Wednesday, July 31, 2013

SNES Games for a Rainy Day

In Korea its rainy season. This means two things, always carry an umbrella and stay indoors as much as possible. While staying indoors, why not kick back and play a few SNES games?  Here are some recommendations that can be beat during a rainy afternoon...

Earth Defense Force
This is a solid SNES shooter from Jaleco. While the SNES isn't known for shooters, this game stands up pretty well to other games in the genre, and the graphics are quite nice. It is a fairly obscure gem that doesn't take too long to master and defeat, but I think it is worth a few playthroughs.

Illusion of Gaia

One of my favorite SNES action RPGs is also a fairly short one. The graphics are top-notch and the music is also catchy. If you like Ys or Zelda, try this classic. It is best to play this one in short bursts, but if you have one whole day to relax, you could certainly find worse ways to kill time.

Mega Man X
This is the penultimate Mega Man experience. It takes all the stuff that worked well in the NES games and builds on it to make a great action game. Everything about this game is awesome, so if you haven't played, clear out your schedule and get to it...rain or shine!

Cybernator

Cybernator is for people that love awesome 2-D action and robots. If you fall into this cateogory (and who doesn't) then play this game. It has not been re-released on a virtual service, which is unfortunate, but track it down for a rainy day by legal or shady means. You will not be disappointed. This one also has a fan-made patch that re-implements the Japanese character art and infamous suicide scene for those interested in seeing the original version fully intact.

Violinist of Hameln
The final game I will mention is a Japanese exclusive. It is based on a manga about a girl that can change into animals that is practically unknown in the US. However, this is a wonderful puzzle filled platformer with cute characters and a charming theme that should appeal to anyone with a weakness for retro games. There is an English patch available (http://superfamicom.org/translations/info/violinist-of-hameln-english) so now you can enjoy the story.

Five PSOne Games We Need on PSN

The PlayStation Network has plenty of quality games from the PSOne era, especially if you own a Japanese account. However, there are some glaring omissions in the library that need to be corrected, starting with...
5. Strider 2 
This great 2-D action game has a reboot coming out soon so it seems like a perfect time to stick this baby on PSN. Strider 2 also came with an arcade perfect port of the first game as a bonus disc that should be included for completion's sake. Come on Capcom, release it in a digital format (my Vita needs game), and if you are feeling really kind release the next one as well...
2. The Misadventures of Miss Tron Bonne
The Misadventures of Miss Tron Bonne epitomized the awesomeness of Tron Bonne and the lovable Servbot army from Mega Man Legends. This game is a bit of cult classic which keeps the disc prices high on eBay so I'm sure people would jump at the chance to own a cheap digital copy. I bet many Marvel vs. Capcom 3 players would like to see her origins, but the Mega Man Legends series has been swept under the rug in favor of crap like Lost Planet 3. Sigh.
3. Skullmonkeys
This weird little platformer is not remembered by many people and that is a shame, because it has more charm than half of the PlayStation games worshiped by reviewers and collectors these days. Skullmonkeys deserves another chance, if Tomba and Earthworm Jim can catch a break, why not this one?
2. Sexy Parodius
If you like shoot'em ups, Sexy Parodius should be at the top of your must play list if you've never tried it. The game parodies Gradius and other famous Konami franchises with cute 2-D graphics and a great OST. I'm really shocked that this is not on PSN since so many people loved this game (in Japan, as it was never released elsewhere.)
1. Top Shop
This game was released toward the end of the PSOne era at a super cheap price, but don't let that fool you, this is one of the best multiplayer games around. It is like Monopoly set in a mall with charming chibi anime characters. It can't cost too much to throw this on the PSN store, since this game isn't popular, but it could become popular, especially for people that like board games.