Saturn couldn't do the FPS any justice. Lobotomy felt differently. Using the Slave Driver engine, this game silenced the critics, and proved the Saturn could not only have a fast paced and graphically nice FPS, but colored lighting effects too. The graphics and character designs are nice, the music is very good, the game plays very well on the Saturn controller, and the Egyptian theme makes for an interesting world and enemy set. There's even a few hidden goodies in the game if you look hard enough. The first real FPS on the Saturn, and fun game to boot. YES. Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (PC)- Diablo II is a great game from start to finish. This expansion pack makes it even better. Lots of added content gives the regular game a good boost, the new chapter is just as fun as the previous ones, and the ending cinema is great. If you own D2, then this expansion pack should be with it. You're missing out if it's not. YES. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)- What happens when you take the world id created in Wolfenstein 3D, and push the demonic side to equal levels with the WWII side? You end up with a great game. Very good graphics for the day, good music, a creepier atmosphere in some of the numerous levels thanks to some nice graphical and aural touches, diverse weaponry and levels... won awards for a reason back then. If you like FPSs, this game should be a part of your library. YES.

The Play Asia page got an update. There's a track listing now for the soundtrack, a bit more info on the game box contents, and a release date of November 30th. Whether that date holds true is up in the air.

That's true. But a month or two from now, there'll be another game that gets all the same types of compliments. And a month after that, there'll be another one. Remember Prey and all the wonderful things said about it? Or F.E.A.R? Yeah, they've pretty much been crapped on by gamers ever since their "WOW!"-factor wore off. Gaming compliments get thrown around as much as movie compliments. When people are still talking about how good Portal is a year or two from now, then perhaps it could be considered a must have, as it'll have shown longevity beyond that initial "WOW!"-factor. Until then, it's reads much the same as all the quick praises that have been uttered since the 2600 days when gamers first saw something new. Anyway, sorry to interrupt the voting flow with my wet blanket grumblings. Not trying to get the game yanked or anything, I just wanted to voice something that was on my mind.

