satoru-raiden 3Speak Podcast

Dragons, Snakes and Leopards - T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger

satoru-raiden — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:43:54 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/aznwvvti

Hey guys from Hive Gaming, I hope you are all doing great. A few days ago, I felt nostalgic about the PS1 and decided to play T'ai Fu, an action title that could be considered a rarity in the console’s catalog. So here I bring my short review.

To start, in this curious beat 'em up you control a muscular tiger with an anthropomorphic appearance that has to traverse big stages, defeating as many enemies as possible along the way. In each level, it’s possible to collect items that increase his energy or provide extra lives. It should be noted that the stages are quite linear, although due to the strange camera position, you need to orient yourself to know how to continue.

One of the most interesting aspects is that as you complete the stages and defeat various enemies, such as mantises, snakes, or leopards, including each final boss, you will acquire the abilities of these creatures.

The truth about this game is that is quite entertaining, and it’s not particularly difficult. However, it does have a somewhat repetitive dynamic (enemies appearing and getting rid of them). But this is compensated by its original concept. The game also features some platform sections where you have to collect important items.

Regarding the visual aspect, the game stands out for its colorful characters and settings, which are reminiscent of landscapes from Chinese culture. However, there are some parts that have a somewhat simple design compared to other PS1 games. In general, it’s a title with a fresh and somewhat childlike style. However, when you hit the enemies, blood does fly through the air, although is not as exaggerated as in Mortal Kombat, lol.

In conclusion, Tai Fu is a strange and atypical game. It's easy to play and entertaining, but it eventually becomes a bit monotonous. I think it would have been better with a cooperative mode for two players.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Final Fight 2 Review - The Mad Gear Gang Strikes Back!

satoru-raiden — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 19:28:53 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/qcxvzbyi

There's a saying, "A bad penny always turns up," and this is perfectly described by the gang of ruffians Mad Gear. These guys didn't learn their lesson and have returned with new determination to take revenge on those who caused them so many problems in the first Final Fight. To achieve their wicked goal, they have kidnapped Genryusai, the master and father of Guy's fiancée, Rena. Since Guy couldn't be located, Rena's younger sister, Maki, contacted Mike Haggar to resolve this conflict; they are joined by Carlos, an experienced street fighter.

I recommend you to watch my video for a better appreciation of the gameplay.

The gameplay mechanics of this sequel are very similar to that of the first game; with two buttons, we perform all of our moves, from jumps and hits to special attacks. The best part is that there's no need to memorize complicated combinations, like in many other fighting games, to be able to give a good thrashing to the ruffians that cross our path in each one of the stages.

Perhaps the most notable feature of this version of the game for the Super Nintendo is the option to play in cooperative mode with a friend or relative. Interestingly, this option was omitted in the versions of the first Final Fight and Final Fight Guy for the 16 bits Nintendo console, since they only had a single-player mode. Which is a real shame if you ask me, as playing alongside a companion makes the adventure much more dynamic and fun.

In conclusion, although the main heroes from the first installment, Cody and Guy, are not present in this sequel, the game is still very enjoyable. Maki and Carlos are quite the worthy substitutes. Additionally, I liked that Haggar is once again among the selectable heroes and that many other characters have also returned. The game even has other nice details, like seeing the lovely Chun-Li eating in one of the stages.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Alien Storm Review - Time to stop the alien invasion!

satoru-raiden — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 11:42:09 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/ipgxdxwl

In the old amusement arcades, I was lucky to enjoy several very popular titles such as Final Fight, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Double Dragon, or Alien vs. Predator. However, I also got to know other interesting games that strangely did not enjoy as much popularity as those I just mentioned, such as Alien Storm.

As you may imagine, the story of this game is very basic. It all takes place in a futuristic world where a group called the ‘Alien Busters,’ consisting of Karen, Garth, and the android Scooter, are forced to interrupt their hamburger business to fight off an imminent alien invasion with their weapons and special attacks.

