Joe Redifer's Super-Awesome Reviews!!!! - Page 61

Havoc2049 · 12-07-2005, 03:43 PM

Nice review of Devil's Crush. I learned something by reading your review and Knowing is Half the Battle! Go Joe!

Anyone?

Anyways, I never really looked into it, but I always thought that Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge were done by Tengen/Atari Games themselves. The box art looks like it was done by the same guy who did the artwork for the Gauntlet series and the game seems very western in theme and style. I always thought of the two games as Gauntlet Pinball.

I guess I was wrong though. Tengen brought over a bunch of Japanese goodness to the Genesis during the 16-bit days then, with Grind Stormer, Robo Aleste, Dragon's Fury, Dragon's Revenge and a few others.

BTW, that box art for Devil's Crush is on the craptacular side, compared to the excellent artwork for Dragon's Fury. I guess it's one of the few times where a western company actually improved on the artwork. Atari always did have a great art department though. One of the few western console/arcade developers that did.

Drunken Savior · 12-07-2005, 04:30 PM

Quote:

A comparison between the graphics of the Genesis and TurboGrafx
versions. The resolution of both playfields are the same, but the
Genesis has extra resolution so more stuff on the right was added.
The Genesis version tries to have a bit too much detail, making
the TurboGrafx version end up looking cleaner and better overall.

Rock on. It sounded like you were goin to praise the Genesis one for the graphics but I definately thought the TurboGrafx (Is that how it's really spelled? Oh wow...just....wow) was more plesant to the eye.

Anywho...review Jurassic Park for the Sega CD!

justin_credible · 12-07-2005, 04:32 PM

Joe have you played ICO or Shadow of the Colossus? I'd be curious to see what you think of those in a review. Or either of the Shadow Hearts? if you haven't played any of these games you are missing oot.

Joe Redifer · 12-07-2005, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atari X

Tengen brought over a bunch of Japanese goodness to the Genesis during the 16-bit days then, with Grind Stormer, Robo Aleste, Dragon's Fury, Dragon's Revenge and a few others.

-Grind Stormer was made by Tengen US and released in both the US and Japan by Tengen.
-Robo Aleste was Nobunaga and His Ninja Force in Japan, made by Compile.
-Dragon's Fury was Devil Crash MD in Japan, made by TechnoSoft.
-Dragon's Revenge was made by Tengen (their crappiest team) and released by them in US and Japan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DS

review Jurassic Park for the Sega CD!

Why do you hate me so much?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Timberlake

Joe have you played ICO or Shadow of the Colossus?

Well, I've played ICO. Didn't really get into it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Sane

Or either of the Shadow Hearts?

No, but I have the soundtracks and they are slightly above average.

Havoc2049 · 12-07-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

-Grind Stormer was made by Tengen US and released in both the US and Japan by Tengen.
-Robo Aleste was Nobunaga and His Ninja Force in Japan, made by Compile.
-Dragon's Fury was Devil Crash MD in Japan, made by TechnoSoft.
-Dragon's Revenge was made by Tengen (their crappiest team) and released by them in US and Japan.

Nice, I'm impressed by your knowledge, seriously. I'm a big Atarian and know a bunch about Atari's history and games, but I'm just starting to get into the Tengen/Atari Games releases on Japanese consoles. I've owned a bunch of Tengen released 16-bit computer games for years. Recently, I've started to slowly build up my Tengen collection on my Sega CDX. So far I have Dragon's Revenge, Robo Aleste, Gauntlet 4, RoadBlasters and Steel Talons. Maybe you could review some of the Tengen released Sega NES games, such as Shinobi and Afterburner. I love how Atari and Sega stuck it to The Man(aka Nintendo), back in the 80's and early 90's.

Nice job on my Dragon Fury's pic. Now it won't turn into a red X at a later date. :cool guy:

Joe Redifer · 12-07-2005, 10:26 PM

It was already a red X when I got to it.

cartman414 · 12-09-2005, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

Bionic Commando
Pure crap. No jump button! This is gaming at its worst! Unacceptable. Also, what does this have to do with Commando? Isn't there an NES version of this game that is completely different and much better? I sure hope so. After playing this game I was stuck on the toilet with nonstop explosive diarrhea for an hour! The same people made Resident Evil 4?

