tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post6133704850303618799..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 175: The Black Onyx (1984)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79988110979759850852022-07-20T06:31:41.822-04:002022-07-20T06:31:41.822-04:00I am once again at a loss as to where to pose ques...I am once again at a loss as to where to pose questions about these old school CRPGs and you all managed to help me out last time so… help please. <br /><br />After many failed attempts, I discovered only one of the dozen or so disc images included in the neo kobe pack actually worked with the English patch (specifically “The Black Onyx (v5.0) (SR).d88 , all of the others produced a distorted blue mess once it reached the title screen). <br /><br />That said, I can’t actually get in and create a character. I understand that the character creation saves to a separate disc (and I remember reading somewhere that the .d88 file combined the two somehow??) but every time I enter “1” it spits back out “Undefined line number in 22000” underneath the “GENESIS” text. <br />Admittedly I also don’t know how to load a blank disc into the second slot on m88 and that may or may not be a part of my problem…. <br /><br />If anyone could help me out with this, I would be eternally grateful. Lunicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50176958940384673362015-05-20T15:32:34.573-04:002015-05-20T15:32:34.573-04:00I don't know what the hell that cover is suppo...I don't know what the hell that cover is supposed to be. It's even worse than the title "Monarch Monarch".EriChanTheRetroGamerNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10862547154849146963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87688645879844774952015-05-11T01:37:15.545-04:002015-05-11T01:37:15.545-04:00Dragon Slayer I has virtually no text, but what li...Dragon Slayer I has virtually no text, but what little there is is 100% English in all versions. It's kind of fun in the right mindset, but beware that there are monsters who, instead of reducing your HP when you attack you, reduce your EXP or attack power.<br /><br />It does enough unconventional things (like having your EXP be the same as your natural max HP, as well as having it be your defensive power) and should be short enough to at least try (once you figure it out you can beat each phase in a couple of hours, tops) that I'd like to see what you think of it.EriChanTheRetroGamerNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10862547154849146963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39016236234866062342015-04-17T01:19:44.973-04:002015-04-17T01:19:44.973-04:00Hydlide's Famicom port is weird in general: it...Hydlide's Famicom port is weird in general: it tacks on the (awful) music from Hydlide II and lacks the scrolling from the original's Sharp X1 port. The game itself remains tough going, but I've heard worse about Dragon Slayer from that same year. Tokihiro Naito programmed and designed the game largely by himself at T&E Soft; he recently asked Twitter followers to retweet him and convince his current employer M2 to make a game in the same vein. Zelda 1 definitely shows Hydlide's influence, which is one reason why people compare the two.<br /><br />Speaking of bad ports, Bokosuka Wars's difficulty balance was ruined in the Famicom version. The PC-88 original starts you off with a small army to fight the earliest waves of enemies, but the console port gives you nothing to start with but the general you directly control—you have to attack trees and convert them into soldiers! No surprise opinions are mixed on the game, since few of us have played the original.D.R.E.R.https://twitter.com/DragEnRegalianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46332067420813800492015-04-17T01:10:26.258-04:002015-04-17T01:10:26.258-04:00Monarch Monarch is a name, yes. The game itself lo...Monarch Monarch is a name, yes. The game itself looks fun, a mish-mash of puzzle and RTS. Wouldn't be a bad idea to cook up a menu translation...<br /><br />Legend of Heroes III through V—the so-called "Gagharv" trilogy, named after the mysterious chasm separating the continent Tirasweel into sectors—is highly regarded by those who have played the PC originals and PSP ports in Japanese. Tom @ XSEED Games has stated an interest in localizing them, but I bet fans are gonna translate it before XSEED can get around.D.R.E.R.https://twitter.com/DragEnRegalianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11277194635994362422015-02-20T16:29:24.076-05:002015-02-20T16:29:24.076-05:00Hah, nope
http://i.imgur.com/mwLoUPY.jpgHah, nope<br />http://i.imgur.com/mwLoUPY.jpgArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79895548666367764142015-02-20T14:39:07.697-05:002015-02-20T14:39:07.697-05:00"Monarch Monarch"? Am I being trolled? :..."Monarch Monarch"? Am I being trolled? :PFryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805219432946673379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89764359296488532742015-02-18T15:27:42.566-05:002015-02-18T15:27:42.566-05:00Haha, no problem, I enjoyed my obituary.
