Also added are JJ & Jeff (TG16) and Kid Chameleon (Genesis).  Don't know what happened to Zelda II or Super Mario Bros 2, and I really hate whoever is in charge of the US VC release schedule.

Anyway, can anyone give any feedback on Actraiser?  I have never played it and want to know if it is worthwhile and what to expect.

I think it's a decent (albeit overrated) game, and is worth playing. The civilization elements wore tired on me after a while, but the 2D action/platforming parts are pretty good. I'd give it a 7.5 or so, but I wouldn't drop $8 on it, personally.

Actraiser was a blast! The music is excellent, in fact at the time people were amazed at the quality of the score. Definitely worth downloading, also if I remember correctly it was fairly challenging (although not as hard as Actraiser II)! There is also a sim part to the game which added a wonderful dimension to the otherwise side scrolling hack-n-slash game.

cheers,

-avatar!

I agree with Zane, but in fairness I only arrived at the conclusion its overrated after owning it for YEARS.  I'm pretty sure I really enjoyed it the first time I played it so by all means go for it.

I think I've probably played through Actraiser ten or so times. Great fun! Great music too.

I'm inclined to agree with Zane and csK. The music is great, but you can hear that for free. Also, is it really worth $8 or whatever it is to play a game you can beat in less than 2 or 3 hours?

If you've never played it before, then it's definitely worth the $8.  The side-scrolling parts are average, but the sim parts are really fun and relaxing.  I've beaten it many times, but I apparently don't own the cart, so I'm kinda torn on whether or not I'll make it my first VC purchase or not.

It's a good game, but as others have suggested, it's not quite a completely filling experience.  It's a game that showcased what the SNES could do but that is not on par with the classics of the console on the whole.  I think it's worth playing at least once and the soundtrack holds up very well.  It may or may not be worth your eight bucks.  However, if you feel like trying out a new VC game, I say go for it.

Great game, especially on "Professional" mode, which is just the action levels straight through with increased difficulty.  Actraiser 2 is even better.

I'm far from an Actraiser expert, but I find that to be the case with many VC games (NES, SNES, etc). I'd rather spend 1-2 hours beating/playing a fun game than playing a level of an average game or watching cutscenes.

All these comments make me want to pull out those Actraiser carts I bought awhile ago (and never played...>_<). A couple of games I've heard much praise for, but never sat down with.

I do this as well, I have the horrible habit of buying games and letting them sit a round forever until I finally play the damn thing. I think it took me over four months to finally start playing the copy of BoFIV I found at an EB earlier this year.

"I do this as well, I have the horrible habit of buying games and letting them sit a round forever until I finally play the damn thing. I think it took me over four months to finally start playing the copy of BoFIV I found at an EB earlier this year."

I still have Okami, Valkyrie Profile 2, Gungriffon Blaze, MGS2... just off the top of my head... that have yet to be played!  But then again I spend hundreds of hours just playing a shooter like Gradius V and nothing else   I should be diversifying...

Yeah, sounds like me. Spent most of last night trying to clear level 2 in Gradius 3 (is this level, like, not supposed to be beaten? If it's not a bubble that gets me, it's a cheap shot coming through the bubbles that gets me). Most of the games I decided to put up for sale were ones I was just never going to have the time or interest to finish off. And I still have a healthy dose of ones I have yet to get to or have only put 1-2 hours into. And I just crossed over into 70 Burnout 3 hours...

GoldfishX: I'm probably just played out on that game since I have the rom.

Edit: Btw, I still agree with you that those games are more fun than the "average" ones with a ton of cutscenes.

actraiser is especially fun on the emulator when you can speed up time during sim mode.
then you still have time to squeeze in a quest of soulblazer right afterward... i still remember my first soulblazer character, i picked ASSMUNCH

Thanks for all the input, although I'm still not sure.  I suppose I'll just finish what I'm playing and have yet to play and will DL it whenever there's a lull.  This summer looks as if it will be full of them.

If you've never played it, you should download it. I mean, it's only $8, and even if you only play through it once, it's totally worth the price of admission.

cheers,

-avatar!

Yeah, I will, but I may as well wait until I know I'll fully invest into it.  I'm expecting Zelda II and Super Mario Bros 2 sometime soon (since Europe has it... not that NOA seems to care) anyway, so I'll save my points for those.  Is Actraiser a lengthy game?

I'm not sure how much it was the first time I played through it, but I remember going back to it, like years later, and beating it in two afternoons... AND I spent extra time trying to get high scores in the action stages.  I mean I guess I had experience but it was really, really short (for this sort of game, at least.)

No, it's not one of the longer games out there... but for its genre, I'd say it lasts a fair amount. I'd say ten hours is a good estimate.

I don't know how anyone could spend 10 hours on it unless you totally suck at fighting bosses. The last time I played it (a few months ago), I did an entire run though in less than 3 hours (possibly 2).

Go Buy Actraiser.

Well, I averaged about an hour and a half each world (and there's several of them... at least six). I would max out my population by destroying crappier houses and replacing them with the best ones.

"I would max out my population by destroying crappier houses and replacing them with the best ones."

lol!  So cruel... but I think I did the same thing.

Haha, I routinely did this too.

Ryu... I think Zelda II is coming Monday (6/4).

As for ActRaiser, I'd say 10 hours is probably a decent estimate for a first run through assuming you try to max out all of your towns (which is the most fun part of the game).

Awesome, I look forward to DLing Zelda II on my birthday then.

Well, happy birthday then.  If for some reason it's not there, you can blame Kohler, cause that's where I got the info. :-)