/vr/ - Retro Games

When I look at the trio 3-D World Runner / Rad Racer / Final Fantasy, I can't help but wonder what other masterpieces he and Nasir could have done together had the company not turned into a Final Fantasy machine. Imagine if they had dipped their toes in action sidescrollers, puzzle games, SHUMPs, platformers, etc what other ludo kino could have been made on S/FC ?

And really it could have very well gone another way. People repeat the ubran meme "Final Fantasy saved Square!" but the reality is that Rad Racer sold 2 fucking millions copies, a lot more than FF1; and all it got was a lousy US only sequel. Dragon Quest 3 really broke Japan in more ways than we realize.

>>10400143
Square was doing racing games before Final Fantasy

Lurk moar

Square made some great games though

>>10199213
it's really fucking hard, a single mistake can fuck up your course and the last 2 stages require perfect memorization really.
I was actually wondering if anyone had done it without continues

Racing games are genuinely the hardest type of action games on NES alongside SHMUPs, "muh Contra le Nintendo hard" is nothing in comparison to Micro Machines or even Motocross Champions and Rad Racer

>>10184293
Racing games on NES are also genuinely some of the most difficult action games on the system.

I've beaten Adventure Island, 1943 and Kung-Fu Heroes, but the last 4-5 courses of Micro Machines and the last course of Motocross Champion? I've pretty much given up hope at this point. That shit is insanely difficult. Normies and their "Contra and Castlevania are le Nintendo Hard" don't know jackshit

Clearing RC Pro Am II wasn't that hard though, the game loops forever so I think clearing a first loop would count as beating the game

>>10154505
> Some people love JRPGs like FF and DQ but I'd rather be playing Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa for example

You're supposed to play both anon, as well as racing, puzzle and adventure games

>>10134570
Square's prime time was 87-90

The only thing that comes to my mind when I think "non RPG Square game"

Square was more interesting when they did things other than RPGs.

>>9708043
This is from 1994 (!) and it's slow as fuck.

Try on NES in 1987, NOW you'll shit your pants.

I've only beaten Crazy Cars 3 on DOS (aka Lamborghini American Challenge), I had a version on which you couldn't save for some reasons so I had to beat it all in one sitting (4+ hours), without losing all my money

as well as Rad Racers 1 and 2

>>9573706
>The programmer Nasir, was unfamiliar with RPGs and barely managed to code the game together.

and yet the game was leagues above Square's previous RPG, Cleopatra no Mahou, and just before that he also programmed Rad Racer.
It's also worth noting that in terms of scope, in terms of number of mechanics, spells, classes, enemies, etc etc FF1 was unprecedented for a console RPG. FF1 was 3x the scope of DQ2, which was THE reference (and main influence) at the time, and only DQ3 would reach the same scope 3 months later.

After FF1, Nasir's work visa was no longer valid. Did Square find a new programmer? No. They moved the development team in the US for a while just so Nasir could work with them.
That should tell you how precious he was to them, and again, bugs in 8-bit RPGs were a norm, and in hindsight, the bugs in FF1 are nothing compared to what you can find in DQ3 (the infamous bug with creating too many party members at the inn which completly breaks the game)

3D racing lead to the realism race, which was the death of fun racing games