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"Stop gawking fools. A trist with Tyris means DEATH!"
5:00 – I played through Golden Axe I-III, all 2D side-scrolling medieval fantasy hack-n-slash games. They get progressively better with the first one being the most annoying. The controls are just difficult. You have a dash move but it’s tricky to pull it off reliably (I believe you click forward twice and hit the attack button). I chose the female Red Sonja-like fighter. The sprite art work is pretty good. All three games are very colorful and appealing to the eye.
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So cool, but you won't have them for long.
It amazes me that they give you such cool rides, but then knock you off them with the slightest hit. Why give you something cool, only to deny it to you right away?! It’s pointless to even get on one if an enemy is anywhere nearby. You’re always too slow to mount – that’s what she said.
The AI, in general, always seems to be one step ahead of you, anticipating your every move. Only when you get in the first hit can you control combat for a few moments. Also, they always try to surround you and attack you from both sides at once, just like every other brawler of this era. Since there is no safe position in these wide open environments, it’s impossible to take any defensive position, you just have to keep moving around. It’s absolutely infuriating.
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"Three on one? Ever hear of shish kabob meat-boys!"
Luckily the games get better as the series continues. Golden Axe III is nearly ok in its controls with AI that gives you a tiny bit more time to attack so you can avoid getting surrounded.
Why Golden Axe has not had a great game since GAIII is a mystery to me. I wish they had done one like God of War or Heavenly Sword.
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Paseo, where you start in Phantasy Star II.
6:11 – I started up Phantasy Star II. I noticed that this PS2 collection doesn’t have Phantasy Star I as an unlockable like the Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection has. Otherwise I would’ve been tempted to start with the first game.
I had played PSII before but got mauled quickly and quit. This time, I took things more carefully and managed to get all my characters to between level 5-7 before I had to stop for the night.
10:00 - Time to go home and pack up my PS2. I’m glad I was able to get farther in PSII and know that it’s not impossible to beat. I will return to it.
- End Log.
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