Advance Guardian Heroes is OUT!
- Thread starter it290
- Start date
Man oh man, is this game sweet, sure it took almost 10 years to come out, but this game is worth the wait, the gameplay is tight, and the graphics, nice, simply put treasure and ubisoft, made the saturn classic proud... get it.... you won't be dissapointed.
http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/advance...roes/index.html
:cheers :cheers :cheers
http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/advance...roes/index.html
:cheers :cheers :cheers
Pearl Jammzz
Established Member
WHAT!!? You got rid of a GBA!?
Anyways, this is one of the FEW GBA games that are worth ownin. Others are The Golden Sun games, Zelda (if yer a fan).
Anyways, this is one of the FEW GBA games that are worth ownin. Others are The Golden Sun games, Zelda (if yer a fan).
lordofduct
Established Member
i have never purchased a single zelda game in my entire life... maybe played some here and there, but never purchased. is guardian heroes any good though, should i try the saturn version first. i want a good gba game to spend some time with.
I don't have my hands on the GBA version yet, but the Saturn game is just unbelievably awesome. I don't think it's possible for the GBA version to be quite as good (smaller screen, not as powerful, no cd-quality sound - the Sat game has awesome, awesome music), but I'm sure it'll still roxxor. Not sure how I feel about the control scheme, though (apparently they changed it to a standard Final Fight-style 'move up and down' rather than the layer system in the original game). Playing Guardian Heroes with six people in battle mode is one of the most entertaining experiences I've ever had.
As for the GBA itself, I think it's an awesome system. I only have a few games for it (Megaman & Bass, River City Ransom EX, Astro Boy, Pinball of the Dead, Final Fantasy Tactics and soon AGH), and they're all really awesome, with the possible exception of FFT (good but nowhere near the PSX original).
As for the GBA itself, I think it's an awesome system. I only have a few games for it (Megaman & Bass, River City Ransom EX, Astro Boy, Pinball of the Dead, Final Fantasy Tactics and soon AGH), and they're all really awesome, with the possible exception of FFT (good but nowhere near the PSX original).
Pearl Jammzz
Established Member
Go play the GS games damn you! They fukin rock my socks! One of the only RPG series I have actually made it through...
axelblazeadam
Staff member
Originally posted by Zheræ@Sep 16, 2004 @ 07:58 AM
C´mon who´s not a fan of Zelda?
I'm not.
I've played both OOT and TWW and didnt really enjoy either that much.
axelblazeadam
Staff member
You could be right, I've never been a fan of 3D adventure games(Ninja Gaiden excepted). I might prefer the 2D versions.
Pearl Jammzz
Established Member
ummmm OOT is EASILY up there with those 2, in fact that one is prob. my fave. It just never gets old. If you ahven't played through the whole game ,then you should give it a try, then you can make a choice instead of an assumption.
It: I said GS (Golden Sun)
It: I said GS (Golden Sun
)Ooops, my fault. But I have to disagree about OOT.. it's a good game, yes, but for me the gameplay just isn't as fun as the two I mentioned. I know I'm in the minority with that, however. For me, the original LoZ is the most fun, simply because you can get down to business without having to fart around talking to people and whatnot.
Well, I've had a little bit of time to spend with the game now, so here's my review (note that I haven't beaten it yet):
Advance Guardian Heroes
Game type: Beat 'em up
Players: 1-2 (story mode) or 1-4 (versus mode)
Graphics - 7.5/10
Let's face it, Guardian Heroes was never the best-looking game in the world, and obviously this GBA game isn't going to compare to its Saturn cousin in this department. Most of the sprites are a fair bit smaller than their Saturn counterparts (when viewed on a TV), and they don't have the same level of detail. However, they still manage to convey the humor found in the original designs.
The game contains a lot of action throughout, as you would expect, and although it doesn't have as much going on at any one time as the Saturn version, there are still an impressive number of sprites and effects being pushed. There is some slowdown, but not as bad as in GH. Also, the game contains some cool transparency, scaling, and parallax in many of the backgrounds, making them come alive.
Sound - 9/10
The sound is great -- some of the memorable tunes from the original game return and sound very good.. the 'hero' theme that plays when you encounter the original GH characters particularly makes me want to kick some ass. The sound effects are pretty much your standard thwacks and thoks, and they sound nice and meaty, which is about all you can ask for in a beat 'em up. Some of the humourous voices from the original game also make their return, which is a nice touch.
