Latest Game Purchases #12: Video Game Heaven Haul Edition

For some reason or another I decided to take a trip to Video Game Heaven on Tuesday, one of my in between days off from work. I could have easily gone on Thursday or Friday since I have those days off, too, but I thought I'd go on Tuesday just to be done with it. Turns out every Tuesday is 10% off on all purchases. Score!

The $4 bin of PS2, Xbox and GameCube games had some nice titles to offer again. I was able to pick up a complete copy of Jak 3 and complete the PS2 Jak and Daxter trilogy. I'm really looking forward to going through this series and I may pick up the spin off Jak X: Combat Racing someday.

I also bought Burnout 3: Takedown for $7.99. Burnout 3 is my favorite Burnout game and one of my favorite PS2 racers. It's complete, but the case is a bit worse for ware. I'll have to get a better case. One of the best arcade-style racing game deserves it.

I'm a huge fan of Robotech. I once owned the GameCube version of Robotech: Battlecry and it was another of those games that I traded. It may not have been the best licensed game but I did enjoy what I played some years ago. I'm happy to have it in my collection once more. For those of you not in the know, Robotech is an action/drama anime series that features transforming mechs that can launch a barrage of missiles. That's the short version. It would take way too much time to explain in depth about one of my favorite animes here.

There are still a few GameCube games I need to pick up before I'm finished buying games for that system but Chibi-Robo! was a game I didn't ever really plan on buying. It was there the last time I was at Video Game Heaven and I told myself that if it was still there, I'd pick it up. I'm not quiet sure how to explain it, but I felt compelled to buy Chibi-Robo! as if the self titled character was staring right back at me with those little eyes saying "Buuuuuy meeeeee!" The came was complete and the more I read about it on the back of the case and  in the game's manual, the stranger it sounds. From what I gather, it's not your conventional game and I'm really surprised Nintendo published something like this six years ago.

A good friend loaned me his copy of the SNES game Demon's Crest a few years back. It's a fantastic spin-off title in the Ghost 'n Goblins series staring Firebrand, who looks like one of the enemies that Arthur encounters during his quest to save his lady love. Demon's Crest is far more forgiving than any of Arthur's adventures and it has a dash of RPG elements. I liked Demon's Crest so much that I sought out Gargoyle's Quest II on the NES about five years ago. It's another game staring Firebrand that I need to complete. Both it and Demon's Crest need to see Virtual Console releases. Make it happen, Capcom.

Remember the Super FX chip on the SNES? It maid polygonal graphics possible on Nintendo's 16-bit machine. Mention that chip and most people will think of StarFox but there were a few other games that made use of it, such as Stunt Race FX. This game doesn't have the greatest controls but it's still fun and it hardly cost anything. Looking forward to playing it again.

I was told by one of the clerks that no one was buying their Genesis games, which is odd because they have a nice selection. They had the entire Phantasy Star Genesis trilogy for chump change. The only reason I bought Phantasy Star II and IV is because I already have a physical copy of Phantasy Star III. Both games were only $9.99. I'd always assumed both of those games would go for $20 or more considering the reputation they have. Oh well, I'm not complaining. Wonder Boy in Monster World was even cheaper, going for $3.99.

Back in 1998, I played a demo of Einhander. A few years later, I found a new copy of the game at KB Toys for $24.99. Then for some stupid reason, I traded it in. Einhander ended up becoming one of those rare PS1 games. So I was surprised to see it in Video Game Heaven for the exact same price I paid for nearly 10 years ago. The case was cracked but the clerk replaced it with a fresh one. Was mighty nice of him. Not only is Ehinder a unique shooter, it also has a stand out musicals core. One of the boss themes, Shudder is hands down, one of the best boss tracks I've ever heard.  

I remember reading about Silhouette Mirage on the PlayStation in 1998 in Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly. I wanted to play the game but was never able to find a copy. Years later, I found out that the game was originally released on the Saturn in 1997 and ported to Sony's system a year later. Being an import, I was worried that Silhouette Mirage would be costly, but it turned out to be pretty affordable at only $34.99. It's also on Sony's PlayStation Network in Japan. The American version is actually a lot harder due to the changes Working Designs implemented. I guess I'm better off with the Saturn version after all. I ended up buying this because it was a recommended import on Retro Gamer's Sega Saturn Collector's Guide feature.

