Who has played ______ and can give me a recommendation?

[Beta Metroid]

True! I'm glad all are accessible. Like I said, I bring it up not because of my opinion of any of the games involved, but because of the strangeness of how the games are allocated (we have three collections released at the same time for the same platforms: Contra, Castlevania, and a Konami arcade grab-bag. Contra arcade games are put on the Contra collection, while a Castlevania arcade game is put on the arcade collection. It just strikes me as mildly odd...not a particularly good or bad decision). The Contra arcade games being the origin point of its series, while Haunted Castle is not is the only distinguishing point that comes to mind, but it still really doesn't answer why the Castlevania game is separated from the Castlevania collection.

 

[YangusKhan]

I didn't hate Haunted Castle when I played through it in MAME years ago, but I specifically played the Japanese version of the game, which drastically reduces how mean it is. I hesitate to call it a "good" game, but playing it with a more sane difficulty turned it into an enjoyable enough experience that I was able to 1CC it (perhaps that means it was *too easy* but who cares). Seeing a Castlevania with huge, arcade-style graphics is probably the biggest reason to play it. And IIRC the music is still excellent, as always.

 

[q 3]

Haunted Castle isn't a Castlevania because it doesn't have Castlevania in the title

yes I know the Japanese title is Akumajou Dracula exactly the same as a dozen other games, maybe that's what got Konami confused they didn't realize they had more than one game with that name

 

[Ludendorkk]

I've only played Haunted Castle on real hardware and it is a miserable experience

 

[Torzelbaum]

So how are the PC/Steam versions of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7-9 & Rocket Knight?

And what is different about the Remastered version of 8?

 

[Lokii]

PC/Steam versions of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7-9

Chrono Trigger was in sorry states but they've fixed a lot of it so it's pretty alright. The FFs are compromised. Totally playable with some extra bonuses like the ability to turn off encounters or get all items. That kinda stuff. But also the 2D backgrounds are very blurry due to being upscaled to modern resolutions. They're not the most polished versions of the game. Hopefully SE is developing versions that use the same processes that got SaGa Frontier and Legend of Mana looking so nice, but until then there's some fan mods that go a long way to making 8 and 9 look respectable if you want.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Yeah, I do wonder if there could be HD remakes / remasters of them at some point in the near future.

 

[Oathbreaker]

The Steam versions of FFVII and IX in particular are in my opinion the best versions because people have created pretty extensive resolution mods for the backgrounds in each. I don't know what it's called for VII but the Moguri mod for FFIX has done wonders for it. VIII's HD Remaster is fine and introduced even better new character models than IX's remaster did but doesn't seem to have done anything about the backgrounds on its own either so I imagine it'll be some time before a mod comes out to fix them. It also doesn't bode particularly well for a theoretical HD remaster of VII.

 

[Positronic Brain]

What's the word on the street for Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy? It's on sale for 16€, but the fact that it has a ton of (cosmetic?) DLC is making my gaming sense tingle.

 

[MetManMas]

What's the word on the street for Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy? It's on sale for 16€, but the fact that it has a ton of (cosmetic?) DLC is making my gaming sense tingle.

The DLC is safely ignored, it just lets you take dupes of Chocobo's job forms as an NPC/2nd player companion if you want to. You'll get tons of other companions without spending a dime.

Gameplay-wise it's pretty solid. More friendly than your average Mystery Dungeon, though you lose all your held items if you die and that can extend to your equipped gear if you play on Hard Mode.

Side dungeons are really about getting familiar with how the mechanics work and how to nest utilize your jobs and (sometimes) companions.

 

[Becksworth]

I still kind of want more Chrono Cross after beating it, so was looking for things in the spiritual successor category. How's Baten Kaitos Origin? I think I heard the card combat is more streamlined than the previous game. Is that right?

 

[FelixSH]

I'm not sure I would call it a spiritual successor, but it's a fun game, and yes, the combat is streamlined from the first game. It is still fast-paced, though, and might demand fast decisions.

