That’s awesome, well done! Any idea if it’s worth it to take the passwords you’ve earned over to Oracle of Seasons in order to unlock the alternate plot points, expanded story and extended ending? I always liked the idea of the two games interacting to create a third unique experience, but never knew anyone who actually used the interactive features.

I know of the Genesis game but never played it (though I do own the newer titles in the series), but did some digging to see what I could find to answer your questions:

Am I imagining this games difficulty? I feel like I am making little progress and I’m always getting ganged up on. / Does this game require a lot of grinding or repeating tasks before moving on?

Everything I’m finding is saying yes to both, with the grinding resulting in the increased money, stats, contacts, equipment and practicing/refining your own strategy for completing runs. Luckily, there are multiple strategies for “quick” grinding, and certain equipment and stats that really help whether it be just straight up powerful stuff or specifically helps to deal with pesky foes like ghouls. Because there are different sections to the grinding with different strategies to doing it efficiently, I’ll leave the specifics out since they get a little spoiler-y in case you want to figure it out on your own. But, do let me know if you’d like me to reply with specific strategies that may be seen as too much of a walkthrough or too spoilery for some (they don’t seem like gigantic story spoilers or anything so if the grinding gets too tedious and you stop having fun, they might be worth knowing about).

Should I be killing these innocents I see on the street? I try to get shadow runs but they seemingly always involve killing ghouls, which bend me over and spank my samurai butt. I’ve put my morals on hold and have been tediously murdering the population for the little nuyen and items they have.

Luckily the Karma explanation section on the Shadowrun strategywiki actually explains this pretty well. I went through it and it looks like a straight up explanation without story spoilers so I feel comfortable just linking it here for you: https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Shadowrun_(Sega_Genesis)/Karma#Karma

-is the samurai class the all-rounder character or should I just restart as a shaman or netrunner?

I found a really good explanation on the Shadowrun wiki: https://shadowrun.fandom.com/wiki/Shadowrun_(Sega)/Archetype. Thankfully this also gives a much needed explanation of the differences between classes without spoilers. It seems like this info is very important to know upfront depending on what your playstyle is like.

As far as the game itself, I did not play the genesis version but definitely looked into it after I got the Shadowrun trilogy that GOG games gave out for free a few years back. From what I found, the Sega Genesis version is superior to the SNES version in a few ways but a lot of people enjoyed both. I really like the style and concepts presented in the series and the newer Shadowrun trilogy seems to have taken all of that and improved on it, with each game getting better and better at giving the experience intended. I’d say it’s worth taking a look at if you enjoy the Genesis game, or if you really like the elements of the Genesis game but aren’t enjoying it so much, the newer series might be what you’re looking for.

Edit: Spelling, grammar and formatting.

Edit 2: Also, here is a link to a PDF of the original game manual for the Sega Genesis version, which helps navigate the UI and buttons, etc., just in case you need it since manuals were kind of a big deal back in the day!

The person reacting to your comment calling them a pigeon:

Sansa bonanza!

Great suggestions here already, I’ll throw a few more on top:

• Omori (similar and often compared to Earthbound but the silly fun stuff gets darker and more serious as the story goes on)
• Super Mario RPG (another Squaresoft JRPG from the era of Chrono Trigger and FFVI, very fun and satisfying turn-based combat mechanics, quirky to the max, Squaresoft really had a blast creating a Mario style world. The remaster just released for the Switch, but if you don’t have one then you can easily get a digital port of the original SNES version)

Ah now I see it, thank you!

I might sound like an idiot but what is the thing in the center of the photo used in this article? At first I thought it was someone in a black robe and black veil making their case to the council which upon closer inspection can’t be true, then looking closer it looks like a filled trash bag in the middle of the council which makes even less sense.

What am I looking at here?

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Disco Elysium is a fantastic one. There are an insane amount of choices that shape how you go about the investigation of the hanged man and ultimately what happens beyond that investigation. Choices of who to side with, how to side (openly or playing multiple sides, etc.), choices that ultimately define what kind of detective you are (by-the-book boring, superstar douchebag, violent tough guy, Sherlock Holmes-esque genius, etc., including my favorite: Twin Peaks Lynchian detective that bases their decisions off of dreams, intuition and imaginary conversations with the dead body), and even how failing or succeeding at something can lead to progress in very different ways. If you fail to hit that person you tried to punch, or miss that shot with your gun, or utterly fail to convince someone to help you, you progress through in very different ways so that failing your way to the truth is just as satisfying and entertaining as succeeding your checks to get there.

And of course Fallout: New Vegas. Whether you choose to support the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, Mr. House, or a truly independent New Vegas, none of them are perfect. Each succeeds in an ideal society in some ways but completely fails at others, leaving you to decide which imperfect system you feel is the right one for the world instead of shoving an obvious answer in your face.

