Maximo PS2

[Soulstar]

Usually I make these threads as I've just started a game, but I recently finished Maximo just a couple of days ago after playing it over the last few weeks here and there. I was interested to hear what others thought of it in general, as it clearly is quite a decent game, but hard as balls in parts and was close to the bin or e-bay several times for me. I did persevere, and with the fortune of finally figuring out how to properly use the save system, it became doable for the first time.

After not long since going through Devil May Cry, and remembering the moaning I did about how it was difficult, but later became excellent and doable, well I had a similar sort of experience with Maximo. There were some parts which made it feel difficult and hit and miss, but many of the enemies just need the right approach.

Maximo seems to be some sort of spiritual sequel to Ghouls & Ghosts but with a different name and updated into a 3D environment. I'm sure I once read an article on why we'd never see another Ghouls & Ghosts game, although can't remember what it was, and I'm assuming here that licensing is all over that one, hence the change in name. Does anyone actually know?

One thing for sure though is that Maximo is very close to the original titles in terms of difficulty and trying to keep up the instant death scenarios. It can be brutal and so frustrating at times, but the more I played it, the further I got. It also has the same idea from the original games with the ability to build up pieces of armour, only to lose this if you get hit too many times, eventually resulting in you being left in your boxers. You can even buy or find replacement boxers but I'm not actually sure if this was for aesthetic reasons.

Now I don't know if anyone else had this same issue, but someone replied to a comment I made about playing this game over in the "What are you playing now?" thread in Discussion, and it seemed to me he had the same problem figuring out saves properly. The game gives out very little information about what things actually do. I remember it taking me a while to figure out how to activate a check point when first playing, which is done by jumping twice and then slamming on it with triangle. It would have helped by including a quick message by the first one at least. The biggest problem for me though was the save points at the pools. I'd seen in its format, that you begin on a full level, only to finish off and appear in a hub world connecting the remaining levels for the current world you are in. In each hub there is usually some kind of circular pool that does nothing if you go on it, but it can save if you stand on the right brick around the outside. It took me until about the third world before I even figured this existed, and even then that was by complete fluke as I walked on it and could have sworn for a split second I saw something appear and then disappear on screen quickly. Until then, the only way I assumed you could save was to beat a complete world in itself with all the levels and then the boss character.

The bosses are actually not too difficult once you know how to beat them, but some can take a bit of time to work out how to damage them at all. One of the best ways to get through the stages is really to try and keep yourself stocked up on powerups and just not die or lose too much too often. In this way it reminded me of those scrolling shooters like Gradius which are much easier to progress, providing you keep your ship upgraded and just don't die, because if you do then you become open to all sorts of attacks and cheap deaths.

The final boss encounter had me confused a bit as on the first part of it, I hadn't got a clue what was actually going on, and somehow it just ended after so long, but celebrations we not quite ready as it slams you into another boss battle without a save during the very last encounter with some kind of beast in pitch black. What seemed very frustrating turned out to have a knack to it though in the end and didn't take too long to beat.

Maximo is definitely worth playing if you want challenge, but a challenge that you can get through if you persevere. There's a second one on the PS2 but I know nothing about that as of now, but definitely interested in picking up one day. It's funny how I initially hated this game in the early parts of it, but grew to really appreciate how good of a game it actually is, exactly like Devil May Cry was.

[SeanR]

my only regret is not getting a PS3 with PS2 backwards compatibility, as I own both games and would love to give them a going over, but it's... difficult. Not impossible, but getting the PStwo out, setting it up, etc. Nightmare.

It's "on the list" though.

[Treble]

I loved the first game and thought it looked incredible at the time. Never bothered with the sequel as it was by a different team and didn't get reviewed as well. But I think I may well track it down after this...

Sean, just play it on PC using PCSX2 and a 360 pad.

[Soulstar]

Did this come out on PS+ though? I was just reading an old thread on a random forum (where I found those images) and I'm sure they were talking about it being on PS3. Also it was from the American side so I don't know if it came out there but not here, although I vaguely remember seeing it myself. I might be wrong though.

I picked it up in Lancaster for literally £1.70 or something like that.

[Treble]

Good point - Army of Zin appears to be on the PSN store.

But I have no compunction about buying a game, ripping the ISO and playing it on my PC. Game publishers can either say you're paying for the disc or for the IP on the disk. They've recently started affirming the latter, so if that's the case the medium should be transferable. And I want to play it in 1080p @ 60fps

[Don Wiskerando]

I think it was me who had a problem with the save system. I have never, ever been able to save a game of Maximo and have started from the beginning more than 40 times. The furthest I ever got was half-way hrough the second world. I swear that the save system isn't even explained in the manual but I could be wrong about that.

Love the game though and I'll give it another try now you've explained things.

[Soulstar]

Well yeah you get one from each pool on the hub worlds, which is the main one I never noticed till world 3. The other one is a bit more straight forward, as they appear after you defeat a boss. The woman in it gives you a choice of three items to choose from, usually armour a kiss or a save card. Selecting the save card allows you to save. As I'd seen this, I assumed this was the main way to save, and knowing it was based on a rock hard classic, I also assumed it was to add to the difficulty, meaning you had to really learn each world well enough to get through all the levels and do a boss.

I also agree that it doesn't do a good job of showing you what things are for like you'd have in most games. For the whole game I never understood what those spirits you can collect were for. Turns out they only go up to 50 before giving you a new continue coin.

[Don Wiskerando]

In terms of explaining game mechanics, Maximo is the precursor to Demon's/Dark Souls.