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Buying a bad game out of hope
Raccoonus | 2:57 PM on 02.10.2009 18 comments


Why do I buy bad games?

This is a question I often find bouncing around my head from time to time. And considering that yesterday, on a whim, I went out to my local Gamestop and bought...wait for it...ready...Musashi: Samurai Legend. It was $4.99. No, you're right. I apologize. That doesn't make it right.


His hair acts a third sword that dices enemies into 2X2 cubes of gooey flesh. If only.

Now, going into this little admission, I knew perfectly well beforehand that Musashi: Samurai Legend was not a great game. Heck, not even a good game. Reviews referred to it as bland and slow, short and linear, ugly and uninspired. And they were right on all marks. The thing is...I absolutely loved Brave Fencer Musashi on the original Playstation. It was one of those games that I played with ferocity, aiming to find every lost villager, collect every action figure, and learn all the enemy abilities (even the stupid ones no one used). That game was fun and punny, with a day-to-night cycle and a neat set of locations. Sadly, somewhere along the lines I traded in a bunch of my PS1 games, and Brave Fencer Musashi was one of them. How I regret that decision. Also gone were Metal Gear Solid, Jumping Flash!, and Trap Gunner (a lonely game, but fun with two people and some drinks).

Yup, I was an idiot.

Since then, I've been unable to find a used copy of Brave Fencer Musashi in stores. So, seeing this somewhat sequel, I felt nearly compelled to buy it. Would it fill that void in my heart devoted to Allucaneet Kingdom and Princess Fillet? Would my love for the Five Swords be sated? Would I, for $4.99, finally have what I've been looking for for so long?

Um, no.

For one thing, the game is horribly ugly. It takes cel-shading and mutates into something people are calling manga-shading, which puts this thick colored outline around characters. The rest of the environments are colored in light blues and yellows, giving the world an ethereal fell to it, as well as that of being washed out. I dunno. It kind of looks...ridiculous. See:


The brown outline looks like Musashi has a chinstrap beard. Not bad for a "kid" hero.

Another thing greatly disappointing about Musashi: Samurai Legend is the humor. It's gone. Oh sure, there's this mild attempt to poke fun at things like rescuing princesses and being destined for greatness, but it all falls horribly flat. This is because the game actually thinks it is a serious piece of adventuring. It's not. You have an old cat that can barely speak and is missing an eye as your counselor. He is no Yoda, try as though he might.

So I guess in this case the answer to my previously posed question is: out of hope. I hoped this would have done it for me, that this would have reminded me enough about the good times I had with Brave Fencer Musashi, but alas, it has only made me miss it more.

Ultimately, I should've gone to Quiznos and got a sandwich instead.



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18 comments | showing # 1 to 18

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TheCleaningGuy's Destructoid Blog
The demo was fun, if I remeber correctly.
I'd probably buy it if I saw it for $5.
RonBurgandy2010's Destructoid Blog
Go pick up Alter Echo or XIII with your $5.
Half left's Destructoid Blog
I buy shit games because I'm English and crave disappointment.
ZombiePlatypus's Destructoid Blog
There are only a few times I can recall knowingly buying a "bad" game. There are of course the Evil Dead games, and then also The Shield game. I'd heard bad things and read bad reviews, but I didn't care because I love the flicks/show those games were based on. The newest Evil Dead game from a few years back and the Shield one actually weren't all that horrible, I've certainly played worse...
Jonathan Holmes's Destructoid Blog
I'll be buying and reviewing Dead Rising Wii in just a few weeks, so I know all about having hope for a game that you have every reason to believe will be crap.

As for Musashi 2, I bought it back when it cost $30, and I sort of liked it. Never finished it though, so I guess it wasn't that good.
MissHinasaki's Destructoid Blog
I've bought Siren about 3 times and have never played it. It's okay to buy crappy games sometimes. Just not multiple times.
GrumpyTurtle's Destructoid Blog
If nothing else, it'll make your game collection look bigger.
But that ain't nothing, I worked with a guy who was such a superman fan, he bought Superman 64 the day it came out for full price.. Now that's hope.
GamingGoddess's Destructoid Blog
Considering I've bought bad games out of hope for full price, the fact that you bought it for only 4.99 puts a different spin on it for me. For that amount, it's worth taking the risk that you'll like the game more than the reviewers did.
Holyetheline's Destructoid Blog
Do you prefer Quiznos over Subway?
Raccoonus's Destructoid Blog
@holyethline: Quiznos! They toast all their subs, which makes them doubly warm in my stomach.
Colette Bennett's Destructoid Blog
I think I would have bought this for $4.99 too. I'm a huge Brave Fencer Musashi fan.
Overcrowd's Destructoid Blog
Come on dude, it isn't that bad. The only really truly awful thing about the game is the dialogue and Musashi's voice.

For 4.99, that's a goddamn bargain. I paid 15 bucks and I enjoyed it somewhat. My expectations weren't raised though, as I've never played the original.
Kyousuke Nanbu's Destructoid Blog
I thought Musashi was quite good, not bugs or glitches here, the animation style was a bit odd but I enjoyed it, it had an awesome combat system.
brainderailment's Destructoid Blog
I've bought my share of Not good/not great games. We all do.
Mr Dillinger's Destructoid Blog
Remember Zelda: Ocarina of Time?

Now that was a shit game I should never have bought...

I Kid, I kid...Zelda was awesome.

The only way you'll really know is if you play them yourself. Good on you for trying.
Raccoonus's Destructoid Blog
You've all shown me the light! Better to have bought a $4.99 bad game rather than a $30.00 or higher one. Now I don't feel terribly. I'm trying to collect all the Imagicards. At least it's giving me something to do...
Gen Eric Gui's Destructoid Blog
I paid full price for this game. I enjoyed it even less than you apparently did.

Enjoy your $45 that you didn't spend on this, buddy.

I will say, though, that the opening animation is pretty awesome. The one high point in the 20 hours I spent slogging through this awful mess.
Darksavior's Destructoid Blog
I loved this game


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 about me

Name's Paul. New Jersey is my home, and autumn air is what I prefer to breathe.

I've been playing videogames ever since I unwrapped my very first console one Christmas, a Super Nintento Entertainment System, some many, many years ago. Since then, I've fallen in love with RPGs and JRPGs, platformers that feed my OCD, and watching other people play first-person shooters (I get dizzy if I try to play them myself). I like gaming, but I definitely don't love it as much as I used to. For that, let's blame the economy and/or dayjobs. Still, I do keep up on the new games and hope to eventually get a current-gen system (I'm thinking Xbox 360, mainly for Fable II and Oblivion).

Game Systems of Mine...
Playstation 2
Playstation 1 (Tried to sell it at a yard sale for $5, but no one wanted it so I'm sure it's in a box somewhere in my parents' garage.)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (More yellow than a lemon, but the blasted thing still works. Games I have for it that proves I'm not a complete tool when it comes to selling/trading in classics are Super Metroid, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Killer Instinct [it's just so...black!], Jurassic Park, Madden '97, and Mario Paint [but I can't play it as I don't have the mouse thinger].
Nintendo DS

Clearing Out the Backlog On...
Final Fantasy 9

Top Five Albums I Can Listen to Over and Over...
Weezer - The Blue Album
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Paul Simon - Graceland
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Hmm...must think of what else I can put here that would be of interest to people.

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