Also, ke...Haha, no problem, I enjoyed my obituary.<br /><br />Also, keep your Character Disk safe! 'The Fire Crystal' is definitely an expansion; you can't roll characters on it, you just use your Black Onyx character disk.ArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37620897669458346932015-02-18T15:25:50.964-05:002015-02-18T15:25:50.964-05:00I just assumed that a Japanese game released only ...I just assumed that a Japanese game released only in Japan wouldn't be written in English. This qualifies <i>Hydlide</i> for my list, then, if it really is an RPG. <br /><br />Does anyone know of any other JRPGs that didn't receive a western release but are all-English in the Japanese versions?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72964417593943756992015-02-18T15:24:15.151-05:002015-02-18T15:24:15.151-05:00Marc, sorry about the "hope he's okay&quo...Marc, sorry about the "hope he's okay" paragraph. Obviously, you and I had corresponded by e-mail before this was published, but I'd already scheduled it and forgot to go back and edit it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5802936987912444192015-02-18T07:02:08.367-05:002015-02-18T07:02:08.367-05:00Sounds like this predicts Knights of Legend's ...Sounds like this predicts Knights of Legend's Paperdoll by a few years.<br />Though Knights of Legend does look better.Clarcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17488871871166757469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25478552439834341392015-02-17T22:01:30.301-05:002015-02-17T22:01:30.301-05:00I was genuinely worried as well, and felt a surge ...I was genuinely worried as well, and felt a surge of pleasure when your name showed up! Too bad you've moved on (stay anyway! :) ), but we understand, don't we? Guys, don't we? Guys?<br /><br />Glad to see you are okay!williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13165046805752023823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52714344649044036172015-02-17T21:57:47.170-05:002015-02-17T21:57:47.170-05:00Re: Kaleidoscope, don't get your hopes up too ...Re: Kaleidoscope, don't get your hopes up too high. Kaleidoscope seems to be broken (where you can actually walk on the map doesn't seem to correspond with the visual map itself..) and Kaleidoscope II seems to just be a song with a picture.ArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9506781193155712612015-02-17T20:21:35.720-05:002015-02-17T20:21:35.720-05:00I'd say the biggest influence on Zelda was Hyd...I'd say the biggest influence on Zelda was Hydlide, with a bit of Xanadu's castles. It has Hydlide's overworld, flip-scrolling, action-rpg combat, and fairies and all that.<br />Plus, just look compare their intros:<br />http://i.imgur.com/6qCdniX.png<br />http://i.imgur.com/KGsAuwl.png<br /><br />Star*Fish is still making Wizardry-style games too. They were doing the Wizardry Empire series at least until recently, and it sort of spun off into their own Elminage series. One of which is on Steam.<br /><br />And, regarding Kaleidoscope: Shoot me an e-mail. ArstanNeckbeard, gmail.ArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89174894553525793032015-02-17T20:03:27.188-05:002015-02-17T20:03:27.188-05:00If you played the NES version of Romancia, it'...If you played the NES version of Romancia, it's a lot different from Falcom's original PC version. They added a lot more combat and made it generally a lot longer. The original game is literally 30 minutes long maximum because you have a timer, so getting stuck isn't a big deal, it's more of an adventure game than anything else. There are fan translations of the MSX and MSX2 versions if you're curious.<br /><br />Here's the PC-88 version:<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcM3vIBFMf4<br /><br />And the MSX2 version:<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kgmx37xHyMArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37500048615105084152015-02-17T17:18:41.872-05:002015-02-17T17:18:41.872-05:00Oh, man, Stargazers -- aka one of the worst games ...Oh, man, Stargazers -- aka one of the worst games (and certainly worst RPGs) from the Famicom's early years. Invisible cities, nonsensical topography, hideous backgrounds, malformed dialogue boxes, etc.<br /><br />I tried playing it for a little while, but the partial translation patch by KingMike is too buggy and incomplete to work with, and the game is completely screwy anyway.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76007963995959023702015-02-17T17:15:36.237-05:002015-02-17T17:15:36.237-05:00I'm glad you're discussing the early Japan...I'm glad you're discussing the early Japanese RPGs. A lot of them like Black Onyx are mostly derivative of western works, but some like Bokosuka Wars and the Dragon Slayers are super influential. Dragon Slayer 2: Xanadu provides much of the blueprint for the original Legend of Zelda, although it gives players a lot more freedom when it comes to traversing the game world.