Report, edit, etc...Posted by Cnl.Fatso on 2006-01-16 at 19:34:14
This seems to be something of a fad, so, as always, I'm going to jump right in.
Rating System:
Graphics (graphics relate to the time of release, not to the present day) /10
Sound (ditto) (includes music) /10
Gameplay (does it challenge you? Is it hard yet not impossible?) /10
Atmosphere (does it look and feel convincing?) /10
Controls (do they respond well? do they work well with the controller?) /10
Table of Contents:
1. Donkey Kong Country (1994/SNES)
2. TIE Fighter (1994/PC)
3. N/A (N/A)
Review #1: Donkey Kong Country
Developer: Rareware
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: SNES
Released in: 1994
[attachmentid=17003]
Graphics - 9.5/10
Donkey Kong Country simply astounded me with its graphic quality. The folks at Rare surprised us all by releasing what I believe is the best-looking 2-dimensional platformer ever. The half-point off is just on principle, because 1994 was also the year that TIE Fighter and StarFox were released.
[attachmentid=17002]
Sound - 9/10
DKC's sound was also amazing. The 16-bit sound chip on the SNES was put to use quite expertly by Rare. Effects sounded almost real, and the music was absorbing, giving the genuine impression of swinging through the jungle, trudging through snowy plains, et cetera.
Gameplay - 8/10
We'd already seen most of this gameplay before, so I have to give it an 8. Some features that were new to DKC were the barrel-blasting, the vine-jumping, and the desperate minecart chases. Otherwise, there wasn't much new.
Atmosphere - 9/10
What can I say? DKC was a very involved experience. The graphics and sound blended well and gave the impression of a desperate battle between Kongs and K. Rool.
[attachmentid=17004]
Controls - 7.5/10
I've certainly seen better layouts. The controls were B: Jump, Y: Run, A (or SELECT): Switch Character, and the D-Pad to move. I would have put Switch Character to X and R, as opposed to A and SELECT. It makes changing your character a more arduous process, and one I'd like to forgo, especially if I need to change on the fly.
Overall - 9/10 (this is not an average)
An excellent game, and one I'd recommend to anyone.
Screenies: I'd need to come back tomorrow, but you'll see.
Rating System:
Graphics (graphics relate to the time of release, not to the present day) /10
Sound (ditto) (includes music) /10
Gameplay (does it challenge you? Is it hard yet not impossible?) /10
Atmosphere (does it look and feel convincing?) /10
Controls (do they respond well? do they work well with the controller?) /10
Table of Contents:
1. Donkey Kong Country (1994/SNES)
2. TIE Fighter (1994/PC)
3. N/A (N/A)
Review #1: Donkey Kong Country
Developer: Rareware
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: SNES
Released in: 1994
[attachmentid=17003]
Graphics - 9.5/10
Donkey Kong Country simply astounded me with its graphic quality. The folks at Rare surprised us all by releasing what I believe is the best-looking 2-dimensional platformer ever. The half-point off is just on principle, because 1994 was also the year that TIE Fighter and StarFox were released.
[attachmentid=17002]
Sound - 9/10
DKC's sound was also amazing. The 16-bit sound chip on the SNES was put to use quite expertly by Rare. Effects sounded almost real, and the music was absorbing, giving the genuine impression of swinging through the jungle, trudging through snowy plains, et cetera.
Gameplay - 8/10
We'd already seen most of this gameplay before, so I have to give it an 8. Some features that were new to DKC were the barrel-blasting, the vine-jumping, and the desperate minecart chases. Otherwise, there wasn't much new.
Atmosphere - 9/10
What can I say? DKC was a very involved experience. The graphics and sound blended well and gave the impression of a desperate battle between Kongs and K. Rool.
[attachmentid=17004]
Controls - 7.5/10
I've certainly seen better layouts. The controls were B: Jump, Y: Run, A (or SELECT): Switch Character, and the D-Pad to move. I would have put Switch Character to X and R, as opposed to A and SELECT. It makes changing your character a more arduous process, and one I'd like to forgo, especially if I need to change on the fly.
Overall - 9/10 (this is not an average)
An excellent game, and one I'd recommend to anyone.
Screenies: I'd need to come back tomorrow, but you'll see.
Report, edit, etc...Posted by KrAzY on 2006-01-18 at 10:00:34
Any game made by Rare is cool.
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Neiji on 2006-01-18 at 14:40:56
When I played this game, I thought it was 3D...
Report, edit, etc...Posted by IceWarrior98 on 2006-01-18 at 15:47:49
QUOTE(Castaminator @ Jan 18 2006, 02:40 PM)
When I played this game, I thought it was 3D...
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[right][snapback]409723[/snapback][/right]
Same, but then i realised it couldnt do 3D stuff, like rotate camera
Excellent game IMO, though i've never beat it lol.Report, edit, etc...Posted by Cnl.Fatso on 2006-01-18 at 19:08:25
I haven't either 
I've beaten the story and got 78% but that's as far as I've gotten.
ADDITION:
The sprites are all just frames pulled from a 3D animation.
ADDITION:
Review #2: TIE Fighter
Developer: Laurence Holland
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: PC
Released in: 1994 (Collectors' CD edition: early 1995)
Graphics - 10/10
THE best graphic quality I'd ever seen at the time. Beautiful 3-dimensional models, up to 256 colors. The graphics quality certainly upped the value of the game. A later upgrade in the Collectors' CD-ROM edition upped the resolution to an amazing 640x480.