Another essay? Aw maaaaan... Colony Wars III: Red Sun (PS1)- The finale of the Colony Wars series, it ends on the same good notes as it began. Where part 1 had you on one side of the conflict, and part 2 had you on the other side, this third entry places you in the middle as a mercenary. Like "Vengeance" over the first one, this game takes a number of steps forward by refining the graphics and gameplay even more, and continuing to deliver a well done story and diverse missions. It looks, sounds and plays great, and it's a fitting send off to the space sim series time forgot. YES. Strider 2 (PS1)- Why have one game when you can have two? This game features both a virtually arcade perfect version of the first Strider, and a very good port of the official sequel (not the one made by U.S. Gold). Both games feature simple and fast gameplay, good music, fun boss fights, and a very good challenge if you stay away from the unlimited continues. The second game has a lot of loading points, but like the D&D collection, it's not enough to keep the game from being a great play. YES. Sega Ages: Galaxy Force II (import Saturn)- Short and sweet. That's the best way to describe this game. A port of the Sega arcade game, the Saturn version has all the levels and action that made the arcade game such a fast and frantic back in the day. The graphics are good, the gameplay is tight and straight forward, and the music is very nice. The only real blemish on this port, is that the frame rate is around 25fps, where as the arcade game was 60fps. As a result, it doesn't move quite as smoothly. Even so, it's still a fun, 20 minute ride from the heyday of Sega's sprite scaling arcade days. Borderline YES. System Shock 2 (PC)- I'd love to 'yes' this game, but I haven't played all the way through it yet. So I'll refrain for now. DarkStalkers 3 (PS1)- The Saturn had a basically arcade-perfect port of this. The PS1, got a port that's about as good as you can get. Yes, there's animation missing here and there, and the load times are present. But the graphics, music, gameplay and balance that made the third entry in the Darkstalkers saga such a great fighting game are still intact. If you can't get the Saturn version, this is the next best thing. YES. Mega Man X6 (PS1)- Yeah, I forgot to delete this from the list too. As has been said, this entry pretty much dragged the series into rehash and disjointed hell. NO. Gradius Deluxe Pack (import Saturn)- So... wanna play basically arcade perfect version of Gradius and Gradius II? Here ya go. All the graphics, tunes, options and difficulty that you remember are fully intact here. While the first game is a classic, the second game (which got far less attention in The States) is superior on all fronts, and it alone makes this package worth a play to any shmup fan. YES. Note: There's an import PS1 version of this pack as well, but I've never played it, so I don't know how well it stacks up to the import Saturn version. Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts (GBA)= One of the better SNES ports to hit the GBA. This game looks and sounds very close to the SNES original. As a result, the graphics are wonderful, the music is great, and the challenge is soul crushing. The GBA version gets an extra bonus though, as it has a special mode that allows you to play through both the 'Super' levels, as well as the levels from Ghouls 'N Ghosts. This gives the GBA version a longer lifespan thanks to increased replayability. Good stuff, and a YES. R-Type Delta (PS1)- The second to last game in the R-Type franchise (shmup-wise anyway), and a great game it is. The slower paced gameplay is in full swing with this one, and the challenge level is what you'd expect of the series... namely, it's a tough game. The graphics are quite good for that time in the PS1's life, and the music is well done as well. The levels are diverse and interesting, and the boss battles are good stuff too. It's a great shmup on the PS1 that comes damn close to rivaling Einhander for the best 3D shmup on the system. YES. Mass Destruction (Saturn)- Wanna blow shit up real good? As the name implies, that's pretty much what you'll be doing. Buildings, enemies, trees... if it's on the ground, it can more than likely be destroyed by your little tank. The pyrotechnics are very good, and the challenge provided by the game rides that comfort zone between a little too easy and a little too hard. It's a simple game of making things go boom, but it looks nice, sounds nice, and is a fun game to play for a few rounds (it can get tiresome if you play it for several hours straight). Borderline YES. Doom 3 (PC)- Another game I'm probably going to be alone on. So many people bitched about how dark the game was, like they expected buildings in a power outage with no windows to still be brightly lit. How dark the game is, is what creates its great atmosphere. Plus, it lends a degree of realism that many other FPS games seem to not address (lights always seem to be everywhere in there). The graphics are fantastic, and the redesigns of the classic monsters turned out rather well. Even the soundscapes created for the levels add even more to the atmosphere if you stop and listen to them once in a while. Sure, the controls and gameplay is as simple as the first two games, but since this game was intended to be a remake of the first Doom from the get go, adding in jumping and swimming and sniping all that wasn't warranted. If there's an issue that could have been addressed, it's the monster closets. They're a little cheap, and surely some more creative ways to bring the demons and zombies about could have been thought up. But, in light of the graphics, sound, well designed levels, and the game's thick atmosphere, it's a shortcoming that doesn't undo the game. YES. Star Control 2 (PC)- What, are you kidding? This game is fantastic, and HUGE. Great graphics, wild characters, a massive universe to explore, melee battles, an interesting story, and decent tunes make this a fun game that's the best in the series. YES. After thought... How can Portal be a must-have? The game's not even a month old yet, and hasn't gotten past it's new game smell.

Blast Wind (import Saturn)- Another great game by Technosoft. This time though, it's a vertical. Nicely detailed graphics, good tunes, branching levels, a solid challenge, goos ship designs... it's a well crafted game by one of the former greats in the shmup world. YES. IL-2 Sturmovik Series: Complete Edition (PC)- I don't own this game, but I do own the entire IL2 series. It's a fantastic flight simulator that allows you to play with either detailed physics, or simplistic "arcade"-like controls. The graphics are amazing, the physics are well implemented, the sound effects are great, there is a huge assortment of mission types to play through, there is a massive plane count, and overall, there are very few things to complain about in the franchise. If you like flying games at all, and are a fan of the WWII-era planes and settings, this game is a must. YES. MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries (PC)- You know, I wish I could comment on this, but it's been years since I played it last. It refuses to run well on XP, so a refresher isn't really doable. However, I know it got a lot of positive reviews over the years. But since I can't remember too much about it, I'll have to abstain from voting.

