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The NeoGaf monthly gaming "challenge"

L

Ledsen

Member
Hello NeoGaf! I'm Ledsen. You may know me from such threads as the "The NeoGAF 1 year challenge: stop buying games" (which is still going on, although I failed). Challenges are fun! It's time for...

5527361916_66af116dacj5khd.jpg


In this monthly thread, a "challenge" will be issued each month. I say "challenge" because it won't be hard, or bothersome, or a chore. You don't have to complete it, or reach a certain goal. It's just a fun way to collectively play and discuss games following a certain theme.

The only thing I will ask you is that you keep the spirit of the challenge and discuss your experiences in this thread.



-------------------------------------------------------
March: Replay an old classic
-------------------------------------------------------



This month, you will dig out an old (or not so old) game that means something to you. It can be an old favorite or a game you don't particularly like, the important thing is that it means something to you. You don't have to play the whole game if you don't want to (or if it's a really long game), but enough so that you can discuss it in the thread and answer questions such as: Do you feel differently about this game than you did before? What has changed (in gaming or your life) since you played the game last? Do you feel that you are more "right" in your judgment this time? Etc etc (these are just examples, you can discuss it any way you like).

So there you go. Play, discuss and enjoy!
 
T

teeny

Member
Great idea for a thread, I'm in. Though I am going to have to have a think about what I am going to play.
 
M

Mordeccai

Member
Ohhh man, I really want to play Earthbound for this but I just played earthbound three months ago.

Maybe I'll do Super Metroid. Or Morrowind, if it counts.
 
H

Hanmik

Member
cool.. I just started a Playthrough of God of War HD. Guess that counts..? I haven´t played that game since it launched on PS2.
 
V

Vexxan

Member
I recently bought a japanese N64 with some games so I'll pick one of those to play. Probably gonna pick Zelda: Majora's Mask, one of my all-time favorites but it's been a while since I played through it all the way to the end.
 
L

Ledsen

Member
I don't know what I'm going to play. I kinda feel like doing an xbla game, but those don't really mean anything to me... Hmm. Some old pc game maybe? It's pretty fun picking and choosing :)
 
S

StarCreator

Member
Giving serious thought to playing Super Mario RPG on stream.

I'd do Secret of Mana, but the defining experience I had with that was with my two cousins, to the point I don't really want to do it without them. Distance and work sort of make that impossible at the moment.
 
M

McNum

Member
Hmm, I like this idea, but what to pick...

- Skies of Arcadia?
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance? (Challenge! The Black Knight defeated!)
- Tales of Symphonia? (Challenge! Use Colette as the playable character!)
- The Sims 2? (Or even the original The Sims?)
- UFO: Enemy Unknown?

And that's just off the top of my head... To break it down a bit:

I don't think I'd want to do Skies of Arcadia. Been there, done that. All I'm missing is The Three Secrets, and really, I don't care to grind that much. It's still an awesome game, mind you, just don't feel like it now.

That I never beat The Black Knight in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance does bug me a bit... I think I have a save just before that battle, but that's no fun, especially when I can't remember who's good at what in that save. Other than Mist got messed up by the RNG. Which doesn't exactly improve The Black Knight odds... I need a maxed out Ike and a good Mist to maximize those odds. A game focused solely on getting that would give me a good 66%-ish chance of winning against The Black Knight.

But a Colette run of Tales of Symphonia sounds funny, too. She's available for most of the game, and I can always fall back to Lloyd when she's not. Or Sheena. I don't think I'll want to play Genis or Raine, though, casters aren't that fun in ToS. Colette can be crazy-powerful in player hands, though, the AI doesn't know how to play her at all. She can two-hit the secret boss if you know what to do.

The biggest "NO!" to The Sims 2 is that darn installation time. And juggling of disks. And patching. Installing Sims 2 isn't hard, but there's also the expansions, which have to be installed in order. Preferably patched between each. Sims 1 is the same. Plus, I kind of don't want to go back to those games. Sims 3 is good enough as is, and it'd be a nightmare to find the mods I'd need for the games to run nicely again.

