I'm torn because there's a lot to like here. It carries over quite a bit of Fester's Quest...something I just didn't expect to ever see happen...and it's decently spooky in atmosphere. I genuinely like the sound and music. I like how it even toned down enough of the Fester's Quest randomness and tightened it down into something Zelda-like. But...it's still clunky, it still takes your weapon power as you get hit, it's slow, and you can barely control Fester. He does not have great motion and he will NOT turn easily. Forget reflexes...they won't do you any good. Also, the first dungeon seems a bit too confusing for, well, the first dungeon. Not great level design so far. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kfcN2s8Mec
Weird, it was released in the same year as the first? That kind of makes sense, as it plays pretty much the same way...but with more. Everything is just a little bit more, and I gotta be honest with you...I don't think I found all the "more." There seem to be move variations I'm still discovering, like multiple ways to handle a grab.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz1L4SsdbWw
This video is not with the FM sound, but definitely check that out if you're interested because it is a feature of the game.
It plays similar to the TG-16 version I posted earlier, stiffness included, but it's harder to pull off jump kicks for some reason. In the TG-16 version it was as simple as jumping and kicking, but here you have to hit 1+2 at the same time and then press down or down forward mid-jump? It's not natural, or at least it wasn't to me when I played.
Thankfully, the stage 1 boss can be cheesed or I'd have never seen stage 2.
Props to a viewer that pointed out to me that there was extra animation in the opening scene on the SMS version vs. the TG-16 version or this might not have been put up.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdxiwiADwhc
Technically, the full game is 3-D Thunder Ceptor 2, but without the 3D effect, it's just Thunder Ceptor 2...the sequel of a game I'm not putting up for comparison because it's the exact same game minus that 3D. There are some differences in the stage layout but that's really it.
It's easy enough to play, but that ease makes it somewhat bland and boring compared to games like Space Harrier, which were flashier in every single way.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_QqjpnGUNw
75%? How? What am I missing because it genuinely feels like nothing works at all. None of the attacks work 75% of the time, so I don't know who rated the game this way. Someone tell me I'm wrong, tell me how I'm wrong, and I'll reupload this. Until then, the video will show me repeatedly whiffing a kick through a dogs head a dozen times. It's animated well, though.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vMJ2wBKcJQ
No sir, I don't like it.
It's just...there's nothing going on. There's no real driving feel, things are cluttered for no reason, and there's no real skill required that I can tell. It's not even that this is too much for the PC Engine. It can visually handle all of this. It's just not a great experience.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh26aLJtH3k
Yikes. I mean, tried to skip the first stage but it just had to happen again. No, not gonna finish that. It's pretty terrible. It's certainly not a game made for kids and it's too boring for adults. I don't know what age is going to want to keep track of that item pickup quest. The graphics and sound almost seemed like they were trying, but it's clear effort wasn't spent anywhere nearly enough.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnEPtmM8-C0
Either I am awful at this and a really slow learner, or this is just impossible. It looks like it could be a lot of fun if it was just a little slower, but I cannot make the guy turn or jump with any urgency. Jumping is very hit or miss. I believe you have to tap and release the jump button, but that only works half the time. If you hold the button down for more than a split second, it doesn't jump.
So yeah. I'm not loving this, hence the sub-3 minute video.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8gdLBvFLrM