Gameplay - 8.5/10
This is where I felt a little bit let down, although I'm still warming to the game. Advance Guardian Heroes changes the gameplay somewhat drastically from its predecessor - some of these changes are good, some not so good - although I'm still warming to the game, and, like all Treasure games, it has a huge amount of depth. First and foremost is the movement system. One of the things that made the original GH so unique was its movement - unlike traditional beat 'em ups, your character could move between different planes, but could not move up and down the screen freely. This allowed for some great Street-Fighter style moves and combos, basically turning the game into a scrolling fighting game rather than a typical beat 'em up. Advance Guardian Heroes disposes of this and uses a typical Final Fight style of movement - if you press up, your character will move up on the screen. In my opinion, this change is for the worse, although it scarcely could have been avoided given the number of buttons available on the GBA. I think if more buttons were available, Treasure would have gone with the control style of the original GH.
Another big change is the defense system. In the original game, you could pretty much block forever, although you could still take chip damage while blocking. Perhaps seeking to end the turtling that took place in GH's battle mode, Treasure has overhauled the defense scheme in AGH. You still have a guard button (the R button), which will block almost every attack, but holding it down also drains your magic meter. You can also press R at the moment an enemy attack makes contact in order to deflect their attack, stunning them, or in the case of projectiles, returning the projectile. This system has its ups and downs. On the positive side, you can no longer rely on blocking and letting the Undead Hero take care of the opposition (as a side note - you don't have a CPU controlled sidekick in this game. You have to deal with the enemies yourself). However, the fact that blocking drains your magic meter means you can't cut loose with spells like you could in the original game -- meter conservation becomes very important. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you can periodically unleash a 'rage' mode that will replenish your magic meter. The guard system does add a bit more depth to the game, but it also means you have to be more careful all the time -- something that makes it feel a bit less like Guardian Heroes. I have a feeling those new to the series will like this system, but for us old-timers, it takes a bit of getting used to.
Another change from the original comes in the form of the experience system. In the Saturn game, you gained experience by defeating enemies, and for each level you gained you got one point which you could spend on any of your stats. AGH's system is similar, but instead of getting XP directly you now pick up gems left by defeated enemies. You can spend these gems on two things: stats or research. Give the gems to a certain scientist character after each level is complete, and he will research enemy data for you, eventually unlocking characters. The new system is cool, because it allows you to choose whether to spend your gems on powering up your character or unlocking new characters. I think this part is a definite improvement from the original.
Now a few notes on the layout of the game - first of all, there are no longer branching paths to choose from at the end of each level. This is a big disappointment, because that feature added a lot of variety and fun to the original. It also let you choose whose side you wanted to fight on, which so far doesn't seem to be an option in this game (although I hear there are multiple endings). Another thing to note is that the three characters you can choose from initially are almost exactly the same -- the only way in which they differ is their clothing and hair color, the type of elemental magic they use, and a few of their moves. Additionally, they're fairly generic, unlike the hilarious characters of the first game. This would be quite a bummer, if not for one thing -- unlike the original, almost all the characters you unlock are available for use in story mode. This is really cool - I'm sure almost every Guardian Heroes player has wondered what it would be like to play through story mode as Valgar, Kanon, or even the Village God. Well, now you can.
Another cool feature in the game is known as 'devil mode'. Basically, when you die, a demon appears and asks you if you will sell your soul to him. If you say no, it's game over, but if you agree, you will be made invincible for about five minutes. During this time, you also have unlimited magic. However, at the end of the time period, the demon will claim your soul and you will be presented with the game over screen. Any progress you make in devil mode is not saved. This feature is pretty cool -- it lets you practice your maneuvers without fear of dying, and is also good for letting loose your frustration on that difficult boss you've been having trouble with.
About the battle mode, I haven't played it much yet, but it seems a bit more balanced than the original. Guardian Heroes basically let you throw whoever you wanted into the arena, even, for instance, the pathetic villagers. AGH lets you do this as well, but thanks to the new blocking and deflection system, some cheap strategies are elminated. Also, out of the characters that I've unlocked, none of them are really super-cheap like Kanon and Nando were in the Saturn game. I think the battle mode should provide a good deal of entertainment if you can find some friends who have the game.
Challenge - ?/10
This is one of the really cool parts about the game. It's pretty much as difficult as you want it to be. In addition to multiple selectable difficulty levels, you can alter the difficulty mid-game depending on how you allocate your gems, as mentioned above. If you spend all your gems on leveling up, you'll have a much easier time, but you won't unlock any characters. If you spend all (or most) of your gems on research, you'll have a much harder time during the game, but you'll unlock characters faster. For instance, playing on normal mode, I found the first couple of levels fairly difficult, but after clearing a couple and spending most of my gems on leveling up, the enemies became a lot easier.
