Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Showing posts with label of. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Most Overrated Games of the Recent Years Part I
The gaming industry has evolved a lot in the last decade, becoming an industry worth billions of dollars. When so much money is in the middle, those involved in this will do anything to boost their profits, this way gaming marketing exploded, with more money being thrown on commercials than the actual development of the games, which from the perspective of the consumer is a terrible thing.
With all the money spent on games, those that influence the buyer with their reviews become more important to the publishers. Critics can affect the image of a game and therefore the sales. So it became a known fact that publishers started to influence journalists in any way they can so they could get higher ratings for their games.
Websites like metacritic became a major factor in selling and rating of video games and publishers went as far as putting terms in contracts with the developing studios related to the score from metacritic, which is a terrible thing to do (poor Obsidian Entertainment and Fallout: New Vegas…). The journalists score on metacritic is far from a reflection of the truth and more often than not, the score given by the users (despite their exaggeration) reflects the reality so much better.
I recommend anyone to stay away from the scores given by these kind of popular websites as they are not standards to measure if a game is actually good. If you want to find out more details about a released game, check some of the more popular youtube broadcasters for their opinion, which is usually much more objective, or watch streams on twitch.tv and make your own impression about the game.
With all these being said I decided to make a list of the most overrated games, not necessarily by journalists, of the recent years and the reasons I consider these games over appreciated. This list will refer as always only to PC games and will stay away from franchises like Call of Duty, Battlefield or Assassin’s Creed, because everyone should know by now that they are overrated.
Note: I’m not saying that these games are bad, I’m just saying that they are not as good as the journalists say in their reviews or some gamers praise them to be, ignoring soo many of their flaws.
X-COM: Enemy Unknown
X-COM is a legendary series by now, that started in 1994 with UFO: Enemy Unknown. The franchise features a human organization fighting an alien invasion in order to defend Earth.
X-COM: Enemy Unknown is a reboot of the series on the old but still decent Unreal Engine 3. The game graphics are not the greatest and suffer from the same problems as any game using UE 3 (say Hi! to textures loading in front of you).
The biggest problem with this game is the lack of complexity, as it is a strategy that should be complex to the bone. While the combat is good, its not supported in any way by features that would make it more complex and allow the player to use different styles and tactics. There are not enough types of missions in the game and this makes it repetitive and boring after a short while. The research system is deceiving and looks complex at first but as you go through the game its noticeable that it lacks the depth that players should expect from a game like this one. There are not enough weapons and armors to research and utilize and not many things that should make you think what to prioritize in researching and building.
While I do understand people getting excited for receiving something new from this series, I think the game is way overvalued compared with what is actually given. The expansion Enemy Within does improve a lot the experience of the game, but the original title was not such a masterpiece as the scores make you believe it is.
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| A boring world... |
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| The tactical combat system, the most enjoyable part of the game. |
Sid Meier’s Civilization V
4x strategies, like all other types of strategy games, are not a very popular genre. Even so, because of its mainstream gameplay Civilization V managed to sell quite well. This is a good thing because as a strategy becomes more popular the whole genre benefits from it as more people getting in contact with these types of games.
The reason why Civilization V is on this list being mostly because of its terrible business model combined with some of the issues the game had. At release, the game came with basic features wrapped up in a good looking foil. For a 4X strategy that starts from the beginning of humanity, Civilization V lacked the complexity of such a game.
The economic and diplomatic systems of the game were a mess, combat was soo basic, multiplayer was not playable and features like religion and tourism were not present in the original game and they were added with a new expansion each.
So in order to have a complete experience of this game, gamers had to buy the original game which was 60$ and two additional expansions which were 40$ each plus a ton of DLCs. One might argue that you could get the game on sale, but that is not the point here. 2K deliberately released an incomplete game just to make sure they charged the gamers more money for additional features that would make the gameplay more complex and at the level that was in the previous games of the franchise.
There are indie 4X strategies that manage to beat the level of complexity and the gameplay of Civilization 5 at a much better price and even providing free DLCs for the community and a multiplayer that actually works.
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| Terrible combat... |
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| The hexagons system, the biggest improvement in the game! |
Mass Effect 2
With little upgrades to the technical part, Mass Effect 2 loses lots of important features and mechanics from its predecessor.
The RPG elements in the game have been dumbed down with laughable skill trees and the dialogue system turned into a compact wheel of choices between good, evil or useless. The exploration of planets has been removed instead of being improved and made more fun and maybe more rewarding, the depth of space has been reduced to 10 by 10 square meters maps. The gameplay is now a run and gun with cover and special abilities, close to any standard console action game.
While the characters in the game are brilliantly written they can’t cover for a poor story that places humans in center of everything (again? really!?!) and with a villain that is just a mere shadow of what Sovereign was in the first game.
This game turned from a great RPG experience into a hollywoodian style game with lots of run and gun action and sex scenes (this sells right?).
Mass Effect 2 was highly acclaimed across all platforms, but for a game that advertised as being an RPG and came from Bioware itself it was just a sad story of the worst to come from this studio now under the restraints of EA.
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| Pew pew! |
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| Even more pew pew! |
Nodrim
How to Trace Cookies even under the Incognito of your Web Browser
How to Trace Cookies even under the Incognito of your Web Browser: One of the great advantages sail under the "Incognito Mode" of web browsers are the cookies are not stored in your computer and cannot find the user activity in the Incognito mode. If you think that your cookies are not stored under Incognito mode of your web browser, then you are made yourself fool. Why? This article explains you clearly that even under Incognito Mode we can find out the cookies and so called as ???. Continue to the article reading.
Of course, the great responsibility is not the developers companies browsers, but the website owners who decide whether or not to take advantage of this vulnerability. We have reported a few high profile cases where telcos go to the super cookies, allowing frequent visitors identification even when they do not want to be identified.
Find the Cookies in Incognito Mode
However, it has come to light, the existence and finding the cookies in Incognito Mode are now called as "Super Cookies". Super cookies : files containing identification data even when sailing under the incognito mode.Vulnerability of Using Incognito Mode of Web browser
The vulnerability is generated when the web pages using HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to increase security while browsing redirected to the HTTPS version of the site instead of the traditional HTTP. However, in this process of change can create the super cookies to generate data that keep the user identification ,even in incognito mode.Browsers Which get Affected by using Incognito mode
The problem affects Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Apple Safari especially since under the latter platform can not even delete super cookies. Ironically, Microsoft Internet Explorer is not affected as it has no support for HSTS technology.Of course, the great responsibility is not the developers companies browsers, but the website owners who decide whether or not to take advantage of this vulnerability. We have reported a few high profile cases where telcos go to the super cookies, allowing frequent visitors identification even when they do not want to be identified.
Best Browser to use Incognito Mode
"Super cookies" can be traced to the user even under the incognito of your web browser. Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome are affected. Internet Explorer is the only secure platform.Middle earth Shadow of Mordor Review!
