Games that are Better than We Remember

[@GameSack]

Are there any games that are better than you remember?

[@TheKillermike83]

Metal Gear

[@brorjace08]

Joe, you forgot to say that in Streets of Rage 3 the longer you stay without losing a life, you accumulate stars, when you get 3 stars your running attack becomes super powered up, not to mention that with six buttons you can do secret combination moves. Also, Im enjoying the original Metal Gear on MSX immensely, the port we got for the NES is garbage !

[@starlightrevenant]

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (SNES)

[@JonReid01]

Angry Birds

[@nashismox3]

I would have to say more than a game, is a console! Now I am playing a Famicom AV and playing some Famicom Disk games and some Famicom translated games (using Everdrive) on it and I am AMAZED at great games I am finding! Also, the Famicom Disk System is nice as the games sound different! In other words, Joe, you should make an episode of that, consoles you are enjoying more NOW than before. Great episode and thank you.

[@kidfazer]

Joe! I’ve been watching Game Sack for 5-6 years now and I just have to let you know that I appreciate your content IMMENSELY. Huge part of how I got into collecting and became more knowledgeable about retro games. THANK YOU 🙏🏾

[@timmoman]

Being a longtime subscriber I think it's finally time to give an high opinion of your channel and how you're continued making high level quality content. You're a true gaming guru and you're videos are entertaining and informative as ever, keep up the magnificent work my man!

[@GameSack]

Thank you, sir!

[@sillkthashocker]

Hail the Sack!

[@khristkannon1172]

Agree 100%! Thanks Joe for all the great content!

[@javelinXH992]

Joe and Dave have plenty of "MEGAPOWWWWEEEERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!"

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

Yeah same here, I love Game Sack

[@Where_is_Waldo]

"...and if you were alive in the '90's you know that more blood means it's better" amen

[@LeftEarth2]

Thank You, Joe! For all the many great years of Game Sack. This community has shared memories and gaming ambitions with each other. Which is a remarkable thi... _"WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE !"_ 🧟‍♂️

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

If you want to be fully powered up in the SMS Ghouls N' Ghosts, just die in the second half of the first stage over and over again. You'll get enough treasure chests to cycle through to all the store options.

[@GameSack]

Interesting! I'll have to try that.

[@TheKillermike83]

Pro Tip

[@philosophyoftrucking]

I have the SMS Ghouls' N Ghosts. Great game!

[@mrbacchus6127]

Yeah but that's so embarrassing

[@johnnyxsi]

Herzog Zwei is still my favorite strategy game. I was slightly disappointed at first, but kept playing since I didn't get games often. I was hooked after giving it a chance.

[@deusmachinaex]

I'm pretty sure that the bloody wolf "Woofs" are a nod to Dave

[@Carsonj13]

I like how he slips up and calls it "Bloody Wolf" at 15:32

[@martinevans1206]

Can’t wait for Dave to make an appearance with a full head of hair after that Keeps advert.

[@mrdeatheli]

I'll be checking back for weekly updates!

[@jwill7998]

It's called "Keeps", not "Get-Backs".

[@PapaJoJ]

@@jwill7998 hahahaha

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Nah, He'll just beat up Joe and steal HIS hair.

[@briantaylorcloe7725]

"games which are WORSE than we remember"

[@hulksmash8159]

I love that you have a double skit at the end of each episode now. That hair loss skit is hilarious.

[@kutulukutu]

Pretty sure Keeps is real, yo... Still hilarious though!

[@bayonetwork77]

It’s 7am Sunday UK and I’m in the office not working and enjoying a cup of Joe Reddifer

[@acecarrera1]

He's one tasty brew, for sure.

[@tuffasgong]

One tall drink of a man.

[@ninjapirate47]

The best part of streets of rage 3 is that little soda can rolling down the street as a middle finger to final fight's barrels.

[@jojojoma3026]

As a Castlevainia superfan I have to say of course CVII is a MetroidVania! Several areas are blocked and need items to progress and there is a way to increase both HP and upgrade weapons. It is the first MetroidVania. CVII walked so SotN could run!

