Demon’s Crest is a spin-off from Ghost ‘n Goblins and is the third game in the Gargoyle’s Quest series. It came out in Japan and the US in 1994, but again Europe had to wait longer and we got it in 1995. The game was developed by Capcom.
The game is a platformer with a few RPG elements thrown in. Unlike Ghosts ‘n Goblins, where you play a brave knight trying to save a princess, Firebrand –the player’s character – is on a quest to become ruler of the demon kingdom and get back special crests that were stolen from him. When combined the crests give him infinite power. Firebrand has the ability to shoot fireballs, and kinda fly, he stays in place and can move left or right, but he cannot ascend. After collecting more of the crests he gains abilities to change into different forms, I only got one crest and was able to turn into G. Gargoyle which allowed me to break statues. It also gave me a different fire attack that was needed to fight a boss as Firebrand’s attack didn’t work.
You get more forms and magic as you progress through the game too. There is a form that does allow you to fly properly. The gameplay is great, it’s fun fireballing various demons and trying to make progress in a world that is quite open as to where you go via the map where you can fly to different locations. It’s not an easy game mind – bosses are tough and you have to be careful and think about the boss patterns to get anywhere. It isn’t unfair though, and when you die you realise what you’re doing wrong, even if only a little at a time.
Visually the game is great, the detail on the sprites is great and stand out as some of the best on the SNES. The backgrounds are detailed, the levels’ foregrounds are dark and grim, it’s lovely to look at. The music is also great for the game, with its gothic sound and eerie vibe. It really adds to the atmosphere and accompanies the demon world so well.
Home Improvement was a sitcom in the 90s and was rather popular. Of course with its popularity came a game. Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! was released in 1994 and was made by Imagineering and was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
I haven’t played this game, and to be honest I’ve barely heard anything about it. Let’s start with a brief description. HI:PTP is an action-platformer, where you have to collect the tools that had been taken on Tim’s show Home Improvement.
When I put it on I knew it was meant to be bad, but I honestly didn’t think it was that bad – at least for a very short period of time. Tim, the player’s character, controls are very off – like he’s really light and floaty, for want of better words. There’s also the level design, it’s not great and the fact that you have to go around levels looking for power tools that disappeared is just awful. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was fun to play and the level design didn’t suck, but that’s what it does – it sucks.
I will admit that visually it isn’t horrible, it’s pretty decent for a TV show tie-in. Musically, I think it’s pretty bad, it has a remix of the TV show theme, and then it seems to just be that, varying remixes of the show’s theme. All the music I heard has a similar sound and for me, there isn’t much variety.
Mario Kart 8 has been out for three years on the Wii U, but with its fairly recent re-release on the Nintendo Switch, I thought I’d jot down the five best and worst tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
I’ll also add a little on my feelings of the track. They won’t be long-winded, just a sentence or two to convey my thoughts. I must add that this is my own opinion and not that of GRcade. I did think it was pretty obvious, but the whiny baby Qikz told me to do this as I’ll be rating his beloved Cheese Land in a way he doesn’t like.
The best
Mount Wario
The is in the top five for its sheer awesomeness. You start at the top of a mountain and work your way to the bottom like a skier would. When I mentioned this track to someone online, after saying Cheese Land was bland because it was just cheese everywhere I was told this was bland also, as it’s just a snowy mountain. It isn’t bland though, far from it. It consists mostly of a snowy mountain, yes, but there is variety, there’s a cave with water flowing through it, the side of a dam you drive on where water is pouring down it, and then there’s an area with a load of trees which act as pretty good obstacles. You even have red flags dotted about in the last-but-one section as if it was there from a previous skiing race. This track is clearly in the god tier.
Big Blue
Another great track, it’s definitely in a tier equal to Mount Wario. The reason being that the track layout is immense, it doesn’t have the sense of speed that Mute City has, but the layout is better, as is the music. Now, normally I prefer Mute City’s theme to Big Blue’s but in MK8D there’s no question Big Blue wins hands down. There’s also quite a bit going on in the background, with its waterfalls and planes flying overhead, and I’m sure at one point at least I saw a track in the background with an F-Zero like vehicle on it. Again, god tier track and should be the track you go for when it comes up.
Ribbon Road
This is another fantastic track. It’s colourful, has a fair bit going on in it and the good thing about being colourful it isn’t bland. The music is also ace too. I like that it’s a toy set up as if either Mario and co. are racing on a giant’s toy or it’s as if Mario and co. are toys and someone is playing with them. If this comes up give it a vote, you won’t be disappointed.
Rainbow Road 64
For me this is the best Rainbow Road Mario Kart 8 has to offer. I like the new Rainbow Road, but it just isn’t as nice as this, and the music in this is one of the best pieces in the game. I also really like the SNES Rainbow Road and think it’s actually not too far behind this in terms of good levels, but this wins out for its great track design, interesting backgrounds and music. The only downside is that it’s only one lap.
Hyrule Circuit
Another great track and the last of the five I have chosen as the best. Again another track with a great musical piece supporting it. I already love the Zelda theme, so having it remixed with guitars and having a more rock style to it is only a good thing in my eyes. I also like the design, the fact the coins are rupees and other little touches. The shortcut by the Master Sword is also a neat little thing that I don’t think I’ve seen in another track in Mario Kart.
The worst
Cheese Land
What do I say about Cheese Land? Well to start, it’s extremely bland it’s just yellow everywhere, and the only thing that isn’t are the chain chomps. The track layout isn’t that good either, it’s not fun to race on and the people who like it have no soul. Clearly an evil track.
Wario’s Goldmine
I’ll admit, it’s not as bad as it was on the Wii. The minecarts aren’t an obstacle like they were previously, but the level just feels so unfun. There’s something about it that doesn’t click, it’s not like Cheese Land in its blandness, but it doesn’t really have anything about it that screams this is fun.
Dry Dry Desert
I wasn’t sure whether to go with this or Bone Dry Dunes as both are rubbish and pretty bland, they’re just a sand level with no colour. The only reason I picked this as a worse track than Bone Dry Dunes is that BDD has a ship that shoots coins.
Toad’s Turnpike
I think back to the N64 version of this and thinking I used to like it, am I thinking of a different track? Have they changed something? Or was I just wrong? The track is uninspiring, and the traffic is pointless. It very rarely hinders how you play, so it’s just there. You’d think the traffic would make you think on your feet to weave in and out of it to get to the top, but the track doesn’t do that, cars and trucks are basically scenery.
Grumble Volcano
The final of my top five worse tracks from MK8D is Grumble Volcano. I didn’t like this on the Wii, and it’s surprising. You have terrain that falls away, and a volcano going off in the background, but I just can’t get behind this track. It should’ve been great, but I cannot get any enjoyment out of it. To be frank, it seems more on me than the track, but I simply don’t like it.
Final thoughts
While I don’t think the worst tracks are truly awful, there is a lot in the way of preference to the tracks, layouts, and so on and it would be great to get comments to see where people line up with their top tracks, or just to let me know why ‘X’ isn’t a great track and why ‘Y’ is. So, either leave a comment or pop into the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe thread to give me a piece of your mind, you can also join us for Mario Kart Monday’s as well.
Demon’s Crest is a spin-off from Ghost ‘n Goblins and is the third game in the Gargoyle’s Quest series. It came out in Japan and the US in 1994, but again Europe had to wait longer and we got it in 1995. The game was developed by Capcom.