And I believe you just hit one of the biggest problems with your selling system... consistency in the game's standard. With so many little different things offered, you're making the game you're trying to create entirely too convoluted. Game balance is going to go right out the window, and the game world is going to become a hodge podge of areas that can't be reached, and items that players can't even pick up because they didn't buy it yet (thanks to players selling those new items off). Imagine playing the "out of the box" version of IL2-Sturmovik, versus the version with content from the latest patch. There's a lot of new content separating the two, and the game makers usually set it up so that playing on-line can only be done as "same game version vs same game version". Why? To preserve the game's balance, and keep its standards in check. Selling a bunch of small packs of content is going to make this notion insanely complicated, as suddenly there's going to be dozens of different content filled variations of the game. Tack on any patches that get released, and things get even more convoluted. Why create so many road blocks for a having smoothly run gaming world? Plus, look at it from the new gamer's perspective. So much stuff will get spread out in the game world, that someone new coming into it would be bombarded with areas, items and people that they can't access without dishing out more cash. It quickly becomes a, "See how cool this is? GIVE US MORE MONEY FOR IT! See how nice that is? GIVE US MORE MONEY FOR IT!"-world for the newcomers. This is why expansion packs (and free patches for pissy little content items) make so much more sense. One purchase, and there ya go. Everything that was once unreachable is now at your fingertips, and it keeps the on-line aspect of the game from getting wildly out of hand in balance and standardization. Having 30-50 different variations of the game simply doesn't make sense, and that's what you'll wind up with selling things as small micro transaction packs. Regarding the single player, non on-line RPGs you're talking about, it might work better as long as the game never goes on-line to let players co-op or compete. But even so, it still comes across as trying to nickel and dime the gamers to death, regardless of what reasoning is put forth. I guess I'm looking at this on a different psychological level as well. Offering 10 downloads for $2-$10 a piece, isn't going to look as attractive as 10 new additions for one $20-$25 payment. In today's world, getting everything in one package looks a lot nicer to the average Joe than having to make a bunch of smaller purchases to end up with the same thing (especially if those smaller purchases add up to costing more in the end, like what Bethesda did with all their TES:IV additions before the "Knights of the Nine" expansion came out). Plus, if you sell the single package at a price that's a bit lower than what it would cost to buy each thing individually, that makes even the less interesting pieces look nicer too. Anyway, to me, there's a reason the acronym K.I.S.S. is still being used today. It holds a big nugget of truth, in that simplicity is a far better thing to aim for. Expansion packs that combine all the ideas into one package are simple. Micro transactions, and everything that comes about as a result of them, is the opposite IMO. Yeah yeah... tl/dr

Not at all. zircon and I are just discussing the concept of micro transactions, and how they apply to games. No personal (or opinion) bashing involved. Granted, he could be insulting me as I type this, but...

I'm sure game costs have gone up. Bigger staffs and all that. But the fact that we pay anywhere from $50 to $90 for a game tells me that companies are already charging enough as it is. Plus, many on-line games require a monthly/yearly fee to play on their dedicated servers, or to even be able to get into the game you just paid for to make a character. How much more do they "need" to charge us? Annual server fees are understandable, as those things take constant maintenance. But considering how many large and small companies have released patches filled with new content for free over the years, I just don't agree with the view you're putting forth. To me, "development costs" comes across as flimsy an argument for micro transactions, as the "free patches in the past" argument against them might seem to others. If they want to add new content, then let them make an expansion pack... something that contains a lot of new quests, goodies, characters, and such. People will happily pay $20-30 for that. But charging $3 for a classic football team, or $1 for a damned helmet is just asinine.