[@moenibus]

So, the first "Metroidvania", before the game that defined the so called genre. Genius.

[@CptJistuce]

​@@moenibus You're right, it IS before Blaster Master! (The unsung hero of the exploratory platformer genre.) Seriously, regardless of where it came out in the genre's evolution(two years after Metroid, a couple months before Blaster Master, several years before Super Metroid, a solid decade before Symphony of the Night), it is an obvious part of the genre's history and evolution. ... I still find it funny how metroidvania, a term coined to make fun of Symphony of the Night for "not being a real Castlevania game" became the accepted name for the genre as a whole.

[@cnk5289]

@@moenibus well, I think that also Metroid is a metroidvania, and it came out in 1986

[@grihaspoormachine]

nobody remember vampire killer on msx tho lol

[@GuestZer0]

Crusin’ is so much fun in the arcade… And honestly, I think USA’s N64 port captures the look and feel pretty well.

[@magicjohnson3121]

Yeah it was considered a bad port back in the game but it’s Held up well in the fun department. Hell I would say the cartoony graphics have held up better than the “realistic looking” N64 games

[@shannonhill3356]

Yeah, I intend to grab the new Cruisn when it releases on Switch. Looks much the same fundamentally, I'm hoping it's still a great arcadey racer

[@Wes36Man]

@@shannonhill3356 is that a new crusin game or a port of another game?

[@rig85]

@@Wes36Man If will be a new game to consoles, but it’s based on the arcade game that’s been out for a bit.

[@korohacker]

Dunno why, but I felt so happy hearing you call Bloody Wolf, Bloody Woof, especially with the dog woof. That callback to the old skit is very much appreciated

[@shannonhill3356]

I caught that was well! ❤️ Joe & miss Dave!

[@an_ancient_gamer]

At first I thought it was a slight against AVGN, lol! "woof" and "super intendo" always drove me nuts

[@Jinzo9988]

Oddly, I felt the sudden urge to go worsh my clothes after hearing it.

[@JanetStarChild]

@@an_ancient_gamer Seems to be a midwestern thing. People from that area don't seem to be able to pronounce certain words properly.

[@teen_laqueefa]

@@JanetStarChildAVGN IS FROM NEW JERSEY

[@Mindblazter80]

I love Zelda 2, yes it was different from the first one but back then nobody complain about that. It was just another new cool game! And yes, the music is awsome!

[@Mindblazter80]

@Michael Marzullo yes I think so too!

[@rufusray]

The first zelda or castlevania I played where the sequels. Therefore I had no idea they were that different. Love the originals. But I'll always have a soft spot for these 2.

[@Mindblazter80]

@@rufusray yes indeed! Its in our hearts.

[@teddybeer6206]

It wasn't a bad game at all. It's just that people today like to hate everything for no reason other than "its cool to say this game or that movie is bad\overrated"

[@Mindblazter80]

@@teddybeer6206 Yes, but we oldies that was there in the beginning we know what we talking about. And what we love.

[@josephconway5943]

19:00 Actually in SOR1 there is no dash at all, for any of the characters. In SOR2 only Skate can dash forward, yet not up and down. SOR3 was the only one that let all the characters dash as well as added them being able to dash up and down.

[@vasilas432]

BK3 has the faster gameplay of the 3

[@marshy9948]

Woooooow

[@heardofrvb]

What do you mean "you can dash up and down"? When I try running diagonally, they revert to walking.

[@josephconway5943]

@@heardofrvb I did not say diagonally. I said up and down.

[@heardofrvb]

@@josephconway5943 I'm pretty sure it's not dash up and down. Unless you're referring to the side dodge

[@arboris]

I always thought Street of Rage 3 was odd looking, and not as good as 2 as a young lad. But you could select Shiva as a bonus character, so I didn't mind too much.