I’m always reticent when it comes to games set in Tolkien’s fantasy universe. Middle Earth is a great setting, but I feel that it was written in such a way that doesn’t leave much room for expanding. And so far, most of the additions to this universe felt out of context and forced in.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action game with some elements borrowed from RPGs set in The Lord of the Rings universe. The game was developed by Monolith Productions for current gen and by Behaviour Interactive for old gen consoles.
The story is set between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books, in the time when Gondor troops were holding the Black Gate of Mordor guarding the area to ensure that orcs and their Dark Lord will not return. The game starts with the main hero, Talion, a ranger from Gondor, teaching his son the art of fighting so one day he can become a Gondor soldier, a subtle way to add a tutorial for the player. When the Black Gate comes under attack by hordes of blood thirsty orcs, Talion and his son find themselves defending their outpost in an unwinnable battle. Despite his desperate actions to protect his wife and son, the ranger is captured together with his family. He is forced to watch as the leader of the orcs, Black Hand, is executing them. Helpless and with a shattered heart, he is killed as a sacrifice to lure in a greater power.
Talion awakes, in a Mordor now under the control of the orcs, but he is not alone. His fate is now bound to an elven wraith who cant remember his identity and follows the main hero everywhere providing him guidance and powers from the land of shadows. Both the main hero and his new companion are trapped in a never-ending cycle between life and death. Using this opportunity Talion starts a quest to avenge his family and protect the world of Middle-earth from this terrible threat.
On his path of seeking vengeance, Talion battles and slays the leaders of the continually increasing orc army while aiding the outlanders. The outlanders are humans exiled from Gondor now living in Mordor, most of them became slaves to the orcs after their invasion. In order to understand more about the wraith’s past, the duo start searching for lost artifacts with the help of Gollum. Getting in contact with these artifacts will jug the elf’s memory, revealing brief but crucial moments from his past.
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| Elves live for thousands of years to have the time to regret mistakes. |
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| That wont last! |
The storytelling in Shadow of Mordor attempts multiple and different approaches. Besides the usual main quests cut scenes and the dialogues between the two main characters, a lot of information can be learned by finding artifacts lost in these dangerous lands. With the power of the wraith these artifacts can uncover events from the past of those who used them.
An interesting idea to set a background story for the main character without requiring any effort from the player was adding audio logs at loading screens. These logs present past dialogues from the protagonists life. I found this idea quite inspired, neglecting the fact that I had to load the game multiple time to make sure I dont miss something. All these things put together add a subtle depth to an uninteresting main story.
Shadow of Mordor clearly takes inspiration from other writings about Middle-earth, like the “Silmarillion” or “Unfinished Tales”. It can be captivating for the fans of this universe to follow all the side stories depicted in this game. Keep in mind that very little is actually canon.
Despite all the effort, the main story didnt capture me at all and I ignored the main missions up to the point where there was nothing left to do in the game and I needed a break from killing orcs. I didnt feel anything towards the main hero or his shady friend and these two are the only character that received a close to proper attention. All the other characters seem to serve the role of not letting the player feel alone against the hoards of orcs.
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| Too bad I cant sell it. |
Many of the gameplay mechanics used in Shadow of Mordor are similar to those seen in the Assassins Creed franchise and this doesnt come as a big surprise. The developers were accused that some of the animation in their game are copied from Ubisoft’s titles. It is quite obvious that Assassins Creed was a model of inspiration for this game, but I wouldnt go as far as accusing the developers for ripping off another game. It is quite common in the gaming industry for developers to use other titles as inspiration. And if some game mechanics are good why not use them? (I’m not saying copy/paste ideas)
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| Ubisofts ghost! |
The game is separated into two distinct looking maps with the second one only being accessible as the story moves forward. Each of the two maps is constituted of multiple districts. By reaching one of the ghostly towers on a map the content of the districts surrounding the tower is revealed providing useful information to the player. This system is very similar to what Ubisoft uses in Far Cry and Assassins Creed franchises (is about time to use something new, maybe!?).
Each district has its own missions, weapon challenges and artifacts to collect and while this sounds like the game has a lot to offer, the reality is a bit different. The content quantity is above average, but it really lacks in quality. The secondary missions are always about rescuing outlander slaves. The weapon challenges help forging the legend of the weapons used by the main character, but they are nothing more than missions that require some rampage level of killing orcs. The artifact hunting is an invitation to explore the game world. But there aren’t many places with a unique design to be seen and everything comes down to reaching the spot where the artifact is located. There are no interesting puzzles or a tracking system that could slowly lead the player to a lost artifact. Everything outside the main story is incredibly repetitive and monotonous. This would damage the game quality in a severe way if it wasnt for the Nemesis system.
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| First half of the game. |
The Nemesis system is what makes Shadow of Mordor stand out as a unique and innovative game. This system provides a continuously shifting chain of command in the orc’s army by generating random Uruks (a type of orc), each with their own personality and power. These Uruks will strive to advance in the hierarchy, which can be affected by both the player and the AI actions. The leadership of the orc army is separated in four different tiers of command with each tier having more powerful commanders than the last, ending up with five warlords as the highest ranks. The orc’s captains can challenge each others, resulting into a continuous killing between them in the struggle for power. Killing the main hero will also result into a promotion for the killer. The result of this eternal battle for power can be seen detailed in a special menu in the UI and the daily changes can be seen either letting the time pass or when dying.
To make matters more complicated, information has to be acquired first about the orc leader’s power, abilities and location. This information’s can be obtained either by finding documents, freeing slaves that can provide some details or by forcefully reading the mind of certain orcs by using one of the wraith powers.
Killing a leader will award the player with a weapon rune that can be put in the weapon sockets to provide all sort of combat bonuses and power which is used to further improve the abilities of the two main characters. There are various randomly generated missions that involve the Nemesis system. These Nemesis missions require the player to simply assassinate orc leaders or intervene in fights for power between captains, tipping the balance scale into one direction or completely eliminating all those involved. There is even an online component involved, called Vendetta, in which friends can be avenged by assassinating the Uruk that killed them. But these missions suffer from the same problem as all the other missions in this game, the lack of variety and the abusiveness with which they are generated make them repetitive after just a few hours.
The orcs are brutal and merciless but they arent the most courageous or smart beings. Many times in battle they will run away either because they are close to dying or because a fear element was triggered, like fire or a caragor (some wild beasts). A fleeing leader has to be chased down and eliminated fast before he escapes, otherwise he will come back stronger and ready for revenge.
Overall this entire system adds a certain depth to a game that otherwise would be a rinse and repeat experience (funny, a problem that the AC series has as well). Even if this innovating idea is used to exhaustion in this game (being clearly the developers ACE card) I found it quite enjoyable and entertaining and one of the main factors that kept me playing.