I'd like to say more on it, but it's been a few years since I played it (so grain of salt to the stuff I said already). I DO remember liking it, it's a quality RPG.

 

[Becksworth]

I'd definitely say the original is spiritual successor to Cross, with the Masato Kato script, painterly pre-rendered background, and a opening cinematic featuring the opening of a book in a dimly lit attic while talking about a cataclysm that lead to humanity ascending to the skies, Zeal style. It's combat was a slog though if I recall...

 

[FelixSH]

Oh, I wasn't arguing the point, just wouldn't have been able to argue for or against it.

Hmm, I remember the battle system of the first as one of my all time favourites. I liked the second ones less. I think there was less of the deck building, and more generall cards, but way more frantic.

This is all based on vague memory, though. There was definitely some streamlining, but in the end, they both have pretty unique battle systems. It's hard to say how much you'll like it, I think.

Sorry, only while writing did realize that I don't remember enough to offer a useful opinion.

 

[Sarge]

Yes, the first game is fantastic. I loved the combat system once I got used to it, and I'm not even a "card game" guy. Getting a long chain was so satisfying.

Only advice if you roll with the first one: turn off voice acting. It destroys the mood of many scenes because it's so awful. Trust me, your brain will do a much better job with it.

 

[lincolnic]

Anyone play Tails of Iron? Saw it on sale today and it looks kinda neat.

 

[Octopus Prime]

I heard it was neat, but can’t confirm that one way or the other myself.

 

[Becksworth]

Hot Wheels Unleashed is on sale on Steam. As a kart racer fan would I like this?

 

[lincolnic]

Has anyone ever played Tomba? I had a demo back in the PS1 days and remember being intrigued, but never got to play the full game myself. Now there's a remaster out and it's on sale. Worth picking up?

 

[Torzelbaum]

So there are some discounts on quite a few of the games on my Steam wishlist and I was looking to take advantage of that to get something from my wishlist.

I'm looking to spend 25-30 dollars total and I prefer games that are not too difficult or grindy.

Here's the list of games I'm interested in. Anyone have any recommendations or opinions to guide me?

Spoiler: 32 options

Steamworld dig 2 $3 %95
Castlevania Dominus Collection $20 95%
Pixel remaster FF3 $13 93%
SaGa Frontier Remastered $13 92%
Trials of Mana $20 91%

Castlevania Advance Collection $11 91%

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition $10 91%

Exiled Kingdoms action RPG $6 90%

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection $16 88%
[About half of the games here would be new to me.]

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech $4 87%

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1 $20 87%

Super Robot Wars 30 $20 86%

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising $5 86% action rpg

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2 $20 85%

Catmaze $3 84% mvania

SD GUNDAM G GENERATION CROSS RAYS $20 83%

King Arthur: Knight's Tale $24 83% trpg

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin $30 81%

MEGA MAN X DiVE Offline $10 81%
Dust to the End $4 81% trpg
Weapon Shop Fantasy $2 79% sim rpg

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars $12 79%

Legend of Mana $12 78%

Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden $12 78%

Heroes of Steel $3 77% trpg
Actraiser Renaissance $15 76%
Mercenaries Blaze $8 75% trpg

Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom $10 73% rpg

Rocket Knight $3 73%
I am Setsuna $12 71% rpg
DUNGEON ENCOUNTERS $12 69% rpg

Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden $12 67%

 

[Bongo]

I suggest that you take I Am Setsuna off that wishlist at once. It is bad.

As for what's good, uhhh. I assume you know what you'd be in for with the Castlevania collections, but they are really well-done.

 

[4-So]

I'd personally look into:

Castlevania Advance Collection
Castlevania Dominus Collection
Trails of Mana
FF3 Pixel Remaster
Actraiser Renaissance

The Castlevania games in those collections can have some sticking points but none are particularly difficult or grindy. (By grindy here I mean your forward progress shouldn't require a grind; there are rare drops, though, so that can get grindy if you're a completionist.) Also note that for Trails of Mana, you'll need three complete playthroughs to get all the achivements, which might be grindy depending on your perspective (and if you care about achievements at all.)

