(Issue 208!) JournalistMan.exe

[GrooveMan.exe]

I've got Wizardry GOLD. It seems alot like Might & Magic (I happen to have Might & Magic: World of XEEN as well). Never tried playing it, got sucked in by Ultima Underworld, Wasteland, Bard's Tale and Might & Magic. (I bought a collection of oldschool RPGs. Seriously awesome stuff)

I should install it under DosBox and give it a whirl.

It would arguably easier to run Dark Spire as a taste test, considering it's more forgiving and easier to emulate. I only own Heroes of Might and Magic 2 (It's a Turn Based Strategy with hex-based RPG battles! It rocks! The computer cheats like a whore!) and HoMoM 5, which was like an early Oblivion, and I hated it.

To tell the truth I can't progress beyone the 2nd floor and Basement in Dark Spire. I nerfed myself by having one of every base class (BAD IDEA, Thieves are combat useless, 2-Warrior 1 Cleric 1 Wizard has a better damage output), meaning after a while enemies are quicker at killing me than I am at killing them.

Vipershark, Nethack is like TDS, but it takes more cues from Rogue.

Imagine a tree diagram starting with Tabletop RPGs. The initial 2 branches are Rogue (Giving us Nethack all the way to Izuna and Mystery Dungeon) and Wizardry (Giving us Dragon Quest all the way to FF13).

Actually, that sounds like it would be an interesting project to make. Would anyone help me if I tried?

[Dark Ultima]

I'll help if I can, just depends what you'd need me to do.

~

If my memory is serving me correctly, I think I was considering buying Dark Spire. But I have since stopped playing my Ds entirely (its what happens when I only have Metroid Prime: Hunters and Resident Evil: Deadly Silence to play, and I finish them both to death). I also have never bothered to get an emulator for the Ds, nor get a pirate card thingy for it. I'm abit of a moralfag like that.

I'll install Wizardry tomorow. Apparently it won't install under DOS, this is an updated version designed for windows. Certainly not XP, but it might work...

[GrooveMan.exe]

I'd probably need other people to fill in the blanks - As many RPGs that I've played, my tastes don't span the entire genre. A lot of games on the Roguelike side of things I've not touched.

Although it could be argued that real-time RPGs like Gauntlet, PSO, and Diablo are on that side of the RPG tree.

[Dark Ultima]

There are things where it can be argued that things have been spawned from things, but I don't think its that simple after a few 'generations'

I know that Fallout is based on Wasteland, Wasteland is based on 'Scavengers of the Mutant World'.

Then there are the grey areas like Warlords: Battlecry, an RTS based on a TBS, expanding the Hero element of the original series (Warlords)

[Omegakyogre]

Very nice, enjoyable review. I'm now interested in the Dark Spire, even if only for the 8-bit/Modern dichotomy.

[GrooveMan.exe]

...Is going to be the feature article I'll include for my next Games page, but I want to do some more research first.

What the entry will consist of is a column detailing around 6 different games that are best played (or exist soley for) co-operative multiplayer. That means games that focus on Player Vs. Player don't count!

I know I'm definitely including Gunstar Heroes, Phantasy Star Online, and possibly Monster Hunter Tri as the most recent example, but I want to know what your favourites are!

So if you have a co-op game which you just adore, tell me about it here. The platform it was for and the year it was made is useful, but I can research that myself. Saying why you loved the co-op so much will be very useful.

Games from intereresting Generations/Platforms will get precedence~

[Chutzpar]

I'm not sure if it counts, but Little Big Planet? :>

It's kinda equally competitive and co-op, actually. You have to have friends around to be able to solve some puzzles, but there's still a points system that decides a 'winner' at the end of a level.

I absolutely love the co-op in LBP because you have equal opportunity to be nice and help people out, and to RUIN THINGS FOR EVERYONE. So you can help someone solve a puzzle that needs three people to activate switches or something, and then promptly grab onto their ankles as they try to make a jump so taht you both fall to your doom.

:3c

[Dazz]

With the risk of sounding specific, The Sims 2 on PS2...
And We Katamari.

[GrooveMan.exe]

I'll start with my own examples:

Gunstar Heroes: Sega Genesis, Treasure (1993)
Treasure is known for creating vibrant and wacky games, and this one is probably the most famous. Given a range of powerful weapons and waves of enemies to explode, clearing a path through the madness with a friend is exhillarating... until you start fighting over items and stealing each other's health to get back in the game if you die. Available to play on the Wii's Virtual Console.

Phantasy Star Online: Dreamcast/Gamecube, Sonic Team (2001)
Before World of Warcraft, online RPGs were very different, and PSO was one of the first games of the genre on a video game console, rather than on PC. Set in a distant future, players form teams of explorers and mercenaries to investigate the mysterious planet Ragol. The arcade-like gameplay gave things a more frantic feel than other RPGs of the time, and the teamwork element was tantamount to survival - the difficulty of later stages is rock hard. The game servers are now hosted by fans; so you can play the PC version for free! Find it at http://www.schtserv.com/

Edit: HEY I TYPE TOO SLOW AND TYPE TOO MUCH

Wonderful suggestions, thank you. =D

[Dazz]

I'll type mine out properly

The Sims 2, Maxim (PS2)
While the game was fun alone, with a friend playing along side you, you can get a whole lot more done. Not only does the benefit of having two people control the actions of your sims provide a decent volume of productivity, it also allows for a whole lot of friendship to develop. My friend and I played this game as a joke to begin with, but slowly found ourselves arranging for night long sessions of work, partying and cooking in the comfort of my living room.

We Katamari, Namco (PS2)
Katamari Damacy was a successful weird game in itself, now with the help of making a full co-op game out of it, it is easily one of the best experiences to be had with gaming. With hard to grasp controls to begin with, you find a real friendship bond appear between you and your fellow roller. The game is no longer about getting to the next level, but to feel like the two of you have created a ball of beuty together as a team. Your minds sync. Your hand act. You stop thinking. You just roll. Natures way.

[tsr moderation staff]

FUCKING CONTRA

my god i have never beaten a game so many times except maybe megaman x/megaman zero 2.

[GrooveMan.exe]

Which version; the first?

[Cobalt Blue]

i'm asuming basically all games in the franchise.

there's one particular arcade game where having a second player doesnt only help but its also a must

Smash TV(Williams)
with an almost non stop streaming of enemies that want to kill you, limited to a completely tiny room, surrounded by mines, and being watched by millions everywhere. given this, the more help you can have the better. and having a second player does not only add firepower to your team, but is also the one you will rely when the hordes of enemies surround you. may the title of the show imply that you're agaisnt each other, but when you're just entering the first room you'll know that he's the one you'll have to rely in order to live.

[Deathbringer]

Which version; the first?

If you're talking about Contra, most of the games are co-op (the MSX version, Operation C and Contra: The Alien Wars for the Gameboy and C: The Contra Adventure for the PS1 were solos).

[Vipershark]

How about Gears and Gears 2?

Cog killing, curb stomping, co-op fun.
Not to mention that it's also a 360 game with local play, which is a rarity in itself.