Meridian 59, among the best games I have ever played.

**NOTE: These words were written by me over a decade ago and I never published them, so enjoy this half baked nonsense!**  

 

So the servers for FFXIV were shut down for a bit and I decided to browse the internet for a new MMORPG to play when I stumbled upon a list for old mmo's on Wikipedia. On that list I found a game the was released in 1995, called Meridian 59 (M59). An mmo from '95? Can't be good. But it was low resource, and I was looking for a game to play with  so I jokingly insist we play it, with our intention being to just bash the game for being so old and bad. At first I did dislike it, saying it was a horrible game. Then, as if from nowhere, I loved it, and am compelled to spend all my free time wasting away on it.

M59 is one of the greatest games I have ever had the pleasure of playing. It's just a game that's far too unique and perfect for it's own good. It has a common sense way of leveling, meaning if you use a mace, you get better using maces. If you block with your shield a lot, you become better at blocking. The list goes on. There also aren't any fetch quest, really. Every quest has unique dialog and required actions, and the learning curve is massive. When you learn everything, the only thing left to do is log off and relive the fond memories you've made playing the game.

Or become a Player Killer (PK). 

This game is what I've been missing in my life for online multiplayer. There's huge emphasis on cartography, and politics, and there's always 40-60 people playing, sometimes more, rarely any less. Guilds, crafting, and so much more.

It's something I'd expect  to geek out about and make popular, because he does awesome things like that.

I almost forgot to mention that the game is COMPLETELY free to play, without any annoying gimmicks. You can donate money to keep the game running, but nobody is forcing you and you don't get special treatment for doing it. If you donate $20 your character can have the word "donor" tagged to their name, but it isn't like you get special treatment or power ups.

The moderators are nice, and the community is really close. We're just people enjoying the company of like minded individuals.

If anyone would like to join me, I'd love to play with you guys. I play on server 101, so if you make an account, make sure that's where you play. I spend so much time playing it now it isn't even funny. I just love this game!

Til next time,

-Fox 

P.S. http://www.gilcon.net/meridian/ will be your best friend.

Drooling for Phantasy.

**NOTE: These words were written by me over a decade ago and I never published them, so enjoy this half baked nonsense!** 

 

Full Disclosure: LOADED WITH PIX.

Phantasy Star. Released in 1987 as a full and complete Role-Playing Game. How often does that happen? ALL THE CUSSING TIME. How often does that happen in a good way? A bit less common. Some might even call it a rare sight. Basically, you should be thanking me for sharing a game worth playing instead of something generic like CALL OF DOOTIE 19 EXCLAMATION POINT, MOAR WUB WUB GUNZ: DUBSTEP EDITION!

However, I find myself filled with questions. Seriously, why do people still pretend like those games are amazing. I'll admit to them being fun, but they aren't the most fun games in the world. I just don't understand the obsession.

Although, I digress, so enough about that, back to Phantasy Star, and all the weird cuss I've noticed. I feel pressured to mention one of my favourite things about this game. Before anyone even continues to read, know that the protagonist of this game is a kick arse GIRL. I think that's awesome as cuss. I mean, a female lead that isn't objectified in a video game released in 1987!? Sign me up!

No, this is NOT a walkthrough of the game. This isn't a review. This is the sharing of my playthrough of the game; Just random tidbits of information.

To end the introduction; without further ado, Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System!
_________________________________________________________________________________Aalright, let's do this. Your home is totally useless. I'm not kidding, being funny, or trying to make you laugh. Seriously. It's just an empty house with windows. In fact, when you've been beat up, and you need to get the hp's back up, you go to some random blonde woman's house and she's all "SLEEP ON MY FLOOR" and then you get your hp's. You're probably thinking something like "well Fox, where the heck does she live compared to you? I bet you can still heal at your house, just it's less convenient.' WRONG. She actually lives south of you, less than a three second walk, in fact. from here on out, there will be many photos. Many. I mean that with all I've got:

See? Completely barren. That's all you can do.

So, first, the guy that gives you something that belonged to your now passed brother. A pot. A mother cussing POT. I get it, times are rough, and it's a valuable pot, but that doesn't change the fact that you just gave me a pot and then claimed you assisted me, and you wish you could help some more. GIVE ME MONIES OR SOMETHING. Literally, anything but a pot would have worked. Could have put the money in the pot. What is actually going on here: Nero (Alis' older brother that was murdered) gave this guy a stupid pot, then Nero died and the guy was all "I'll give it to his little sister so I don't have to deal with the crappy pot. Yeah, thanks buddy.

Thank you, for the stupid pot.

You don't see the big deal? How about the fact that there's this whole debacle with the random blond lady and her home looming ominously over the horizon.
Seriously. Look at this. She offers me a place to rest. Oh yeah, that's awfully swell and nice of her. Right? But like I told you before, she lives a short walk from me. And even if she didn't, it's not like she has more furniture in her home than I do. I get it, my house is completely barren, but so is hers. And she's always home, meaning there's an extra person there, who is probably also sleeping when I am, taking up space on the floor. At one point, there's four people crowding into her house.