If a game isn't turning a profit, then I believe the question isn't "What else can we charge the consumer for to turn that around?", it's "What went wrong?". Many games that don't turn a profit do so because they didn't sell well. Why it didn't could be for a number of reasons, ranging from a poorly made game (roughly 30 - 50% of what's on the shelves), to a game that simply didn't click with the consumer despite getting good reviews (Beyond Good and Evil anyone?). Now, if you're "5%" is true, then I think you should look into just what's in that other 95%. I'll bet you'll find a lot of movie tie-in games, badly programmed games, quick cash-in titles that are knock offs of something that did sell well, and those cheapy CD jewel case things that get sold for $9.95 at Walmart. And even if you take games like BG&E into account, that's still no justification for micro transactioning the hell out of games that were once offered as a complete package from day one. Charging for little things like a character, a weapon, a stadium, or a different car chassis (things that would have normally been added before release) simply wreaks of a cheap means to try and drill deeper into the consumer's pocket. People can go for expansion packs when it's a lot of fresh content that builds on an already finished game. But the idea of charging a dollar here and a three dollars there for pissy little additions doesn't sit well with folks.

Question six could have used a fourth option... "I'd rather not pay". That whole downloadable content, or "pay us more and you'll get these extra things" deal that some companies are trying to push forward, is a very lame money making scheme. Things that used to be free with patches, earned with a lot of play time, and/or included with the game upon its release, are now being held back and charged for by some companies. Considering you have to pay for the game, and pay to play it on-line every month, I see no reasonable explanation for having to pay for a new weapon, section of land, or spell.

When you went to get this update, were you actually browsing in IE, or were you using FireFox? I just gave it a whirl in FireFox, and got the same page. However, with IE, I went right to the MS update page. Try going there and getting it using IE. Edit: http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/xpsp2.html You can try there as well. Just be patient, as it takes a bit for the server to connect and ready the DL. Make sure you at least temporarily allow the site in No Script if you have that program.

If you drop the Saturn category sephfire, I'll hunt you down and make you play through the entire game of Soul Fighter in one sitting. Einhander (PS1)- Back when Square was into making games, and not simply milking the Final Fantasy tit like it was hentai starring Tifa, they were trying out different genres. One of those genres, was shmups. The end result, was a fantastic game that pushed the PS1, and offered gamers a great experience. Wonderful graphics, cool music, wild ship designs, stages that flowed into each other, great bosses, a solid challenge, an interesting weapon system... it was a well made game from beginning to end. If you own a PS1 or a PS2, and you even kind of like the genre, you owe it to yourself to play this polygonal horizontal shmup. YES. RayStorm (PS1)- Another shmup, only this time it comes from Taito. Working Designs brought this to The States, and it's a good thing they did. This sequel to Galactic Attack sports some nice graphics, good tunes, an angled "into the screen" perspective with the ability to launch homing lasers at objects below you (and there will be many of those), tough bosses, and a choice of ships with different weaponry. It didn't set the shmup world on fire, but it is a solid game that delivers. YES. Dungeons & Dragons Collection (import Saturn)- Back when Capcom had the D&D license, they made a couple arcade games that were much like Golden Axe... lots and hack 'n slash action, but mixed with magic spells that anyone somewhat familiar with the D&D world will recognize. The end result, was a pare of games that had smooth animation, big and tough bosses, good tunes, a vicious challenge, cool character designs, and multiplayer support. This compilation has both of these games together. The first one, Tower of Doom, doesn't require the 4MB expansion cart, and as a result, the animation isn't as smooth as the arcade's (though it is still good). The second one, Shadow Over Mystara, does require the cart, and the animation is quite improved thanks to it. However, what hurts this game, is how often it loads... a lot. Every scene switch requires a loading pause that ranges from 3-4 seconds, to about 10-plus. Why? Beats the hell out of me, but considering how long this game sat in development limbo before it was finally released, I get the feeling it never got the optimization that other Capcom games using the 4MB expansion cart received. Despite this, the games within are great playing ones. Just have something to sip nearby for those extended breaks in the action. Borderline YES. Final Doom (PC)- Developed by Team TNT, this game is much more like an expansion pack for Doom II than a sequel... but what an expansion pack it is. Two new episodes at a hefty 30-plus levels each, new music for one of the episodes, well designed levels, and a good challenge make for some fun blasting action. It adds no new monsters, no new weapons, and it lacks some of the spark that made UD and DII so memorable. But, considering how well this "expansion" was made, and how intense even the very first levels can get (let alone the later ones), it's great play for anyone who's still a fan of the first two games. Borderline YES.