<br /><br />Also, I have no idea why so many people namedrop In the Psychic City as a classic RPG. It's absolutely terrible! I chronicled my short experience with it here: http://jawshplaysgames.blogspot.com/2014/04/diary-entry-24-roaming-streets-of-hotbs.html It was made by a company called HOT-B, who later published a remake of the game for the Famicom called Stargazers. They're mostly known on both sides of the Atlantic for the prolific Black Bass series of fishing games, with the occasional sequel still being developed to this day by HOT-B's successor company, Starfish. <br /><br />Hot-B made several other RPG's, most of which are utter trash. The NES game Shingen the Ruler is my personal favorite, a grand strategy title that plays like Nobunaga's Ambition with a trashy but fun tactical battle system. The only thing I couldn't find by them are the Kaleidoscope games. If anyone knows where I can get working pc88 images for those, please let me know. jawshplaysgameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02205722512717086480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61841063309103459412015-02-17T13:27:25.121-05:002015-02-17T13:27:25.121-05:00Thanks for that genealogy. Legacy of the Wizard, F...Thanks for that genealogy. Legacy of the Wizard, Faxanadu -- games I grew up with, and remember fondly. For some reason the games they localized for the US seem to be the ones that didn't spark a series of their own.<br /><br />I played Romancia for a while a few years ago and enjoyed it at first, but that game had a real mean streak and liked to put you in unwinnable situations. Not good.<br /><br />Too bad the Genesis versions of some of these games haven't been fan-translated. Sorcerian looks like a mess, but I'd still like to play it.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86610926508455248922015-02-17T13:06:38.970-05:002015-02-17T13:06:38.970-05:00I heard that Legend of Heroes III was titled as on...I heard that Legend of Heroes III was titled as one of the most poetic RPGs ever made, so I'd be interested in playing it, but the PSP translation seems like an unfortunate experience.<br /><br />Don't Nayuta no Kiseki and Ys vs Sora no Kiseki count as games in the series? I get the latter might be discounted because it's a crossover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54460099903204961072015-02-17T10:27:36.898-05:002015-02-17T10:27:36.898-05:00You've probably played another one as well. Dr...You've probably played another one as well. Dragon Slayer IV came out in the US as Legacy of the Wizard on the NES.ArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35457038762017990082015-02-17T10:19:12.919-05:002015-02-17T10:19:12.919-05:00Hah, I actually played one of those games - Faxana...Hah, I actually played one of those games - Faxanadu on the NES. Wasn't a bad 8-bit ARPG but nothing on Wonderboy 3Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42193395165920955942015-02-17T08:07:43.570-05:002015-02-17T08:07:43.570-05:00I think the Hydlide thing is blown out of proporti...I think the Hydlide thing is blown out of proportion due to modern-day looking back and everyone piling on. People just invent stuff because they heard it was a bad game. Sort of like E.T. I played Hydlide back in the day, and I thought it was all right. Not super, but a decent enough game. The music did grate, and Hydlide was the first game to disappoint me with a zero-effort ending. I won the game and that's *it*? Harlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36858096147070579152015-02-17T07:41:41.351-05:002015-02-17T07:41:41.351-05:00Holy cow, that's one hell of a genealogy recor...Holy cow, that's one hell of a genealogy record. It's like the Hapsburgs of video gaming.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38341907690072639182015-02-17T00:59:14.861-05:002015-02-17T00:59:14.861-05:00Also, most of the Dragon Slayer games have their o...Also, most of the Dragon Slayer games have their own sequels. It's ridiculous. You'd almost need a family tree.<br /><br />So I made one.<br /><br />http://i.imgur.com/tFZ2R5Q.pngArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20945779675853531162015-02-17T00:56:33.236-05:002015-02-17T00:56:33.236-05:00Yeah, it's it's own thing, for what it'...Yeah, it's it's own thing, for what it's worth. Interesting ideas, average execution. It's no worse than the King's Field games though, and look at where that led.ArstanNeckbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12029719479750089604noreply@blogger.com