Her home.

My house. The cuss?

Sure, why not? I could use a nap.

But, wait a minute, I don't see a bed. DID I
JUST SLEEP ON YOUR FLOOR? WHAT!?

"Thank you Captain Obvious."

"You're welcome Lieutenant Sarcasm!"

Tell me something, please. Information that could save the world. Hmm, uh huh, what's that? You mean to tell me that the Magically Locked door can only be Magically Unlocked? YOU DON'T SAY? Thank you Sarah Russell. You have helped make me a better, more intelligent person. I can't wait to apply this new found knowledge in the real world. This will be great.

My pet cat! ... ahem, I mean combat companion.

Also, geewillikersbatman! A talking cat that has a bottle on it's neck that cures people who are turned to stone by Medusa. What are the odds that this would happen? Apparently, everything in this game is a huge coincidence. Everything. Even playing as a girl.
Really, though, I must say with all jest aside, I've really enjoyed playing this game, all the weird zany logic aside. Can't wait to play the next three games in the main series, even if I don't end up writing full length articles on them. Thanks for reading, it means a lot to me to know you've stomached the entire article. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. If you haven't do so already, download the game and an emulator, or go out and purchase yourself a Master System and the game, and just play it. That's all for now, till next time!
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Screenshots and Captions from here on out:

SPACE: IT'S COOL AS CUSS!

No. I don't want to open the treasure box. OF COURSE I DO!

Kitty!!!

 ^---This is Odin.

Seriously, this console was made to compete with
the NES, how did it lose, ever?

Also, that lady is about to let Odin, the cat, and myself into her home so we can just sleep on her floor because we are tired. Might I add, that we run cuss and just walk into everyone's house because nobody locks their doors. The king must really hate us.

LOOK

AT

 CRAZY-WATER-EFFECTS

This guy ruined my day.

This guy advocates the killing of his king. I should snitch on him.

Leading to me having to visit the church to get resurrected by queer chanting. FML.

Dead ends are pretty infuriating. I recommend avoiding them entirely.

The level of detail that was graced by the artist in this game will forever impress me. It's so nice, and I really like the look of this town. It's a place I'd realistic wa

nt to visit if I lived nearby.

 Watching this guy attack you is one of the coolest things ever. I AM IN LOVE.

I traded that stupid hard as heck pot for a cat, and then he sold it. Take that brother, I just did not give a cuss about your stupid pot. Worst bequeathed gift ever.

Storm troopers have axes!

Wait ... never mind. Fuck.

Behold ...

... the mighty ...

Were Bat!

Sega Master System!!!!!

**NOTE: These words were written by me over a decade ago and I never published them, so enjoy this half baked nonsense!** 

I've been dropping hours into the Sega Master System. It's basically a better Famicom. Anyway, my adventure with it can be summed up in game:

Phantasy Star.

With a ph instead of an f, which is edgy as fuck.

That being said, I've made the first steps into the Phantasy Star universe. I've played the series before, and I've liked the games, but I've never really gone hard core on it. So basically, what I'm doing now is going hard core on this cuss. I've put it on my R800AT because that's what I want to use, and I'm getting into the game like it's the greatest thing ever. I intend to follow up with the next four games, and possibly even zero, because I never did get to finish that game, and I really would like to.

If you'd like to play along with me, the game file will be in a folder titled "Sega" because it's just so much simpler for me to generalise the console than to go out of my way to say Master System, Genesis, Saturn, etc., etc., blah blah blah. Screenshots and cuss will follow. Highly doubt I will do video, but I might record a sound bit. Don't know right now.

I fail at life, and this is the product of said fact.

Just kidding.

While playing Moon Crystal, I tried to do something cool. I of course, am not cool. The result was an audio file to what should have been a decent move clip showing off the awesomeness of programming found within the cartridge of Moon Crystal. It was supposed to right wrongs, feed the hungry, house the homeless, get me laid ... and stuff like that. YOU GET THE IDEA.

So, instead, I offer the audio from the video recorded in the wrong format. I may make a video showing off how cool I look while playing that game, but for now you get the audio to the video that was improperly made because I am not cool enough to do cuss right.

The video file is uploaded, but you'll need to install an emulator to watch. As far as I'm concerned, anyway. That emulator is FCEUX, and you're on your own for finding it. That being said, it might be in the archive of files I upload as companion to this blog/my life.

Now to go finger bang the game.

I space out often, getting into the game.

Audio File

And if you watch this while playing the audio, it makes a bit more sense.

Video (need emulator)

So here's that emulator website!

Famicom Emulator is good.

Moon Crystal Music Playlist!

