Now playing : Ike Ike Hockey (FC), Ganbare Goemon (FC), Mother (FC)

August 09, 2022

Marathon game #33
Phantasy Star III on Mega Drive (original cart., cartmodded in French!)

Just finished, 31 years after its release, PSIII (Phantasy Star III).
About 30 years ago, I was in CM2 at school and we had Mega Drives. We were still too young for complex RPGs (in english, not our native language). One of my friends, Nao, had a big brother, Tho, who played this famous PSIII. We watched it briefly, I even remember seeing the end boss. These game pieces marked us. I think it was precisely this game that gave me the taste for Japanese RPGs. This game has marked me since that date. I tried many times to finish it since, without success....until today!! I finally got to see one of its endings. I played there under real conditions, on a 36 cm CRT TV. I had an incredible time, filled with nostalgia and emotions. To be clear and precise, this game is unbeatable in my heart and I will even go further. I affirm that this game is one of the greatest masterpieces of Japanese RPG, all supports, all eras.
- The scenario has no equal: it is an epic one on 3 generations (we play the grandfather, then the father, then the son. Knowing that we can marry different people each time, which makes a son and a different story - so 4 different endings).
- The music has no equal. I can literally shed tears over the intro melody, with the nostalgia that goes with it...
- The Bestiary is magnificent, the combat system is perfect, and so on...
This game has a bad reputation on the internet but these players don't know anything about it and simply do "revisionism". PSIII was rated 94% in Console Plus magazine Issue 2, and to me it's worth at least 99.
I finished PSIII once, I can die in peace.

June 05, 2022

Marathon game #32
Ys II on Famicom (original cart., cartmodded in French!)

no text yet

May 26, 2022

Marathon game #31
Hydlide Special on Famicom (original cart.)

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May 22, 2022

Marathon game #30
Majin Eiyuu Den Wataru Gaiden on Famicom (original cart., cartmodded in English)

April 18, 2022.

Marathon game #29:
YS on Famicom (original cart., cartmodded in French)

no text yet.

March 25, 2022.

Marathon game #28:
Paprium on Mega Drive.

no text yet.

March 11, 2022.

Marathon game #27:
Sonic Chaos on Master System (original cart).

no text yet.

March 09, 2022.

Marathon game #26:
Konami Wai Wai World on Famicom (original cart., cartmodded in French).

On the eve of my 42 years. I have just finished, 34 years after its release, Konami Wai Wai World. A completely epic 8-bit platform game for the time (a cross-over in 1988! with Konami characters like Simon Belmont from Castlevania, or Mikey from the Goonies, or Kong from King Kong 2, or Goemon from Ganbare Goemon or again Getsu Fuma from Getsu Fuma-den). We even climb in the Gradius Vic Viper or in the TwinBee in an incredible last level. In two words, the game kills... A big "must-have" of the console that we could not know at the time on our NES...

March 02, 2022.

Marathon game #25:
Daiva Story 6 on Famicom (original cart., cartmodded in English).

Who can sit at my table and say, "I have finished Daiva Story 6 too"? And yes ! I finished 36 years after its release in Japan, Daiva Story 6. An obscure "space opera" from Toshiba(!) mixing meccha "run & gun" phases and turn-based space fleet battles. It's Old School but very interesting for the time. It is part of a series of 7 episodes released on different Japanese machines (PC88, MSX, FM77, X1, PC98, Famicom) the same year (!), they cover the same story but seen from 7 different angles. Incredible isn't it? This Famicom version is very interesting because it also includes a 2-player coop mode! In 86!!! 2-player mode that I hope to test one day.

March 01, 2022.

Marathon game #24:
Phantasy Star on Master System (original cart., cartmodded in French).

I have just finished, 35 years after its release, Phantasy Star, first of the name, on Master System. A game that made me take a BLOW OF OLD! Indeed, without guide and without cheats, I estimate that this game is almost impossible to finish. We have very little indication of what to do and where to go, knowing that there are 3 planets and that we spend our time going back and forth between them... I have a thought for all the Japanese kids (and adults) who had to break their teeth there in 1987/88. Possibly the hardest RPG I've ever done... Otherwise, for an 87 Master System game, it is magnificent. The color palette used is so perfect... We advance in 3D dungeons! (impressive for 8-bit... which makes this game a "Dungeon Crawler", in addition to being a classic Jap RPG). I'm quite proud to have finished it.

February 20, 2022.

Marathon game #23:
Madara on Famicom (original Japanese cart., cartmodded in english).