[@duffman18]

Just letting you know, the best way to play Streets of rage 3 is to play the Japanese version. It's much much easier, it's not balls to the wall hard like the Western version. Bare Knuckle 3 as it's called in Japan, is only as hard as streets of 2. So give it a shot. It'll make you appreciate it much more

[@Existencerased]

I’m waiting for the GAME SACK sequel NAME SACK, where Joe talks about his favorite names, or names he hates, or names left in Japan.

[@nohomers100]

Names that make the person look weak!

[@SFJPMoonGames]

Sunday mornings in UK always made better with Dave haha. Thanks dude 👍🏻

[@MizfitZer0]

That’s Joe

[@SFJPMoonGames]

@@MizfitZer0 lol, ingot mixed up 🤣🤣🤣

[@atolm1]

Absolutely adored Zelda II and Simon's quest the first time through back in the day! So it's nice to see them get some love.

[@RonnieBarzel]

I knew Herzog Zwei got a mixed reception at release, but those EGM reviews/scores are a punch to the gut.

[@Dex99SS]

I remember... I remember the 90s like it was yesterday.

[@CptJistuce]

It was the 90s, and there was time for Klax.

[@JanetStarChild]

The '90s was my highschool years; you better believe I remember that time.

[@JohnKelly2]

Yes, I remember 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1993.. The year without a SoR

[@TheDeeplyCynical]

1993 had the Master System port of of SoR1

[@darrenmorris869]

1991. The year I turned 21. The year I was finally able to drink legally. The year I basically went on a two year long pub crawl....So, no I don't remember that time :P

[@alexojideagu]

@@darrenmorris869 Alcohol buying age is 18 in the UK, 16 in a pub with food bought by a family member lol And 5 years old at home.

[@Avisogreif]

The soundtrack to Herzog Zwei is amazing!

[@MyRetroLife]

Love CruisN USA and I’m really looking forward to the new CruisN Blast arcade port to Nintendo Switch. Great video as always Joe

[@CommodoreFan64]

Loved played CruisN USA back in the day as my local Walmart locations would rotate out various arcade games in the lobby near the drink machines, and it was one game they kept for a good while along with a NEO GEO 4 slot cab, and the N64 game was not bad either. I honestly had forgotten about the CruisN Blast port coming out, but yeah I'm for sure gonna be picking that up for my Switch lite.

[@dwood78part23]

Enjoying my late night with Game Sack! Great topic too!

[@briantaylorcloe7725]

late nights with thee 'Sac' dig it!

[@TheL1arL1ar]

Man me and my brother would always rent streets of rage 3 back in the day.

[@peteanderson2533]

8:07 my favourite version of Ghouls n Ghosts (on SMS) as it isn't stupidly hard. My favourite "trick" is to keep dying on the first level until powered up fully (apart from the final weapon), makes the game an absolute breeze lol!

[@MrGlenbw]

"... a large portion of the music was automatically composed by a strange computer programme and NOT a HUMAN BEING." Elsewhere, Motohiro Kawashima, a HUMAN BEING, is sitting somewhere at the corner of his house crying upon hearing this remark.

[@Fnordathoth]

For the soundtrack, Koshiro created a new composition method called the "Automated Composing System" to produce fast-beat techno which he said allowed one to come up with compositions that one wouldn't normally imagine or think of.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

​@@Fnordathoththat's still rude to not name drop Koshiro, because he is credited with the soundtrack, regardless of whether he used proto-ai to make it.

[@rahuljx1]

Loved Zelda 2 and glad to see more people appreciating it. Simon’s quest was quite frustrating initially but once I started understanding the game structure it was pretty good. If I’m not mistaken Dracula’s eyeball when equipped allowed you to see holes the floor.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

"Riiiiidge raaacer! Remember that one? The one with the ancient giant crab battles?" "Yeah, dad, but everyone at E3 is laughing at you"

[@Spark010]

The changes to SoR3 by Sega US were due to nothing more than the egos of product managers and execs that were trying to make a name for themselves. A lot of video games houses/publishers back then hired execs that knew nothing about video games.

[@avalond1193]

Exactly I agree with you 1000,000% I think it was Bernie stolar or peter Moore that turned down streets of rage 4 for dreamcast because they didn't know it was popular and thought no one would buy it

[@julioagua]

I wonder if that's the reason behind Working Designs making all the games they published way harder without any reason...

