/vr/ - Retro Games

>>514979
>ignore the aesthetic of <insert old arcadey action game here> and you're left with an uninspired, generic action game that's honestly just not very fun to play
No shit.

>/b/ the game
No, Earthworm Jim is a fun and sometimes funnily designed game that still resonates when you get over the initial sillynes laugh. Its random nature when it comes to its aesthetics doesn't derive from a well made, fun gameplay design so unlike anything that /b/'s ever done, it has a staying power characteristic of anything classic in media.
Dismissing it in this way is like dismissing Monty Python: Most would understand why that isn't your bag but you'd still look the idiot, failing to view it in a historical and cultural context.

>>515021
I don't get Monty Python either

>>515027
I gathered. People who don't get absurdist/surreal humor and trow around the term "lolrandum" seldom do.

>>514979
>/v/ the thread

Of course retard itll be a generic action game
if you remove its feature.

I don't see how it is overrated, it is a great action platformer that continually mixes it up. You have the Andy Astroides space race, the sub sections in Down the Tubes, the bungee jump boss fight level, and the level For Pete's Sake to shake things up a bunch when it came to what you were doing in levels.

These days, it seems to me to be like one of those games to appeal to the uninformed, kids and parents etc. The attack is very basic, just hold a button and point, and the overall gameplay is awkward. It's one of those games where the sprites are just too big for the screen, so you can never really know exactly where you are going without memorising the levels first.

I liked it as a kid and so did everyone else, but these days it just seems so mediocre, so people label it over rated and I tend to agree with those people.

/vr/ loves retro games, even if they are objectively bad, they're still seen through nostalgia goggles.

>>515356
>It's one of those games where the sprites are just too big for the screen, so you can never really know exactly where you are going without memorising the levels first.
God I hate it when old games do this to you...

>Good graphics and animation
>Inventive stage design
>Killer soundtrack
>Sharp controls

Man I can't think of one reason anyone likes this game!

>>515356
>The attack is very basic, just hold a button and point
Like almost every other game during that era? You had the ability to get plasma guns and you could ration them while using the head whip. The head whip does more damage but has less range and you can't whip as fast as you could shoot so there was a risk versus reward with head whipping. Not only could the head whip be used as an attack but you could use it to swing around on hooks. Shooting and whipping is very easy and fluid. You can easily attack in the direction you want to without walking where you don't want to go and get instant input on that direction you are aiming off to.

>gameplay is awkward.
How?

I never liked Earthworm Jim's "lOl farts XD bUg4rs lol" humor and as a game, it was pretty shitty. The controls felt weird, the animations were all over the place. It just didn't feel as smooth as a Mario game or other well established platformers.

OP, here's a game that actually corresponds to a 4chan board.

I present to you... /pol/, the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGrIaZNh_3k

>>515450
I forgot about the whip while making that statement, but I'll just add the whip to the awkward part of my argument.

I say the attack is basic because it fires very fast, you can fire in any direction and the bullets hit instantly. Unlike most other games of the era where you could only fire so fast, sometimes the direction of attack was limited and almost every game had projectiles you could so on screen and required timing and precision to use.

But, you're right. The whip was always the "pro" attack, but I always found it very awkward.

The overall awkward gameplay is because the screen is too small/the sprites are too big.

I don't hate the game or think of it as objectively bad, but I will agree that it can be over rated.

>>515458
You probably never liked Ren n Stimpy or any other Nickelodeon cartoon of the era, either, yes?

>>515478
You are wise, anon.

>>515475

>direction of attack was limited

I hope I misread this. Because EWJ is the last game with limited directional attack. He can fire in 64 (!!) directions.

>>515482
You misread

>Other games have limited attack

>>515492
I thought I was. I was scratching my head there.

>>515482
you did. Read it again

>>515470
>not posting KZ Manager Millenium

I don't give a shit about earthworm jim. I Just enjoyed this game for its levels.

here's a song
Genesis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7KXrj8s64
SNES: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OtrgZ2r2GA

Also, this was a game released on nearly every system at the time so it was prime fodder for console war arguments.

I like Earthworm Jim 2 but my enjoyment stops dead at this stage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrqvvmOHjZg

The music is great, though.

It's been nearly twenty years since I first played this game and I still think "well done" is hilarious, as are the quiz show questions.

>>515041
>Implying Monty Python is COMPLEX and requires deep meditation to truly understand what the original creator was attempting to convey.
>Jumping butts.
>4th wall breaking
>We are the Knights of an obnoxious running gag.

>>515620
Oh jesus just hearing it makes me angry.
Gotta go AAAAALL the way back...

>>515619
Nobody ever said it was complex and requires deep meditation. God, you're autistic

sageing because we're not dicussing videogames

>>515640
I am convinced that they wrote a whole two minutes of music for this stage because they knew people would be hearing this shit literally nonstop.

It is the only level in this game that I don't like but it is shit fucking mountain.

>>514979

It's more "Dad Humour: The Game". Farm animals and office supplies. It ain't THAT bad of course but I think it's biggest problem is just what an imprecise and weightless platformer it is much like the Virgin Interactive Disney games (I think Shiny Entertainment staff mostly came from there?).