GunGriffon (Saturn)- Back when the Saturn still had that new system smell, Game Arts released this arcadey Mech game. It's gameplay is kept very straight forward, but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for with its graphics, very nice music, diverse missions, and its challenge level. Tack on a great opening cinema, and you've got a somewhat shallow, but quite enjoyable Mech game. Borderline YES. Mega Man Zero 3 (GBA)- The third game in the series, and it's still a strong entry. The graphics, music, story, gameplay and challenge level are all still very good, and like the first two, it's a solid game from start to finish. YES. Legend of Oasis (Saturn)- The Genesis got the first game, but the Saturn got the prequel. Gorgeous hand drawn graphics, nice tunes, a lengthy and challenging quest, deeper gameplay than the Genesis sequel (that sounds weird to say), more spirits to use, and a simple but good story make this a wonderful action RPG that should be played by anyone fond of the genre. YES. Taito Legends 2 (PC)- The PS2 version had some issues, but the PC version suffers from none of them. As before, this compilations ranges from the popular (Darius Gaiden, Elevator Action Returns), to the odd but fun (Space Invaders 95, Puchi Carat), to the downright obscure (Frontline, Liquid Kids). But where the PS2 version had G-Darius, Syvalion, Balloon Bomber and Ray Storm, the PC version has Cadash, Bubble Symphony, Rayforce and Pop 'n Pop. All the games run very well (and seemingly glitch free), and like the first TL game on PC, this game also installs ROMs that can be run in MAME (dip switches and all). This is a great compilation with something for everyone, and the PC version is basically bug free to boot. YES. Note: This is a comment on the European PC version. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)- What is there to say about this game? Great story, tough and challenging gameplay, great music, very good graphics for the day... it's a game that PS1 owners should play even if they're not big on the stealth gameplay. It's put together so well from start to finish, that it's a must have for sure. YES. Shinobi Legions (Saturn)- Take the familiar gameplay of Revenge of Shinobi, dress it up with digitized graphics, beef up the music's sound quality, add in some super cheesy FMV cinemas, and here's what you get. It looks so strange, but it plays every bit as good as the 16bit Shinobi games. The bosses are a bit of a let down though, which hurts the game a bit. But the challenge level is pretty consistent, and there's a nice diversity in the level types you'll be running and jumping through. This game just makes it's way into the Borderline YES range. Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC)- Wow. Where to start. Yes, the graphics are good. But this game is done and over with in a flash. The levels are small in both size and numbers, and they aren't very interesting. I can't help but feel this was simply a stop over until UT2k4 was finished, as it feels like a cheap mod more than a finished product by the folks who did UT99 and UT2k4. NO. Wolfenstein 3D (PC)- The one that got the FPS ball rolling. The graphics were quite something back when it was released, and the sound effects and voices helped pull you into its simple visual world of Nazi warfare. The weapons were minimal (there's only 4), and the ammo was scarce at times, but levels were big, winding, and filled with just enough enemies to keep you tense as you ran through the halls looking for that ammo you left behind earlier. It's rough looking by today's standards, but it's a classic in the PC gaming world