I have just finished, 32 years after its release in Japan, Mouryou Senki MADARA, an incredible 8-bit RPG laid by Konami in 90. Incredible, that's the word... It's the kind of game that marks for life ; because of its story, its unique automatic combat system (repumped later by various games, including the recent Final Fantasy 15...), but also and above all, its crazy soundtrack... for the NES (Famicom in this specific case), it is just exceptional. The game still weighs 4 MEG (512 Kb in real), which is huge for an 8-bit game in 1990. A masterpiece that comes directly second in this top (even close to putting it first), updated as usual, here.

February 13, 2022.

Marathon game #22:
Undeadline on Mega Drive (Using a Game Genie because this game is just impossible).

No text yet, waiting to finish it the legit way.

January 31, 2022.

Marathon game #21:
Shining Force on Mega Drive (French cartmod).

I finished last night, 30 years after its release, a fantastic Tactical RPG called "Shining Force". I dreamed about it in the Consoles Plus and Joypad magazines at the time but I never got it. Time has passed, the consoles are out, we don't have time to play everything, even then... It's fixed! And in a cartmod entirely in French! The game is masterful for 1992. The fight scenes are completely epic. The graphics are jaw-dropping. Frankly, congratulations Sega for this work. Very similar to JustBreed which I finished in the Marathon No.5, I place it above because it came out earlier.

January 29, 2022.

Marathon game #20:
Probotector on Mega Drive.

Today I finished, 28 years after its release, Probotector on Mega Drive. A nervous arcade game with disproportionate difficulty where more than one had to break their teeth in the 90s, and still today. Reason why I decided to cheat, the old way, by using a good old Pro Action Replay in order to have infinite lives... I finished the game 3 times in order to see the good ending, the bad ending and the hidden ending. Regarding the game itself, it is technically very impressive for the Mega Drive. Almost a technical demo of what can be done on this hardware.

January 21, 2022.

Marathon game #19:
Seiken Densetsu 3 on Super Famicom.

At the dawn of my 42 years, I have just finished Seiken Densetsu 3, 27 years after its release. Unofficially known as Secret of Mana 2 outside of Japan, and also known as Trial of Mana (the name of its modern console remake). The SNES cartridge I own is a homemade cartmod (original box, original cartridge, modified PCB to contain the official French translation of Trial of Mana). What about the game... At first, I had trouble getting into it. the game is hard, very hard, maybe too hard... but once inside and finished, I have to be objective: it's a major work in the 16 Bit RPG genre. The music is superb, the graphics are masterful, the gameplay is perfect. It's a 19/20 and it comes directly first from the attached top.

January 13, 2022.

Marathon game #18:
Sonic the Hedgehog on Master System.

I finished, 31 years after its release, Sonic the Hedgehog on Master System. So NO, this is not a "demake" of the Mega Drive version as many may think but a new original game. Developed by the Japanese studio "Ancient" for SEGA and not by SEGA directly. We could therefore expect something average and not at all! The game is superb! And I even almost agree with the youtubeur "The Ozaki Show" to say that today, we take more pleasure in playing this 8-bit Sonic rather than the 16-bit Sonic. Incredible, isn't it? It's fun, it's beautiful and it's varied. It's what I call a real video game.

January 09, 2022.

Marathon game #17:
Asterix on Master System.

I finished, 31 years after its release, Asterix on Master System! A "big" 8-bit platform game (512 Kb, end of life of the machine). Released only in Europe but developed in Japan. I didn't have a Master System at this time but I remember this shelf full of white checkered boxes that I often saw in 88 or 89 in the supermarket in my city (Rally). Nostalgic of this time and wanting to repair this knowledge gap, I started a Master System collection... So what is this Asterix worth? Well it is too good! He is too good !! Perhaps one of the best platformers I've done in a long time. It's beautiful, it's fun, it's varied, it's smart. For me, a Must Have.

January 04, 2022.

Marathon game #15 & 16:
Streets of Rage & Streets of Rage II on Mega Drive.

I finished, thirty years after their releases, the first two Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle in Japanese version). Two masterpieces of the Beat Them All genre (yes, yes, I do say "All" and not "Up"). Contrary to the opinion of the majority of the youtubers-retrogamers, I place the first above the second, although it is technically below (which is normal), it has, in my opinion, an incomparable charm that makes him one of the best BTA ever created. Especially since the second only takes the ideas of the first, he does not invent anything ... And above all, the last boss of the second which is a photocopy of the last boss of the first, even the patern is identical... A cruel lack of inspiration. This does not detract from the fact that we are in the presence of the two best 16-bit BTAs, with an impressive score (the music) (especially the first!), And mythical sound effects, which are the strength of these titles, and "strength" is the right word!