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| Im going to kill them all! |
The combat in Shadow of Mordor, at first glimpse, looks very similar to the one in the Batman Arkham series. This is not a bad thing, but not the best either. I consider the combat in the Arkham games a spam of two buttons combined with direction changing. But the three weapons combined with the progressive skill tree, which adds all sort of combos and new abilities, shape the combat into much more.
Talion wields two weapons, each serving a different purpose. The sword is designed for fast and engaging combat with multi target functionality. At first the sword play style is mashing a button in a direction trying to interrupt attacking enemies, blocking from time to time and executing them if possible. But with the help of a few points spent in the melee skills, the hit streaks become important and there are enough combo moves to make attacks require more timing and synchronization.
The dagger is a weapon for taking out enemies in a fast and silent way, an indispensable weapon for a stealth play style. Surprisingly the game puts an accent on stealth, allowing the player to choose how they want to deal with different situations. Most of the missions can be completed sneaking around, taking advantage of the terrain, distracting and silently eliminating enemies. Talion seems to have gone to Gondors school of acrobatics as he is able to climb on almost any wall, walk on tin ropes and jump from place to place without losing balance for a moment. This opens up all sorts of pathways to reach objectives and orc’s camps help a lot because of their verticality. The enemy’s outposts are equipped with alarms which they rush to sound as soon as they spot the danger. Once the alarm was triggered, waves of new orcs will show up forming parties to search for the enemy. Taking on such a big group might be problematic, blowing up fires or releasing caragors from their cages are some of the useful tricks to gain an advantage in order to thin the orc horde or escape.
I wasnt expecting the stealth gameplay to be well executed and I enjoyed it immensely.
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| LotR Ezio. |
In addition to his two weapons, Talion can call forth the power of the elven wraith, slowing time in order to shoot ghostly arrows with a deadly precision. The bow gameplay is very disappointing, I was expecting a combination of deadly damage and high skill cap, like Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies. Instead the game has a bullet time from Max Payne, which gives a huge advantage in every fight. The only impediments from using the bow all the time are energy, limited arrows and some Uruks’ immunity to ranged damage. The first two become less relevant with character progression.
The two protagonists power can be enhanced through a series of skill upgrades and a rune system for weapon. There is a fairly standard level up system based on the XP gained by completing missions or killing enemies. With each new level a points is awarded to upgrade the active combat abilities of the two main characters. The skill tree is split in two halves, allowing the choice between physical abilities and the magic of the wraith. Power obtained from killing the orc leaders is required to have access to skills further down the line.
In addition to XP, missions and other activities award some special points which are used to increase passive powers like characters life, the number of arrows carried, energy or the number of runes for each weapon.
Weapons can be upgraded with the runes dropped by orc’s leaders. Each weapon starts with one rune socket and this number can be increased to four for each weapon. The runes are separated in different quality standards and levels.
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| Grinding pays off! |
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| Like I wasnt powerful enough. |
The combat moves are beautiful and the animations are top notch, some of the best Ive seen. Talion can slash enemies left and right, jump over them, kick, stab, punch, push and do anything necessary to succeed. Executing the orcs is violent and satisfying and it’s done in so many ways that it never gets old. Depending on the positioning the execution animations are always different.
The difficulty increases over time with the captains growing in power and stronger units coming to aid them in battle. Dual wielding berserkers or heavy armored orcs are some of the tougher enemies that can easily stop Talions standard attacks. And if someone is not satisfied with the challenge of fighting packs of twenty or thirty orcs at a time, try taking on a big troll.
There are two features that bothered me to no end besides the bow play. The time slow during executions and other moments that requires fast reactions during fights was a total combat immersion breaker, waking me up from my complete state of focus. The second issue is part of the console’s legacy. The game has multifunctional keys and this can cause a lot of problems sometimes, as one key can trigger multiple actions in the same place and the game randomly executes one.
I was extremely skeptical about the combat system in Shadow of Mordor, especially after I noticed obvious similarities with the Arkham series. But as I got to play the game and experience how fast paced, visceral and reactive it is, I found it quite addictive.
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| Im LotR Batman! |
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| LotR Max Payne?! |
The open world of Shadow of Mordor is nice to look at but has nothing to show. The graphics are really good with high resolution textures, detailed models, beautiful lighting and other good effects. But there is almost no artistic design in this game. In all fairness, Mordor is a close to barren area, with little life or traces of civilization. But the developers could have put a bigger effort into it, to avoid making the world as repetitive as the gameplay itself.
Even so, when it comes to the technical part, the game doesnt disappoint. There are enough options to play with and obtain a good balance between looking good and playing smoothly. Graphical fidelity comes to show that this title is not just a console port and when the textures on ultra require 6 Gb of video ram, it is clear that this quality standard was not designed with console in mind (some better optimization wouldn’t hurt).
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| Empty, yet gorgeous! |
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| Lovely rain. |
The sound effects prove even more that Monolith Productions has the resources to make the technical part great, but not the artistic imagination to fill the rest of the game. The battle sound effects were at the center of the developer’s attention. The battle cries of the orcs, the sound of weapons clashing and flesh being ripped apart adds to the intensity of every battle.
The voice acting is extremely well done from human characters to orcs, all sound natural and credible. There are no awkward moments in the dialogues to make the scene look like a poorly scripted one. The orc leaders’ sound laughably stupid even in their attempts to threaten, a great satire for their race.
When it comes to music, the only thing I can say certainly is that I barely noticed it. There were a few moments when I felt like a part of the epic Lord of the Rings soundtrack is in the game, but those moments passed quickly and the music didnt capture my ears’ attention anymore.
Maybe it’s just me, expecting too much from a video game, just because it’s set in the same universe as one of the greatest movie trilogies ever made. But I do think the movies should be the target standard for this kind of games, attempting to reach the quality of sound and action from them it would make a better game.
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| Why so scared?! |
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a pure action game with little additions from other genres. Expecting something else from it than lots of overwhelming battles with few moments of peace to regain health and complete some collecting missions is wrong.
This would be a forgettable title because of the heavy console gameplay influences and its repetitive nature that leads to monotony in the first few hours. The game is miraculously saved by the addictive combat, the Nemesis system and the gorgeous animations and graphics.
Pros:
+ Loads of action
+ Impressive graphics
+ Fluent and spectacular animations
+ Addictive combat
+ Voice acting and battle sound effects
+ Stealth gameplay
+ Nemesis system
Cons:
- Repetitive missions
- Uninteresting story
- Time slow during combat
- Multifunctional keys
- Ranged gameplay
- Many arcade elements
- Optimization
Monday, April 6, 2015
Game 43 The Secret of Monkey Island All Aboard the Sea Monkey
Guybrush Threepwood Journal Entry 7: "Who knew this pirating thing was so difficult to organise!? It took me ages to purchase a ship from Stan, despite having stolen 5000 pieces of eight in credit for the purpose. The sleazy, not to mention highly annoying, salesman totally ripped me off for sure, but I got what I needed in the end. Ive also pulled together a crew, although Im not sure how well Meathook, the Sword Master, and Otis will work together. Still, its the best I could do in such a short time! Hopefully they all turn up a dock for our departure or Im back to square one. Im coming Elaine! I promise!"