The continue system is also pretty good. In Guardian Heroes, you had a limited number of continues, and when you used one, you restarted from the point you left off (unless you elected to save your game, in which case you restarted from the beginning of the level). In AGH, you have unlimited continues, but when you die, you return to the title screen. From there, you have a choice: you can either continue from the last section you reached (the levels are broken into sections, such as 3-2 or 4-6), with the same amount of MP and HP as you had when you last reached there, or you can start from the beginning of the level with full MP/HP and reallocate the gems you earned in the previous level. This lets you try out different strategies if you're having a hard time with the current section, or start from the beginning if you didn't have enough life left to make it through the section.
Story - 7/10
GH never had a really strong story to begin with, but AGH scores a little lower in this department. As mentioned above, the branching paths are gone, so there is less story to be had in all. Also, the translation is somewhat worse. The story is also not quite as interesting in the original, although anyone who played GH will definitely be engaged in sequel's storyline, as it expounds on some of the loose ends from the original. On a positive note, there is even more zany humor to be found -- some of the things that the characters say are very tounge-in-cheek and hilarious.
Overall - 8.75/10
I was hoping for the game to equal the original, and although it falls a bit short of my expectations, it's still a solid, fun, and deep title. What else would you expect from Treasure? Even if it leaves a sour taste in your mouth initially, it will grow on you, trust me (I should also note that the first stage is probably the most boring part of the game -- it gets much better as you go). Definitely recommended for anyone who likes action games, and a must for any GH or Treasure fans out there. I'm tempted to rate this game a little higher because of the fun factor, but I'll leave it as is for now. I highly suggest you at least give this game a whirl, and do it quickly, because it'll probably be hard to find pretty soon.
Advance Guardian Heroes
Game type: Beat 'em up
Players: 1-2 (story mode) or 1-4 (versus mode)
Graphics - 7.5/10
Let's face it, Guardian Heroes was never the best-looking game in the world, and obviously this GBA game isn't going to compare to its Saturn cousin in this department. Most of the sprites are a fair bit smaller than their Saturn counterparts (when viewed on a TV), and they don't have the same level of detail. However, they still manage to convey the humor found in the original designs.
The game contains a lot of action throughout, as you would expect, and although it doesn't have as much going on at any one time as the Saturn version, there are still an impressive number of sprites and effects being pushed. There is some slowdown, but not as bad as in GH. Also, the game contains some cool transparency, scaling, and parallax in many of the backgrounds, making them come alive.
Sound - 9/10
The sound is great -- some of the memorable tunes from the original game return and sound very good.. the 'hero' theme that plays when you encounter the original GH characters particularly makes me want to kick some ass. The sound effects are pretty much your standard thwacks and thoks, and they sound nice and meaty, which is about all you can ask for in a beat 'em up. Some of the humourous voices from the original game also make their return, which is a nice touch.
Gameplay - 8.5/10
This is where I felt a little bit let down, although I'm still warming to the game. Advance Guardian Heroes changes the gameplay somewhat drastically from its predecessor - some of these changes are good, some not so good - although I'm still warming to the game, and, like all Treasure games, it has a huge amount of depth. First and foremost is the movement system. One of the things that made the original GH so unique was its movement - unlike traditional beat 'em ups, your character could move between different planes, but could not move up and down the screen freely. This allowed for some great Street-Fighter style moves and combos, basically turning the game into a scrolling fighting game rather than a typical beat 'em up. Advance Guardian Heroes disposes of this and uses a typical Final Fight style of movement - if you press up, your character will move up on the screen. In my opinion, this change is for the worse, although it scarcely could have been avoided given the number of buttons available on the GBA. I think if more buttons were available, Treasure would have gone with the control style of the original GH.
Another big change is the defense system. In the original game, you could pretty much block forever, although you could still take chip damage while blocking. Perhaps seeking to end the turtling that took place in GH's battle mode, Treasure has overhauled the defense scheme in AGH. You still have a guard button (the R button), which will block almost every attack, but holding it down also drains your magic meter. You can also press R at the moment an enemy attack makes contact in order to deflect their attack, stunning them, or in the case of projectiles, returning the projectile. This system has its ups and downs. On the positive side, you can no longer rely on blocking and letting the Undead Hero take care of the opposition (as a side note - you don't have a CPU controlled sidekick in this game. You have to deal with the enemies yourself). However, the fact that blocking drains your magic meter means you can't cut loose with spells like you could in the original game -- meter conservation becomes very important. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you can periodically unleash a 'rage' mode that will replenish your magic meter. The guard system does add a bit more depth to the game, but it also means you have to be more careful all the time -- something that makes it feel a bit less like Guardian Heroes. I have a feeling those new to the series will like this system, but for us old-timers, it takes a bit of getting used to.