January 03, 2022.

Marathon game #14:
New Super Mario Land on... Super Nintendo!

Yes, we continue with a game that does not exist! New Super Mario Land for Super Nintendo, a "homemade" remake of the Game Boy classic (Super Mario Land), directed by an anonymous named Mr. Nagler. A monstrous job for one man, knowing that programming on Super Nintendo is an almost lost art (according to the author of Paprium ... it's not nothing!). The adaptation on this 16-bit support is perfect and faithful, while offering new graphics straight inspired by New Super Mario on Nintendo DS. The icing on the cake, we can play at 4 players!

January 02, 2022.

Marathon game #13:
Axelay on Super Nintendo

First game of the year! I have just finished, 30 years after its release, this wonderful Super Nintendo exclusive: Axelay. A 16 Bits Shoot'Em Up masterpiece with two types of scrolling, a classic horizontal and a vertical in mode 7 (a kind of false 3-D). The musics are masterful ... maybe a little short but in short I will not elaborate at this time; this is a MUST-HAVE in a serious collection.

December 30, 2021.

Marathon game #12:
MazinSaga on the Mega Drive

I have just finished (in Easy), 28 years after its release, MazinSaga on Mega Drive. A Beat'Em Up with Versus Fighting phases (against the bosses), based on the Manga of the same name signed Go Nagai (Goldorak!). The beat'em up phases are medium but short, so not boring, while the versus phases are impressive with huge sprites and striking graphic effects (the differential scrolling of the boss 3 stage with the Sagrada Familia in the background ... incredible), it is moreover these last ones which make all the charm of the game ... difficult game ... Special mention for the magnificent cover.

December 18, 2021.

Marathon game #11:
Super Street Fighter II on Super Nintendo

Being on an RPG for some time (not that it is hard, but it is long ...), I was looking for a game "quick to finish" just to furnish. So I just finished, 27 years after its release, Super Street Fighter II (with Ken). The "Super" version of a true fighting game masterpiece, both graphically and musically, it is a must-have, and no matter the version. Anyone who played SF2 in the 90s will play it their whole life. It is one of those games that will never be erased from our memories. Everyone knows how to make a Hadouken ... A game which laid the foundations, and which has not aged a bit! 16-Bits is enough!

November 29, 2021.

Marathon game #10:
Esper Dream on Famicom Disk System (cartridge bootleg version)

I just finished, 34 years after its release, this cute old action-RPG. Originally released only in Japan on the Famicom Disk System (a floppy module for the Famicom) in 1987, I got a pirate cartridge conversion (damn good, which automatically switches between sides A and B of the floppy, with a small LED in the cartridge to indicate the loads), and translated into English in addition, what the people demand! Not many, except fiftieth birthday in Japan, have finished this one ... and I'm pretty proud to have done and finished it. A real pleasure to go, except perhaps the end which is in my opinion badly balanced (if you don't have the right armor (hard to find), it would be impossible to even reach the last boss, I don't even talk about beating him ...). In any case for 131 Kilobytes (yes I am attached to the weight of the games), not 1 more byte: it is AWESOME. Talent and ideas, it was yesterday ... like in almost everything. Nostalgia... PS: I got an original Japanese guide book from 1987 (see picture) because yes, I am also starting to collect the guide books of my favorite games!

November 20, 2021.

Marathon game #9:
Astro Ninja Man on Famicom

Yes, there are still 8-bit games coming out in 2020. "Astro Ninja Man" is a little shoot'em up that we can consider as a "bullet hell", very Japanese-style as we like. I finished the normal stages, as well as the special stage, hidden in the option menu. For the NES/Famicom, technically, it's damn good, it's full of sprites everywhere and it's fluid! The game was released on a Japanese website on May 9, 2020, 4 minutes after publication, they were already sold out ... Suffice to say that it is a rare game ... but short and not very hard to finish ! That's why I have a bootleg (pirate version) in my hands and it suits me very well! I am doing an old RPG at the same time, which will surely occupy the next post.

November 16, 2021.

Marathon game # 8:
Lagrange Point on Famicom (original cartridge, cartmodded in English).

I am lucky to have finished, 30 years after its release in Japan, this J-RPG never released with us; Lagrange Point. Very elaborate sci-fi J-RPG. To me, this is clearly a "Phantasy Star"-like. In the history of video games, it is special because it is the result of a request from Konami to its fans; Indeed, the readers of the Japanese magazine FAMIMAGA had the opportunity to submit their ideas in order to contribute to the design of this game. Note that the characters were drawn by the mangaka Fujihiko Hosono. Another interesting info, Lagrange Point is the only Famicom cartridge to embed and use a new chip at the time; the Konami VRC7 which boosts the sound capabilities of the console. What about the game itself ... Difficult but "ma-gni-fi-cent" 8-bit RPG which weighs only ... 524 KB ... So small and so big at the same time: Incredible!