 

[ohman]

I really liked SteamWorld Dig 2. A really top shelf Metroidy good time. I much preferred it to SteamWorld Quest, which I finished, but I felt it was dragging by the end. Which may just be my tolerance for RPGs being low these last few years.

 

[YangusKhan]

Dungeon Encounters is a low-key gonzo dungeon crawler and I had a delightful time with it.

 

[FelixSH]

FF3 is a great, fun, old-school FF. One of my favourites. Especially if you never played it, as someone who likes at least FF VI (sorry, don't know how much you played of the series), you really should give it a try. Afaik, tha Pixel Remaster is pretty true to the original, so a good choice.

As long as you care for old-school rpgs with a job system that's not as open as the later ones.

The Digimon Cyber Sleth games (so the two in the collection) are fun, if you like Digimon. In that case, the rest is done well enough, that you should have fun. If not, I would assume the weaknesses might be a bit much. Like the boring dungeon design, and many sidequests being kinda lame. The games areboth very long, so you get a lot of game there. And the main story is fun, I thought.

The Battle Network games have a great, fun battle system. The story and world building is a bit on the kiddy and the enjoyably dumb side. Each collection has three games, and in both cases, the first should be skipped, at least at first. I think they are great games, you just need to not mind silly kid-anime characters and stories.

 

[Beowulf]

Actraiser Renaissance – A remake of the SNES classic, this keeps the overall structure of the game (Platformer stage -> simulation sequence -> platformer stage for the six areas) but adds a lot more material in terms of both gameplay and plot. The simulation stages add mini platformer areas whenever you seal a monster lair, and also tower defense sequences throughout the simulation sequence. (Though not really tower defense—you can’t actually place the towers in a way that they’ll actually block the enemies and are expected to be moving around your heroes and casting miracles to handle the majority of the work.) The tasks for the simulation sequences are divided up into quests, some of which appear to be optional. Each area has a hero who you can direct during tower defense and who figures into the area’s plot. In general quality of life bonuses: The Master handles much better in the platforming stages and has more attack moves, including an up-thrust, down-attack, and combo-charge with invincibility frames. Magic has been improved, there’s a proper MP meter, and you can collect crystals for power-ups within each stage. (And replay stages if you miss them. Replaying stages is also required for the post-Act II quests in each region.) The Angel’s arrows arc towards enemies; and towns generate health, magic and materials pickups so there’s more for the Angel to do. And there’s an Easy mode that gives you infinite lives in the platform stages, which I always appreciate. (It’s unclear to me how much the difficulty has overall been reduced, but the platforming definitely feels easier than the original.) Overall, I think they did a great job of building on the bones of the original and making a bigger, fuller game out of it.

 

[lincolnic]

I also remember liking Steamworld Dig 2, but not many details about it. If you liked the first one, you'll like the sequel too.

Anyone played Lost in Random? This somehow passed me by completely when it came out, but a friend mentioned it the other day and it looks kinda great. Just the magic of trailers, or is it a good game?

 

[Paul le Fou]

SaGa Frontier is a good time, I'd check out the remaster. Think of it as a collection of short games, so it's relatively easy to pick up and put down.
Trials of Mana if and only if you're in the mood for Mana specifically. It's ok.
Legend of Mana is a beautiful and unique mana game, I remember liking it quite a bit despite not being big into Mana as a series (at the time) (or now, really)

 

[Exposition Owl]

Steamworld Dig 2 also gets the Seal of Owlproval. I’d go so far as to call it one of my favorite indie Metroidvanias.

 

[FelixSH]

Oh, I missed Legend of Mana. As someone who doesn't like the series that much, I think this one is very cool and special. If you are ready for a rather open game of this kind, this is a good one. I do think it requires you to be in a certain mood in, being ready to take your time and to accept that you won't experience everything in one playthrough. If so, it's a pretty good choice.