My last post was heavy on plot development, and low on actual puzzle solutions. Let’s see if I can turn the tide with this one. After being told my vague future by the voodoo lady, I figured it was time to go pay Stan a visit. If I had any chance of rescuing Elaine from the clutches of the evil LeChuck, I was going to need a ship and a crew. As soon as I arrived, the aggressive salesman charged at me: “I’m Stan of Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels, and I’d stand on my head to make you a deal. What sort of craft are you looking for? Little? Fast? Slow? You want it, I got it. And if I don’t got it, I’ll get it. I want to make you a deal that YOU’RE happy with. Because if YOU’RE not happy, I’M not happy. But I KNOW you’re going to leave here happy today. How do I know? Just look at all these ships! I’ve got something for everyone! Come take a look around!” After this avalanche of slimy pitching, the hand-waving, elastic-jawed Stan led me over to his wares, asking me what I was looking for in the process. I decided that “something not too expensive, but built to last” would be a pretty safe bet, so ran with it. Stan, of course, had just the thing! “Affordable quality? Hey, that’s my motto! I’ve got JUST the boat for you!”
He led me to what was clearly a Viking-style boat, complete with shields on the sides. “Now, I can see you’re a no-frills kind of guy. But I can also tell that quality means a lot to you. I mean, just look at the way you dress. Rugged. Like this baby. She comes from a land far to the North, where the sea is as unforgiving as the men are tough and hey, you wouldn’t happen to be from there would you? You just seem to have a sort of Nordic quality about you. Anyway, we’re talking about a real value here. What kind of price range were you thinking of?” There seemed no point in lying, so I admitted that I could afford no more than 171 pieces of eight. This number didn’t impress Stan: “I’m glad this ship doesn’t have ears, my friend. Because if she did, she’d slap your face. I doubt you’re carrying enough cash on you for this transaction. You wouldn’t happen to have any OTHER means of finance, would you?” My options at this point were to ask for credit or announce that I had a rubber chicken I’d be willing to trade, so I chose the credit path. “Sorry, kid. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. That’s just old Stan’s philosophy. If you’ve got a job, the storekeeper in town might extend you some credit.” Now, I don’t intend to recite the entirety of my conversations with Stan, as he banged on and on in just as much detail for every ship in the yard. I did want to give you a clear picture of just how hilarious and memorable the character is though. I was laughing for about ten minutes while choosing every dialogue option I could, just to see what verbal diarrhea would come out of his mouth.
After checking out the expensive red ship in the foreground to no avail, and finding out that the blue ship near the store was Stan’s and not for sale, I finally asked about the cheapest one on offer. Stan took me to the end of the pier, and then told me all about the famous Sea Monkey. “The only ship ever to make it to Monkey Island and come back with anyone aboard left alive. Or should I say, anyTHING. You see, the previous owners of this ship were two adventurous pirates. They set off, like many before, to find the legendary Secret of Monkey Island. And, like many before, they disappeared forever. Their fate - - a mystery. Almost as mysterious as how this ship returned to Melee Island without a single human aboard. Some claim it was sailed back by a crew of chimps.” I offered Stan the same amount I had previously, 171 pieces of eight, only for him to throw it back in my face again. “Look. This is a very reasonably priced ship, but not that reasonable.” I figured I wasn’t going to get anyway at this point, and set off for the storekeeper to see if I could convince him to give me some credit. As I was leaving the screen, Stan appeared out of nowhere to give me his business card and “something to remember him by”. It was an extra strong magnetic compass, that would always point directly back to the Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels. Brilliant!
I took a closer look at the compass that was now in my inventory and discovered something potentially important. “(WARNING: Contains strong magnet which may interfere with other navigational equipment.)” Perhaps I would require the magnet to interfere in my favour at a later time! I made my way to the general store, and found that one of my dialogue options was now “I’m interested in procuring a note of credit”. I tried my luck, and the owner seemed open to the idea: “You are, are you? Got a job?” I lied and told him that I did, and he appeared convinced. “All right. I’ll get one of my notes and we’ll fill it out.” The storekeeper went upstairs to the safe and turned the handle so it pointed west, then east, then west, and then east again. The door opened, at which point the storekeeper picked up the note and returned. Finally I knew how to open the safe! The storekeeper asked more information regarding my occupation, leaving me with the choice of 1. a grog-swilling, foul-smelling pirate, 2. a waiter at the SCUMM Bar, 3. an acrobat with the travelling circus, or 4. a ship cleaner at Stan’s ship yard. I chose the fourth option, figuring that none of them were going to be successful anyway. As expected, the storekeeper wasn’t convinced: “I haven’t seen a clean ship over there in years. You’re either lying, or you’re just a crummy worker. Either way, I don’t trust you.”
The storekeeper returned the note to the safe, and on his return I asked him about the Sword Master. As it had previously, this resulted in the old man leaving the store to go visit the Sword Master, giving me the opportunity I was after. I went to the safe and copied the handle movements I’d witnessed earlier. The door opened, and I was able to get the credit note! “I, the good and honourable storekeeper do hereby take liability for the debts of the bearer of this note for any amount up to 5000 pieces of eight.” Awesome! I now had 5171 pieces of eight with which to purchase the ship I needed! I raced back to Stan and asked if he would accept a credit note in exchange for the Sea Monkey. “Hey, of course! Your credit’s always good at Stan’s. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had credit problems in the past. Bankruptcy...chronic gambling mishaps...I mean, who am I to judge, right?” I offered Stan 2000 pieces of eight for the ship, then 3000, then 4000, and then finally 5000! To my dismay, he accepted none of these offers! I asked him how much he wanted for it, and he came back with 9000 frickin pieces of eight! How was I going to afford that?! There had to be a way to convince him. Perhaps if I tried to leave he would come to the party. I told Stan to forget the whole thing and started to leave. “Now, wait a second! Don’t go away mad. I’m sure we can work something out.”
Sadly, Stan still wouldn’t accept my offer of 5000 pieces of eight, so I decided to try and find a crew instead. Perhaps I would gain some more cash during my travels?! The one character I’d not achieved anything with yet was Meathook, so I made my way to his island to see if things had changed. I informed the handless man that the Governor had been kidnapped, and he didn’t believe me. I showed him LeChuck’s note, and the guy seemed genuinely concerned for Elaine’s safety. “What are we going to do?” I suggested we get a crew together and go after them, and while Meathook thought this a fine idea, he was concerned that we wouldn’t have a captain. Guybrush put his hand up for the role, but Meathook only laughed. Eventually he asked me to prove I was worthy of the role, and then led me to some sort of enclosure. To prove how brave I was, he demanded I open the doors and touch the hideous creature that was held captive within. “Let’s just hope you’re quicker than I was. Oh, I just remembered something. I never did get around to feeding him this week. Silly me.” I knew all too well that whatever was beyond the doors would be harmless, but I was still intrigued to find out what it was. As Meathook climbed up onto another floor, well out of way of harm, I opened the door! I was shown a really nice close-up of Guybrush, eyes wide with trepidation, and then the shockingly evil and violent demon creature from hell was revealed to be...a parrot!
