17th April 2010, 11:07 PM
But for now I'll just list some action-adventure games and action-RPGs, because that's what I started doing and going throug ha genre takes a while. I won't list the ones already on your list again (Landstalker, Pirates! Gold if you count it though I think I'd call it strategy-action or something like that, Zelda LttP), Popful Mail, Alcahest).
Why have those there, but no other action-adventure-RPG games? Are you listing Zelda separately because it doesn't have level-ups while most of those games do? I mean I agree, Landstalker is the best Zelda-ish game on the Genesis, but both systems have lots more games somewhat similar, obviously. So does the TG16.
This is more just a list of games to maybe try sometime than a list of everything you must play, it isn't meant that way. Also I will mostly not mention games not available in English somehow. But anyway, a bunch of Zeldaish games and action-adventures of various kinds:
SNES: Secret of Mana (not my favorite because of the grinding, but very popular), Seiken Densetsu 3 (has translation patch), Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma (EU version is in English), and Soul Blazer, perhaps also others like ActRaiser (maybe), The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (annoying grinding...), Ys III, Shadowrun, Ultima: Runes of Virtua II (note that it was originally on Game Boy), Brandish (can you get past the incredibly confusing way you turn? I can't, I think). There's also Brain Lord, which looks okay, but I haven't played that one myself. Lagoon I also haven't played but doesn't look too interesting. Lastly there's Dragon View, the sequel to Drakkhen, but with action-RPG combat and higher (that is not awful) ratings in reviews this time. I have Drakken, but that one's quite different from this I think, overworld aside. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun is another one I haven't played; it's a Japan only release but does have a translation patch. It plays a lot like Ys I or II, not III. Holy Umbrella also has a translation patch, but I haven't played that one either myself. If I was mentioning imports I'd have to mention Crystal Beans: From Dungeon Explorer, the SNES Dungeon Explorer game. They're not that complex games so it should be understandable, but I haven't spent that much time with it and there isn't a translation patch.
Genesis: Crusader of Centy (haven't played it myself...), Beyond Oasis, Exile, perhaps Cadash (okay sidescrolling arcade action/rpg, but this version only has two of the four characters, and they're the two less interesting characters of the four...), Gauntlet IV (good game with horrible, fun-killing 40 character passwords), Arcus Odyssey (good but sometimes confusing isometric Gauntlet style game), maybe Heimdall (Sega CD), Ys III, Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD, not a port of the TG16 games, but not as good as either of them either), maybe Sword of Vermillion (it's mediocre but unique), Light Crusader (good game), Shadowrun, Wonder Boy in Monster World (fantastic game... harder than the TGCD version though), Monster World IV (translated rom, and a really good game!)
... And I know you didn't ask about the TG16, but I've played quite a bit of TG16, both emulated games and on the actual system (since I do have one, mostly, I think, because I'd come to like it in emulation), and it was from that same generation, so I'll list it too, without the expectations that you'll actually play any of them. For one thing finding TGCD/PC Engine CD games for download isn't quite as easy as it is for SNES roms... I have found places to look, but they're much, much less common of course. I'm up to 145 Turbo/PC Engine CD games... at 54GBs, it's a pretty big folder. :)
I know with some people emulation and stuff has gotten them to not buy games anymore, but with me it had the exact opposite effect and was one of the main reasons why I started buying older games. Sure I could play them on my PC, but I want the real things too...
Turbografx 16 (HuCard games): Cadash (with all four characters, unlike the Genesis which only has two), Dungeon Explorer (the first of Hudson's Gauntlet clone series), Neutopia, Neutopia II (Hudson's Zelda clone series)
Turbografx 16 CD: The Dynastic Hero (Wonder Boy in Monster World, TGCD version), Shape Shifter (somewhat Metroid inspired, nice looking, and very hard fantasy action/adventure game), Dungeon Explorer II, Exile (better than on Genesis), Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (US version is nearly impossibly hard due to Working Designs messing up), Xak III (has translation patch), Ys I & II, Ys III, Ys IV (has translation patch). There are a bunch more Japanese-only action-RPGs on the system, some of which are playable if you don't mind bumping around in town talking to everyone while you try to figure out how to move forward, but I won't list those because, well, that's not all that fun. Of them I've only tried one, Efera & Jiliora: The Emblem From Darkness. It's simple and somewhat fun, apart from the towns where I get stuck. :) (It does have a 2 player simultaneous mode!) [Xak III, Ys I & II, Ys IV, and Efera & Jiliora are all top-down action-RPGs; The Dynastic Hero, Ys III, Shape Shifter, and the Exile games are side-scrolling action-RPGs.]
Of these, on each platform Illusion of Gaia is probably my favorite on the SNES, followed by Zelda: LttP. Maybe the other way around, but Illusion of Gaia is an amazing game... For the Genesis I agree with you, Landstalker and Popful Mail are the two best, Landstalker probably number one. On TG16/TGCD... hmm. Xak III perhaps? That one's interesting... I love Gauntlet too of course though, and the Dungeon Explorer games are great, better than anything Gauntlet I've played on the SNES or Genesis. I haven't played enough Neutopia to say much about them.
