Topic: The Valis Games

[Crying Freeman]

I don't know if anyone else here is a Valis fan, you most likely never heard of it, and if you have and are thinking "aren't those hentai games?", then you're thinking of the rebooted text adventure which reuined the series. The originals were not hentai games. It's worth checking out for CV fans, as it's probably the only retro series with character development and deep story outside of any text adventures or RPGs, and they're side scrolling action games with some CV inspired bits. Plus, THESE GAMES HAVE AWESOME MUSIC! This'll be a long one, I''l quickly run through the main games in the series:

Valis 1: Basic side scrolling game, Ninja Gaiden style cutscenes, but with a more interesting story. Takes a note from Megaman with a new power up after every boss, though you can't select stages. You can find it on PC-98, MSX, Genesis/MD, PC-Engine CD, with the Genesis and PCE versions being the best to get (stay away from the dreadful MSX version).

Valis 2: Very dark story, perfectly executed with brilliant music and graphics. Gameplay can be a little finicky on my X68000 emulator, and some story scenes can be uncomfortable, but for the time, it has a very dark story with one of the most evil game villains of all time. It adds new schmup style levels, with Yuko floating, which adds some variety with the platforming stages. There is an english patch of the X68000 version, and I highly recommend the game. Also on PC-98 (more stable version of the X68000 game) PC-Engine CD (sucks, bad graphics, mediocre gameplay, overly long stages, a barebones retelling of the computer version's plot, but if you prefer a more lighthearted romp akin to Valis 1, 3 and 4, the PCE verison is for you).

Valis 3: Things get VERY CV here. Finding characters to join your party, like CV3, and one of them has a whip as their attack. Takes a step above CV# though, where you don't have to leave one character behind. Once a character joins your party, they're there to stay. It's a fantastic game on the Genesis/MD, but the PC-Engine CD version has VERY slippery controls, though it's usually the preferred verison among fans (I'd go for the Genesis version personally, tighter controls and easier difficulty).

Valis 4: Exclusively for the PC-Engine CD in Japan, like Valis 1's PCE release. IT has a good story if you read a translated fan article, and very good gameplay. The graphics are also fantastic, and it's a step up from the PCE version of Valis 3.

Super Valis 4: Name sound familiar at all? Most people are familiar with this SNES exclusive to the series. Even though it sounds like SCV4, it's actually more like Dracula X to Rondo of Blood. We all know how Dracula X is considered a barebones remake of Rondo, and SV4 is a barebones remake of Valis 4's PCE version. Did they feel like ripping off CV that much? It's a pretty good game on it's own, but instead of projectiles, you use the Valis sword like a traditional sword the whole way through, using a neat little powerup selection system to use sub-weapon type attacks, armour, or health refills. No extra characters, and only one animated story cutscene at the end, which is disappointing, but still a good game on it's own right.

Syd of Valis: I'd only call the MSX verison of Valis 1 worse... OMFG, this game is bad. Sure you can have fun with it, but it's NOT recommended. It's a Super Deformed version of Valis 2 for the Genesis/MD. You have to memorize patterns, and you use different suits you gain from beating levels to beat parts of later levels, which is fun, but it's incredibely unpolished. In fact, the credits in the english versions aren't even translated... so you get Japanese credits on an American or European cart.... wow. So disappointing the X68000/PC-98 versions of 2 didn't get a serious Genesis/MD port.

Ignore the Valis X games at all cost! They were a cash in, and just hentai text adventures, no substance whatsoever. They ruined a classic series and now everyone just thinks all the Valis games are hentai. If you're a retro fan, Valis is a great undiscovered series, and is really easy to get into with it's simplicity in gameplay. It's major selling point though is how it did many new things in the world of story telling, even if the gameplay was never very original.

[zangetsu468]

Valis III for mega drive was a frikkin awesome game. That's all I know.
After that I was disappointed at Super Valis IV.

[JR]

I've heard the name pop up here and there throughout the years, but I never checked any out. I did see the article they have on HG101 not too long ago, and I want to give the series a shot one of these days.

[Crying Freeman]

Valis III for mega drive was a frikkin awesome game. That's all I know.
After that I was disappointed at Super Valis IV.

Same here, man! Still enjoy SV4, but I digress. 3 may be my favorite in the series, and is definitely in my top 3 genesis games!

[Crying Freeman]

I've heard the name pop up here and there throughout the years, but I never checked any out. I did see the article they have on HG101 not too long ago, and I want to give the series a shot one of these days.

I don't think you'll be disappointed. 1 on the genesis is average in gameplay, but there's some charm to it that makes it worth while. Forgot to mention the Famicom version, which is literally impossible to beat, even with fan patches to help it. People say Simons Quest is cryptic, let them play Valis for Famicom.