I had a bunch of previously unseen actions in my menu such as taunt, tickle, annoy and poke, but I chose to "feel" the “murderous winged devil”. Guybrush simply reached up and touched the bird, causing Meathook to scream in disbelief. “I don’t believe it. You are a brave man after all. You faced the beast I’ve feared all these years. You had the guts to do what I never could. I feel like such a coward.” Meathook professed his unworthiness to be part of my crew, but in true Top Gun style I convinced him otherwise: “You’re a big, strong good-looking guy with a talking tattoo. You can swab my decks any time!” I left my first crew member while he was packing his bags for the journey, and as I departed I was witness to another cut-scene. LeChuck and his crew had returned to their underground hiding place after kidnapping Elaine. I was a bit stunned though to find none other than Sheriff Fester Shinetop standing in the place of the ghost pirate in his room. Even moreso when Bob entered the room and called him Captain! “Captain, sir. I just stopped by to congratulate you on your kidnapping mission.” Things became clear when Shinetop’s form began to warp in horrible ways. LeChuck burst out from within, and the penny dropped. LeChuck was Shinetop! Shinetop was LeChuck! I felt a bit stupid that I hadn’t guessed this connection, particularly after Shinetop had ranted about his “plans for the Governor” during my last session.
LeChuck asked Bob how the Governor fared, and the answer wasn’t all positive: “Ah yes, the prisoner. We had a little trouble. Nothing to worry about, sir, everything’s under control. She escaped a few times, but we’ve got her locked up in the brig. No-one’s getting in or out of there.” LeChuck made it clear that any failure wouldn’t be tolerated: “For your sake I hope not. With years of planning almost destroyed by my death, I’m not taking any chances now.” Bob asked his Captain whether he had dealt with Mr. Threepwood appropriately, to which he responded: “Guybrush Threepwood will not be a problem. At this very moment, he’s twenty feet under water, probably bloated up like a fattened pig. ‘Is eyes being eaten out by crabs. Fish peckin’ at his fingers. Kinda makes you wish you were there to watch.” The cut-scene ended with LeChuck demanding Bob run an errand: “Now go check on the root. Make sure it’s locked up tight.” Clearly this was the root that the voodoo lady had spoken of! The root that could destroy a ghost just by touching it! At least now I knew where it was, but I still needed a boat, and likely, more crew members. I made my way back to the Sword Master’s home, guessing that she might be interested in assisting in the Governor’s rescue. On seeing the note, she took no further convincing: “Hmmm, I have a feeling I’m going to regret this, but count me in. I’ll meet you at the dock.”
Now I had two crew members, but I hadn’t gained any more money to purchase a boat. I had a think about who else might be interested, and after a few failed attempts (I wasn’t able to talk to the cook in the SCUMM Bar, the pirates on the main street, or the Fetuccini Brothers in the travelling circus), I went to pay Otis a visit in prison. However, before I entered I noticed someone standing beneath the archway leading to the Governor’s mansion. When I approached, they asked me whether they could help me. I told them I was just on my way to the Governor’s house, at which point they asked if I was there “for the looting”. Apparently there was a huge amount of people looting the mansion, and if I wanted to join them I would have to book a time slot for later in the day. I found this whole conversation to be particularly hysterical, and after my attempts to fool them into letting me pass failed, I booked in a looting slot at “around the two o’clock hour”. With that little episode done with, I went and told Otis about the Governor’s kidnapping. Initially he seemed concerned: “They’ve kidnapped the Governor? That makes me really mad. I feel like kicking someone. Hmm...I wonder if she left her place unlocked.” Despite doubting that Otis would make a very good crew member, I asked if he would join us if I were to free him from his confines. He told me he would be eternally indebted to his emancipator, so I took a look at my inventory items. The answer hit me immediately!
The grog I’d got from the barrel in the SCUMM Bar had burnt through the mug I’d used, so perhaps it would also burn through the lock! Suddenly I recalled doing this as a kid, so I knew it was the right thing to try. I raced back to the kitchen and got some grog, but the mug melted into nothingness well before I could get back to the prison. Eureka! It dawned on me that I might be able to pour the grog from mug to mug while I was travelling between the two buildings, and this turned out to be the correct answer. Pouring the green liquid onto the lock burnt a hole in it, freeing Otis! My victory turned sour quickly though, as the bastard wasn’t as grateful as he should have been: “I’m free! Oh yeah, thanks. Sucker!! HA HA HA!!!” Otis left me standing in the prison, wondering how someone could go back on their word like that. Since I couldn’t think of any other potential crew members, I made my way back to Stan’s, determined to find a way to get the ship I needed. I have to admit I’m not certain what I did to get Stan to agree to 5000. I only know that every time I offered him a different price, his asking price changed. When it was finally as low as 5900 pieces of eight, I offered the 5000 and was successful. “Okay! Okay! It’s killing me, but okay! And I thought I was going to give my children Christmas presents this year. Just take it out of here. I’m GLAD to get rid of it. See you at the dock, and don’t forget your crew. All three of them.” Finally I had a ship, and perhaps a crew! It’s time to go to the docks and see whether Otis has changed his mind...
Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: Ive written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for me...unless I really obviously need the help...or I specifically request assistance. In this instance, Ive not made any requests for assistance. Thanks!
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Damn straight I will!
My last post was heavy on plot development, and low on actual puzzle solutions. Let’s see if I can turn the tide with this one. After being told my vague future by the voodoo lady, I figured it was time to go pay Stan a visit. If I had any chance of rescuing Elaine from the clutches of the evil LeChuck, I was going to need a ship and a crew. As soon as I arrived, the aggressive salesman charged at me: “I’m Stan of Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels, and I’d stand on my head to make you a deal. What sort of craft are you looking for? Little? Fast? Slow? You want it, I got it. And if I don’t got it, I’ll get it. I want to make you a deal that YOU’RE happy with. Because if YOU’RE not happy, I’M not happy. But I KNOW you’re going to leave here happy today. How do I know? Just look at all these ships! I’ve got something for everyone! Come take a look around!” After this avalanche of slimy pitching, the hand-waving, elastic-jawed Stan led me over to his wares, asking me what I was looking for in the process. I decided that “something not too expensive, but built to last” would be a pretty safe bet, so ran with it. Stan, of course, had just the thing! “Affordable quality? Hey, that’s my motto! I’ve got JUST the boat for you!”
