Worst Amiga games that look great, Best Amiga games that look terrible

[AestheticDebris]

Originally Posted by CCCP alert

Like I said, some people cut their teeth on brutal 60hz arcade games in the arcade or 60hz console/computer games on custom silicon rich systems, some people grew up with CPU only driven 8bits and slow paced 10-15fps slowdown heavy 'arcade' games, before getting an Amiga and something like Beast 1. It's not the games fault if you can't handle true arcade gaming, certainly no bad thing that there are a few arcade quality games in the time of KS 1.3 A500. Some people can only handle Colecovision Zaxxon, some will play nothing less than the arcade version. Enjoy what you like, don't try and make facts out of your own personal taste in games though.

The only circular argument is that a game is bad because somebody can't finish it, that doesn't fly with me when I have completed them. Games that can't be completed without hacks/cheats like Jet Set Willy fair enough, this is more of a Manic Miner type situation, weeks of trial and error and pixel perfect jumping at the right time. Great games require great skill and great sacrifice [of spare time].

Like many here I cut my teeth on arcade games. I've beaten Shadow of the Beast (and many other "impossible" games). And even in the 90s, I had to admit SotB was paper thin and more style over substance. It did a great job of selling Amigas, the opening few minutes definitely raised the bar for what graphics could look like, but it wasn't a great game.

Ninja Gaiden does at least have some platforming elements. I'm not the biggest fan of it, but I can appreciate that a lot more effort went into the game design.

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

Xenon II's popularity has always confused me. Large sprites and vaguely inventive enemies aside, the murky washed-out visuals aren't that special, and the gameplay feels slow, dull and unfair to me. It's not even amazing for its time -

It was the music. The soundtrack just blew everything else away at the time because it was a home computer game with "real" music. Like SotB it had its place in raising the bar as to what was expected. And at the time we all sort of ignored the fact that the tune was actually unbelievably short and repetitive.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by AestheticDebris

And at the time we all sort of ignored the fact that the tune was actually unbelievably short and repetitive.

The title track was. The proper intro (that was missing from some cracked versions) was pretty impressive: [ Show youtube player ]

[dreadnought]

Originally Posted by CCCP alert

It's a bit arrogant to say Beast 1 is a bad game because some people can't handle it and try to palm it off as some sort of 'fact' ....

Complaining about arrogance, when your style consists mostly of juvenile huffing and puffing, and your only argument is an ad hominem (you can't handle teh Beast !11!! git gud!!1) is quite rich - but that's nothing new really.

Originally Posted by Tigerskunk

And don't get me started on the gameplay of Ninja Gaiden.

What's the difference in gameplay here to Beast?
[ Show youtube player ]

It's just run. stop. hit button for killing enemy.

C'mon man...are we watching the same video?

I'm not saying NG is a design paragon but compared to its vibrant, fast and varied action, SotB looks particularly bad. Even though the former is an 8 bit game and the latter has some "adventure" elements, but as with everything else they just feel tacked on. As for "bad passages", sure most big games have some - (Water Temple anybody?) - but SotB feels like 90% of it is a one long dull corridor (metaphorically speaking).

But, once again, I'm not knocking this game entirely - I do have a certain sentiment and respect for it, of course, because it really was a head turner and a major event in those days. Also, I could make the same case for Xenon II, which I know you hate with a passion

[AestheticDebris]

Originally Posted by TCD

The title track was. The proper intro (that was missing from some cracked versions) was pretty impressive: [ Show youtube player ]

I was thinking mostly of the in game music, the intro is indeed impressive.

[Cris1997XX]

Originally Posted by Tigerskunk

I think the "truth" lies somewhere in between.
Beast is not as bad as people make it out to be, imho, and some of those much touted Japanese classics aren't as good as people want to make you believe.

Ghost'n Goblins while generally being quite good has some very bad passages. And don't get me started on the gameplay of Ninja Gaiden.

What's the difference in gameplay here to Beast?
[ Show youtube player ]

It's just run. stop. hit button for killing enemy.
All that while some too fast moving enemies get cheap shots at you all the fucking time. And don't get me started on the EAGLES... lol...

