It's not really me to exclude a sort of intro in my blogs, but I really don't know how to start this. ... I just really want to play these games again, you know?
Fable II + III
I was chatting with a really good friend some time back, and mentioned wanting to replay the Fable series (aside from Lost Chapters, since I never did play it). I honestly enjoyed playing them despite the PR hype and subsequent disappointment from the general gaming public. What Molyneux promised, I chucked a whole sack of salt at. But the weird thing about this is that even though I know I thoroughly enjoyed what I played, I can't for the life of me remember what the heck happened in the games. The things that I do remember are:
- Fable II had an extraordinary amount of condoms buried all over
- The dog in Fable II was exceptionally good at pointing them out
- He wasn't good at anything else
- The dog in Fable III, on the other hand, was too good and kept stealing my kills
- I really hated both dogs
Alice: Madness Returns
Of course I want to replay Alice: Madness Returns! I'm so in love with this game I don't even! I never once thought the platforming was repetitive, was totally fascinated with the different worlds, had too much fun swapping dresses for Alice and settled on the prettiest one (though not the most useful), and I want to bear-hug the devs for adding in little details like flower petals while she twirls. For a game that's supposed to have a dreary setting, it's amazingly girly.
(No, guys! Play it! It's not THAT girly!)
Mirror's Edge
Parkour has always been fascinating, which was what got me interested in Mirror's Edge in the first place. I have to admit, I was worried that I was going to be hopelessly nauseous while playing because of the first-person perspective. The demo came out, and I was perfectly fine. It was probably the first and only demo I replayed multiple times because like I said, parkour is fascinating. I was impressed at how smoothly you can link one move to the other, the environment and minimal sty.le is gorgeous, and while I wasn't too aware of the in-game soundtrack then, the title song was in my brain for a long time after the demo.
Of course I bought the full game when it hits retail back then, and loved it even more.
I should mention that when I first played the game, it was on an SDTV. I have yet to play it on my current HDTV, so another reason to replay it, yes?
Final Fantasy IX
Yeh, finally a game people can relate to wanting to replay, right? FFIX will always have a soft spot in my heart because it's the first FF title I ever played, beaten, and loved. I remember this being the first game that had me in awe while watching an FMV - heck, I didn't even know they were called FMVs then. I know I was wondering how the heck they made something so pretty in a game, considering that my first PS1 game was...
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Dude, I am not kidding. I was a kid, have read all available Harry Potter books then (even forced my English teacher to read it), and while I know I wanted Final Fantasy VII and IX when I got my PS1, I so badly wanted a Harry Potter game as well. I got it and I loved every second of playing it because I was very much an unashamed Harry Potter fan. Right now, I don't really know if I'll enjoy it as much but if I get the chance to replay it, why not? I know game adaptations weren't very well-received back then, and we scoff at them now as adults, but it made the kid me so very happy. Then I think the game served its purpose to entertain, didn't it?
Streets of Rage + Sunset Riders
Psh don't worry, I wasn't that hopeless as a kid. For someone whose parents disliked children playing video games, I still had a Sega Genesis which my dad bought randomly. For most people, they'd say "Ohhhh this was when I got into games!" or whatever. Uh not in my case. They were fun distractions when I was a kid and gave me a few hours of bonding time with my 2nd sister, which was what I really miss. They were easy to grasp - just frickin' punch or shoot, but games nowadays are a bit too complex. According to my sister anyway. Ugh seriously? She's only 3 years older than me.
Jazz Jackrabbit + Duke Nukem II
And hey, I played DOS games too! They were somehow preloaded into the family computer, and like the Sega Genesis games, they were fun distractions for us. My sister and I took turns controlling either the movement, or the gun. I don't know how, but we made that work. Although we never got to beat Duke Nukem II, and we could only beat Jazz Jackrabbit on the easiest difficulty. I barely read anything that were happening on screen and was simply just moving around or shooting, and my sister was useless at gaming in general.
I could download an emulator I suppose, and finally understand what the heck was happening, but you know how I'm always lazy.
I just beat Final Fantasy IX for the first time a little over a week ago. It is definately one of the best Final Fantasys of all time and it has the best ending of any Final Fantasy game ever.
@RangerFirePower Oh man. I have never felt so good when I first beat FFIX because I was so invested in all the characters. Glad you enjoyed your time with it. (:
Mirrors Edge was an amazing game, and well worth another play. I really wish they would have produced a second one :(
I guess I need to finish Fable II and never played 3... but the series as a whole bored me. It had some charm, but as a compelling story and game... it just fell flat for me.
^_^ I love Alice too :) Have you played the original?
Mirror's edge is incredibly fresh. Such a lovely idea and I rather liked the character too. I found the game itself hard to grasp at times... but I stuck with it till the end and now it's one of those titles I remember fondly.
And you lost me on the rest :P
@hush404 Yup I've played American McGee's Alice. I was extremely happy that they provided a DLC code when you buy Madness Returns. Overall, I preferred MR over the original though.
I was actually in the middle of replaying Mirror's Edge on Hard but stopped. I went for a "no gun combat" route on Normal, but on Hard, it's very challenging. I probably will just use a flippin gun anyway in the end.
@mufujifi Yeah, the original, while I love it, had a bit more of a generic third person, mindless action game feel to it over that of the more refined system in teh newer Alice game. Loved the style just as much though and I think prob cuz I played it back when it came out, had a closer feel to it than playing today when games have beefed up. I think I only completed ME on normal and even then found it not easy :P The guns seem like such a handicap in that game though...
1 Like @hush404 The gun combat certainly felt awkward, and it was honestly easier to just knock out your enemies with fists. On Hard though, you drop so much faster and I'm thinking using a gun is probably the only way you can get through the game. I'm stuck on the second last chapter (if I'm not wrong), where you just snuck into the ship in a container. Zomg. Guns shooting at you everywhere.