because of how well it was programmed and designed despite the PC limitations at the time. Good DOS stuff. YES. Iridion II (GBA)- The first game was like a Galaxy Force II knock off. The sequel, takes a whole new perspective... literally. You're now behind and above your ship as it flies forward into and towards the top of the screen (think RayStorm or RayCrisis). The graphics are very good, as is the music. There are plenty of levels to make your way through, and there's a bigger selection of weapons. It didn't set the shmupping world afire, but bested it's prequel on pretty much all fronts. YES. Viewpoint (PS1)- On the Neo-Geo, this game was a beast. The graphics were good, the music was funky, and the challenge level poking holes in the roof. When it came to the PS1, they redid the graphics completely, updated the music, and blasted a hole in the ceiling with the difficulty. It's a graphically gorgeous game, and it plays basically just as well as the Neo-Geo original. It's isometric playing field makes for a nice change from the usual horizontal or vertical shmups, and the music is still pretty good. But holy shit is this game hard. So hard, that some may never see the finish without the cheats. It's well done, but prepare to have your ego pummeled. Borderline YES. Hyper Duel (import Saturn)- From the masters of shmups comes this great horizontal shmup. Technosoft made another fine shmup with this game, from it's great graphics, to the rockin' soundtrack, to the very nice ship designs, to the challenge that grows at a steady pace, it's a fine piece of alien blasting goodness. You also get the added bonus of being able to transform from ship to Mech, which also changes your weaponry. Add in the fact that Technosoft gave Saturn owners two modes to play in ("Arcade" and "Saturn"), and it's must have for the Saturn shmuppers out there. YES. Half-Life 2 (PC)- So what do you get when you make a follow up to one of the more popular FPS games on PC? Well, you get much prettier graphics, better voice acting, a fun gravity gun, and some nice tunes. Unfortunately, you also get a less interesting story, less interesting enemies, and surprisingly, a lessened settings atmosphere. Sure, Ravenholm is quite cool, but the rest of the game just feels uninspired... especially that absolutely horrid, anticlimactic ending. It just doesn't stack up to the prequel like the hype would lead you to believe. It's not a bad game, but it's not a must have either. As such, Borderline NO. The Pinball of the Dead (GBA)- I'm probably going to be alone on this one, but TPotD is a great portable pinball game. As the name suggests, it uses Sega's light gun-based The House of the Dead games as a source, and builds a pinball game around it. The game's graphics are well done, and the music is similarly handled. You'll hear tunes and voice samples from the original games, and you'll encounter monsters from the original games too as you play one of the three available boards. The challenge level's pretty high, but thankfully there's a password feature to help you out (which isn't as helpful as it could have been, since the passwords are a bit long). It's a strange pinball game, but it's fun. Borderline YES. Shining Soul II (GBA)- The first game was a good start is combining the strategy RPG nature of the Shining Force series and more Zelda-like gameplay. But this sequel did a better job of polishing it up. Better graphics, better music, a bigger and tougher quest, more characters to use, expanded gameplay, and a better story, bring this game to step into the golden zone. Borderline YES. Damn... I feel like I just wrote an essay.