Just like other classic Sega titles such as Altered Beast or Golden Axe, Alien Storm is an action-packed Beat 'Em Up adventure where up to three players can participate simultaneously. It is worth mentioning that this game had adaptations for the Master System and Sega Genesis consoles, with the latter being the best version for obvious reasons. An interesting detail is that the cooperative mode in these versions can only be played by a maximum of two players, but despite this, the gaming experience is not compromised as defending the Earth from hordes of aliens is just as fun as in the arcade version.

Another important detail is that the game consists of eight different missions, each divided into several parts. The objective is to reach the alien mothership and put an end to the evil queen of these invaders. The most striking feature is that we have to eliminate enemies in three different types of stages. The most common one involves advancing on foot while facing numerous enemies. Another takes place in enclosed areas where the perspective shifts to a first-person mode, where you control the aim and shoot at any alien that appears. Finally, there are stages where you have to defeat adversaries while moving at high speed through the streets.

In conclusion, this classic game is simple, straightforward, and very fun. You could say it’s like a kind of Final Fight with firearms and a more dynamic pace. If you’re like me and enjoy this type of retro games, I recommend you give it a try.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Final Fight - The ultimate battle in Metro City!

satoru-raiden — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 15:49:17 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/fogqfwnq

There is no doubt that the arcades were the cradle of several titles that gained a legendary status in the gaming world through the years. Interestingly, many of these games were made by Capcom; among these are titles such as Ghosts 'n Goblins, 1942; and of course, the brilliant Final Fight.

The first thing that stood out about this game was that the enemies and characters had a unique and fresh visual style that immersed you in the streets of Metro City. You fight against dozens of gang members and criminals to rescue Haggar’s daughter, who has become the victim of a dangerous criminal organization after her father changed the city’s laws. Fortunately, Haggar is not alone and has the help of Cody and Guy to accomplish this mission.

A curious detail about the first adaptation of this game for Super Nintendo was the annoyance it caused among fans of the original arcade version, because of the absence of Guy as a playable character. Adding to this, due to hardware limitations of the console, this conversion had less detailed graphics.

To compensate for all of that, another version of the game called Final Fight Guy was later released for the Nintendo console, in this version several issues were fixed, the most evident one being the reintroduction of Guy to the team of playable characters. Thanks to his appearance, Guy earned a well deserved place in other games, such as: Street Fighter, a kind of “brother” franchise of Final Fight. Another interesting detail about Final Fight is that Haggar was set to appear in Street Fighter 2, but Capcom decided, at the last moment, for Zangief to take his place, this is why both characters share certain moves.

Anyway, this is a great Beat 'em up classic, playing it again took me back to the times when I used to spend a lot of coins on arcade machines. If anyone is interested in knowing a little more about the story of this genre, I recommend you to play this game with another player to make the experience more fun.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Tekken 2 - A sequel that marked a step forward for a legendary fighting series

satoru-raiden — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 23:00:58 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/jkvnehip

The first Tekken was a complete milestone in the field of fighting games. It certainly wasn’t the first title in the genre to achieve so many things, but it was the best at doing them all at once: a realistic fighting style, smooth movements, well-crafted 3D environments, spectacular moves and combos, and textures that were great for the era.

Following that success, the arcade version of Tekken 2 was released by Namco just nine months after the first game came out, in the year 1995. Its adaptation for the PS1 appeared a year later, in 1996; however, this latter version was not a 1:1 conversion of the original arcade machine, but one with touch-ups and somewhat rougher called Version B, which appeared in Japan at the end of 1995. This detail went largely unnoticed, as the only thing players cared about was playing the sequel of the fighting game that had left them hooked.

While the first installment had eight initial fighters with ten more to discover, T2 started with ten selectable characters out of a total of twenty-five that could be unlocked by finishing the Arcade mode. The new fighters added depth to the story and durability to the game; the veterans had new outfits and new moves.