UFO: Enemy Unknown would be to show that my one victory last year, which I LP'd for GAF, wasn't a fluke. And to compare notes with the new XCOM game as I go, but really, it's a very slow game to play, and I'm not sure if I'd want to. It's still great, but the new one kind of scratches that itch well enough as is.

Yeah, thinking if I should revisit a game, it'd be Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance or Tales of Symphonia. Need to check if i have room on my GCN memory card, though. I could go either way, and both would be fun to play and share thoughts on... Even if them being GameCube games would limit my ability to share screenshots.

But what do you think? Fire Emblem: Black Knight Grudge Match or Tales of Colette? Either would take two-three weeks to play, so it'd be a matter of picking just one, I think... I might be leaning towards Fire Emblem.
 
C

Conciliator

Banned
eyekantspele said:
im in, I'll play Final Fantasy 6 for the first time in mah life.
Click to expand...


Awesome, good luck.

This is really interesting, I played System Shock 2 recently and had a pretty good time with it, and then afterwards went through Bioshock 2 and had a pretty good time with that.

Part of me has been eyeing Ninja Gaiden: Sigma and/or Resident Evil 4 on the Playstation store. Hmm....

EDIT: I've never played God Hand. I feel like I ought to.
 
M

Magnus

Member
Replaying Bioshock next week for the first time since release, to prep for Infinite. Will dump thoughts here! Great idea.

Was toying with the idea of cracking into FFVI or VII soon, too.
 
L

lazer_bean

Member
i'm actually replaying wonderboy in monster land at the moment.
i had played it when i was a kid, on an arcade cabinet

before replaying i gave myself a challenge: i had to have enough money to play the game, as if i was using coins at the arcade.
i gave up on that after a while because the game is really hard..

so anyway, i remember a lot of things:hidden doors and this kind of stuff and sometimes there are enemies or locations i had completely forgotten about but once i see them it all comes back to me again.

i love this game even though i dont think it's particularly good, the controls are pretty bad for example. also the time limit is pretty annoying.

i love beating the enemies i wasnt able to beat before and i love the feeling of re-discovering something that i used to know but forgot about.
i hadnt finished it as a kid and im halfway through the game now i think. i havent reached a level thats completely unknown to me yet but i think my experience will go downhill from there.

i enjoy playing it but at the same time i dont think it's a very good game, so my perception of it has changed, i like it mainly because of nostalgia i guess, it just brings back memories.

another game i used to play at the same place (the games in the arcade cabinets changed every few months) was R-type. I would really like to have it on ps3 or PC but dont think i can find it anymore...
 
R

RM8

Member
I'll be playing Mario Golf 64 since I'm really hyped for the new game coming this year. If I remember correctly it's one of the best golf games I've played, with amazing music and colorful, charming visuals.
 
P

Philia

Member
Ledsen said:
I don't know what I'm going to play. I kinda feel like doing an xbla game, but those don't really mean anything to me... Hmm. Some old pc game maybe? It's pretty fun picking and choosing :)
Click to expand...

Ledsen, do you have a backloggery? Also, did you change your avatar from Fawks?
 
L

Ledsen

Member
Philia said:
Ledsen, do you have a backloggery? Also, did you change your avatar from Fawks?
Click to expand...

I had one for a few years but it stressed me out so I deleted it :p yeah i changed to a dark souls 2 avatar, don't know if I like it better or not.
 
S

SovanJedi

provides useful feedback
Well it's as good an excuse as any to replay Link's Awakening DX, especially since the other thread about the game has popped up and reminded me that I have the game on 3DS. Probably won't happen for a few weeks yet, though - will play it at the end of the month while flying to San Fran!
 
8

88random

Member
Well, yesterday I begun GoW (HD version) after 5 years. That Hydra fight, overall epicness... Timeless game.
I'm also playing FF V for the first time.
 
T

Tan

Member
I've been replaying Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (on steam).
It's crushed my rose-tinted memories of that game; I adored it when I first played it on gamecube. What a horribly paced, rage-inducing-camera using game. 100% grind rails multiplayer stage is still awesome though.
 
K

KDash31987

Member
Not really much of a challenge...I do this, like...every week. Haha.