Well, it's the other way around. The PS1 version came first, and the Saturn version came along afterwards. But Konami didn't try very hard on the Saturn port, and what wound up happening was that the Saturn version had longer load times, noticeably more slowdown, and about a third to half of the special effects the PS1 version had (lots of transparency stuff that I guess Konami didn't want to bother working out on the Saturn hardware). That's why I said they likely used the PS1 version, and then programmed in the extras that were originally Saturn-only. I can't see them using the lower quality version from a non-Sony system.

Actually, I believe it uses the PS1 version of SotN as a base, and then had the Saturn extras added to it. I doubt they used the Saturn version, seeing as it suffers from noticeably fewer special effects.

Resident Evil (PS1)- RE didn't start the survival horror genre, but it certainly has become the star of it. Yes, this game has some of the worst voice acting out there, with the corniest lines imaginable. The controls were very stiff, the knife was almost useless, and the constant backtracking got old rather quickly. It wasn't without it's good points though. A strange tale of the biological gone wrong, zombies that fly apart, bosses that were huge and tough to kill, a few cheap scares, and rather nice graphics for that era in the PS1's lifespan. But in the end, while it is a game that's fun to play, it's shortcomings nudge it just outside of the "must have" range. Borderline NO. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus (import Saturn)- Some of you might not know this name, but anyone with an NES will likely remember the American name of Salamander... Life Force. This package contains virtually arcade perfect renditions of Salamander, Life Force and the rarely seen Salamander 2. Sal and LF play pretty differently, and have very different graphics. So having the Japanese and US versions isn't as redundant as it initially sounds. Both games have catchy tunes, nice graphics for their time, Gradius-like gameplay, and a good challenge. Sal 2 still plays like its predecessors, but now there are different types of options (the helpers from the Gradius series) and attacks with them, the graphics are punched way up, the music is still good, and difficulty is upped a bit. It's a shorter game than its prequels, but it's a great game. If you're a shmup fan, it's a compilation worth owning. YES. Diablo II (PC)- The first game was fun. This sequel, is a blast. A much more fleshed out story, great cinemas, very nice music, more detailed graphics, a tough campaign to play through, more weapons/armor/enemy types, more bosses, and it still has the great on-line multiplayer that the first game featured. Basically, it took what worked in the first game, and made it all even better. YES. Grand Theft Auto III (PC)- Well, Sir_NutS covered a decent amount of the game's higher points. A big world to explore, a good story, good tunes, and a "go anywhere" style of gameplay that made the game fun to just tool around in. It does get old after awhile, but not before you've gotten to have a lot of fun. YES Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)- Back when the GBA was still pretty new, the first of three Castlevania games made their debut. The animation was pretty stiff, and the graphics were pretty damn dark. But those issues didn't keep this game from being a quality title. The music is very good, the castle is still big, the graphics themselves are drawn well and detailed, the bosses are fun, some extra depth thanks to the DSS card system, and an overall enjoyable game that any Castlevania fan would be stupid to miss out on. YES. Gradius Galaxies (GBA)- What? Another GBA game? Yep, and this time, it's from another famous Konami franchise... Gradius. Like CotM, it's a rather dark game, but under that darkness resides well drawn graphics that are both new and old (you'll see familiar stage references along the way), the music is good, it's a bit easier than you're average Gradius game, but all told, "Galaxies" is a good game for the GBA that both fans of the series, and shmupers in general, will likely enjoy (sans BardicKnowledge ). Borderline YES. Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)- One of the last Shining games to really stand out. Like Shining in the Darkness, this game is a so-called "Dungeon crawler". The graphics are nice looking CGI sprites, the music is good, the challenge level is just about right, the dungeons get huge as the game progresses, there are eight characters to level up, an interesting pixie system that adds a bit more strategy to the battles, and a good assortment of locales. It's a great game that came out as the Saturn got closer to the end of its run. YES. Quake II (PC)- You know, a part of me was never all that fond of this game. After the thick and dark atmosphere of the first game, being thrust into a typical "space marine" set up seemed like a turn for the generic. It took a while, but the game grew on me a bit. Very nice graphics, good weapons, fast gameplay, and a great multiplayer setup. The music was good, and the bosses were fun. I still miss the space/demonic mythos that made up the first game, but the quality behind QII can't be denied. YES. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC)- So many people hate this game. But you know, I liked it. The new use of heroes and smaller teams gave the game a good twist, the music was very nice, the new art style allowed for more personality to show through with the characters, using all four races at different points was fun, the powers heroes can wield and develop added a nice new angle to the usual "click and attack" gameplay, the story was more fleshed out, the challenge level was good, and the cinemas were absolutely gorgeous. It may not be as grandiose in terms of the sheer number of troops you command at one time, but it's more focused group attacks do nothing to lessen the game's enjoyment. YES. Sonic Advance 2 (GBA)- Shit, another one? A decent number of people consider this entry to the best of the "Advance" games. It's understandable, as the graphics are quite good, the music is catchy, the levels are bigger and designed better than those in SA1, there's expanded gameplay for all the characters, and the overall game feels more polished than the first one. Definitely worth getting if you were a fan of the Genesis Sonics, and still have your GBA (or a DS handy). YES.

Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side let's you play as a pirate versus a chicken or a hoop snake. Beat that

Stupid? I don't think so. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have had their franchises on their own systems for years (and Sega once upon a time). They could make a lot more money going multi-system with their popular franchises, but for whatever reasons, they're one system only.

That was a fun era, yes? Sure, Nintendo was ruling the roost in the 8bit era, but the Genesis gave the SNES a real run for the money up until the 32bit era started. Some great ideas and games came from the two of them trying to one-up each other in their battle for first. Of course, NEC was in the background for a while, but they didn't really pose much of a thread to either Sega or Nintendo.

If they marketed it right, all the football nuts would indeed by a new system for Madden... especially with that NFL exclusivity thing.