The first game used Gouraud shading to give dimension to the appearance of the characters, the real-time lighting in the sequel gave the fighters an undoubtedly better looking quality, in addition, the stages were now more striking than before. Nowadays, all this may not sound like a big deal, but at the time, the graphics of this game were fantastic.

For its part, the gameplay system of the sequel, which was improved without losing sight of the simple yet effective combat formula established by the first game, was even more impressive in both boldness and execution. The many new moves, especially the counterattack possibilities, were spectacular. Unprecedented techniques were also added, such as a new grappling mechanic. This time around there were also three characters who had an evasive maneuver, the sidestep, which only Heihachi, Kazuya, and Yoshimitsu could perform; the latter with a spinning attack. On the other hand, learning all the combos was a task that took time and effort, but once you managed it, they would become a part of your mind.

As expected, there were also exclusive features in the PS1 version of the game, such as: new CGI sequences, with each character having their own final scene. Similarly, new game modes were included, such as: Time Attack, Team Battle, or the Survival mode, which posed a real challenge to the player’s abilities, as this mode made you go from combat to combat with the same health bar.

It's also worth noting that many now known iconic characters, were added in this installment, such as Jun Kazama, a key figure in the main storyline of the saga. Interestingly, the roles of the protagonist (though not hero) and antagonist were reversed, with Kazuya now being the final rival of the tournament, and Heihachi the contender for victory.

Anyway, there is no doubt that Tekken 2 made history. Its great success helped the saga rise to an important place in the fighting genre, thanks to its improved gameplay, more detailed graphics, and a good variety of extras in its console version.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Donkey Kong Country 2 - An excellent platform adventure that greatly surpassed its predecessor

satoru-raiden — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:37:19 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/dwjzrekx

It's difficult to imagine that in older console generations, when a sequel was in development, companies tried to create a new game that kept the essence and style of what they had previously done, but that also showed progress.

A good example of this is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, which was released for Super Nintendo just a year after the first game. This platform adventure told us the story of how, after defeating King K. Rool and his evil gang, Kong is suddenly taken prisoner to the dangerous Crocodile Isle. Upon learning about this, his little companion, Diddy, sets out to rescue him with his girlfriend, Dixie.

I recommend you to watch my video for a better appreciation of the gameplay.

The first thing that catches the players attention about this sequel is the change of the protagonist duo, starting with the newcomer Dixie, the charming female ape who gives us the ability to overcome many of the adventure’s most challenging dangers, Thanks to her special skills, such as being able to fly for a period of time using her blonde hair as a propeller. She is also very useful for getting rid of any enemy that gets in our way. For his part, Diddy is still the same as in the first game and can perform a spin that hits enemies quite hard.

On the other hand, a new gameplay mechanic was also added to make the characters work together. Sometimes we’ll see certain objects that are out of our reach. To get to them, it’s possible to have one of the apes carry the other and then throw him or her towards the target in question. This is especially usefully to enter the bonus levels.

Now, scattered throughout the levels, there are four letters that form the word Kong. By collecting them, we’ll earn an extra life. But, doing this task is not as easy as you may think, as some of these letters are very well hidden. Luckily, there is another less complicated way to obtain more lives in the game, this is done by collecting 100 bananas; these objects can be found either by one or in a group of five at a time.

Additionally, there are scattered coins with banana images that can be useful for receiving tips from some characters found on the levels selection map. Now, if we want to access the levels that are located in a special zone, we need to collect another type of coin called Kremkoins, which are obtained by completing the bonus stages (this is more difficult to do than what I mentioned before about the letters) or after defeating the final bosses.

Something important is that just like in the first game, in Diddy’s Kong Quest we have the support of several charming allied creatures, such as a rhinoceros, a swordfish, a spider, a seal, a snake, or some parrots that have abilities that vary depending on the level in which they appear. In some stages, these little animals can carry us and lead us to elevated places, while in others they can throw objects at enemies to knock them out.