[@gameguy73]

I'm not seeing any gender nuetral in the colors either. I agree that the Japanese oringinal is better though, even with the questionable boss that was removed from the over seas versions. It is kind of funny to play as him though. I feel bad now. ;)

[@DatBeastard]

@@avalond1193 That was the 2nd SOR4 attempt that fell flat. The first was eventually released as Fighting Force. Depending on who you speak to, it was either Sega denying the release because they were working on their own sequel (probably that Dreamcast title if I had to guess) or Core Design wanted to release SOR4 as a multi-platform title back then (so Saturn, PS1, PC and maybe N64) and Sega refused. Oddly, Fighting Force for Saturn was cancelled too.

[@onwardinfortwurth]

I love game sack . I go to bed listening to the crunch Thank you very much Joe and Dave

[@thecunninlynguist]

Speaking of zelda, minish cap! I remember people saying it felt incomplete when it was released. Think it's often overlooked now and days

[@YaBoiJosid]

I agree! I really liked the two Capcom outings that minish cap and 4 swords provided wish they had some form of switch releases!

[@Godsgood111]

@@terreausore2435 lol, the irony of the user name the cunninlynguist

[@Godsgood111]

The four dungeons made it feel small, but the complex puzzle-laden overworld made up for it

[@christopherlemp]

A really good game.

[@RallyLancer95]

More like overpriced nowadays

[@Trevelyan2]

What can be better than Game Sack at 1 am? Nothing, that’s what.

[@JaredtheRabbit]

Me: It’s late, I should go to bed. *Game Sack uploads* Me: Oh, hell yeah.

[@MrSez1979]

Same

[@proud90skid15]

Samesies

[@Jesse__H]

It's a Saturday night tradition!

[@ShinyShinyIsAlwaysBeingSerious]

Hi Greg here, former marketing and production associate for Sega and temporarily on the conversion board during the early 1990s, SOR3 was one of the games we were responsible for at the time, so I'm partly responsible for the decisions being implemented (although I didn't make all of them!) What happened was, play tests at the time found that flashing sprites caused concentration to be compartmentalized on a fight-to-fight basis; basically having each enemy read to the player's brains as an 'episode', with the idea being that taking away the flashing would fade out the closure to allow players better concentration and awareness of the levels as whole, rather than the fights. A few of us, including the director of marketing (NA) were really taken by these findings and couldn't wait to see the effects after implementation. The evidence these days is shaky but at the time that was the thinking! Our colleagues including our liaison from Japan took issue with the findings but trusted us with our consistent audience. As for the colours I'll explain, Eddie (Sammy to us as we were working on it) was reworked as there was a large push to make him the next most marketable video game hero of America (talks of a movie "Skater Rage" were floated, but that's another story) In particular due to a dulling effect, where his colours would appear grey, as was noticed on the Philips and Magnavox television sets which, as some were concerned, this would lower the interest and his ability to stand out when compared with the competition, necessitated the sharpness increase on his spites. Since Eddie was at the centre of this push, and we had already sharpened his colors, the next best thing to do (not my fault) was to reduce how vivid other characters looked in comparison, as you can see with Blaze. To mention, Blaze tested well in Japan but we didn't have the reception we wanted from the previous game locally, despite the success overall, so it was considered okay to reduce her marketability so long as it increased Eddie's disproportionately. We actually had to manage a motorcycle scene that was being cancelled in the Japanese version of the game. It came to us incomplete but playable and we had to decide whether to push it to a third party for completion. Arguments were made from the board that we could be expected to advertise the game as a combat-racer which we didn't agree with, it was ultimately found the bikes didn't look comfortable enough and it was left out of the game. Overall I don't regret my time there but I do regret the decisions we made on this game! I feel as if the ideas supporting the changes were solid but ultimately flawed. Since this entire story is made up, since I was born in 1991, and I've never worked for a game company in my life, I've come to appreciate how much trouble the original developers went through and how much I'd like a cold drink at the moment since it's quite hot today. Thanks for featuring our game!

