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Topic: ActRaiser 2 - The Most Despised Ninty 16-bit Sequel Ever

Posts 21 to 33 of 33

ogo79

is this a good game to play without garments on?
what isnt a good game to play without garments on?

the_shpydar wrote:
As @ogo79 said, the SNS-RZ-USA is a prime giveaway that it's not a legit retail cart.
And yes, he is (usually) always right, and he is (almost) the sexiest gamer out there (not counting me) ;)

KingMike

(I probably mentioned this before but)
Super Pinball for SNES is a great game because, as Nintendo told us, you have to go to an arcade and wear clothes to get more realistic pinball action!

KingMike

StarBoy91

@ogo79 - ummmmmmm,... whatever works for you?

To each their own

ogo79

KingMike wrote:

(I probably mentioned this before but)
Super Pinball for SNES is a great game because, as Nintendo told us, you have to go to an arcade and wear clothes to get more realistic pinball action!

now this is pointing me in the right direction!

the_shpydar wrote:
As @ogo79 said, the SNS-RZ-USA is a prime giveaway that it's not a legit retail cart.
And yes, he is (usually) always right, and he is (almost) the sexiest gamer out there (not counting me) ;)

StarBoy91

Just wanted to resurrect this thread in case anyone wanted to say anything more about ActRaiser 2 or wanted to contribute in some way. If there's anything you'd like to add up, feel free to speak or forever hold your peace.

To each their own

Jamestown

You could argue that Zelda II threw out pretty much everything that made the first one a success too, even more so than Actraiser. I have owned both Actraiser games though and I can't really see what's so great about the first one besides it's generally decent playability. It seemed like one of those where they try to combine 2 genres, but they don't do either in a spectacular way, the action scenes were just a little awkward, and the sim parts were too simple and linear. At the time AR2 came out & the magazines were hyping it, I thought "Yay they finally got rid of the sim parts in favor of better action scenes", but the controls seemed so overwrought that it lacked the 'pick up and play' aspect that I enjoy in adventure games like that.

Jamestown

StarBoy91

Yeah, ActRaiser 2, as unfortunate as it sounds, is not a game for everyone. It could've been great, and as I've said before it has the potential to be great, but it's sadly hindered by its own blemishes. I personally didn't mind the difficulty so much, and while I admit that it can get frustrating sometimes, I think the crusade is worth taking if you persevere. It's certainly not the hardest game I've played on the SFC/SNES;... that would be Plok (I still struggle to beat its Normal mode; ActRaiser 2 gets the edge for me because at least I could beat all its difficulty settings as opposed to just one like in Plok;... oh, and it's a one sitting game), The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (I blame the loose controls and steep difficulty here;... oh, and it's a one sitting game), and even Xandra no Daibōken: Valkyrie to no Deai (which I'm starting to regret having played because of its demanding difficulty coupled with a darkly grim and depressing story; that's not a good combo, Namco, that's just a recipe for disaster... a depressing disaster; but at least it's not a one sitting game). But like I said, ActRaiser 2 is not for everyone, and while I don't expect it to get lots of appreciation, I do respect people's opinions on it (which for the most part are highly understandable). To each their own.

But hey, look on the bright side: at least it's got passwords and not a single save file like a certain Quintet title which preceded it. HINT! HINT!
And before anyone takes offense at that: yes, I am aware that the first Actraiser/ActRaiser is not a very long game and that some can beat it on just one sitting. Not everyone is experienced enough to do so, however, so most will feel the need to save; and unfortunately let the other person that wants to play it wait until the current player is done with it in the process (if it comes to that). =(

Edited on by StarBoy91

To each their own

KingMike

I nearly beat Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt, but as I mentioned the game has serious random-crashing issues at least with my console (probably one of the earlier console versions).

Xandra has an English version "Whirlo", but it is sadly PAL-exclusive and I hear extremely rare and expensive.
(ogo are you emailing Namco yet?)

KingMike

StarBoy91

Well at least the Japanese original is more affordable and easy to come by and does not demand THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to be spent on it as is the case for the localized PAL version Whirlo. I once saw a full CIB copy of it on eBay that cost around that much... absolutely crazy; no one should spend that much on a game (regardless of whether it turns out to be good or turns out to be crap)!