Oh, and how it has the worst vehicle segments of the era, especially 2.

>be 7 or so
>beginning of summer
>dad buys me a pirate collection CD labeled 'World of Worms'
>has PC versions of EWJ 1, EWJ 2, EWJ 3D, EWJ Special Edition, Worms 2 and Worms Armageddon
glorious times...

>>515620
>>515640
If you bounce the balloon while riding the forward rockets, you launch it way ahead of you. It's pretty safe to do it that way, just make sure you don't shoot it yourself and it's fine.

>>515619

It appears you don't understand that simplicty is often what makes something so genius, especially comedy. I'm not a fan of everything Monty Python did but they had hilarious moments. I suggest you lighten up.

>>515658
I don't know how you can call it imprecise. The controls are tight as hell. Does the character's overly animated sprite confuse you or something?

>>515704
>Character is amorphous blob
>Sprite is bigger than actual hitbox
>Ability to grab ledges
>Tight controls

LeL

>>515704
I think people may be confused more due to the fact that the ground is not a straight line and sometimes blends in with the background. Although I didn't have any issues.
Holy fuck I remember how the tube level made me rage when I was a kid. That fucking piece of shit.

>>515332
>I don't see how it is overrated, it is a great action platformer that continually mixes it up. You have the Andy Astroides space race
I actually found that incredibly annoying. Between every level, you have to effectively play the same damn level over and over again, it got real old, real fast.

I wouldn't say Earthworm Jim is overrated though, it's not like it's a massive mainstream classic of gaming, more like a cult classic. It was fun when it came out, nice, fresh, and full of character. Game's not really help up too well thanks to the atrocious whipping mechanic, but for what it was, it was fun.

But yeah, fuck Andy Asteroids forever.

>>515663
What he said.
Do a first run destroying all enemies, then go back with the rockets. Now use the other line of rockets to move you and the balloon at the same time very quick.
The only bad thing about this level was the flying mucus house painters. The only way to kill them was hitting them, with your face. They pulled back the balloon too.

>>515762
>Character is amorphous blob
Whatever you say champ.
>Sprite is bigger than actual hitbox
At least it's not the opposite.
>Ability to grab ledges
>a negative thing
What is even your point?

>>515771
Did you now that the tube level has a hidden air supply behind a false wall?

>>515806
I did years later. I'm still not sure which wall it was though. I learned to make it just fine without it either way, but it always comes close.

>>515771
Also that fucking PUPPY FUCKIN FAGGOT

>>515820
I won't lie, safeguarding Peter Puppy is the most fun I have with the game.

If you're talking bouncing his puppies on the marshmallow, that can get a bit tedious though.

>>515798
If it's so "tight", why does it have all the hallmarks of an imprecise platformer? Why does the game cover for your mistakes (ie: ledge grab)?

Why are half of the levels NOT EVEN PLATFORMS?

>>515857
Just because a game expects you not to land directly on top of a platform to get on top of it does not mean the game is imprecise. That's flawed logic. What are you, some kind of Mario Bros purist or something? Unable to accept that other mechanics can exist?

>Why are half of the levels NOT EVEN PLATFORMS?
Also flawed logic. Why is Battletoads not 100% beat-em-up? Is that evidence of the quality of the beat em up lacking? Because it isn't. In either case. It's for the sake of variety.

>>515857
You seem mad over something unrelated to video games but are projecting that on Earthworm Jim and just stirring things up with bullshit.
Might I suggest a walk? Might do you wonders.

>>515901
Might as well add a "forgot to jump" mechanic to go along with your "forgot to land" mechanic.

>Battletods
YES, it IS evidence that the beat-em up is lacking. It's a beat em up with only 2 buttons, of course it is going to become stale after pounding the same button for hours on end.

Much like EWJ's stale platforming, they had to throw in a few arcade sections because the platforming was so bland and unimaginative.

>>515945
>bland and unimaginative.
>using these words to describe Earthworm Jim

>>515954
>Thinking I was referring to the art
>Not being in context
>2013

>>515945
>It's a beat em up with only 2 buttons
How many buttons are the beat-em-ups YOU are used to playing?

>>515961
Not at all. Describing the platforming is equally laughable. Go through the game again and count the number of times it changes.

>crossing chains
>riding ziplines
>bouncing on tires
>climbing conveyer belts
>swinging on hooks

And that's just the FIRST LEVEL.

You are clinically retarded.

>>515591
>>515591
>>515591
>>515591

>>515963
Minimum 3, maybe more. Think SoR.

>>515972
...and NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS. WOW, I JUST CROSSED SOME CHAINS! GREAT!

You might as well cheer the game on for changing the ground textures between levels. WOW, ROCKS ON THE FIRST LEVEL, AND WEIRD RIBBON ROCKS ON THE SECOND. THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A GROUND TEXTURE IN THIS GAEM.

>>515989
When one of the buttons is a "special" button used to kill everything, that's irrelevant. Even SoR relies on mostly 2 buttons.