[X]

I first played Valis III on the Genesis little more then fifteen years ago. I enjoyed it so much that I pushed myself to finish it. The next game to play was Super Valis IV and while it is vastly inferior to Its PC-Engine counterpart, the game was much easier to play (it also had some better level structure IMO and no cheap deaths), and the music was far better composed. These two are my favorite track;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkMUFMKscvk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4F6iWLR6I

When I got into playing Roms I also tried Valis I for the Genesis. Definitely an amazing story for the start of the series. Then I tried the Syd Valis game as well. I would not have been able to finish it without that little button code which makes one invincible. What was nifty about Syd Valis was the different costumes that you acquire along the way, and they augmented your abilities with each new outfit. I would have liked to have seen that in the other games as well. On the whole this is a classic series that I thoroughly enjoyed, and was not pleased to hear about the Hentai aspect of it. Well, in my mind, that doesn't exist in the Valis universe, no-matter what the companies say.

[Crying Freeman]

I first played Valis III on the Genesis little more then fifteen years ago. I enjoyed it so much that I pushed myself to finish it. The next game to play was Super Valis IV and while it is vastly inferior to Its PC-Engine counterpart, the game was much easier to play (it also had some better level structure IMO and no cheap deaths), and the music was far better composed. These two are my favorite track;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkMUFMKscvk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4F6iWLR6I

When I got into playing Roms I also tried Valis I for the Genesis. Definitely an amazing story for the start of the series. Then I tried the Syd Valis game as well. I would not have been able to finish it without that little button code which makes one invincible. What was nifty about Syd Valis was the different costumes that you acquire along the way, and they augmented your abilities with each new outfit. I would have liked to have seen that in the other games as well. On the whole this is a classic series that I thoroughly enjoyed, and was not pleased to hear about the Hentai aspect of it. Well, in my mind, that doesn't exist in the Valis universe, no-matter what the companies say.

100%, man! Well put!

[zangetsu468]

I've heard the name pop up here and there throughout the years, but I never checked any out. I did see the article they have on HG101 not too long ago, and I want to give the series a shot one of these days.

It's kind of like CV with a sword and female protagonist(s). Something captivated me about the start of III when I was a child, I was 8 years old when I hired it. The intro had anime-style graphics like I'd never really seen on mega drive before. The prologue was so cool where Yuko jumps off the building to get the Valis Sword followed by it saving her and kitting her up with gold armour. I still find things like that cool.

I've always had a soft spot for games with female protagonists, this must be why I like Metroid, Valis, Castlevania OOE, and the FF XIII series as much as I do.

[Bloodreign]

Hmm, let me see, I have in my collection, the following (I've known about this series for years thanks to old game mags like the old EGM, not the incarnation it was near the first time it ended):

Valis on Genesis
Syd of Valis on Genesis
Valis 3 on Genesis
Super Valis IV on SFC

And I enjoy the PCE CD versions of Valis very, very much, so much to the point that the programmers from the Valis X game should be boiled in hot oil for the travesty they created to kill the series. The games feel like your typical magical girl anime, hell the game has animated cutscenes with speech on the PCE CD versions, but the joy and excitement of the level designs, enemy placement, and challenge keep one coming back for more. The US releases had terrible voice acting, but the Japanese versions, as per usual, sound superb. Great platformers, though for some reason, I don't like the second one as much as I do the first, third, and fourth titles in the series, it just felt off.

Syd of Valis is a cutesy retelling of Valis II, but the games jumping physics are frustrating, Yuko literally floats with her jumps, very hard to stick a landing. Wish a more serious version of the second game had been released for the Genesis. The SFC/SNES version of Super Valis 4 cuts out a majority of the story, you don't get multiple playable characters that are good in certain situations, but the OST is still pretty top notch for the SNES soundchip. Sadly I didn't pursue the PCE CD versions in time, their values are rising considerably from where they once were.

I also once remember renting Super Valis IV, and pretty much 1 life/1 crediting the damned thing on my first try.



Yuko was no longer playable, but a Goddess by this point.

Edit: the key is the slide over gaps, sometimes jumps just won't make it from platform to platform. Very risky to pull off in stages with a ton of pits, but necessary to progress.

[Lelygax]

I love Valis, I've finished Valis 1 for Genesis and played a bit of Syd, 2 for MSX and 3. I like how it is almost impossible to beat Reiko if you didn't get the "hidden" path on his stage and get some extra power-up.

Someone else noticed that Valis had a similar path in history to Castlevania? 1 was straight-forward, 2 for MSX was "different" with equipable gear, some cryptic things like if you equip a armor you discover that its cursed and you can't unequip it while it lower your stats. Well I don't even need to say about 3 right? It was like CV3 with the changing characters mechanic.