I hereby strip thee of your game critic credentials.

Seriously though, once you get used to it, Bionic Commando, or at least the NES version, is one of the most innovative and greatest gaming experiences anywhere. In Japan the game was actually called Top Secret, and involved a neo-Nazi organization bent on reviving Hitler. Needless to say that wouldn't fly here in the US, let alone back in the late '80s.

Joe Redifer · 12-09-2005, 06:44 AM

Like I think I said in the review, Bionic Commando for the NES was quite different than the crap arcade version.

Joe Redifer · 12-12-2005, 12:42 AM

Monster World IV
9/10
Sega Genesis

A very nice box for a very nice game.

Hell yeah! I love Monster World games. A while back I reviewed Wonder Boy in Monster World, which is the predecessor to this game. This is the 4th and sadly the final Monster World game in the series, and perhaps one of the best. Wonder Boy is nowhere to be found in this game, so the "Wonder Boy" moniker has been dropped from the title. Instead you play as Asha, a cute girl with a nice ash that wiggles as she opens treasure chests.

WTF? A green jelly puddle with eyeballs! Must kill it!

Graphics: 9/10
These are some damned good graphics for the Genesis. Your mom would approve. Vibrant colors are everywhere and everything has that classic Monster World charm to it. Everything is superbly drawn and there is not a hint of flicker in the game that I could find. I really regret not being able to post pictures of some of the gorgeous later levels, but I didn't play it that long on the emulator and since there are only two save slots I can't go back and do screen grabs with my Genesis since I am already past those levels. But take it from me, this game looks phenomenal for a 16-bit game on your TV. There is even some scaling as you head towards Aegis Island on your magic carpet as well as a scaling Star Wars-style text crawl (in Japanese) in the opening demo. The scrolling is well done and the backgrounds are all superbly constructed. Very nice!

You can use your pet to do some crazy-ass stuff.

Sound: 7/10
The sound effects are all typical Wonder Boy fare, which is a good thing. Going in and out of doors sounds exactly like it did on Wonder Boy III for the Sega Master System. No complaints here. The music is also well done, with a reoccurring theme that has traces in most of the game's tunes. It is not mega-phenomenal music or anything, but it is catchy and sure gets the job done. There is even a slight musical tribute to the very first Monster World game during the last subterranean stage. In all, this game sounds exactly how it should sound, and no different. The sound quality of the music is very clean and crisp, and kisses both of your ears in stereo.

A flaming ghost? Must have died in a house
fire while in bed. It's only logical.

Gameplay: 9/10
Wow, this has to be up there with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (Dragon's Curse on the TurboGrafx) as the best Monster World game ever. The controls are so fluid, instant and responsive, something that can only happen in a 2D game. After a while you get to raise a pet creature called a Pepelogoo or something like that. You can use him to perform a double jump, float downwards slowly from ledges, disarm traps and help you get to places you otherwise could not reach. It is a brilliant addition to the already excellent Monster World style of gameplay. One problem with the game is that all text is 100% Japanese. Normally this isn't too much of a problem throughout the game until you get to the Sphynx. He asks you 10 completely random questions, and you must answer them all correctly to get in the door. Answer even one wrong, and you fall, lose a heart and have to start all over. There are no FAQs or translations for the questions, so you pretty much have to guess (you can CHEAT using an emulator to save before answering each one, but cheating sucks ass). What I had to do was learn the answers to each question. So I captured video from my Genesis of me answering the questions, cropped them all onto a single page, made this sheet and memorized the answers. After that it wasn't a problem getting into the door and on with the game. If anyone can translate those questions, please let me know and I'll put the English version up as well. This game is very addicting and you want to play it until you finish it. It's just so damn fun. You can play it in partial English if you run it on an emulator, but emulators just don't wiggle my fancy. They're certainly no substitute for the real thing.

This game gets n A+ in the old school!
OK I admit that was a really lame comment.

