Guardian Heroes - worth getting?

[fat flatulent git]

Either on Saturn or GBA?

 

I've never played either, but back in the day I lived scrolling brawlers 

 

What are your impressions and memories of these games?

[Camel]

It's on XBLA too if that's an option for you. 

[fat flatulent git]

Is it?  On Bone?

[PikaStu]

I’m 99% sure it’s backwards compatible

[Lorfarius]

4 minutes ago, Tomcat said:

Is it?  On Bone?

 

Looks like it

[PikaStu]

£3.39 is ridiculous!

[phillv85]

Definitely worth £3.39, probably not worth the ~£100 it’d cost on the Saturn.

[fat flatulent git]

In Japan it can be picked up for about £30 if you're not fussed about spine cards.

[PikaStu]

10 minutes ago, Tomcat said:

In Japan it can be picked up for about £30 if you're not fussed about spine cards.

I quite fancy getting the Saturn version (again, I think i sold my PAL version for £20-£30 back in the day) but I imagine the JPN version is full of text I won’t understand? I guess if I’m not interested in the story that won’t really matter...

[matt0]

I'm a big fan of the GBA game. You should really play the original first though and then go in to the GBA one with the understanding that it's a very different game.

[phillv85]

20 minutes ago, StoooTube said:

I quite fancy getting the Saturn version (again, I think i sold my PAL version for £20-£30 back in the day) but I imagine the JPN version is full of text I won’t understand? I guess if I’m not interested in the story that won’t really matter...

 

From memory I think you do have to make path decisions like the Capcom CPS2 D&D games which would be helpful to read.

[Melon_Bread]

The original is one of the best games ever, the GBA sequel not so much.

[Wonderm]

It's remastered on the xbox with a remix version too I think. Can play at 16:9 as well as original. They did a good job I think but it was years ago

 

What a game

[PikaStu]

Yeah I can’t remember if the “remaster” had redrawn artwork or just a nasty smoothing filter?

I mostly played it in Saturn mode.

[matt0]

It's smoothing unfortunately but I think you can play the 16:9 remaster without the filtering. Not 100% sure though, it's been a while since I played it. 

[phillv85]

How long is the game? I’ve never played it to the end. This thread is making me want to dig it out and give it a go.

[Wiper]

About half an hour from start to finish, but extremely replayable due to the multiple routes, bosses, endings and characters.

[Ran]

This never lived up to the massive hype I created myself from over a decade of not getting to play it but I do think the overall look and character design is phenomenal and still pretty unique. There's just something about how it joins big circular shapes with thin limbs and joints that doesn't feel like it should work but it hangs together brilliantly.

[Quest]

The XBLA remaster is pretty flexible compared with many of that era, as you can turn off the smoothing and choose between the new controls/mechanics and the old. I think the UI is always the new high-def one, though.

 

If anyone has any questions I can fire it up to check.

[fat flatulent git]

Right.  I've snapped up the XBLA game and also picked up the GBA sequel.

[sir stiff_one]

The music is still *kisses fingers*.
 

There are some duff level paths but genuinely great playing through as different characters and upgrading their stats and moves. 

[Sureshot]

GH has one of the best multiplayer modes ever.
 

First, unlock all characters in the game, which allows you to play every single one in multiplayer. It will take some time - there are a LOT of characters.
 

Then start a 6-player game with everyone selecting random. This will not only randomise the characters, but also the level of the character.
 

Finally, watch in awe and absolute mirth as the chaos unfolds with laser gods and giant monsters battling it out against the poor fool that randomed the snail-paced old woman that can only damage people via coughing on them. Although she won’t die because you are level 4 and she is level 99. Truly amazing stuff.

[monsly]

Guardian Heroes is one of my all time favourites and the Xbox version is an absolute bargain. Absolutely worth your money but it does have a big downside versus the original IMO.

 

For context, the lasting appeal many find in Guardian Heroes is the versus mode. You can take any character you unlock from the story mode and fight - it can be crazily unbalanced but that’s the fun. We use to spend hours just on totally random battles. Random teams, random characters and random levels. So many combos and the Xbox allows even more fighters. So it should be much better?

 

The downside is unlocking characters has been limited to normal or hard on the story mode. This makes it substantially more difficult. You’ll likely have to play very defensively and some paths in the story mode are very hard regardless. It’s a real pity, especially speaking as someone who is much more time poor now I’m older so the challenge level and extra time is really unwelcome. I just want to play the game locally with mates, not spend hours on the campaign. It’s a real pity and so unnecessary.

 

The only other limitations versus the Saturn is the lack of 6 player local play - the Xbox is limited to 4 but that’s not really a big issue for most. Also, and this is super niche, the Saturn use to keep track of the versus stats and that really added a level when we fought.

 

Don’t let it put you off though - it’s a fantastic game. Just sharing this as I was surprised to find it out today.