As for the visual aspect of the game, it’s excellent for its time, as all the characters have charming cartoonish designs and smooth animations. A curious detail is the victory poses that the protagonists make upon completing a level, such as Dixie frenetically playing her electric guitar. In addition, the backgrounds are more diverse, eerie, and imaginative than those that appeared in the first title, ranging from sunken pirate ships, a huge volcanic area, a mine shaft, and a haunted forest.

But without a doubt (at least in my opinion), the most spectacular aspect of the game is its soundtrack by David Wise. This talented composer, who also created the music for the first game, outdid himself by creating wonderful melodies that convey epic, mysterious, or emotional sensations, inviting you to explore more worlds or even to simply stay still for a few minutes to better appreciate each theme.

In conclusion, sometimes developers are capable of creating masterpieces that withstand the test of time. For me, DKC2 is undoubtedly one of them, because of its varied, extremely fun and challenging gameplay.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

The video and all the images in this post were taken from my playthrough.

Hector's revenge begins - Castlevania Curse of Darkness Gameplay

satoru-raiden — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 11:10:26 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/rwergfje

Hi guys from Hive Gaming, I hope you are all having a great time. I’ve seen some gameplay posts in this community and that’s why I’m motivated to bring a series of Castlevania Curse of Darkness playthrough, an interesting action game with RPG elements that I hadn’t played in a long time.

Source

In this first video, I’ll show you the beginning of an intriguing story of revenge, beings from the beyond, magical Pokémon like creatures, and other curious surprises inside this mysterious castle in ruins. This is not a gameplay with commentary, I don’t like those very much and I think they take away the immersive experience (to each their own). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video!

The gameplay video in this post belongs to me and was edited using VEGAS Pro 14.

✌️😎Thank you for stopping by and supporting my content if you liked it!

A Tale of Souls and Swords - Soul Blade Gameplay + Review

satoru-raiden — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 18:27:22 GMT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=satoru-raiden/cvcdzawu

Hi guys from Hive Gaming, welcome to my post. There have been a lot of good 3D fighting games, but very few of them have fascinated me for the aesthetic as much as the SoulCalibur saga, so here I bring my review of Soul Edge, the first title of this legendary franchise.

To start, this game takes place in medieval times and makes us be a part of some kind of tournament that has a couple of mysterious swords as prizes. To obtain them we must defeat warriors from different parts of the world that use cold weapons to fight, like spears, swords, daggers, axes and others.

The first thing to point out is the combat system and how agile and simple it is; there are two buttons to attack with a sword, one for kicking and a last button to block the attacks from the opponents. Combining all these actions can create combos and special techniques, body locks, finishing moves on the ground and other amazing attacks that take a lot of the life bar of our opponents.

The graphics are one of the best looking from any PS1 game, mainly because of the fluidity of the characters’ animations, the camera movements and the spectacular light trails that the weapons create, besides I have to mention that the intro where we are shown all the characters is majestic and is one of the best ever created in this game genre.

On the other hand, I think the sound design is also outstanding; it has several epic melodies and one of the best sounds effects, some of which stand out are the weapons clashing and the voices of the characters.

When it comes to the game’s modes, there are many and these are varied, they go from the classic arcade, the versus mode, and a survival one that test you to see how far you can get in it, there is also Edge Master, where you have to fight under limited conditions like having to eliminate a constant group of opponents with only a life bar or having to take your adversary out of the platform in which they are standing. The more we surpass these fights the more new weapons we will obtain and these can also be used in the other game’s modes.

In conclusion, to me this game takes place as one of the most dynamic and fun ones of this genre thanks to its easy control of the characters, its graphics and soundtracks that are pretty good. The only negative side I can find is that you only have a small amount of fighters, but this is almost imperceptible compared to all the other great aspects of the game.

Anyway, this is all I have to say. Thank you very much for reading and supporting my post if you liked it.

All images and gameplay in this post are mine.