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

The crazy thing is that being familiar with SoA and their body of work, most of this whacky stuff you made up actually sounds plausible. :)

[@javaly78]

Lol EGM was my go to mag back in the day, But they have been known to have given low scores for future epic games

[@FNA4E]

Which games are you referring to? I trusted their reviews

[@NYCJoeBlack]

I miss EGM Magazines and EGM2.

[@javaly78]

@@FNA4E Might’ve been brain fog but I could’ve sworn that they gave final fantasy seven mediocre scores trying to think of the game that they gave medium to low scores that later became cult favorites. But totally EGM was my joy of every month.

[@MrTableDesk]

I really, really love the close up shots you do of the TV.

[@RetroGamePlayers]

The deaths from grenades at 15:44 and 16:50 are hilarious

[@technomage6736]

Love Zelda 2! One of the very most nostalgic games for me! The soundtrack gets me every time.

[@osurpless]

The leveling system isn’t just ahead of its time, it makes handicap runs of 1-8-1 or 1-1-8 surprisingly doable. And largely because the combat is so well rounded and Link quite agile to deal with the enemy attack patterns.

[@rotallyPumpered]

Most of the games I didn't like initially that I've come to enjoy later on are unanimous classics that I was too stupid or impatient to stick with. Final Fantasy VII, Dark Souls, Mystical Ninja starring Goemon, Rez, Ocarina of Time. Some of these are among my very favourite games now. It's definitely worth challenging previous assumptions as your taste broadens.

[@kekeke8988]

Joe challenged FFVII a few times already. Suffice it to say, he will never not hate it.

[@whosaidthat84]

Goemon 64 is probably favorite N64 game not from Nintendo or Rare. It's so much fun.

[@Supersayainpikmin]

I wonder how many people never played these games but just parroted what they saw in magazines or online?

[@64-Bit-Gamer]

I never appreciated Shadows of the Empire back in the 90's. Today, I think it's excellent, and I even enjoyed the Mos Eisley level.

[@PWNHUB]

1:41 I mean the original gold edition was also sold with an entire strategy guide...I still have it.

[@Ostnizdasht206]

Wind Waker definitely came to mind when reading the title of this vid.

[@magicjohnson3121]

I was one of those people that hated the art style but now I think it looks timeless and amazing 😂😂😂

[@NickyG_vz]

I kinda remember 94. Definitely the world cup

[@casedistorted]

omg finally someone talked about Herzog Zwei on the Genesis! I remember playing that game on the Genesis with my grandma and dad in 2-player mode. The single player was fun but 2-player was sooo much funner. Having the split screen in the center and being able to fly around with two players was pretty unique for the time. It was overall a very unique game for being on console. I seem to remember Herzog having incredible music too for the Genesis. This was in the 90's around the same time I remember my dad renting a Turbo Grafx-16 that we played for a bit. I only remember playing that one pack in game that came with it where you turn into a mini gundam in a side scrolling game. The girl from Bare Knuckle 3 was one of my childhood crushes. Something about athletic Chun-Li like babes get me

[@nickpeck4561]

"that one pack in game" for the TG16 was "Keith Courage in Alpha Zones".

[@duffman18]

I really love your big sack. Its always relaxing to sit back and watch a new video of the sack man. Love these videos. Great for chilling

[@SAerror1]

this video made my dog sad because he kept hearing a bloody woof but couldn't find it :(

[@thisisakodibox2635]

What a terrible night to have an episode of GameSack.. I have work early morning

[@gryphonofmight]

I would love to see a Zelda II remake that shows off what was awesome about that game

[@TheKillermike83]

I never thought of that.... But a switch remake would be awesome. They dont even need to go all out, they could make it a 14.99 download or something like that.

[@MizfitZer0]

@@TheKillermike83 pppppfttttt bwaahahahahaha... Good 1. Nintendo release a 1st party game for 14.99? Dream on!