Why have those there, but no other action-adventure-RPG games? Are you listing Zelda separately because it doesn't have level-ups while most of those games do? I mean I agree, Landstalker is the best Zelda-ish game on the Genesis, but both systems have lots more games somewhat similar, obviously. So does the TG16.
This is more just a list of games to maybe try sometime than a list of everything you must play, it isn't meant that way. Also I will mostly not mention games not available in English somehow. But anyway, a bunch of Zeldaish games and action-adventures of various kinds:
SNES: Secret of Mana (not my favorite because of the grinding, but very popular), Seiken Densetsu 3 (has translation patch), Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma (EU version is in English), and Soul Blazer, perhaps also others like ActRaiser (maybe), The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (annoying grinding...), Ys III, Shadowrun, Ultima: Runes of Virtua II (note that it was originally on Game Boy), Brandish (can you get past the incredibly confusing way you turn? I can't, I think). There's also Brain Lord, which looks okay, but I haven't played that one myself. Lagoon I also haven't played but doesn't look too interesting. Lastly there's Dragon View, the sequel to Drakkhen, but with action-RPG combat and higher (that is not awful) ratings in reviews this time. I have Drakken, but that one's quite different from this I think, overworld aside. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun is another one I haven't played; it's a Japan only release but does have a translation patch. It plays a lot like Ys I or II, not III. Holy Umbrella also has a translation patch, but I haven't played that one either myself. If I was mentioning imports I'd have to mention Crystal Beans: From Dungeon Explorer, the SNES Dungeon Explorer game. They're not that complex games so it should be understandable, but I haven't spent that much time with it and there isn't a translation patch.
Genesis: Crusader of Centy (haven't played it myself...), Beyond Oasis, Exile, perhaps Cadash (okay sidescrolling arcade action/rpg, but this version only has two of the four characters, and they're the two less interesting characters of the four...), Gauntlet IV (good game with horrible, fun-killing 40 character passwords), Arcus Odyssey (good but sometimes confusing isometric Gauntlet style game), maybe Heimdall (Sega CD), Ys III, Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD, not a port of the TG16 games, but not as good as either of them either), maybe Sword of Vermillion (it's mediocre but unique), Light Crusader (good game), Shadowrun, Wonder Boy in Monster World (fantastic game... harder than the TGCD version though), Monster World IV (translated rom, and a really good game!)
... And I know you didn't ask about the TG16, but I've played quite a bit of TG16, both emulated games and on the actual system (since I do have one, mostly, I think, because I'd come to like it in emulation), and it was from that same generation, so I'll list it too, without the expectations that you'll actually play any of them. For one thing finding TGCD/PC Engine CD games for download isn't quite as easy as it is for SNES roms... I have found places to look, but they're much, much less common of course. I'm up to 145 Turbo/PC Engine CD games... at 54GBs, it's a pretty big folder. :)
I know with some people emulation and stuff has gotten them to not buy games anymore, but with me it had the exact opposite effect and was one of the main reasons why I started buying older games. Sure I could play them on my PC, but I want the real things too...
Turbografx 16 (HuCard games): Cadash (with all four characters, unlike the Genesis which only has two), Dungeon Explorer (the first of Hudson's Gauntlet clone series), Neutopia, Neutopia II (Hudson's Zelda clone series)
Turbografx 16 CD: The Dynastic Hero (Wonder Boy in Monster World, TGCD version), Shape Shifter (somewhat Metroid inspired, nice looking, and very hard fantasy action/adventure game), Dungeon Explorer II, Exile (better than on Genesis), Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (US version is nearly impossibly hard due to Working Designs messing up), Xak III (has translation patch), Ys I & II, Ys III, Ys IV (has translation patch). There are a bunch more Japanese-only action-RPGs on the system, some of which are playable if you don't mind bumping around in town talking to everyone while you try to figure out how to move forward, but I won't list those because, well, that's not all that fun. Of them I've only tried one, Efera & Jiliora: The Emblem From Darkness. It's simple and somewhat fun, apart from the towns where I get stuck. :) (It does have a 2 player simultaneous mode!) [Xak III, Ys I & II, Ys IV, and Efera & Jiliora are all top-down action-RPGs; The Dynastic Hero, Ys III, Shape Shifter, and the Exile games are side-scrolling action-RPGs.]
Of these, on each platform Illusion of Gaia is probably my favorite on the SNES, followed by Zelda: LttP. Maybe the other way around, but Illusion of Gaia is an amazing game... For the Genesis I agree with you, Landstalker and Popful Mail are the two best, Landstalker probably number one. On TG16/TGCD... hmm. Xak III perhaps? That one's interesting... I love Gauntlet too of course though, and the Dungeon Explorer games are great, better than anything Gauntlet I've played on the SNES or Genesis. I haven't played enough Neutopia to say much about them.
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