I've always been a huge fan of the Gradius series and it's spin-offs. The Gradius Deluxe Pack has arcade perfect ports of Gradius and Gradius II. I was never able to get the arcade rom of Gradius on MAME to work so it's nice to finally be able to play the arcade version on the Saturn. Much as I like the NES version of Gradius, it's nice to have easy access to arcade Gradius at last. Gradius II seems to be just as hard and relentless as the PC-Engine version that I have on the Virtual Console. Both games have English text, so no knowledge of the Japanese language is required. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus has three games on it, Salamander, Life Force and Salamander 2, all arcade perfect. Salamander 2 is one of my favorite shooters to play on MAME and now I can fire it up on the Saturn whenever I like. What little text it has int he game is also all in English.

Each time I went into Video Game Heaven, I saw Power Drift. I've never played the game, but I'm aware that it was developed by Yu Suzuki, of OutRun, Super Hang-On, and Space Harrier fame. I was still unsure of whether I should pick it up or not. What talked me into picking it up was Retro Gamer's "Why You Must Play" feature on Power Drift. That magazine has no problem swaying me.

Memories #2: Rayman

1996 was a very memorable year for me in gaming. There was such a buzz in the air for the coming generation of consoles from Nintendo, Sony and Sega, each system loaded with it's unique brand of games with polygonal graphics. Back in those days, you could count all the polygons on one hand, but it was still an impressive sight, nonetheless. During these times, my father and I would rent a PlayStation from Blockbuster Video until he brought one later that year. I find it ironic that one of the first games I played on Sony's first home console, which was big on 3D graphics, was a 2D game.

The first time Rayman was ever brought to my attention was the pages of GamePro magazine. I was reading the review for the Jaguar version of the game. It scored high marks and sounded like a game that I would really enjoy. But since I didn't have a Jaguar and wasn't able to rent one, I'm grateful that Ubisoft ported it to the different platforms, including the Sony's PS1.

What caught my eyes from the very beginning was Rayman's visual style. Until that point, I had never seen such a beautiful 2D game. As impressive as the polygons in Tekken, and Virtua Fighter were, Rayman's  graphics were positively jaw-dropping. The animation was equally astounding. Despite the fact that none of the characters have limbs, they manage to pull off incredibly fluid movements. From Electoons to the enemies to Rayman himself, each sprite is teeming with life.

Even by today's standard's, Rayman looks amazing.

Being raised on Mario platformers, I was a bit taken aback to find that not only could Rayman not jump on enemies, he couldn't even do anything to defend himself. At least not at first. The first few levels in the first world see you avoiding enemies all together until your first encounter with Betilla the Fairy. Betilla grants Rayman the power to punch. It has to be winded up and it doesn't go very far at first, but hey, it's something.

Those mean-looking musical notes aren't
the only bad thing about this world.

If it's not a power up, it's out to kill you.

On the subject of Betilla, I must comment on the game's music. Rayman's audio is very pleasing to the ears. Whenever I encountered Betilla for a new power-up, I would wait before approaching her just so I could hear her soothing theme tune, which has a place on my portable MP3 player. There's also a rocking boss jam hat plays when you're fighting the second mosquito. That track was so awesome that I almost didn't mind that the battle could drag on for a bit. Some stages had musical themes that would change during the course of the level. You could be listening to a lighthearted them as you're jumping across platforms, punching out foes one minute, the next, the music takes a turn for the dark and sinister, the most evident example of this is in Band Land, which is fitting considering that was the game's difficulty spike.

Rayman has no idea of the horrors that await him here.
Ignorance truly is bliss. 

Some stages have Rayman doing his best Simon Belmont
impression.

Rayman was much more slow paced than other platformers, but it was just as hard as any game from the 8-bit NES era. By the time I got to the aforementioned Band Land, the game stopped pulling it's punches. Tricky platforming and evil enemy placement were standard fare. You wouldn't think a stage full of musical instruments could be so unforgiving. You'd be wrong. Band Land was so hard that I was never able to pass it, not when I rented the game in 1996 or when I bought it in 2000.  Even with passwords and being able to save, Rayman is still soul-crushingly hard. Once all five of your continues are used up, it's game over. If you are prone to breaking controllers, I don't think I can recommend Rayman to you.

While I do have some fond memories of Rayman, said memories are also mixed with some bad ones. I actually haven't gone back to play this game for some time since I got stuck on Band Land. Still, I would like to tackle this game again someday. As challenging as it is, Rayman still remains an audio and visual masterpeice. It may be cast in the shadow of the Marios and Sonics of the world, but it's still a solid platform game, albeit one with no remorse for the player.