Friday, October 01, 2010

Second chances

Games rarely get a second chance with me. If one rubs me the wrong way, it's quickly relegated to the back of my entertainment center.

That's not to say I never have a change of heart. Take the PC Engine version of New Zealand Story: I've never cared for the game, despite the fact that it's a cute-as-all-get-out platformer (one of my favorite genres).

Why? Well, for starters, I've always thought it looked a bit rough--especially when compared with Taito's other arcade classics of the same era, Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands. Second, its music and sound effects are, in my humble opinion, akin to an assault on the ears.

I don't have anything negative to say about New Zealand Story's gameplay--other than it can, at times, be a tad too difficult--but it doesn't really matter because the aforementioned niggles have been, until recently, more than enough to turn me off of the game.


So, what prompted me to give it another try a few weeks ago? I'm not entirely sure, although I think this review had something to do with it.

Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say that my second and subsequent experiences with the game have pushed me to start a New Zealand Story fan club or anything like that, but they have helped me see it for what it is--a quality, if not exactly high-caliber, PC Engine platformer.

Have any of you changed your opinion (in a positive way) of a game after giving it a second chance?

Note: This post originally appeared on my PC Engine-focused blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com

2 comments:

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Not really...it usually works the other way. If I liked it growing up, sometimes when I go back to it, it's not as good as I remember...or not good at all.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, that happens to me, too. More times than I'd like to admit...