... It makes me wonder: what is contributing to the high price for the PAL version anyway? Its high difficulty? The bad endings? The depressing theme behind its story despite its lighthearted tone? The fact it got localized at all, albeit for one continent? The fact that Namco "angry Kirby-fied" the main protagonist for the PAL version (in the Japanese version, Xandra looks like a sweet approachable character; in the PAL version he looks anything but with his angry eyes, as far as I looked up)?

Regardless of whether anyone likes ActRaiser 2 or not, one thing is for certain: Xandra no Daibōken: Valkyrie to no Deai makes ActRaiser 2 look easily manageable and reasonable by comparison (by itself though, ActRaiser 2 would still be manageable (though not easily) and it is a little reasonable if you study enemy and boss patterns and persevere throughout, all while going at a slow and steady pace). It's not worth the depression for me personally (one of the few games that's ever made me feel depressed; along with Mega Man VII and the recent Yoshi's New Island... Namco, I hate you), and I don't think its worth the high price tag either; I'd much rather play Namco's lightheartedly fun and easygoing 16-bit Wagyan trilogy (well, maybe not Super Wagyan Land 2 (that one just didn't work for me); but Super Wagyan Land and Wagyan Paradise at least have the decency to not take themselves too seriously and that's what makes them fun and enjoyable for me; don't be all glum and dark with people--especially Xandra's infant son--dying from a deathly plague and the main character becoming evil if he fails his mission! Seriously!! Just be fun; that, or maybe fine-tune the extra jumping controls and have less hair-raising area design in the adventure; music's nice, though, I'll give it that much). And for that matter, I'd rather play ActRaiser 2, as at least it doesn't make me feel depressed when I play it (despite the darker tones and scenery, I can still play through it).

To each their own

Edited on by StarBoy91

To each their own

ogo79

WanderFan91 wrote:

... It makes me wonder: what is contributing to the high price for the PAL version anyway? Its high difficulty? The bad endings? The depressing theme behind its story despite its lighthearted tone? The fact it got localized at all, albeit for one continent? The fact that Namco "angry Kirby-fied" the main protagonist for the PAL version (in the Japanese version, Xandra looks like a sweet approachable character; in the PAL version he looks anything but with his angry eyes, as far as I looked up)?

thats pretty much why actually lol

KingMike wrote:

(ogo are you emailing Namco yet?)

i did right before i read this actually

Untitled
this is old news yet interesting

the_shpydar wrote:
As @ogo79 said, the SNS-RZ-USA is a prime giveaway that it's not a legit retail cart.
And yes, he is (usually) always right, and he is (almost) the sexiest gamer out there (not counting me) ;)

StarBoy91

That would make sense, honestly, if that were the case

To each their own

KoopaTrooper

The mere name Actraiser brings a tear to my eye. If any game deserved to be reborn it is Actraiser. Such a great game. Its obvious the people behind Actraiser 2 had no idea what made the 1st one so much fun.

KoopaTrooper

StarBoy91

@KoopaTrooper - don't take this the wrong way as I respect its status as a classic, but if ActRaiser was reborn then it would be furthering my theory that the license-holders only care about ActRaiser and not the remaining quintet of Quintet's library (SoulBlazer, ActRaiser 2, Illusion of Gaia, Robotrek, and Terranigma) and it would not change the fact that it's too overexposed for its own good. It's a good game, yes; it's worth playing, yes; does it mean it should take top priority as far as rereleases are concerned (leaving the other games in the dust)? No. No is the answer! And I know I'm sounding like a broken record at this point (but I have to since I feel like I'm the only one who sees the bigger picture here), but the sequel, the Gaia trilogy, the turn-based entry of the library: they need a rerelease, since they were only released once (on the SFC/SNES) while ActRaiser was released four times (the SFC/SNES original, the super arcade game, the modified phone version, the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console). Why? There is no justification for this unfair negligence. I like the first ActRaiser but I just hate what it's become: the license holders' excuse to snub the other five Quintet games. I just find that despicable.

No, Quintet was not wise when it came to removing the town simulation elements in ActRaiser 2, as they ended up taking away what made the first game what it was. But yeah, this "sequel/prequel/whatever it was" was doomed from the start since Quintet decided to give it the ActRaiser moniker.

To each their own

Edited on by StarBoy91

To each their own

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