Another change from the original comes in the form of the experience system. In the Saturn game, you gained experience by defeating enemies, and for each level you gained you got one point which you could spend on any of your stats. AGH's system is similar, but instead of getting XP directly you now pick up gems left by defeated enemies. You can spend these gems on two things: stats or research. Give the gems to a certain scientist character after each level is complete, and he will research enemy data for you, eventually unlocking characters. The new system is cool, because it allows you to choose whether to spend your gems on powering up your character or unlocking new characters. I think this part is a definite improvement from the original.
Now a few notes on the layout of the game - first of all, there are no longer branching paths to choose from at the end of each level. This is a big disappointment, because that feature added a lot of variety and fun to the original. It also let you choose whose side you wanted to fight on, which so far doesn't seem to be an option in this game (although I hear there are multiple endings). Another thing to note is that the three characters you can choose from initially are almost exactly the same -- the only way in which they differ is their clothing and hair color, the type of elemental magic they use, and a few of their moves. Additionally, they're fairly generic, unlike the hilarious characters of the first game. This would be quite a bummer, if not for one thing -- unlike the original, almost all the characters you unlock are available for use in story mode. This is really cool - I'm sure almost every Guardian Heroes player has wondered what it would be like to play through story mode as Valgar, Kanon, or even the Village God. Well, now you can.
Another cool feature in the game is known as 'devil mode'. Basically, when you die, a demon appears and asks you if you will sell your soul to him. If you say no, it's game over, but if you agree, you will be made invincible for about five minutes. During this time, you also have unlimited magic. However, at the end of the time period, the demon will claim your soul and you will be presented with the game over screen. Any progress you make in devil mode is not saved. This feature is pretty cool -- it lets you practice your maneuvers without fear of dying, and is also good for letting loose your frustration on that difficult boss you've been having trouble with.
About the battle mode, I haven't played it much yet, but it seems a bit more balanced than the original. Guardian Heroes basically let you throw whoever you wanted into the arena, even, for instance, the pathetic villagers. AGH lets you do this as well, but thanks to the new blocking and deflection system, some cheap strategies are elminated. Also, out of the characters that I've unlocked, none of them are really super-cheap like Kanon and Nando were in the Saturn game. I think the battle mode should provide a good deal of entertainment if you can find some friends who have the game.
Challenge - ?/10
This is one of the really cool parts about the game. It's pretty much as difficult as you want it to be. In addition to multiple selectable difficulty levels, you can alter the difficulty mid-game depending on how you allocate your gems, as mentioned above. If you spend all your gems on leveling up, you'll have a much easier time, but you won't unlock any characters. If you spend all (or most) of your gems on research, you'll have a much harder time during the game, but you'll unlock characters faster. For instance, playing on normal mode, I found the first couple of levels fairly difficult, but after clearing a couple and spending most of my gems on leveling up, the enemies became a lot easier.
The continue system is also pretty good. In Guardian Heroes, you had a limited number of continues, and when you used one, you restarted from the point you left off (unless you elected to save your game, in which case you restarted from the beginning of the level). In AGH, you have unlimited continues, but when you die, you return to the title screen. From there, you have a choice: you can either continue from the last section you reached (the levels are broken into sections, such as 3-2 or 4-6), with the same amount of MP and HP as you had when you last reached there, or you can start from the beginning of the level with full MP/HP and reallocate the gems you earned in the previous level. This lets you try out different strategies if you're having a hard time with the current section, or start from the beginning if you didn't have enough life left to make it through the section.
Story - 7/10
GH never had a really strong story to begin with, but AGH scores a little lower in this department. As mentioned above, the branching paths are gone, so there is less story to be had in all. Also, the translation is somewhat worse. The story is also not quite as interesting in the original, although anyone who played GH will definitely be engaged in sequel's storyline, as it expounds on some of the loose ends from the original. On a positive note, there is even more zany humor to be found -- some of the things that the characters say are very tounge-in-cheek and hilarious.
Overall - 8.75/10
I was hoping for the game to equal the original, and although it falls a bit short of my expectations, it's still a solid, fun, and deep title. What else would you expect from Treasure? Even if it leaves a sour taste in your mouth initially, it will grow on you, trust me (I should also note that the first stage is probably the most boring part of the game -- it gets much better as you go). Definitely recommended for anyone who likes action games, and a must for any GH or Treasure fans out there. I'm tempted to rate this game a little higher because of the fun factor, but I'll leave it as is for now. I highly suggest you at least give this game a whirl, and do it quickly, because it'll probably be hard to find pretty soon.
axelblazeadam
Staff member
I played it to the end in the hope it would get better. For me it didn't.