Don't you dare compare it with Ninja Gaiden, that one is an actual masterpiece LOL

[Dunny]

Oh god I loved Xenon II and played it to death back in the day. Still dip in and out even now.

[Predseda]

I must mention Franko: Crazy Revenge too. Looks really amateurish, but that game is gold. The same for Doman from the same team.

[AestheticDebris]

Originally Posted by Dunny

Oh god I loved Xenon II and played it to death back in the day. Still dip in and out even now.

It's a very mediocre shoot em up, full of really cheap bits where you have to know which side is a dead end. I think I'd play it over SotB, but it wouldn't get a look in compared to R-Type or Salamander.

[gimbal]

Looks great, plays awful: Woof, so many. Which one will I pick this time. I'll go with Voodoo Nightmare to not be a complete broken record. Such wonderful isometric graphics. Such terrible isometric gameplay.

[ Show youtube player ]

Looks awful, plays great: This one is hard because this'll be the territory of PD games. It feels a little like cheating to include those. So if I limit myself to the realm of commercial AAA games... Chip's Challenge?

[ Show youtube player ]

Also extra bonus: this one also sounds pretty awful most of the time.

[Zak]

Looks great, but gameplay is atrocious: Euro Soccer 88

[ Show youtube player ]

[Bren McGuire]

mate what is arrogant is you saying that people are slamming Beast because "they can't handle it" and that's actually quite offensive. no they are slamming it because it's a husk of a video game covered in super fancy glitter again some of us were alive in 1989 and were playing and ENJOYING arcade games very much but not this piece of shit and awards mean nothing lol do you really believe in industry awards? your mix of arrogance and naiveté is striking

Originally Posted by CCCP alert

It's a bit arrogant to say Beast 1 is a bad game because some people can't handle it

[gimbal]

Yay. Mud slinging. That always brightens up a thread.

[clebin]

Weird Dreams

[ Show youtube player ]

This featured regularly on a Saturday morning kids show, where someone would ring in and issue instructions to control the character (always unsuccessfully). I expect every 8-bit owner in the UK was drooling over the beautiful, surrealist graphics like I was.

Anyway as it turns out the game wasn't much easier to control when you weren't on the end of a telephone.

[gimbal]

Imagine that they would do that today. The knife-wielding girl would cause Twitter to shut down.

[Dunny]

Originally Posted by Bren McGuire

mate what is arrogant is you saying that people are slamming Beast because "they can't handle it" and that's actually quite offensive.

Gotta agree that the "can't handle it" is a bit much. People think the game is shit, and that's fine - it's a subjective thing after all. Personally I love it still and regularly fire it up for a romp through a few levels. Bought it back in the day - got the T-Shirt and all that - and never regretted it.

Somehow the sequels never quite lived up to the original for me. But then again, it's subjective innit?

...the big bad boss being a toe was a little bit of a let-down, gotta say though.

[gimbal]

Yeah but that is also exceptionally Amiga, IMO. End-game bosses which make you hide the game from your friends in shame

[sokolovic]

Anyway for me, Beast doesn't belong at all in the categorie of "worst Amiga game that looks great".
Some may dislike it but this isn't an absolute generality like, for instance, Dragons Lair.

[rabidgerry]

For me recently the Polish game Franko - The Crazy Revenge! plays really well but looks horrendous. It really is good fun and has a good feel to it once you figure out how to play it. It's horrendous looks however have so much charm it makes it good! Anyways playing that, if that could be re-skinned you'd have a really good Final Fight port along with the recent efforts of Brick Nash which is amazing if a tad too easy for me.

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

Dragons Lair

Imagine getting that for Christmas

[gimbal]

Originally Posted by sokolovic

Anyway for me, Beast doesn't belong at all in the categorie of "worst Amiga game that looks great".
Some may dislike it but this isn't an absolute generality like, for instance, Dragons Lair.

Dragon's Lair? Top Banana, Yolanda, Demon Blue, Power Drift. Those are the worst.

But you know, the thread gives only two buckets to fill up.