Come on mate! I work with sales people every day!
Id love to hear the voice acting for this guy.
He led me to what was clearly a Viking-style boat, complete with shields on the sides. “Now, I can see you’re a no-frills kind of guy. But I can also tell that quality means a lot to you. I mean, just look at the way you dress. Rugged. Like this baby. She comes from a land far to the North, where the sea is as unforgiving as the men are tough and hey, you wouldn’t happen to be from there would you? You just seem to have a sort of Nordic quality about you. Anyway, we’re talking about a real value here. What kind of price range were you thinking of?” There seemed no point in lying, so I admitted that I could afford no more than 171 pieces of eight. This number didn’t impress Stan: “I’m glad this ship doesn’t have ears, my friend. Because if she did, she’d slap your face. I doubt you’re carrying enough cash on you for this transaction. You wouldn’t happen to have any OTHER means of finance, would you?” My options at this point were to ask for credit or announce that I had a rubber chicken I’d be willing to trade, so I chose the credit path. “Sorry, kid. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. That’s just old Stan’s philosophy. If you’ve got a job, the storekeeper in town might extend you some credit.” Now, I don’t intend to recite the entirety of my conversations with Stan, as he banged on and on in just as much detail for every ship in the yard. I did want to give you a clear picture of just how hilarious and memorable the character is though. I was laughing for about ten minutes while choosing every dialogue option I could, just to see what verbal diarrhea would come out of his mouth.
I did try giving him the chicken with the pulley in the middle, but strangely, he already had one.
After checking out the expensive red ship in the foreground to no avail, and finding out that the blue ship near the store was Stan’s and not for sale, I finally asked about the cheapest one on offer. Stan took me to the end of the pier, and then told me all about the famous Sea Monkey. “The only ship ever to make it to Monkey Island and come back with anyone aboard left alive. Or should I say, anyTHING. You see, the previous owners of this ship were two adventurous pirates. They set off, like many before, to find the legendary Secret of Monkey Island. And, like many before, they disappeared forever. Their fate - - a mystery. Almost as mysterious as how this ship returned to Melee Island without a single human aboard. Some claim it was sailed back by a crew of chimps.” I offered Stan the same amount I had previously, 171 pieces of eight, only for him to throw it back in my face again. “Look. This is a very reasonably priced ship, but not that reasonable.” I figured I wasn’t going to get anyway at this point, and set off for the storekeeper to see if I could convince him to give me some credit. As I was leaving the screen, Stan appeared out of nowhere to give me his business card and “something to remember him by”. It was an extra strong magnetic compass, that would always point directly back to the Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels. Brilliant!
Hey, they didnt trademark Sea Monkey! Fair game!
I hate it that hes right!
I took a closer look at the compass that was now in my inventory and discovered something potentially important. “(WARNING: Contains strong magnet which may interfere with other navigational equipment.)” Perhaps I would require the magnet to interfere in my favour at a later time! I made my way to the general store, and found that one of my dialogue options was now “I’m interested in procuring a note of credit”. I tried my luck, and the owner seemed open to the idea: “You are, are you? Got a job?” I lied and told him that I did, and he appeared convinced. “All right. I’ll get one of my notes and we’ll fill it out.” The storekeeper went upstairs to the safe and turned the handle so it pointed west, then east, then west, and then east again. The door opened, at which point the storekeeper picked up the note and returned. Finally I knew how to open the safe! The storekeeper asked more information regarding my occupation, leaving me with the choice of 1. a grog-swilling, foul-smelling pirate, 2. a waiter at the SCUMM Bar, 3. an acrobat with the travelling circus, or 4. a ship cleaner at Stan’s ship yard. I chose the fourth option, figuring that none of them were going to be successful anyway. As expected, the storekeeper wasn’t convinced: “I haven’t seen a clean ship over there in years. You’re either lying, or you’re just a crummy worker. Either way, I don’t trust you.”
Having a safe for a single credit note is a bit of overkill dont you think?
The storekeeper returned the note to the safe, and on his return I asked him about the Sword Master. As it had previously, this resulted in the old man leaving the store to go visit the Sword Master, giving me the opportunity I was after. I went to the safe and copied the handle movements I’d witnessed earlier. The door opened, and I was able to get the credit note! “I, the good and honourable storekeeper do hereby take liability for the debts of the bearer of this note for any amount up to 5000 pieces of eight.” Awesome! I now had 5171 pieces of eight with which to purchase the ship I needed! I raced back to Stan and asked if he would accept a credit note in exchange for the Sea Monkey. “Hey, of course! Your credit’s always good at Stan’s. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had credit problems in the past. Bankruptcy...chronic gambling mishaps...I mean, who am I to judge, right?” I offered Stan 2000 pieces of eight for the ship, then 3000, then 4000, and then finally 5000! To my dismay, he accepted none of these offers! I asked him how much he wanted for it, and he came back with 9000 frickin pieces of eight! How was I going to afford that?! There had to be a way to convince him. Perhaps if I tried to leave he would come to the party. I told Stan to forget the whole thing and started to leave. “Now, wait a second! Don’t go away mad. I’m sure we can work something out.”
Woohoo! Im rich!
Well, its not exactly MY money.
Sadly, Stan still wouldn’t accept my offer of 5000 pieces of eight, so I decided to try and find a crew instead. Perhaps I would gain some more cash during my travels?! The one character I’d not achieved anything with yet was Meathook, so I made my way to his island to see if things had changed. I informed the handless man that the Governor had been kidnapped, and he didn’t believe me. I showed him LeChuck’s note, and the guy seemed genuinely concerned for Elaine’s safety. “What are we going to do?” I suggested we get a crew together and go after them, and while Meathook thought this a fine idea, he was concerned that we wouldn’t have a captain. Guybrush put his hand up for the role, but Meathook only laughed. Eventually he asked me to prove I was worthy of the role, and then led me to some sort of enclosure. To prove how brave I was, he demanded I open the doors and touch the hideous creature that was held captive within. “Let’s just hope you’re quicker than I was. Oh, I just remembered something. I never did get around to feeding him this week. Silly me.” I knew all too well that whatever was beyond the doors would be harmless, but I was still intrigued to find out what it was. As Meathook climbed up onto another floor, well out of way of harm, I opened the door! I was shown a really nice close-up of Guybrush, eyes wide with trepidation, and then the shockingly evil and violent demon creature from hell was revealed to be...a parrot!
Honestly, I really wish I could show you all the dialogue options in this game. Theyre just awesome!
Um...yeah, sure...what could go wrong!?
I look forward to seeing Laukkus comparison screenshot for this one.
