Showing posts with label Sunsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunsoft. Show all posts

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Switch Funday - Blaster Master - My First Time


Welcome to Switch Funday!

This week is another popular NES game that i haven't played before. for years i've been hearing people talking about how great Blaster Master so i was eager to try it for myself.

Going in, i was somewhat familiar with the basics. i knew the story revolves around a pet frog, but i was surprised how well it conveys that story with just pictures and no words. I knew there was a vehicle section as well as on foot sections, but i was also surprised how seamlessly the two gameplay styles were used in an area. it was cool when the level moved to focus on just the character. it was zoomed in and a new perspective. the high level of detail was surprising and everything controlled brilliantly. 

But i didn't really make much progress in this video. i don't know if i'm still in the starting area, but i suspect i am. i came across a green statue that couldn't be killed. there was a giant raspberry looking boss that i couldn't kill either. at least with the boss it was clear i was doing damage, just never enough to defeat it. for being at the start of the game, this boss was much tougher than i expected. it has rocks orbiting around it and they're very dangerous. 

So i come away with mixed feelings. there's no denying that this game looks great, handles great, and has great music. but actually making progress in it seems much more difficult than i expected. the levels are big, but there seems to be no sign posting as to where to go or what's needed to progress past sections. I want to play it again, but rather because i want to solve the puzzle that the first area has turned into, rather than how good the game is itself. it's certainly well worth playing if you have NES as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Switch Funday - Super Fantasy Zone - My First Time

Welcome to Switch Funday!

This week i decided to try out the Mega Drive App that's part of the Nintendo Switch Online. i had a Mega Drive growing up so i have played many of the games on the app. one game i hadn't played was Super Fantasy Zone. but i had played the Master System original on, i think it was, the Wii.

So going in i knew it was going to be a side scrolling shooter, i thought that it might be similar to Gleylancer that i played as part of my Backlog Conquering series. because i had that expectation, when i saw i could change the amount of lives i had i did. i also made sure i remembered how to rewind the game when i died as i was sure i was going to die a lot.

And i wasn't wrong. the first couple of levels do go by quickly but i did die a lot. this kept happening up until i decided to stop playing. you can hear in my voice how frustrated i was getting. so i stopped before i got too angry.

the game does look great, everything is clear and distinct. the soundtrack is amazing, too. but there were some choices made that negatively affected it's gameplay. the level before i stopped playing, my biggest complaint was that enemies kept on respawning. the boss enemies were also becoming bullet sponges in a way that felt like they had leveled up faster than my own character.

So i'm glad i tried it but i doubt i'll go back and play it again. i did save it just in case i do.