Wrap up
This is a truly wonderful game. It'd be a bit better in English, and it's too bad this was never released outside of Japan. But still it is a good game that should be fun to play once every few years. I have had more fun with this than any PS2, Gamecube, or Xbox game in the last year, that's for damn sure!

Drunken Savior · 12-12-2005, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

Why do you hate me so much?

I've grown to hate my own creation.....just like god.

Freeman · 12-12-2005, 03:08 AM

Monster World...why does it sound familiar, I think I'll try and get this and it's predecessors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drunken Savior

I've grown to hate my own creation.....just like god.

Banned :/.

cartman414 · 12-12-2005, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Redifer

Like I think I said in the review, Bionic Commando for the NES was quite different than the crap arcade version.

Actually Bionic Commando in both versions is a no-jump button game. The NES version differs in that it is nonlinear. The grappling hook mechanics and gameplay more than make up for the lack of being able to jump though. Trust me.

That said, I do wish you could jump in the 3d Zeldas. The auto jump just doesn't cut the mustard for me.

Nice review of Monster World IV! Great game, and Aisha (sp?) and the Pepelog are soooooooo adorable.

Joe Redifer · 12-12-2005, 04:58 AM

I'll have to give the NES version of Bionic Commando another try someday. But the arcade just feels stiff and limited to me.

Icarus4578 · 12-12-2005, 04:56 PM

MWIV was one of my first reviews. Excellent game. More fun than Urban Champion. It looks more colorful than most SNES games do. SoA must've been doing crack when they decided to bypass this and other great softs for US distribution.

Vicviper · 12-13-2005, 12:47 AM

I feel compelled to post for some reason. Some outside force is at work here.
Anyways, I've always wanted to play this game and now it looks like I will be able to thanks to you buying it and letting me borrow it. I will borrow it for 7 years. I believe this is how long until I can claim squatters rights and officially take the game from you. Thanks!

12-07-2005, 03:43 PM	#901
Havoc2049 64-bit Interactive Multimedia System Join Date: May 2002 Location: So. Cal, USA Posts: 3,258	Nice review of Devil's Crush. I learned something by reading your review and Knowing is Half the Battle! Go Joe! Anyone? Anyways, I never really looked into it, but I always thought that Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge were done by Tengen/Atari Games themselves. The box art looks like it was done by the same guy who did the artwork for the Gauntlet series and the game seems very western in theme and style. I always thought of the two games as Gauntlet Pinball. I guess I was wrong though. Tengen brought over a bunch of Japanese goodness to the Genesis during the 16-bit days then, with Grind Stormer, Robo Aleste, Dragon's Fury, Dragon's Revenge and a few others. BTW, that box art for Devil's Crush is on the craptacular side, compared to the excellent artwork for Dragon's Fury. I guess it's one of the few times where a western company actually improved on the artwork. Atari always did have a great art department though. One of the few western console/arcade developers that did. __________________ Formerly known as AtariX Xbox/Windows/Windows Phone: MajorHavoc 2049 Steam: MajorHavoc2049 Last edited by Joe Redifer; 12-07-2005 at 07:24 PM.

