Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX

Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX

Full review (including score): https://youtu.be/YI-pcCdmMU8

Written review below!

These two may not be full-on remasters, but an enhanced port available on modern platforms is more than we have already.

Note: Trimmed review to fit character limit, check video for full version!

Gameplay

While I may have been familiar with this series, this would be my first crack at it. And I gotta say, I went in expecting something like Digimon or Pokémon (two games this franchise gets compared to A LOT), but got something completely different. It’s much less a full-on adventure RPG and more so a life simulator RPG.

Real player with 30.1 hrs in game


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One of the best PS1 games is back after many years.

Monster Rancher is a great series and the 2nd game is probably its most solid entry. Released originally in 1999, the game stands strong and provides a good monster rising experience that was surprising for the time and one that you still don’t see this well executed nowdays. It has a lot of depth that, hopefully, may meet its full potential with the online features that have been introduced.

This port needs some work, but in no way it gets in the way to enjoy those two games. Also, Monster Rancher 2 has an added “fast-forward” option that really saves up a lot of time and allow you to rise quickly your monsters. The introduction of the “database search” is also a nice way to make the disc stone concept work today and allows everyone to get all the monsters that we couldn’t back in the PS1 era.

Real player with 8.9 hrs in game

Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX on Steam

Zanzarah: The Hidden Portal

Zanzarah: The Hidden Portal

Played this game back when THQ still exist. Still have the box copy from 2002. I’ve come to love Daedalic Adventure games and suddenly saw this in their list of games and I just have to buy it. :3

The game… this game… is too early for the age by the time it released. It’s one of the very first 3D game with an actual pokemon idea that works back in the days. But it didn’t get the needed advertising from THQ due to financial problem and all that happening inside THQ, so they don’t get a lot of spotlight as a new game back then. A sequel was in the making back then and cancelled. Then THQ went poof and gone history, luckily Daedalic came in and saved this game from going into extinction in an Auction and release it here on steam on 2015.

Real player with 71.8 hrs in game


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Old school, comparativly to many other game on the market, and it shows, but was also one of the first games I bought after buying my first computer, so it holds sentimental value to me. I was so sad when my computer died, and my new one wouldn’t play the CD-ROM (which I still have).

But that’s not why you’re reading this.

You play as Amy (or whatever you name her). From what the origional player book implies, she’s the a-typical loner heroine. She gets runed away to a mystical land where she must cure the faeries that have been poluted. How do you accomplish this, by capturing the feries with orbs after battling them and recruiting them.

Real player with 22.7 hrs in game

Zanzarah: The Hidden Portal on Steam

Geneforge 1

Geneforge 1

Geneforge 1 is pure, simple perfection, and a large part of my emergence as a gamer. For those liking more story-focused RPG games, it may very well be a hidden gem.

G1 is a testament to how a well-written story will outlast graphical advancements any day, because while graphics become more outdated with time, a good story will last forever. G1 hits you with a curious but well-executed medieval Sci-Fi story, that’s simultaneously thoughtful, memorable, and well before it’s time. There are no real low points to it either; from start to finish, it remains strong and consistent. You are also very much the master of your own destiny in the game; unlike the future games, which place you into a specific sect as soon as you start the game, G1 has zero hand holding. Beyond the vague reputation of your kind, you’re free to do whatever you want, and you can very easily play without allying yourself with the numerous factions presented to you. There’s also the option to go completely mad with power, which I personally have a big preference for, and very much appreciate and recommend.

Real player with 188.6 hrs in game


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tl;dr: If this review is too long for you, you probably aren’t going to enjoy this text-heavy game. But you can skip to the summary at the end.

REVIEW

Go back to the very early stages of this millenium (when this game was released), and you might remember two things: (1) fascination with emerging medical technologies surrounding genetic modification and (2) the Infinity Engine at its zenith. Both of these influences can be found in Geneforge, which takes genetic modification as its theme, and uses a Baldur’s Gate-like mechanic for its gameplay (although shorn of D&D rules and a conventional fantasy setting).

Real player with 100.5 hrs in game

Geneforge 1 on Steam