[@TheL1arL1ar]

@@MizfitZer0 $14.99 for the Zelda 2 amiibo…

[@christopherlemp]

I always wanted to see a 3D remake of it.

[@Halbared]

(UK player) I played Castlevania 2 and Zelda 2 back in the day, loved 'em both.

[@25hztolife14]

Sir you've outdone yourself with that shirt. Bravo.

[@MrPoestyle]

AND I remember 1992 . I graduated that year and worked ( as the only guy ) in a grocery store deli surrounded by grumpy old women . I think that I spent every paycheck on new SNES games at the Kmart next door to the grocery store that I worked at .

[@TrueKoalaKnight]

CV2 is clearly a "metroidvania" of a sort. Tho, Zelda 2 nearly is, too.

[@MistahBroccoli]

There's probably a bunch but the first one that came to mind was Beyond Oasis. I remember it a bit from being younger but play ed it again recently and it's such a great game

[@goldinho]

I'm totally with you on Streets of Rage 3, the older i get i appreciate the Soundtrack more and it was way ahead of its time. I just wish we got Bare Knuckle 3 back in the day instead.

[@onldhes]

I always remember Bloody Wolf from a song GameJew wrote about it when it came out on the Virtual Console. Had a chorus that went something like "Bloody Wolf, Bloody Wolf, save all the hostages and shoot this dude. And when you shoot this dude, blood comes out of his chest". I gotta find that song now.

[@Bloodreign1]

Damn it Joe, quit breaking Neo Geo sticks!

[@SolBadguyZAC]

00:43 - Legend of Zelda 2 02:57 - Cruisin' USA 05:35 - Herzog Zwei 08:13 - Ghouls and Ghosts 11:45 - Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest 14:32 - Bloody Wolf 17:32 - Streets of Rage Series

[@RetroWasteLand81]

I absolutely loved Zelda 2 and Simon’s Quest when I was little. The music was some of the best on the nes and I was too young to realize either one had issues. I just enjoyed playing them like I do today. That’s all the matters in the end anyways.

[@brandonginsburg3120]

Well-said. And I agree about the music.

[@bland9876]

I think zelda 2 is the opposite of blaster master. Blaster Master you run around in a platforming stage and when you find the door you go into the little area and it's top down. Zelda 2 running around in a top down stage and when you find the door it becomes a platformer. If Zelda is way more popular than Metroid why haven't we gotten a remake of Zelda 1?

[@ryanperrault8174]

Love seeing Herzog Zwei in there. Also should throw General Chaos in there

[@SwayRod836]

I remember 1994. I was a high school freshman.

[@johnserino6]

It's always a nice surprise to see Herzog Zwei on these lists. I've been a diehard since its launch. 👍

[@themcadamsminute8494]

Love this topic and thank you for making a video on it!!!

[@RadnomG]

12:45 "Going into this game armed with a little knowledge makes it much more enjoyable. I don't think that this is cheating, especially if it's helping you enjoy a game that you otherwise wouldn't have. What's the harm in that?" - I like this perspective on difficulty/cheats/walkthroughs/accessibility etc.! Very welcoming.

[@AnEnginerd]

"I think people dislike games they suck at." Another been from Joe!

[@HeathenDance]

That's why most metal fans always prefer the rythm guitar player. They can't play the solos performed by the lead guitarist ahah.

[@cakestalker]

@Pro Tengu It seems to be correct in a lot of cases though. You see somebody disliking a game and of course nobody would except them to be an expert, but they often are so bad that it looks like they even don't know how to play the game.

[@THE_GIN_MASTER_]

I agree with every single one of your picks, Joe, but when I saw Herzog Zwei I involuntarily yelled because of how HYPE I GOT

[@131457c]

For me Streets of Rage 3 is still the best playing streets of rage game of the initial triology. I still prefer Bare Knuckle 3 (translated of course), but even if the graphics and sound department didn't really got improved, I think the gameplay blew every other game out of the water

[@n0isyturtle]

Man I remember when there wasn't a pizza place, laundromat, movie theater, or bar that didn't have a Cruis'n USA cab. Those things were everywhere!