I had the PC version of Sorcerer's Stone, which I thought was ok, but I want to play the GBC version as I love the second game on that system..
By the way, Alice: Madness Returns is one of my favourite games from last year, It was an easy high 8 for me, and I loved how unique it was. So strange and wonderful, a fairy tale for adults.
I started Fable 2 and never went back to it, I know I got to some time. Same as Skyrim. Games I want to replay are Dead Space 1 & 2, Batman Arkham City and even though I didn't finish Halo 4 on normal yet, I know I'll want to replay it again on Legendary with my brother.
@immortality20 Yeh I have to get back to Skyrim as well. I stopped playing when I got Kingdoms of Amalur, which I honestly liked more. ... I was supposed to put Amalur onto my replay list actually.
*high-fives on Madness Returns*
I never finished Alice. I made it to this underwater section and then proceeded to get stuck. Then I gave up and moved on. I should probably go back to it eventually. I really enjoyed what I played of it. Fable 2 and Fable 3 were okay. Not my favorite games but okay. I enjoyed the second game the most of any Fable game. The original had the most depth from a combat standpoint, but I really liked the whole family building aspect of Fable 2. You could build a family in the third, but it just never felt right. The third game also had that odd ending third. I knew going in how you had to do it, but I think it was a pretty odd way to end the game. I liked the part in the desert, though. From an artistic standpoint I thought that continent was a lot more interesting than Albion. I guess overall I enjoyed all three games but I wouldn't put them among my favorites. Mirror's Edge was a game I didn't really enjoy. The concept was excellent but the execution just wasn't there. I would have loved a sequel that fixed the pacing and control issues and really expanded upon the cool premise but I doubt that will ever happen.
@immortality20 @Setho10 Alice as in, McGee's, or Madness Returns? I honestly won't recommend McGee's Alice unless you want the full story and atmosphere, cos that was brilliant. As for Madness Returns, I was more taken in by the gameplay and everything else but the story, but I'd still recommend it.
I agree on the family aspect feeling off in Fable 3. I wasn't that invested in it, and was simply having my female character fool around with other females. Why not? Haha. There was a desert in 3? Wow I can't even remember that.
And as for Mirror's Edge, I thought it was executed well. I didn't have any control issues, and I loved that it didn't focus on gun combat but instead on evasion and movement. Although the ninja cops annoyed the heck out of me. I'm still holding on to the hope of a sequel. It's supposed to be a trilogy damnit. DICE/EA, make it happen!
I can't remember much about the Fable games either. Strange. I don't remember the dog digging up a bunch of condoms, that's for sure. I do remember sitting there for an hour mindlessly grinding away at that swordcrafting job thinking to myself "Why the hell am I doing this?" The different worlds are definitely the best part of Alice; the cards in the sky are pretty awesome and the final stage was some good trippy stuff. I never played Sorcerer's Stone but I played Chamber of Secrets, I really liked that game. It doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult, flying around Hogwarts on your broom is awesome.
@kfjl Haha you too? Weird that Fable does that. I think I had my dog trained to spot treasures, which I'm not sure how that equated to condoms. Heh there was a job I loved to grind on. It was so monotonous, it became therapeutic.
And the Card Bridge level in Madness Returns was my favourite. Gorgeous. The broom (i.e. Quidditich) in Sorceror's Stone sucked. ): But everything else was magical.
I would never have imagined you and Streets of Rage in the same sentence! I LOVE Streets of Rage. Love it, love it. One of my favorite Final Fight knockoffs. You definitely should replay that again.
God, Fable II and Fable III are looking REALLY interesting right now. But I'm holding off for obvious reasons. Still, I'm not ruling it out.
@Asagea_888 Hahaha why not??! Anyway, I have Streets of Rage on XBLA if I ever feel like it. Hmm maybe I should grab my sister to play it again with me. And I'm actually surprised you've never played Fable 2/3. Did you play Lost Chapters? I'm not sure if that's worth playing, but I definitely would like to replay 2+3. I was very close to buying used copies yesterday while I was out.
@mufujifi No, I've never played a single Fable game, not even the Lost Chapters! I think that was because my gaming tastes weren't as fleshed out as they are now, so I'm giving the Fable games a second look. I like the idea of making choices and not being shoehorned into playing good guys for once, and just the overall adult nature of the series is something of a guilty pleasure :)
@Asagea_888 The choices in Fable didn't feel like it has much weight, but it honestly didn't bother me much. I think you will like the series if you don't expect too much out of it.
Yes! The first two Harry Potter games were so much fun back in the day. I actually got FFIX for a great deal about a year ago, yet to play it again. From what I remember though, it's the best Final Fantasy game.
@Eikichi-Onizuka I highly recommend you to! Totally download an emulator if you have the time to spare. (:
@immortality20 @Eikichi-Onizuka Yup it was an early Cliffy B game. Although of course back then, no one really knew who he was.
DosBox is a great little DOS emulator, it emulates the soundblaster cards etc so you get all the old school sound. I can help ya if you ever want to try. I miss Duke and Jazz, also Keen (which is on steam now) and Space Quest, which I replaced recently. I miss DOS! Anyway.. Good to see you back!
I want to replay Mirrors Edge too, as my game was bugged at the time and I couldn't get past the second or third area :(
@GunnyHath I actually had DosBox once, and was playing something. I remember it was FPS-ish. Maybe Heretic. But then you gifted me those games on Steam, so hooray! Ya I miss DOS. Those were days when I just played for simple and pure fun.
Your Mirror's Edge is on Steam? My friend was complaining to me about how PC controls were annoying compared to consoles. ):
