Dude, I think this is my absolute most played game ever. Definitely check out how to unlock the other routes and shoot enough baddies down to get medals on each of the stages. That’s the real game here. Then get medals on each stage on expert mode (again the real game).
In my opinion, you took a medium route - getting to Solaris on your first try was a great accomplishment.
This is one of those games where getting 100% was intended before Nintendo started inserting this “easy to beat hard to 100%” style of gameplay in every modern Kirby and Mario game. Even Star Fox Zero’s design is more onerous than this one.
In Star Fox 64, it’s actually doable without scanning every nook and cranny since it’s purely based on achievable scores. But it’s still a fun challenge.
Each of the routes is short enough to beat in an about 1 hour by design too. I highly recommend you sink more time into it.
No joke, I’ve probably beaten it about 100 times now. And it never gets old even though I can pretty much do it without taking a hit now.
That’s awesome, thanks so much for the info. I did look into routes as my friend played right after me, because we were wondering what the difference between the red and blue planet were for the buggy levels.
It’s serious fun though, and according to the wiki there are 25 different routes! Should be fun to at least see all the different stages.
It was pretty easy to do, since this panther dude is quite overpowered. He has an unblockable special attack that makes short work of each and every enemy, including the final boss!
I think Golden Axe III is rather underrated. Sure, its graphics and sound effects aren’t the best in the world, but if features some nice improvements like more characters, more moves and multiple routes.
I consider myself to be a bit of a Golden Axe expert (used to 1CC it all the time at the arcade and played it to death on the Mega Drive), so I didn’t expect to struggle so much in trying to beat its sequel, especially considering the fact that Golden Axe II feels more like a pallette swap of the original than a proper follow-up.
Anyway, after quite a few game overs at the hands of Dark Guld, it felt really satisfying to finally defeat the bastard.
Finally finished Banjo Kazooie. A great but flawed game.
Visually, it is incredible. The scale of the levels, the variety of textures and lighting, all of this on the N64 really demonstrates Rare’s technical prowess.
Musically, the sheer amount of tracks is absolutely bonkers. Every level has a theme with so many permutations throughout, whether you’re underwater, in a cave or fighting a boss.
The level design however, leaves a bit to be desired. While I enjoyed most of what the game had to offer Rusty Bucket Bay and Click Clock wood were an absolute slog.
Another complaint is the quiz mini game. I can’t believe what they were thinking, what absolute abject misery that section is. I loathed it so much I found a speed run strat that let me skip it. I will never complete it. Horrible.
The controls, honestly, I don’t quite know how I feel about them. The slow and deliberate controls are a stark contrast to the technical precision of Mario 64, but it does lend the game this leisurely, relaxing pace.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Not sure where to go next. I think moving onto the sequel already is a bit soon, but I’m in the mood for another 3d platformer.
The UFO chasing levels are quite tricky, so obtaining all the Chaos Emeralds took lots of tries. I didn’t mind though, because I enjoyed those bonus stages.
I really hope there will be a Sonic Mania 2 one day!
My Out Run skills aren’t what they used to be. I’ve been playing the Switch version lately and it has been a real struggle to complete all the routes. I can’t remember having such a rough time with the 3DS version.
The Switch version is definitely more difficult. I’m not sure if the settings are different right out of the gate or what it is, but yeah, I can finish routes in the 3DS version rather easily while I’m not sure I’ve even made the Goal yet on the Switch release. Something is definitely up!
I suspect the Switch version is closer as I recall having similar luck with the arcade machines that I have on the Switch game. It seemed way easy on 3DS. Obviously that could depend on your arcade operator, but it’s likely that Switch is more like default.