I think today I'll do Sonic 3 & Knuckles on my Genesis/32X/CD. It's been a while since I played through it, and I've been really, really in the mood to play it lately. I recently replayed the first two games and Sonic CD for the zillionth time, so I might as well keep going!

EDIT: Starting it up now!

P3010035_zps70407076.jpg
Click to expand...

I remember when my mom and grandma (dad's mom) came to pick me up after school as little kid and secretly bought my brother's and I Sonic 3. That was a great day. :)
 
M

McNum

Member
Not a lot of people setting themselves a challenge, it seems.

Well, I've picked one from my way too long list:
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Black Knight Grudge Match

- Challenge: Replay PoR from the start to at least the battle against the Black Knight and win.
- Bonus: Have Mist fight the Black Knight for one round... and live!​

Yes, the bonus challenge is possible, if the random number goddess is kind. The Black Knight can exactly not kill Mist if she's awesome. That is with (way) above average Defense and Speed. If Mist turns out bad, I'll have to fail this one, but if she can take it, I'll give it a shot. It wouldn't be a proper grudge match without some form of humiliation involved, now would it?

So far, I'm just up to chapter three. Ike is doing his Ike thing. No level ups with less than four +1s so far. If he keeps that up, he'll be awesome.
 
T

teeny

Member
Should have updated, but I began playing Ocarina Of Time (for the N64 via Wii VC) again for this challenge. I'm just about at the Shadow Temple.

Ocarina was my favourite game as a kid. I remember having a Zelda themed countdown to my 11th birthday that I constructed from a scrapbook of fan art I had put together. My family gave me enough money to get it and I remember going to Toys R Us to pick it up. I think it was the first game I had bought myself (technically). When I got home, a friend called round and my parents made me go outside to play.

It is hard playing this game after the 3DS remake, for a lot of technical reasons. The framerate is poor, the camera is finicky sometimes and the text scrolls slower. I still love the game, but it does not really look much like a Zelda. Something about the art style just doesn't match the 2D games and has only really been recaptured with Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, in my opinion. The remake is much better in this regard, too.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
I think this is a fantastic thread if people will take the time to discuss their chosen games from both their old perspective prior to playing the game, and a new perspective after finishing the game.

I think I already did that with Mega Man 10 this past Saturday, and I posted my thoughts about it in the Whatcha Been Playin' thread for this week. Though to be fair, that game isn't very old at all, and it was a failed no-death run.

But I am completely willing to give Mega Man 6, 7, or 8 another go for this thread and see what I think of one of them. I'm not too fond of either of them, but it's been a while since I've played them, so who knows? Maybe my opinion of one of them will increase. I'll mull this over as the day goes on, but I figure I should pick one of those. Mega Man X4 would be a bit of a hoot as well because I love that game, though I wonder how I'll feel about it now (shit I'm sure I'll still love it, lolololol). My stipulation/challenge will be a No-Continue Run, but that's usually how I play platformers anyway.

I'm not in an RPG mood right now, so I'll refrain from picking something from that genre.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
Cool.

I've been sorta doing this exact challenge with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, but I might try something else for fun's sake.

Hmm...
 
L

Ledsen

Member
teeny said:
Should have updated, but I began playing Ocarina Of Time (for the N64 via Wii VC) again for this challenge. I'm just about at the Shadow Temple.

Ocarina was my favourite game as a kid. I remember having a Zelda themed countdown to my 11th birthday that I constructed from a scrapbook of fan art I had put together. My family gave me enough money to get it and I remember going to Toys R Us to pick it up. I think it was the first game I had bought myself (technically). When I got home, a friend called round and my parents made me go outside to play.

It is hard playing this game after the 3DS remake, for a lot of technical reasons. The framerate is poor, the camera is finicky sometimes and the text scrolls slower. I still love the game, but it does not really look much like a Zelda. Something about the art style just doesn't match the 2D games and has only really been recaptured with Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, in my opinion. The remake is much better in this regard, too.
Click to expand...

I actually never finished the game back in the day, and only played through the whole thing a few years ago. Surprisingly the graphics were not a problem at all for me, even though I realize they're a technical mess.

samman6 said:
Does starfox 64 3d count? Cause I will play that
Click to expand...