November 01, 2021.

Marathon game # 7:
Koutetsu Teikoku on Mega Drive

A little lightness between two RPGs ... with a genre that I also like; the Shoot'em up.
I finished, 29 years after its release, this 16-bit shoot which is relatively unknown in our European countries.
Very pleasant to do! These little touches that make this game unique are: the color palette used which is wonderfully well designed, as well as the smoothness of the sprites and the level of detail of the big enemies (and bosses) affected (damages visibles in the form of new sprites, not common for the time!). Really nice ! Not too long, It can, I think, be finished again with pleasure. To see and have!

October 22, 2021.

Marathon game # 6:
Dodge Danpei 2 on Famicom (Original cart, cartmodded in English)

I have just finished, 28 years after its release, Dodge Danpei 2, a dodgeball game (!) Based on the animated manga of the same name that we didn't had the chance to known here in France. The design is reminiscent of a mix between Dragon Ball and Saint Seya. In terms of gameplay, during matches it's actually a poker-style card game where you send the balls with pairs and three-of-a-kind, with special moves that make you think of Captain Tsubasa. In short, it smells like the 90s!

October 18, 2021.

Marathon game # 5:
JustBreed on Famicom, cartmod of an original, fully translated into English.

The RPG is arguably the most noble genre of video games. Because the biggest, because the most constructed, because the most scripted, etc ... And this 8-bit title gives all its letters of nobility to the more precise genre: the "Tactical RPG". I have just finished, 29 years after its release, this monument once again unknown because it has never been exported to our regions. You should know that this game is one of the biggest Famicom / NES games (750 Kb) and that it uses a special chip which adds 2 additional sound voices and which allows the console to display graphics beyond its possibilities. . I loved !

October 09, 2021.

Marathon game # 4:
Live A Live on Super Nes.

I have just finished (one of the endings because there are several ...), 27 years after its release, this RPG little known outside Japan; "Live A Live". First 16-bit game of this marathon, on a cartmod fully translated into French (published in a beautiful French box by hedg.fr). A very beautiful "multi-adventures" signed Squaresoft: indeed, we have the choice between 7 completely different scenarios during 7 different periods. Once the 7 adventures are over, an 8th adventure is unlocked, but what an end friends !! An 8th adventure which manages to unite the 7 others in the same story ... Worthy of the best cinematographic twists like Usual Suspect. I am amazed ! Worth the time spent on it! Well done to the devs of this time!

September 24, 2021.

Marathon game # 3:
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden.

I just finished this nice comic RPG this morning at 7:50 am, on original hardware via a cartmod translated into English, 31 years after its release. Another Japanese RPG that few have had to do! 8-bit jap RPG stuffed with grotesque and dwarf situations like the formidable Konami has accustomed us to with this character straight out of medieval Japan that is Goemon. I finished level 33 with the maximum money: 9999999. I can't wait for the next one! Ps: check me out the size of this Famicom cartridge! We love !

September 21, 2021.

Marathon game # 2:
Deep Dungeon IV on Famicom.

Unfortunately, I did NOT finish Deep Dungeon IV, 31 years after its release ... I played about 30 hours, until the last dungeon of the game, but the cartridge showing the weight of age: the backup battery died on the way, byebye my save ... I'm still proud to have traveled this fabulous 8-bit "Dungeon Crawler" to the end (almost), we can call it Hardcore Gaming because a Dungeon Crawler old in 2021, with the checkered sheet to draw the plans, it's hard! We are more used to .... Note that originally, the game is entirely in Japanese. Fortunately, my cartridge is a cartmod (real cartridge / modified program) fully translated into English, which makes it accessible! We should have changed the battery at the same time ... anyway, a good RPG on famicom that few people have done !! Just that, I like it!

September 12, 2021.

Marathon game # 1:
Wizards and Warriors on NES.

Staying young is not easy. That's why I decided to start an old video game marathon. The goal is to finish games that I never finished when I was young (or re-finish), with the original material of course. I start slowly, here is the first one that I finished a few days ago, 34 years after its release (1987)! Wizards and Warriors, a kind of nanar or have it embodied an anti-hero armed with a butter knife in the form of a sword (unlike the drawing on the cover) ... The gameplay is nice. It's well balanced and I really like the work they made, developed by the studio Rare please! A good 8-bit game! To do for those who have not!