[@markula_4040]

I'm not surprised Cruisn' USA was more popular than Daytona USA. It was an awesome arcade racer and gets my vote for best ever even over Outrun and is definitely on par with the games Joe mentioned. Not going to lie, saying it isn't is kind of just incorrect.

[@LusRetroSource]

I remember seeing the ad's for Herzog Zwei and not caring at all for it. Still haven't played it, but I have it on my must play list because of so many people saying how good it is and I also started enjoying strategy games as I got older.

[@myretronation]

I miss EGM was buying it almost monthly during the 32-bit era

[@TheMusicalStylingsofBrentBunn]

Thank you. I needed a little positivity in my day.

[@Level1Sword]

Zelda 2 certainly doesn't get enough credit. I played Zelda 1 and 2 before the arrival of KZbin, and always thought 2 was the better game. Same goes for Super Mario Bros. 2 USA over the original.

[@clagen86]

Mario 2 (USA) was always very exciting to me as it had far more interesting visual presentation. It also had more complex gameplay and I really liked the ability to choose between 4 different characters. I would have been disappointed by the original true sequel being too similar to the first game.

[@popculturehero]

I came for that quick review of Herzog Zwei and was not disappointed. Amazing that you can restrain yourself, because definitely those who get into it, become obssessed with the blend of action, Strategic freedom, and transforming robots.

[@Mephianse81]

Love these choices Joe. I played Castlevania 2 with a walkthrough and I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. I used to not be into walkthroughs or guides but now that I'm older I just wanna save time and get through the game so I'm all for a little help.

[@paulsmith9192]

@One Man Parade I just didn't like the lackluster boss fights, the cryptic puzzles and the castles themselves were poorly designed.u had to throw holy water to make sure u don't fall down.its okay,but its not that good

[@jokerzwild00]

As you said with Castlevania 2. the fact that we have instant access to any guide or puzzle answer these days helps some games a lot. Back in the day if you got stuck on something super obtuse it was pretty much game over unless one of your playground friends held secret knowledge, or unless you bought a guide.

[@Jesse__H]

Early gang! GameSack is a Saturday night tradition. Thankfully Joe is a night owl like us 🦉

[@MartiniGaming]

Great topic and video. Already wanting a part 2. Game sack never disappoints

[@someguy3186]

EGM might've misjudged that one, but I still l respect them for being willing to give games very low scores. Game "journalists" these days are afraid to give anything below a 7.

[@Buffalo_ill]

Simon's quest was the first castlevania game I ever played. It was my favorite in the series until SotN was released.

[@NoLongerUploadingHere]

I'm a simple man, I see a Game Sack video and I click!

[@inceptional]

A little known bit of lesser-known info on Streets of Rage 2: Only one background layer is ever shown behind the HUD, even though it's fully transparent so you'd think both layers would be visible behind it. This is because the Genesis can only every show two background layers and once, so anytime you see a large HUD over the game like this it will be at the cost of using that amount of space from one of the backgrounds. It's kinda cool to go through the entire game and see how Sega's designers and artists managed to get around this limitation of the console in such a way that I bet 99% of people never even noticed it was a thing. Ironically, on most SNES beat 'em ups the designers/artsists used the additional third background layer that the SNES is capable of for the HUD, which meant most HUDs like this on SNES were drawn in very low colour (this was a limitation of the third layer), yet they almost never thought to use a similar solution to Streets of Rage 2, which would have allowed them to both have a full colour HUD (using part of one of the full colour layers) alongside using the lower-colour third background layer for additional overlapping parallax.

[@Aragorn7884]

Streets of Rage 1...as good as 2 is it's overshadowed by the sequel 😔

[@GUERILLAILL]

SOR2 is that good tho, to me way better than 1 and a good deal better than 3, even tho I like all three. These plus Double Drangon 2-3 on nes, Die Hard on Saturn, God hand on PS3 and Combatribes on SNES are top tier in my book. Oh and Double Dragon on SNES.

[@acecarrera1]

For me, the first one is still the best of the series, the opening of the first level left a lasting impression.