I had a bunch of previously unseen actions in my menu such as taunt, tickle, annoy and poke, but I chose to "feel" the “murderous winged devil”. Guybrush simply reached up and touched the bird, causing Meathook to scream in disbelief. “I don’t believe it. You are a brave man after all. You faced the beast I’ve feared all these years. You had the guts to do what I never could. I feel like such a coward.” Meathook professed his unworthiness to be part of my crew, but in true Top Gun style I convinced him otherwise: “You’re a big, strong good-looking guy with a talking tattoo. You can swab my decks any time!” I left my first crew member while he was packing his bags for the journey, and as I departed I was witness to another cut-scene. LeChuck and his crew had returned to their underground hiding place after kidnapping Elaine. I was a bit stunned though to find none other than Sheriff Fester Shinetop standing in the place of the ghost pirate in his room. Even moreso when Bob entered the room and called him Captain! “Captain, sir. I just stopped by to congratulate you on your kidnapping mission.” Things became clear when Shinetop’s form began to warp in horrible ways. LeChuck burst out from within, and the penny dropped. LeChuck was Shinetop! Shinetop was LeChuck! I felt a bit stupid that I hadn’t guessed this connection, particularly after Shinetop had ranted about his “plans for the Governor” during my last session.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...oh...you big wuss!
You still have a talking tattoo which automatically makes you better than me.
Eeeeewwww...gross!
LeChuck asked Bob how the Governor fared, and the answer wasn’t all positive: “Ah yes, the prisoner. We had a little trouble. Nothing to worry about, sir, everything’s under control. She escaped a few times, but we’ve got her locked up in the brig. No-one’s getting in or out of there.” LeChuck made it clear that any failure wouldn’t be tolerated: “For your sake I hope not. With years of planning almost destroyed by my death, I’m not taking any chances now.” Bob asked his Captain whether he had dealt with Mr. Threepwood appropriately, to which he responded: “Guybrush Threepwood will not be a problem. At this very moment, he’s twenty feet under water, probably bloated up like a fattened pig. ‘Is eyes being eaten out by crabs. Fish peckin’ at his fingers. Kinda makes you wish you were there to watch.” The cut-scene ended with LeChuck demanding Bob run an errand: “Now go check on the root. Make sure it’s locked up tight.” Clearly this was the root that the voodoo lady had spoken of! The root that could destroy a ghost just by touching it! At least now I knew where it was, but I still needed a boat, and likely, more crew members. I made my way back to the Sword Master’s home, guessing that she might be interested in assisting in the Governor’s rescue. On seeing the note, she took no further convincing: “Hmmm, I have a feeling I’m going to regret this, but count me in. I’ll meet you at the dock.”
Wanna make a bet?!
Thank you Captain Obvious!
Now I had two crew members, but I hadn’t gained any more money to purchase a boat. I had a think about who else might be interested, and after a few failed attempts (I wasn’t able to talk to the cook in the SCUMM Bar, the pirates on the main street, or the Fetuccini Brothers in the travelling circus), I went to pay Otis a visit in prison. However, before I entered I noticed someone standing beneath the archway leading to the Governor’s mansion. When I approached, they asked me whether they could help me. I told them I was just on my way to the Governor’s house, at which point they asked if I was there “for the looting”. Apparently there was a huge amount of people looting the mansion, and if I wanted to join them I would have to book a time slot for later in the day. I found this whole conversation to be particularly hysterical, and after my attempts to fool them into letting me pass failed, I booked in a looting slot at “around the two o’clock hour”. With that little episode done with, I went and told Otis about the Governor’s kidnapping. Initially he seemed concerned: “They’ve kidnapped the Governor? That makes me really mad. I feel like kicking someone. Hmm...I wonder if she left her place unlocked.” Despite doubting that Otis would make a very good crew member, I asked if he would join us if I were to free him from his confines. He told me he would be eternally indebted to his emancipator, so I took a look at my inventory items. The answer hit me immediately!
No, just passing through. Oh Im pulling your leg. Im her for the looting!
Hey, dont get any ideas buddy!
Well educated criminal arent you!
The grog I’d got from the barrel in the SCUMM Bar had burnt through the mug I’d used, so perhaps it would also burn through the lock! Suddenly I recalled doing this as a kid, so I knew it was the right thing to try. I raced back to the kitchen and got some grog, but the mug melted into nothingness well before I could get back to the prison. Eureka! It dawned on me that I might be able to pour the grog from mug to mug while I was travelling between the two buildings, and this turned out to be the correct answer. Pouring the green liquid onto the lock burnt a hole in it, freeing Otis! My victory turned sour quickly though, as the bastard wasn’t as grateful as he should have been: “I’m free! Oh yeah, thanks. Sucker!! HA HA HA!!!” Otis left me standing in the prison, wondering how someone could go back on their word like that. Since I couldn’t think of any other potential crew members, I made my way back to Stan’s, determined to find a way to get the ship I needed. I have to admit I’m not certain what I did to get Stan to agree to 5000. I only know that every time I offered him a different price, his asking price changed. When it was finally as low as 5900 pieces of eight, I offered the 5000 and was successful. “Okay! Okay! It’s killing me, but okay! And I thought I was going to give my children Christmas presents this year. Just take it out of here. I’m GLAD to get rid of it. See you at the dock, and don’t forget your crew. All three of them.” Finally I had a ship, and perhaps a crew! It’s time to go to the docks and see whether Otis has changed his mind...
People drink this stuff!!!
Now I feel like kicking someone!
Yeah, whatever. See you in a sequel Stanley!
Session Time: 1 hour 00 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 00 minutesNote Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: Ive written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for me...unless I really obviously need the help...or I specifically request assistance. In this instance, Ive not made any requests for assistance. Thanks!
Of Import Shubibinman III 1992
If you follow this blog at all, you know that my import game habits tend to be pretty random; if I can pick up a Japanese game that I havent played for a reasonable price, its a candidate for the collection. Sometimes this means I end up with good games, common and cheap because they were deservedly popular back in the day, and sometimes I buy bad ones, cheap because nobody really wants to play them.
Im glad to say that Masayas Shubibinman III (full title: Kaizo Chojin Shubibinman III: Ikai no Princess) for the PC Engine is one of the good ones, despite its publishers decidedly mixed reputation. The Shubibinman series started out as a bit of a Mega Man imitator, especially the second game in the series which arrived in North America (and on the Wii Virtual Console) as Shockman. But by the time the series reached its third entry, the first and only installment released on the CD-ROM format, it had matured into its own style of game. This one has sharp, arcade-quality 16-bit graphics, quality CD remixes of the games musical themes, and substantial, high-quality animation and voice work.
And its quite a fun ride -- while it doesnt quite reach the heights of Treasures Gunstar Heroes or SNKs Metal Slug series, it shares an anything-goes love of novelty with those classic side-scrollers. Our hero (or heroes -- two can play simultaneously) fights through side-scrolling levels and simple mazes, battling various robotic and organic enemies. But the game takes full advantage of the CD-ROM mediums capacity to shift gears early and often, preventing the gameplay from becoming predictable or repetitive. Its also technically impressive, pulling off some striking effects on the PC Engine.
