#0156 Ghouls n' Ghosts

So today I played Ghouls n’ Ghosts. A 1988 platformer by Capcom released in Arcades and then later home consoles.

In this game you play as Arthur again, and you have to save Princess Prin Prin from Lucifer. Again. You all know the drill. Save the princess. It’s dated even in 1988. But that’s not what you’re here for.

This game is a bastard. Straight up. This game HATES you SO much. People talk about difficulty of games these days like Dark Souls, where you need to take your time, learn patterns and exploit them through a series of trial and error while you die over and over again. And the accomplishment you get from FINALLY beating the game that killed you SO many times is such a sweet accomplishment.

People also seem to think this is a unique concept, calling games that are hard “like Dark Souls”. But in reality, this kind of difficulty was around LONG before Dark Souls. Games like this THRIVED on that kind of difficulty.

But the point is, it’s fun! Like, this is a legitimately tight game. The controls are responsive, attacking is easy, I rarely feel like I’m fighting the controls. The graphics are beautifully animated with great looking artwork, amazingly animated sprites, colorful and fun set pieces. It’s just a place you want to explore and just EXIST in because it’s just so gothic and exciting! The game has a self-aware sense of humor that also adds to the joy of the game.

That’s not to say the game is perfect, far from it. This is STILL an arcade game. As such they need you to keep pumping quarters into it. They do this with LOTS of really cheap deaths. Like, take a look at this section here:

See those there? Those parts will RANDOMLY drop you into the pit below you with an ant lion. Now the first two are so far from the edge you can jump out but then look at this shit!

That second one is SO close to the edge of the ant lion there’s no way in HELL you can get out. So you HAVE to know where it is and how to avoid it. Without any hint to what’s coming.

But lame deaths aside, I spent maybe $5 in quarters on this game, and probably would have spent more but I needed to write this review. 

If you’re looking for a punishing platformer that will test your skills as a gamer, this is a GREAT game to pick up. If game difficulty is something that turns you off, this game isn’t going to be an exception.

Next up: Laser Squad

#0155 Forgotten Worlds

So today marks the start of 1988! This was a great year for gaming. The NES was in full swing and was really starting to churn out some gems. Arcades continued to decline during this year as more and more customers flocked to home consoles and more game devs started developing for the NES. The games that DID come out were either not of the best quality, or were soon ported to PCs or game consoles.

And example of one of those arcade games was Capcom’s side scrolling SHMUP Forgotten Worlds.

In this game you play as a HILARIOUSLY 80s Bad Dude trying to fight aliens. And rather than flying in a jet or a cool spaceship you just… Fly…. Space Harrier style, only side scrolling.

I gotta say at the very least it looks and sounds gorgeous. Nice high 16 bit graphics, fun music, and the gameplay is fine I suppose.

Only downside is it’s REALLY not anything we haven’t seen before. It’s really just a poorer R-Type. What it DOES have I have to admit is these awesome stores where you can buy upgrades. Now, a game that is SO gung-ho american I expected the shopkeeper to be either a grizzled weapons merchant, or some large breasted woman in a bikini selling weapons.

What we got instead was… Not what I expected. We got an adorable, kind faced anime girl dressed in what looks like sorcery robes.

Not what I expected at all!

If you’re looking for a good arcade side scroller this one is fine I suppose, you could do a lot worse. But you could also do a lot better, like R-Type.

Next up: Ghoules n’ Ghosts

#0154 Rampage

Okay! As you will notice this is NOT Command Carrier like was promised last time.

I fully intended to PLAY Command Carrier, it looks like a good game, but then I started to look at the manual for the game. It's 64 pages long. 64 pages of mostly dry instructions on how to play the game. I couldn't do it. I honestly couldn't do it. I tried playing the game WITHOUT the instructions but I couldn't even MOVE the dang carrier so I couldn't' do anything. Props for taking a simulation game to the extreme in terms of complexity, but DANG it was just SO complicated.

So instead we have a game that is NOT on the list. Today we have Rampage, a 1986 game from Midway! I love Midway, they've made some of my favorite arcade games including Robotron 2084.

In this game you play as one of three humans turned into monsters through various fashions George the giant Gorilla, Lizzie the giant iguana/dinosaur/Godzilla thing, and Ralph the giant werewolf. (fun fact, Ralph from Wreck It Ralph was named after Ralph in this game) Your goal is to smash up all the buildings while eating as many people as you can to stay alive.

This game is honestly unique. There really hasn't been a game QUITE like this on the list. Not only is the game unique in that it involves a unique style of platforming and climbing, with an emphasis on destroying the play field, but it's also a game where you actively play as the villain. the people you're tasked to devour are the heroes trying to defend their fair city.

Normally I'm absolutely opposed to plots like this, I simply can't enjoy games where I'm actively rooting against the main character, Rampage seems to pull it off for me. There's just such a cartoonish vibe to it. And this disconnects me from those sorts of feelings. The characters are just having SO much fun causing destruction you can't help but root for them. It's honestly a blast.

unfortunately there's really not much in the way of music, and the controls feel clunky and unpolished. But overall the experience has aged surprisingly well.

If you're in the mood for a game about causing as much destruction as you can while playing as giant monsters, you'll have a good time here.

Next up: Forgotten Worlds