[@MizfitZer0]

1 is amazing, 2 is just a bit better though. Both are brilliant games. 3 is just meh though

[@SkeletorTclaws]

@@MizfitZer0 I agree, also bk3 is superior to the censored and artificially more difficult sor3.

[@Paulnap]

What? SOR1 is nowhere near the level of SOR2. Only the music is comparable. Small sprites, less moves, less frames, less characters, less everything. SOR3 incorporates really interesting things and variety but lacks impact. And music tried too much. Amazing saga anyway. Cheers!

[@pjdolont9012]

I feel like code name: VIPER has to be in here.

[@marmorini]

The arcade version of Crusin’ USA has great music!

[@kabukimanindahouse]

yeeeeah woah woah ooh ah ooh ah ooh ah yeah

[@marmorini]

@@kabukimanindahouse exactly! Was the only arcade racer in my town during my childhood. I remember the sound of the gas pedal hiting the floor to get the boost.

[@gryphonofmight]

Zelda II is my all-time favourite game in the series and favourite NES game

[@Jesse__H]

That Crusin' game looks surprisingly crisp for an N64 title!

[@besotoxicomusic]

It wasn’t a horrible game graphically but it was kinda a disappointment at the time.

[@DailyCorvid]

Cruisin World Tour is 100 times better, personally I avoid Cruisin USA it's so dull after 10 mins.

[@casedistorted]

My friend and I used to play Cruisin' USA all the time on the N64, along with Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey.

[@rickylovesyou]

MGS Snake Eater! Much better than I remember.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Gender neutral colors? Really? You never played the head to head option, did you? They just swapped the one player and two player palettes. SOA just decided that they wanted more variety, for whatever insane reason. Maybe they thought it looked more fashionable. Maybe they were trying to pull a Capcom.

[@solarflare9078]

Sega of America is absolutely stupid when it comes to localization.

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

Whatever it was, I felt pretty crappy paying $80 for a long-awaited follow-up to one of my favorite series, only to find out that the game was made worse by the SoA localization team. Game Fan did a good job covering this game and all the stupid changes.

[@chrisprescott2273]

Fun episode. Thanks for not making your fans wait two weeks after a "boring" hardware episode for a game centric one.

[@mrburns366]

Bionic Commando is better than you remember and if you disagree, you're wrong! 😋

[@avalond1193]

High version? Arcade? Nes? Or Xbox 360 big budget remake?

[@irfanafendi4837]

Hey, nice profile pic. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@mrburns366]

@@avalond1193 NES and Rearmed! 😁

[@solarflare9078]

Not the arcade game. It's awful

[@mrburns366]

@@solarflare9078 yeah, it really sucks. I played the NES version first and the arcade version was a major disappointment.

[@GreenTengu97]

Actraiser 2 is one I'd seriously recommend people give a chance. The absence of the city building stuff from the first game is a shame, and I don't think it is very intuitive for a first time player. But if you can learn how to play the game, its a really satisfying action platformer with some of the most gorgeous spritework on the Super Nintendo. (I'd recommend playing on Easy first. You can't get to the last level that way, but its a way more natural intro to the difficulty.)

[@dallacosta2868]

Hey Joe. Are you considering buying a Steam Deck?

[@proud90skid15]

He’s not

[@DukeDudeston]

I would assume not, as he does focus more on actual console games. Think there has only been a handful of PC/Mac games in the sack. But then who knows.

[@jbfarley]

@@TurboNutterBastard grow up

[@roninkraut6873]

Things were getting a little crazy in the real world so thank god for Game Sack

[@Mr_Wheez]

Ghouls ’n Ghosts on the Master System looks amazing with some great sprite work. I like the upgrade system, it reminded my of Returnal on the PS5. NOW I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!

[@TheKillermike83]

Definitely, i never knew how cool it was.

[@Jesse__H]

Returnal has been consuming my weekends since I got my PS5 last month. It's an incredibly addicting game!

[@jamesaitchison9478]

"Humphry Bogart's great-grandson Terry" Awesome 👍