Wish this Set August 2023 - RetroAchievements/RANews GitHub Wiki

Wish This Set is a showcase for our passionate community members to write about the games they love that aren't yet represented on the site. Is there a game you'd like to see receive an achievement set? Let us know by sending a private message to {% rauserpic RANews %}. We encourage you to explain what makes the game so special to you, and you may be featured in a future issue of RANews!

Game	Console	Genre
Dragon Force II	Saturn	Strategy, Grand Strategy

• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Sines %}

With this sequel to the first Dragon Force, I have to admit that there's not a lot that is new under the hood. Continuing from the previous entry, this follow-up keeps all the previous game systems but slightly tweaks and rebalances them. A few new strategic options rear their heads, such as the possibility to now have mixed composition in your army; while not a complete game changer by itself, the diversity it brings is refreshing! On the technical side it still looks very good, making use of the Saturn 2D sprite capability. The artistic direction is slightly darker, but it's not a bad thing, just different.

But after all, should a sequel really have to re-invent everything? While at the time it stayed in Japan only, it is now accessible in English to all thanks to a translation patch. More of the same is not a bad thing when the initial product was already very good! To go through the game from start to finish you will still have to play the sprawling campaigns, the unique story mode for all the various characters, and use your tactical and strategic muscles to come out on top. One new addition of note is that there is a lot of voiced dialogue! It's just like one of my Japanese anime... A game of that scope either require a very dedicated dev or a group effort (which could be neatly separated by campaign), but in any case I wait for the day this get a set with impatience.

Game	Console	Genre
Casper	PlayStation	Action, Adventure

• Write-up by: {% rauserpic PenguGG %}

Appropriately subtitled as "A Haunting 3D Challenge", this is sort of a retelling of the original movie. It plays kind of like a Metroidvania by looking at it at a distance: it has a labyrinth-like design, items can be found that are necessary for progression, and power-ups open up places that would otherwise be unreachable. Contrary to what is usually seen from that genre, this one is a big, mind-twisting labyrinth with many puzzles to resolve, including the Ghostly Trio themselves, acting as bosses that require some thinking to know how to defeat them (and some fights are actually clever). The mansion is well put together with different distinguishable layouts and decorations, and secret rooms to find that reward your sense of exploration. It is accompanied by a really good soundtrack that won't make getting lost in the mansion boring at all. While it can be a daunting experience getting through this sort of a labyrinth game, it is still a really good experience, but most surely, an interesting one.

Game	Console	Genre
Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo	PlayStation 2	3D Platforming

• Write-up by: {% rauserpic ShadwSonic %}

Wallace and Gromit. A classic duo of claymation. But not many know that they had a video game or two, and while one was just a movie tie-in and the other one of Telltale's uninspired point and clicks (as opposed to their inspired ones, i.e. Sam and Max), there was one title that did neither of these things. That game is "Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo".

The plot actually follows off of their arguably most famous short, The Wrong Trousers. That had ended with the the foul fowl known as Feathers McGraw being sent to the zoo after our heroes caught the pilfering penguin. Well, at some point they also "adopted" a polar bear cub there, and decided to visit him on his birthday... only to discover the zoo is closed. Sensing something suspicious, it doesn't take long for them to discover that McGraw has taken over, turning the place into more of an illegal diamond making enterprise. Definitely something that needs to be stopped.

The actual gameplay is a little something between puzzle, collectathon, and stealth gameplay, with guns that fire edible ammo. You're Gromit, and often need to create a path for Wallace to come over and fix broken mechanisms to progress. He'll usually need tools and/or bolts you can find in the area as well, the former being a limited resource and the latter basically being "money". However, you never need to find all ten of the tools in any level, so there's a bit of leeway on that front. There are also Zoo Tokens to find, which are solely for unlocking little bonuses from the menu. You know, behind the scenes stuff and the like. These make up the bulk of exploration in this game, including some secret areas. There's also a few bosses, always against some contraption of Feathers McGraw. They may not be anything particularly notable, but don't fail to serve their purpose either. The real challenge is the levels themselves, especially the final dive into the heart of the bird's operation.

This game actually belonged to my sister, though like most video games, I enjoyed it more. It would be great to revisit this game, especially with achievements.

Game	Console	Genre
Magi Nation	Game Boy Color	RPG

• Write-up by: {% rauserpic SegoeUI %}

Magi Nation is an odd little gem of the early 00's, a Game Boy Color RPG published by American studio Interactive Imagination - their only video game release, in fact. The company primarily made card games, including the one that this game was based on.

For a first-time effort, it's surprisingly deep and functional. The game plays like a hybrid monster collector and card game simulator, with a full story and a lot of flavor text around each corner. Players can learn to summon a party of up to 10 monsters at a time by collecting their summoning materials, out of over 70 total options. Each monster has multiple techniques available to it and the main character can also cast spells and use items to enhance them, so turns can have a variety of tactical options.

Few people have ever really heard of it, but I think this is one of the better things to come out of the 90s-00s card game imitator craze. Finally getting an excuse to 100% it would be a blessing, and I look forward to seeing what creative challenges can be made with a promising battle system.

Game	Console	Genre
Robowarrior | Bomber King	NES	Action

• Writeup by: {% rauserpic Aeliana %}

My dear, fellow Elder Millennials of RA, I have bad news – you all had deprived childhoods. Because it is clearly evident that if you hadn't, someone would've developed cheevos for Robowarrior (NES) sometime in the past 10 years, and more than 9 of you (excluding myself) would be requesting them!