Hey person(s),

I've been piling hours into writing about this game, working on this blog in general too, and to help clear my mind, I've been listening to jazz. Aside from that, it's also nice to listen to the music that's in the game I'm playing. The development team worked hard on this game, it's as obvious as day, and that also means they put hard work into the music. The music is also really good, so give it a listen, after you've played the game. It may seem better than while you were playing, because it isn't clouded with beautiful graphics and tight controls!

Moon Crystal playlist, click me for wub wub wub.

Bob Dylan

Rock me mama like a wagon wheel!

Moon Crystal!? [crowd cheering]

No, Sun. Of course Moon. Gawd.

Moon Crystal. Wow.  Okay, let's do this. Hey everyone! Super excited about this game, playing it was a blast, and it just felt great to do it. Played through this in one sitting on my PC because that’s just how I do. That, and it is a really short game, only seven stages, and takes like an hour, hour and a half to complete. Granted I did die a lot more than intended while still learning the ropes, but after that, I decided to sit down and play from start to finish without giving up. By this time, I already became comfortable with the game, resulting in a pretty short run. If I had played it in one sitting from picking it up the first time, I probably would have quit, not really knowing how the game works and all.
Okay, I feel the need to apologise (for nothing really). I wanted to really get into this and share lots of screenshots, with videos too, but I played the game more than payed attention to taking screens. Okay? Cool. I'm sorry. if you must know, the ending looks dope, and I wanted to show it blowing up! So, yeah, I was able to grab screenshots for it by last minute reaction.

Only thing I can really insist is, if you've bothered to read this, it wouldn't kill you to at the very least consider playing the game. Besides just being visually pleasing to look at for a Famicom game, the actual gameplay is good, filled with well designed levels and classic (then current) platforming action! Who doesn't love a game filled with great platforming!?

_______________________________________________________________

Natzis, that's who. Are you a Natzi? I sure hope not, because then we'd have conflicting views of the world, and I would feel really awkward continuing to write for a blog that will find only the blind and Nazis. Even a Grammar Nazi would be unacceptable, because my grammar is far from perfect, leaving you nit picking instead of reading. I don't want to write for that. I'd lose motivation.

Care to keep me motivated? I'd really appreciate it. The worst feeling for a writer/gamer who's just trying to share their story is nobody caring enough to even notice it. Sorry I got a bit side tracked there! Let's just get back to the topic. And also donations and ad clicking, I cannot stress that enough. Pretty please?

_______________________________________________________________

Hanging on ledges get's more challenging as it
becomes more and more important for game
progression. It's your new best friend.

Right? Okay, moving on. So, there's a bunch of cool things in Moon Crystal that I really feel would draw even a casual gamer to play the game. The visuals are fluid and colourful, which is more than enough incentive to actually look at the game. Plus, there's some rather interesting and borderline unique game mechanics.

You start every stage off the same, regardless of how you finished the previous stage. I feel like this is a way to keep you from crippling yourself while playing this game. All the power ups you previously collected just disappear. You start every stage as if you just started the game up, instead of just blasting through it without caring. This forced me to pay more attention to the game and what was going on. To really think about what I had to do next. To sit and ponder instead of blindly bum rushing the levels.

See! Complex double jump with enemies below.

Starting from the very first level, I had to appreciate the game for what it is, and not treat it as some generic, unnamed, unimpressive generic game. Thoughts had to be formed, strategies forged, enemy attack patterns analyzed. I had to know how fast I moved, and how far I could jump, and what took priority when doing certain actions, like double jumps, falling, and taking damage.

I don't blend in with earth tones while wearing
them. That's quite nice. See the treasure box!?

There's also the seeking out of treasure chest in search of helpful power ups and level exploration. Which, by the way, feels a lot like a more fluid and tight Prince of Persia game. You can't just turn around on a dime if you are running at full speed. You have to slow down and pivot a hundred-eighty degrees, which is more challenging than I first thought. Countless times my timing was way off because I didn't consider how long it would take to turn around.

Running the gauntlet is pretty tough, you're
stripped of all your power ups, and forced
to rely on what you learned throughout
the game without advantages. See, so you're
not crippled!

All this fancy playing was set up to teach you how to play with ease and comfort, so you can take pleasure in completing the games final stage. The epic conclusion to all your platforming skills starts with you first being stripped of everything you've acquired, and then running though the complex final stage in reverse.

Like all great things, this game came to an end with dignity. Nothing felt drawn out or overdone. It feels good when you complete the game, because it wasn't too difficult, or too easy. It was hard enough to get you to pay attention, but laid back enough to not frustrate you.

_______________________________________________________________

This is the Title Screen to my specific ROM. Depending on your preferred translation (or if you refuse to get one at all) this screen may look different for you. And just looking at this screen is really nice, being that you can't even tell this is a game for the Famicom.

BIG. SCARY. AXE MAN. Not.

This is the island right before it explodes.

And this is how I think the game should
have ended, after the explosion and ending
sequence, just cut to this title card.