Sound - 9.5/10
The sound quality was also excellent. High-quality (for the time) tracks pulled right from the movies (then digitized into a handy MIDI format) were augmented by superbly-done sound effects.
Gameplay - 9.5/10
This was an amazing game, especially in its graphics, but also in its gameplay. The cockpit looked very convincing, and almost every gauge or display on it was actually a functioning part which could be knocked out of commission. From radar to a Combat Multiview Display which provided an actual real-time model of your target and listed its vital statistics to an Energy Placement Console to a shield/hull readout: it was all there. The difficulties of obtaining and destroying a target in three dimensions were very well captured.
Atmosphere - 9/10
Most of what I was going to say here I already said in the gameplay segment, so I'll not bore you with any more details.
Controls - 9.5/10
They couldn't have been better-done! All the controls made sense, from the weapon switching to the shield management to the throttle.
Overall - 10/10 (this is not an average)
An absolute phenomenon! I've not found a better game in ages.
Pictures are sadly once again forthcoming.
I've beaten the story and got 78% but that's as far as I've gotten.
ADDITION:
QUOTE(Castaminator @ Jan 18 2006, 11:40 AM)
When I played this game, I thought it was 3D...
[right][snapback]409723[/snapback][/right]
[right][snapback]409723[/snapback][/right]
The sprites are all just frames pulled from a 3D animation.
ADDITION:
Review #2: TIE Fighter
Developer: Laurence Holland
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: PC
Released in: 1994 (Collectors' CD edition: early 1995)
Graphics - 10/10
THE best graphic quality I'd ever seen at the time. Beautiful 3-dimensional models, up to 256 colors. The graphics quality certainly upped the value of the game. A later upgrade in the Collectors' CD-ROM edition upped the resolution to an amazing 640x480.
Sound - 9.5/10
The sound quality was also excellent. High-quality (for the time) tracks pulled right from the movies (then digitized into a handy MIDI format) were augmented by superbly-done sound effects.
Gameplay - 9.5/10
This was an amazing game, especially in its graphics, but also in its gameplay. The cockpit looked very convincing, and almost every gauge or display on it was actually a functioning part which could be knocked out of commission. From radar to a Combat Multiview Display which provided an actual real-time model of your target and listed its vital statistics to an Energy Placement Console to a shield/hull readout: it was all there. The difficulties of obtaining and destroying a target in three dimensions were very well captured.
Atmosphere - 9/10
Most of what I was going to say here I already said in the gameplay segment, so I'll not bore you with any more details.
Controls - 9.5/10
They couldn't have been better-done! All the controls made sense, from the weapon switching to the shield management to the throttle.
Overall - 10/10 (this is not an average)
An absolute phenomenon! I've not found a better game in ages.
Pictures are sadly once again forthcoming.
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Doodle77(MM) on 2006-01-19 at 17:18:03
Now how about Chrono Trigger and R type-3
Report, edit, etc...Posted by dumbducky on 2006-01-19 at 17:46:46
I agree with you everywhere except for two things.
In Donkey Kong Country you said the controls could have been better. I didn't find a problem with them, but then again I haven't played it in years.
On Tie Fighter you said the controls were perfect. Actually, I thought they were overconfusing. Two many things to know and keep track of. Like where you wanted your shields to be more focused on.
In Donkey Kong Country you said the controls could have been better. I didn't find a problem with them, but then again I haven't played it in years.
On Tie Fighter you said the controls were perfect. Actually, I thought they were overconfusing. Two many things to know and keep track of. Like where you wanted your shields to be more focused on.
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Cnl.Fatso on 2006-01-19 at 19:41:16
QUOTE(Moose77 @ Jan 19 2006, 02:18 PM)
Now how about Chrono Trigger and R type-3
[right][snapback]410721[/snapback][/right]
[right][snapback]410721[/snapback][/right]
I can't review a game I've never played.
ADDITION:
QUOTE(dumbducky @ Jan 19 2006, 02:46 PM)
I agree with you everywhere except for two things.
In Donkey Kong Country you said the controls could have been better. I didn't find a problem with them, but then again I haven't played it in years.
On Tie Fighter you said the controls were perfect. Actually, I thought they were overconfusing. Two many things to know and keep track of. Like where you wanted your shields to be more focused on.
[right][snapback]410771[/snapback][/right]
In Donkey Kong Country you said the controls could have been better. I didn't find a problem with them, but then again I haven't played it in years.
On Tie Fighter you said the controls were perfect. Actually, I thought they were overconfusing. Two many things to know and keep track of. Like where you wanted your shields to be more focused on.
[right][snapback]410771[/snapback][/right]
It's just that I didn't want to expend the extra effort to reach all the way around to the A button (I could have had my thumb on both the A and B buttons like my normal practice in Mega Man X, but it's awkward and painful).
What were you expecting? They couldn't have simplified the shield controls any more without compromising the comprehensiveness. What's the problem with tapping S once or twice to get your shields straightened out? And the target-acquiring is easy, just point at your target and hit the top joystick button. Weapons are W, linking weapons is X, map is M. It all makes sense.