Hey, we all love to talk about our current favourite games or older games which EVERYONE knows and has played.. But how about those games we all have in our collections, the ones few people know of? I think it is time that we profess our love for these awesome, unknown games.
Here are two from my collection which I have always had a soft spot for.
Destrega (1998)Platform: Playstation
Developer: KOEI
The fighting style in the game is unique in many aspects. Movement includes the ability to freely roam the current environment. The X button jumps, while R1 causes the player to dash and L1 blocks. The close range fighting system is like Rock, Paper, Scissors where each type of attack is stronger and weaker than another. The Square button results in a quick (but weak) attack; Triangle a slow and powerful one. Circle allows you to sidestep, allowing an attack by slipping behind your opponent.
After stepping far back, the charge bar changes from Red to Blue, indicating you can use magic attacks. Just like close range there are three attacks. The Fast (Tiou), Power (Est), and Span (Foh). Tiou travels fast but hits weak, Est hits hard but travels slow, and if you are far away, the attack will disappear. Foh fires a multiple blast and does medium damage. Tiou beats Est, Est beats Foh, Foh beats Tiou. Tiou drains the least charge, Foh medium, and Est the most.
You can also combine magic attacks. Different combinations equal different results. There is a Level 1 attack; Tiou, Est, and Foh (3 Combinations). Then there is a Level 2 attack; Tiou Tiou, Tiou Est, Tiou Foh, Est Est, Est Foh, Foh Foh, etc (9 Combinations). All of which can be reversed (EX: Foh Est) Then the Level 3 attack, Tiou Tiou Tiou, Tiou Tiou Est, Est Est Tiou, Foh, Tiou Foh, etc (21 Combinations). Then There is a Level 4 attack, Tiou Est Foh (any order), (1 Combination), which does a powerful long wide attack.
Why I Like It: I remember when I first played this on an old Playstation Magazine demo disc, so it was probably in 1998 and I was most likely 12 at the time. I remember skimming through the games on the demo disc, not finding a whole lot which I was interested in, but then I stumbled across this game on the rotating wheel of demos.
So I hopped into the demo and found two game modes available, arcade and versus. Four selectable characters were present, which seemed like a lot for a demo at the time. I remember trying a swordsman character, Tieme, first. I didn't really know what I was doing at first , I just pressed random buttons until I realized that Square, Triangle, and Circle all performed different moves which behaved differently. Square was your speed attack, triangle was your power attack, and circle was your spread attack.. And then I realized that you could perform them multiple times, combine them, and perform huge attacks which were absolutely devastating.
I played arcade for a while before summoning my brother and kicking his ass for a bit until he came to grips with the demo. Not long after, I brought my best friend over and thrashed him a bunch until, he too, learned the game mechanics. This resulted in some REALLY epic fights as we learned what sort of strategies to use. The most important thing for us to remember was that Destrega was very much a "turn based fighter." Sure, you could move and attack whenever you'd want, but trust me.. You'd be smart to wait until the other guy finished an attack or his energy bar depleted.
I bought the full game last year. A little late, I know, but it was worth it. The game is not surprisingly deep and has next to nothing in the line of unlockables or secrets, but the actual gameplay is very challenging and strategic when you play with a friend. Awesome game which deserved a better score than what the reviewers gave it, with average scores being between 4 and 6. If I were to review the game, I'd give it about a 7.5. The singleplayer game is very weak and repetitive, but multiplayer was a blast and still is. Believe me.
Cardinal Syn (1998)Platform: Playstation
Developer: 989 Studios
A 3D fighting game with free roaming features that allows you to move around a small interactive battlefield during combat, similar to the slightly more famed Ehrgeiz. The combatants are designed out of a dark fantasy world similar to Dungeons & Dragons, a great number of them non-human, each armed with melee weapons fitting for the style. The title gave access to combos, juggles, stage hazards, fatalities, projectiles, and battlefield powerups.
Why I Like It: Love this game! Again, first played it on an old Playstation Magazine demo disc and loved it. The demo for Cardinal Syn only had two characters, but they were each pretty badass. One was some sort of Elf named Orion with a staff or something of the sort, and a bitching Dark Knight named Vanguard who wore dark armor and fought with a pretty damn big sword. That guy, Vanguard, is easily my favourite fighting game character ever simply for his sheer awesomeness. Biggest bad-ass ever.
Now, for it's time, Cardinal Syn didn't play any worse than any other fighter out there. It was like.. Bushido Blade, only in closed arenas and with fantasy characters. A knight, skeleton, zombie, jester, dwarf, cyclops and even a giant dragon rounded out the roster for this game.
I bought the game in 1999 or 2000 instead of Final Fantasy Tactics (yeah, you heard me!) and I don't regret it. The disc stopped working after a year or two and I have not played it since.
HOWEVER.. I purchased it off eBay a few days ago and, if I am lucky, it will arrive in the mail tomorrow and I'll kick ass with Vanguard again on my PS3.
Cardinal Syn was another game which received poor ratings from the professional reviewers, but a quick look at a site such as GameFAQs shows that this is NOT a bad game and, had it been advertised properly, would probably have its own claim to fame today as one of the best and most unique fighters on the PS1.
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Little known games which you thoroughly enjoyed?