Of course!

Dark Schala said:
I think this is a fantastic thread if people will take the time to discuss their chosen games from both their old perspective prior to playing the game, and a new perspective after finishing the game.

I think I already did that with Mega Man 10 this past Saturday, and I posted my thoughts about it in the Whatcha Been Playin' thread for this week. Though to be fair, that game isn't very old at all, and it was a failed no-death run.

But I am completely willing to give Mega Man 6, 7, or 8 another go for this thread and see what I think of one of them. I'm not too fond of either of them, but it's been a while since I've played them, so who knows? Maybe my opinion of one of them will increase. I'll mull this over as the day goes on, but I figure I should pick one of those. Mega Man X4 would be a bit of a hoot as well because I love that game, though I wonder how I'll feel about it now (shit I'm sure I'll still love it, lolololol). My stipulation/challenge will be a No-Continue Run, but that's usually how I play platformers anyway.

I'm not in an RPG mood right now, so I'll refrain from picking something from that genre.
Click to expand...

Yeah Mega Man are good picks, I actually haven't had time to decide which game I'm going to pick yet, but it'll probably be something quick and short.
 
K

KDash31987

Member
I kept meaning to reply to my previous post, but the thread was dead for so long, I didn't bother to. I also didn't want to double post. Hah. I guess I could have edited my earlier post, though...

Anyway, I beat Sonic 3 & Knuckles a few hours after I started it. I can't say that my opinion or anything has changed about it. The only thing that changed was me being better at it...though, I still suck really, really bad at the bonus stages. I only got 3 emeralds, I think...2 in Sonic 3 section, and 1 in the Sonic & Knuckles section. That's something I'd really like to improve on in the future...

I do think that I know for a fact now that I do like Sonic 2 a bit more, though.
 
T

teeny

Member
Ledsen said:
I actually never finished the game back in the day, and only played through the whole thing a few years ago. Surprisingly the graphics were not a problem at all for me, even though I realize they're a technical mess.
Click to expand...

It isn't even really that the graphics are 'bad' in any way, just that they don't match the universe I have in my head. A Link To The Past and Link's Awakening were so vibrant, it feels like Ocarina is a step back to the more muted aesthetic of the first game. At the time, I thought they were perfect.
 
S

Spiders

Member
Pretty cool idea, I'm in!

I'm thinking of replaying Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It's one of my all-time favorites, and it's been a few years since I last played it.
 
N

Nohar

Member
Age of Empires II. I want to revive the good memories I have from this game... Assuming it will feel the same.
 
S

samman6

Member
So I just played the first playthrough of the N64 mode in starfox 64 3d, holy cow is it harder then the 3ds mode. I went with the meteo, fichina, sector x, sector z, area 6, and venom route. I was cruising to sector x, but I hit the walls too much and lost a wing then in area 6 I lost slippy and peppy, me and falco barely pulled off the venom win and I was scrpping by with no wings and just a sliver of health at the end. What a rush it was seriously like being 12 again when the game felt hard. The 3d is really great in the 3ds version and I like the voices they are all good.
 
N

Nocturnowl

Member
I'm up for this but I have no concrete choice right now of what classic i'll replay.

McNum said:
But what do you think? Fire Emblem: Black Knight Grudge Match or Tales of Colette? Either would take two-three weeks to play, so it'd be a matter of picking just one, I think... I might be leaning towards Fire Emblem.
Click to expand...

I went for Black Knight Grudge Match when I last played PoR, I got two Aethers in a row and dodged his attacks, luck was so on my side.
Tales of Colette sounds like the spin off that no one wants (wait, she's actually powerful? well i'll be damned) so yeah Fire Emblem.
 
H

Hot Coldman

Banned
Done! Played Mega Man 2 during my travels yesterday.

...I should probably play one I feel more strongly about than "yeah it's awesome". :lol
 
DryvBy

DryvBy

Member
Glad I found this now that I can post. I'm going to do another Grim Fandango run. I might host it this weekend. I just gotta get it looking decent.
 
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