12-12-2005, 12:42 AM	#909
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	Monster World IV 9/10 Sega Genesis A very nice box for a very nice game. Hell yeah! I love Monster World games. A while back I reviewed Wonder Boy in Monster World, which is the predecessor to this game. This is the 4th and sadly the final Monster World game in the series, and perhaps one of the best. Wonder Boy is nowhere to be found in this game, so the "Wonder Boy" moniker has been dropped from the title. Instead you play as Asha, a cute girl with a nice ash that wiggles as she opens treasure chests. WTF? A green jelly puddle with eyeballs! Must kill it! Graphics: 9/10 These are some damned good graphics for the Genesis. Your mom would approve. Vibrant colors are everywhere and everything has that classic Monster World charm to it. Everything is superbly drawn and there is not a hint of flicker in the game that I could find. I really regret not being able to post pictures of some of the gorgeous later levels, but I didn't play it that long on the emulator and since there are only two save slots I can't go back and do screen grabs with my Genesis since I am already past those levels. But take it from me, this game looks phenomenal for a 16-bit game on your TV. There is even some scaling as you head towards Aegis Island on your magic carpet as well as a scaling Star Wars-style text crawl (in Japanese) in the opening demo. The scrolling is well done and the backgrounds are all superbly constructed. Very nice! You can use your pet to do some crazy-ass stuff. Sound: 7/10 The sound effects are all typical Wonder Boy fare, which is a good thing. Going in and out of doors sounds exactly like it did on Wonder Boy III for the Sega Master System. No complaints here. The music is also well done, with a reoccurring theme that has traces in most of the game's tunes. It is not mega-phenomenal music or anything, but it is catchy and sure gets the job done. There is even a slight musical tribute to the very first Monster World game during the last subterranean stage. In all, this game sounds exactly how it should sound, and no different. The sound quality of the music is very clean and crisp, and kisses both of your ears in stereo. A flaming ghost? Must have died in a house fire while in bed. It's only logical. Gameplay: 9/10 Wow, this has to be up there with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (Dragon's Curse on the TurboGrafx) as the best Monster World game ever. The controls are so fluid, instant and responsive, something that can only happen in a 2D game. After a while you get to raise a pet creature called a Pepelogoo or something like that. You can use him to perform a double jump, float downwards slowly from ledges, disarm traps and help you get to places you otherwise could not reach. It is a brilliant addition to the already excellent Monster World style of gameplay. One problem with the game is that all text is 100% Japanese. Normally this isn't too much of a problem throughout the game until you get to the Sphynx. He asks you 10 completely random questions, and you must answer them all correctly to get in the door. Answer even one wrong, and you fall, lose a heart and have to start all over. There are no FAQs or translations for the questions, so you pretty much have to guess (you can CHEAT using an emulator to save before answering each one, but cheating sucks ass). What I had to do was learn the answers to each question. So I captured video from my Genesis of me answering the questions, cropped them all onto a single page, made this sheet and memorized the answers. After that it wasn't a problem getting into the door and on with the game. If anyone can translate those questions, please let me know and I'll put the English version up as well. This game is very addicting and you want to play it until you finish it. It's just so damn fun. You can play it in partial English if you run it on an emulator, but emulators just don't wiggle my fancy. They're certainly no substitute for the real thing. This game gets n A+ in the old school! OK I admit that was a really lame comment. Wrap up This is a truly wonderful game. It'd be a bit better in English, and it's too bad this was never released outside of Japan. But still it is a good game that should be fun to play once every few years. I have had more fun with this than any PS2, Gamecube, or Xbox game in the last year, that's for damn sure! Last edited by Joe Redifer; 12-12-2005 at 01:05 AM.

12-12-2005, 04:56 PM	#914
Icarus4578 Deal with it. Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 12,548	MWIV was one of my first reviews. Excellent game. More fun than Urban Champion. It looks more colorful than most SNES games do. SoA must've been doing crack when they decided to bypass this and other great softs for US distribution. __________________ Turn on the difference.

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12-07-2005, 04:32 PM	#903
justin_credible Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 6,269	Joe have you played ICO or Shadow of the Colossus? I'd be curious to see what you think of those in a review. Or either of the Shadow Hearts? if you haven't played any of these games you are missing oot.

12-07-2005, 10:26 PM	#906
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	It was already a red X when I got to it.

12-09-2005, 06:44 AM	#908
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	Like I think I said in the review, Bionic Commando for the NES was quite different than the crap arcade version.

12-12-2005, 04:58 AM	#913
Joe Redifer Olé! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 20,144	I'll have to give the NES version of Bionic Commando another try someday. But the arcade just feels stiff and limited to me.

12-13-2005, 12:47 AM	#915
Vicviper Hello handsome! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 3,081	I feel compelled to post for some reason. Some outside force is at work here. Anyways, I've always wanted to play this game and now it looks like I will be able to thanks to you buying it and letting me borrow it. I will borrow it for 7 years. I believe this is how long until I can claim squatters rights and officially take the game from you. Thanks!