"What's Robowarrior" you ask? I mean, smh, but okay - it's basically Bomberman on steroids. There are 27 levels in which you bomb/shoot your way through obstacles and enemies, first searching for a hidden Chalice (the levels loop endlessly until the Chalice is found), then searching for a hidden Key which unlocks the door to the next level. Ho-hum, sounds like Every NES Game Ever, amirite? Wrong! There are 10 different consumable items to find, collect and use (ie. Megaton Bombs, Missiles, Speed Boots…) not unlike, say, Clash at Demonhead, and there are 7 boss battles in which those items come in handy. If RNGesus is kind and you end up w/ a ton of items, you can use them throughout the levels as well as on the bosses without breaking a sweat, but if you're in limited supply, resource management comes into play. Not to mention, it has an absolutely ballin' soundtrack for an NES game; as a kid, I held a cassette recorder up to the TV and listened to that tape nonstop. It made my parents wonder if I'd turn out alright. But I digress; you all are missing out – wish Robowarrior!!

Game	Console	Genre
Jungle Book, The: Rhythm n' Groove	PlayStation	Rhythm

• Writeup by: {% rauserpic Kingsombra %}

I will be honest here, this is not necessarily a game that can be considered an all-time classic and will never be featured in any top 20 PS1 games lists. But this game was a huge part of my childhood. It was my very first exposure to the concept of Dance Dance Revolution and it's based off one of my favorite Disney animated movies.

The story is explained fairly quickly for everyone who watched the movie, as the story mode of the game is loosely based on that. Mowgli is being raised in the jungle by wolves and one day, the panther Bagheera has to take him back to the Manvillage as Shere Khan the tiger has come back and hates man and over the course of that journey, they meet a bunch of colorful characters.

Now, the game itself is a bit more casual friendly then most DDR games, as the game is certainly more targeted towards the younger audience. But it has 5 different difficulties to choose one, with the hardest (crazy difficulty) being unlockable if you beat expert, so there is certainly some room for achievements there.

The games soundtrack has 9 songs to offer in Story Mode, from which only 2 are from the actual movie (Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You), but even the original songs are pretty good and I still remember them over 20 years later. So it's nothing where you have to turn your TV volume down.

It's not as deep or as content heavy as most DDR games. But if you want a game that is a bit more merciful and has characters that a lot of people love, I think a decent set can be made of it and I am sure that people will enjoy it. You can trusssst in me. 😛

Game	Console	Genre
Tempest 2000	Saturn	Shooter

• Writeup by: {% rauserpic Sines %}

I can scarcely believe my eyes! Can you imagine that only the original arcade title has a set on RA a the moment? Surely this can not stand. To quote one of the game page comments from {% rauserpic CadmiumRED %}, this is THE "definitive version" of the game and arguably the definitive game of the series overall! This fast-paced tube shooter developed by Lamasoft was originally made for the Jaguar before being ported to the Saturn and sees you controlling a ship that moves along the edge of a vector-looking level, gunning down various bad guys and collecting power-ups while doing your best to stay alive.

The base game by itself has 100 levels to go through, with multiple difficulty modes but also multiple gameplay modes that change your approach: you have your traditional mode, close to the somewhat barebones Arcade version, the titular 2000 mode which has power-ups, ship enhancement, and even a jump button should the enemies manage to reach the top, and finally there is also a Duel mode for 2 players which could be the subject of a Multi subset in the future as well! The graphics are simple but to the point - everything is in service of the gameplay and the dynamic Techno OST will make sure you get in "the zone" as quickly as possible. Tempest 2000 is great arcade fun and it's a shame it's not better known. Let's change that situation!

Game	Console	Genre
ICO	PlayStation 2	Action-Adventure

• Writeup by: {% rauserpic ShadwSonic %}

You may be familiar with Shadow of the Colossus, and that is a great game, but I believe I enjoy the lesser known predecessor known as ICO.

This game is similarly devoid of characters, but it's more of a light puzzle experience shared with a mysterious young girl around your age. Neither of you want to stay in the castle you've both been imprisoned in, so you set off together to make your way out of the fortress. She needs you because she's not really athletic and shadow creatures tend to show up to try and kidnap her, while you need her because she can operate a lot of the machinery in this weird place.

At its heart, it's a cinematic platformer just like its younger brother, but where that focuses on empowering the player by having him knock down massive beasts, this makes the player feel small within this giant yet beautiful stronghold. I'd really like to see this one join RA, as it's quite the cult classic... also like it's prequel (we're pretty sure SotC comes first anyway), but with even more of an emphasis on the "cult" part.

Game	Console	Genre
Disney's The Haunted Mansion	PlayStation 2	Action Adventure

• Write-up by: {% rauserpic PenguGG %}

Do you know about the Haunted Mansion? I'm not talking about the film of the same name, but the attraction in Disneyland Park. It's what both the film and this game are based off, with the game coming out just one month earlier than the film in America. The game has you helping the ghosts that inhabit the mansion by freeing the souls trapped by the Order of Shadows, led by Atticus Thorn, who wants to conquer the afterlife. To do so, it is needed to turn on the light switches in each of the room of the mansion to free the souls. Some rooms will mostly require resolving a puzzle and fighting the evil ghosts and monsters, one more dangerous than the other, but some rooms may surprise you, just like the attraction itself!