The opening animation sets up the story, which has a little more character than the norm -- while I dont speak Japanese, I was able to suss out that the pink-haired villainess has something against our champion, based on her tone of voice every time she spits out "Shubibin Man!" Shes accompanied by a couple of comically useless henchmen, and the whole affair is treated in a lighthearted manner, allowing for plenty of variety in the gameplay.
The first level is graphically impressive, with parallax scrolling way beyond the usual scan-line effects; large buildings are placed clearly in the foreground, no mean trick on this platform. Shubibinman can attack by swinging his sword, and if we hold down the fire button for a while before releasing, he can fire a semi-steerable ball of intense energy. And after taking out a number of routine enemies, our hero defeats and commandeers a giant mech, sprinting through the rest of the level firing its lightning weapon and occasionally tripping and rolling harmlessly past low-lying obstacles.
Later, the game takes a stylistic break from its futuristic setting, presenting a classic kung-fu movie scenario with a setting sun and a traditional jump-kicking foe -- who turns out to be a cyborg as we whittle him down.
We also encounter a snowman made of sprites, who appears in several different forms, including this one that spawns miniature snowmen to get underfoot and cause trouble.
Eventually we face the ostensibly final boss, who unleashes magical attacks until we succeed in bring her down.
Of course, she is not the real enemy here -- she has been manipulated by this purple-haired dude, who summons an array of demons and creatures for a final boss rush sequence.
Along the way, this cool spotlight effect turns up -- Im really not sure how this is pulled off on the humble PC Engine, but it looks very nice:
This dragon boss is impressively large, though the absence of other background imagery gives away the programming tricks involved as we flee, dodging its laser breath and trying to duck above its wings to get in a few shots of our own:
After defeating the real final boss, theres this very bizarre coda in which a genie robot talks Shubibin Mans ear off before finally succumbing to his attacks:
And then it turns out it was all a dream, as Shubibinman wakes up on the beach -- or was it? Our trio of villains shows up at sea, riding a giant mech -- and the game is over, the sequel apparently promised here never having materialized.
Theres an unusual Omake bonus section that becomes available on the Options menu after the game is finished -- it features art submitted to Masaya by fans of the earlier Shubibinman games:
As well as a brief little cartoon that features our heros own fan art, presenting our heroes in a situation with which our female lead is apparently not in agreement:
This proves a cautionary tale for otaku everywhere:
And thats where the fun of Shubibinman III finally ends. Its too bad that Shockman apparently didnt sell well enough in North America to merit release of this solid sequel -- it really does show off the hardware nicely, and its far less repetitive than most games of its era. But the CD-ROM peripheral was not a strong seller here, and localization would have required a significant investment in translation and recording. At least we can still play the Japanese original -- it will run just fine on the American TurboDuo and TurboGrafx-CD -- and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
This one is well worth owning, and its not overly expensive. You might be able to find a copy for sale here:
Read more »
Im glad to say that Masayas Shubibinman III (full title: Kaizo Chojin Shubibinman III: Ikai no Princess) for the PC Engine is one of the good ones, despite its publishers decidedly mixed reputation. The Shubibinman series started out as a bit of a Mega Man imitator, especially the second game in the series which arrived in North America (and on the Wii Virtual Console) as Shockman. But by the time the series reached its third entry, the first and only installment released on the CD-ROM format, it had matured into its own style of game. This one has sharp, arcade-quality 16-bit graphics, quality CD remixes of the games musical themes, and substantial, high-quality animation and voice work.
And its quite a fun ride -- while it doesnt quite reach the heights of Treasures Gunstar Heroes or SNKs Metal Slug series, it shares an anything-goes love of novelty with those classic side-scrollers. Our hero (or heroes -- two can play simultaneously) fights through side-scrolling levels and simple mazes, battling various robotic and organic enemies. But the game takes full advantage of the CD-ROM mediums capacity to shift gears early and often, preventing the gameplay from becoming predictable or repetitive. Its also technically impressive, pulling off some striking effects on the PC Engine.
The opening animation sets up the story, which has a little more character than the norm -- while I dont speak Japanese, I was able to suss out that the pink-haired villainess has something against our champion, based on her tone of voice every time she spits out "Shubibin Man!" Shes accompanied by a couple of comically useless henchmen, and the whole affair is treated in a lighthearted manner, allowing for plenty of variety in the gameplay.
The first level is graphically impressive, with parallax scrolling way beyond the usual scan-line effects; large buildings are placed clearly in the foreground, no mean trick on this platform. Shubibinman can attack by swinging his sword, and if we hold down the fire button for a while before releasing, he can fire a semi-steerable ball of intense energy. And after taking out a number of routine enemies, our hero defeats and commandeers a giant mech, sprinting through the rest of the level firing its lightning weapon and occasionally tripping and rolling harmlessly past low-lying obstacles.
Later, the game takes a stylistic break from its futuristic setting, presenting a classic kung-fu movie scenario with a setting sun and a traditional jump-kicking foe -- who turns out to be a cyborg as we whittle him down.
We also encounter a snowman made of sprites, who appears in several different forms, including this one that spawns miniature snowmen to get underfoot and cause trouble.
Eventually we face the ostensibly final boss, who unleashes magical attacks until we succeed in bring her down.
Of course, she is not the real enemy here -- she has been manipulated by this purple-haired dude, who summons an array of demons and creatures for a final boss rush sequence.
Along the way, this cool spotlight effect turns up -- Im really not sure how this is pulled off on the humble PC Engine, but it looks very nice:
This dragon boss is impressively large, though the absence of other background imagery gives away the programming tricks involved as we flee, dodging its laser breath and trying to duck above its wings to get in a few shots of our own:
After defeating the real final boss, theres this very bizarre coda in which a genie robot talks Shubibin Mans ear off before finally succumbing to his attacks:
And then it turns out it was all a dream, as Shubibinman wakes up on the beach -- or was it? Our trio of villains shows up at sea, riding a giant mech -- and the game is over, the sequel apparently promised here never having materialized.
Theres an unusual Omake bonus section that becomes available on the Options menu after the game is finished -- it features art submitted to Masaya by fans of the earlier Shubibinman games:
As well as a brief little cartoon that features our heros own fan art, presenting our heroes in a situation with which our female lead is apparently not in agreement:
This proves a cautionary tale for otaku everywhere:
And thats where the fun of Shubibinman III finally ends. Its too bad that Shockman apparently didnt sell well enough in North America to merit release of this solid sequel -- it really does show off the hardware nicely, and its far less repetitive than most games of its era. But the CD-ROM peripheral was not a strong seller here, and localization would have required a significant investment in translation and recording. At least we can still play the Japanese original -- it will run just fine on the American TurboDuo and TurboGrafx-CD -- and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
This one is well worth owning, and its not overly expensive. You might be able to find a copy for sale here:
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