>remove everything that makes the game unique, and you get generic

WELL NO FUCKING SHIT

Retard

>>515993
>Button used to kill everything

Heh, you're a funny guy. It's a power attack used to counter enemies which also have a power attack. This attack will also place you at a disadvantage, causing you to lose life if over used.

>>516008
You've never played Streets of Rage 1 it seems.

>/b/ the game
Nope, /b/ is toilet humour. earthworm jim was pretty charming to watch

>>515993
Whoa, 2 buttons?

Wrong. You are required to dash, jump and power attack certain enemies or else you die. 4 buttons, 4 basic actions, more actions available through combos etc.

>/b/ the game

...didint someone actually try to make a /b/ video game around 2005? its hard to remember anything before chanology

>>516015
I've played SoRR

>>516018
>dash
Tap the d-pad twice in one direction
>power attack
Press Button 1 and Button 2
You only need two buttons for a beat em up.

>>516018
>jump
Yeah, that's one of the 2 buttons nitwit.
>dash
Battletoads had that too. But I assume you're joining the conversation late because you aren't addressing the context of 2-buttons in the method it was used against it.
>power attack
Depends entirely on which Streets of Rage we're talking about. Even the first one didn't have anything more than a "nuke everything" function.

>>516024
Not the same. Not the same at all. Although it is an excellent fan tribute to the series that takes elements of all of them.

>>515989
>...and NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS. WOW, I JUST CROSSED SOME CHAINS! GREAT!
Such blatant trolling, but I'll bite. The differences in control and platforming ARE what happens. And it's WHY it isn't bland. It's the variety in itself. What in the world are you even expecting to "happen" exactly?

What's that? Nothing because it was thinly veiled trolling? Well alright then, glad we sorted that out.

>>514979
It's not a great game, but you're just being contrary because things you don't like are objectively not good.

If you ask a rational person, they will tell you that EWJ is a kind-of-sort-of-okay game, but it placed way more emphasis on its beautiful animation and visuals over designing novel and tight play mechanics. It's not good but it's playable, and I can sit through more than a couple of stages of it before getting bored. I can appreciate the craftsmanship of the animation, but a lot of modern game players could not care less.

Understand that this game was made back in a time where game design as we know it today wasn't established. For some developers the goal of video games was to create the experience of playing a fluidly animated cartoon. Whether you think that's wrong or right, that's the mindset some people had back then. They were still trying to figure out what made games good. EWJ is a stage in that development, so flatly calling it "good", "bad" or "overrated" really doesn't express any real criticism of it.

>>516065
I was expecting something exciting to happen. Something a little more than a couple of crows, at which point I mash the Dpad and the fire button.

>The controls was the exciting thing to happen

So, you remove jumping and the game becomes instantly more exciting? Well, I wasn't convinced.

>>516182
>You act as if there were bosses and minibosses.
weren't*

>>516161
>I was expecting something exciting to happen. Something a little more than a couple of crows, at which point I mash the Dpad and the fire button.
It's the first level. There's only a few basic enemies in the first level of ANY game. You act as if there were bosses and minibosses. This game is PACKED with content and you're just being a stick in the mud because maybe it rubbed you the wrong way as a child. Or perhaps still have a stick up your butt about the submarine levels.

>overrated retro games general
quality thread

>>516145
>but a lot of modern game players could not care less.
That's not any kind of argument against a game. You could say that about ANY retro game and not be far from the truth. It's largely because games aren't designed the same as they used to be. It's nothing about the actual quality.

>>516182
No, I loved this game as a kid. Played it all the way through and shit. Admittedly, part of the reason I liked this game, among a few others, was because it was so easy.

I am just one of those people of the opinion that the game is often over rated.

>>516229
It starts easy, but it doesn't stay easy. It's very challenging later on. The laboratory levels are a decent challenge

>>516208
Read the entire post. Always read entire posts. And then retain those entire posts in your mind as you reply to them. This is a fundamental technique to not being a nitwit.

>>516237
I did. I didn't feel inclined to address most of it because it was devoid of any kind of opinion. Trying to play at some anomalous "nothing is good or bad" nonsense instead of form an opinion.

But little things like that contributed to your "argument" and I thought I'd let some of the hot air out.

>>515619
>We are the Knights of an obnoxious running gag.
We are le knights who say, le cake is a lie XD

>>516253

>>516253
Random shitposting goes here >>>/v/

>>515356
>>514979
in with you OP its awkward to fuck

>>516145
>For some developers the goal of video games was to create the experience of playing a fluidly animated cartoon. Whether you think that's wrong or right, that's the mindset some people had back then.
Honestly I wish more developers still had that mindset.

>>516262
>>516263
that's not random, that's an obnoxious running gag from /v/. that's the joke. i think

Anyone ever play the PC version of Earthowrm Jim? An this creepy ass track from it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww2Lxwhux2o

>>515619
>thinking Monty Python is just the Holy Grail
>No Spanish Inquisition
>No deadly enemies with fruit
>No class on arguing
>No AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA, AMEN
>No Inspector [name] from Scotland Yard arriving to close skits due to extreme silliness.
>No SPAM jokes

Do you even Monty Python?