Then 4 was like Rondo of Blood, with two different characters AND receiving a port for SNES, where this said character isn't playable and the game is very different.

Then at the end we get Valis X, a erotic game. Like in this new "Erotic Violence" Pachislot.

[Crying Freeman]

I love Valis, I've finished Valis 1 for Genesis and played a bit of Syd, 2 for MSX and 3. I like how it is almost impossible to beat Reiko if you didn't get the "hidden" path on his stage and get some extra power-up.

Someone else noticed that Valis had a similar path in history to Castlevania? 1 was straight-forward, 2 for MSX was "different" with equipable gear, some cryptic things like if you equip a armor you discover that its cursed and you can't unequip it while it lower your stats. Well I don't even need to say about 3 right? It was like CV3 with the changing characters mechanic.

Then 4 was like Rondo of Blood, with two different characters AND receiving a port for SNES, where this said character isn't playable and the game is very different.

Then at the end we get Valis X, a erotic game. Like in this new "Erotic Violence" Pachislot.

Lol, I never made the VX and erotic violence connection, but there it is. Sunsoft is currently sitting on the IP, which suck cus they aren't doing jack shit anymore (surprised they're even around). I believe they released the mobile phone remake of 1, which actually looks pretty damn awesome, and high end for a flip phone game.

[affinity]

the best versions are the versions with all the full animation sequences of the story intact.    though I did like the Genesis version of Valis 1, the art and the music of the first stage and stuff like that are very awesome.   but yes the other versions where they have the full production values and even voiceovers for scenes is very great, I think Valis 1 or II full cinematic versions were voiced in english too.  maybe all 4 of them, but it really is an outstanding series for that genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGtjBY8hf8

[X]

Ahhh, classic anime... There's just nothing like it now 

[affinity]

Well Senran Kagura Estival Versus reminds me of Valis and Project Ako a bit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kUP9FAXRho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMRIOlDQAl4


totally different artstyle and the girls are younger, but still has a charismatic beauty to its artstyle (like Valis)
and unlike Sailor Moon characters, they aren't toothpicks. 

It's even getting Ikkitousen characters as DLC in some weeks.

Also Valkyrie Drive has a little Valis vibe coming from at least one of the characters, though that's just a portable.

they aren't action platformers, but they aren't Dynasty Warriors clones either with the mechanics Estival brings to the table, including it's 10 players versus mode, where the combat really shines.

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnVr_iKhzr4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8WyD8Rddao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZTH_cmfq_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnbkeC5lYg

https://youtu.be/uy-qL4jsfKc

https://youtu.be/egzWeDHmrwQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnVr_iKhzr4

https://youtu.be/w_imIDrMsqI

the only flaws of Senran Kagura series, is that they use the pervert angle to promote it. 
the touching minigame is totally unnecessary (you don't see DOA do that),
and the purupuru finishers is crossing the line as well. 
 nudity for transformations and battle damage is okay, but forcing the girls in embarrassing pervert situations is just not helping the series get more respect worldwide.

the other flaw is that Estival versus versus can only be played online, even with bots support and option to fill
the other slots with CPU ninjas, it still requires online to play those modes, which is dumb.  They should learn
 a thing or two from timesplitters and even NSUNS series, sports games, and fighting games in general being able to fight cpu opponents and teams offline.

And the 3rd flaw is that Senran Kagura's producer has the dumb habit of taking steps backwards, being too stubborn
to let go of 3DS and allow the entire series to move to PS4.  but no, they insist they want to cater to all crowds,
and want to keep the main series on 3DS just because it started there,
when that is taking steps backwards and holding back the series.
SK2's terrible reception proved things they are doing wrong, and SK can't grow staying on 3DS.  they are wasting
money that could be used to improve Senran Kagura on PS4 with sequels and expansions to the roster.
SK2 nearly killed the franchise.    it was stupid going in that direction instead of Estival.   
Shinovi started the formula on vita, but they were smart moving to PS4 with Estival and improving the formula.

They should stick with the Estival formula and move forward with PS4 as the new platform standard.

and the sooner they get rid of sexual harrassment minigames and purupuru finishers, the sooner more people
will take Senran Kagura more seriously.  Like DOA fighting games, Sailor Moon, SFV and others have shown,
SK can be sexy while being mature about things. 

[Crying Freeman]

Reminds me of Valis + Dynasty Warriors + Virtual On (except I assume these games have playable control unlike VO lol). And yes, it's annoying af when devs and animators just put in fan servicey bits when they aren't necessary at all. Seems more like a game I'd play on home console than handheld, so moving more of the titles to the PS4 would be a good fit.