I had this same thought when I started playing games again but found out what you mentioned, which is that the Intel integrated graphics processor was just not having it. I remember having the money back in 2013 to go dedicated but since I wasn’t gaming at that time I said “nah it’ll just distract me into wanting to play games again.” Five years later I get back into it with massive disappointment in my past decision.

I do only play for about an hour or two so I really like the free version of GeForce for helping limit it to that (or at least forcing me to take a break and get up and walk around every hour when I do swap out sleep for more playtime). There’s been a couple times I’ve thought about getting GamePass for a month and smashing through a couple games but I know I can’t trust myself to play that much right now and will end up just paying for another subscription service but not using it often like a schmuck.

But Alternate option B…my goodness have I been eyeing that Steam Deck. I usually try to save five or 10 bucks or so here and there to build up for “fun stuff” and I’ve wondered if I could build it up long enough for one. I think you’ve just inspired me to make that a goal, or at the very least cut that into two separate batches so I still can do fun stuff or buy a cheap game on sale every now and then while still building up a Steam Deck fund.

I’m on a 2013 Macbook Pro so it’s not just potato city but potato city in MacOS country. I run a decent amount of games but Firewatch was about the most it could handle and it wasn’t exactly a smooth experience. Even something as low-demanding as SOMA is all just stutters and choppy frames moving in slow motion at the lowest settings. Bootcamp was pretty much just taking up space because of that.

With GeForce Now I’m actually playing games I wouldn’t have even thought about otherwise (just got 100% on Jedi: Fallen Order the other week and it all looked and ran beautifully). For me it makes it so I can actually run the games, plus they actually look really good, plus it means I can play those “Windows only” games without having to take up space with bootcamp (which again, would struggle immensely with something like Sunset).

Obviously I’d love better hardware but being able to hop on GeForce for free for an hour to play a game I picked up for a few bucks is a much more reasonable option until I get a lot more money.

If they’d opt-in to GeForce Now I would buy this on Steam in an instant.

Edit: @FoundTheVegan@kbin.social just wanted to come back and tag you in the second part of my response so you don’t miss it. El Psy Kongroo!

PART 2 of Response:

6. Crime Thriller:

• Death Note (2006) - Another big one. Not just one of the best anime cat-and-mouse crime thrillers, but one of the best crime thrillers of any medium.

• Danganronpa: The Animation (2013) - While the game is the superior version of this story, the show does just fine in a pinch. It’s a strange take on the legal drama genre, but that’s what makes it intriguing. The game will have you conducting the investigation and collecting evidence so you can reference what you’ve found during the court trial. The show skips over the investigation part in order to make the defense and prosecution come as a big shock and surprise during the trial. If you don’t want to play the game but the story still sounds interesting, give the show a shot.

7. Comedy:

• Dorohedoro (2020) - A must-see for anyone that likes to GET WEIRD with it. The world of Dorohedoro is absolutely bonkers, with some of the most entertaining characters put on screen — you’ll be equally invested in the good guys AND the bad guys. Unique characters, interesting animation, and gyoza come together exceptionally well. While I haven’t read the manga personally, I hear it does a solid job bringing it to life. The action and weirdness are phenomenal but I’m putting this under Comedy here since the wacky characters and humor are my favorite part of it all.

• Uncle from Another World (2022) - I almost can’t believe how much I enjoyed this. A satire of Isekai shows, it’s hilarious and genuinely compelling. While a decent chunk of the comedy relies on the audience being familiar with how Sega stopped making video game consoles after no longer being able to compete with Nintendo and Sony, there is so much more to laugh about beyond that. With it’s compelling “what happened next?” storytelling and satirical comedy, this oddly has more appeal than it should — if you love Isekai, you’ll love this. And if you hate Isekai, you’ll still love this.

• Spy x Family (2022) - I only watched up to around episode 15 but it’s a very cute show. Anya’s hilarious and the spy stuff is a cool addition. There’s a world to learn about and a story to unfold but it’s all light enough that you never feel overwhelmed or like you can’t just relax and shut your brain off. I’ll say that the super weird relationship between Yor and her brother doesn’t really mesh with me, but I still plan on getting back to this one day.

• Dragon Ball Z Abridged (2013) - I’ve never really felt compelled to re-watch Dragon Ball Z, but Dragon Ball Z Abridged is another story. While the comedy isn’t quite refined in the beginning, slowly Team Four Star starts finding its footing and ends up creating something incredible. Dumb comedy and bad sound mixing start to turn into extremely clever jokes and excellent performances from the voice over actors. Eventually you go from watching it for the gimmick to actually being invested in their version of the characters and storyline. I don’t think they really find their style until part way into the Namek arc, but once they do it is a laugh-out-loud unforgettable experience. I still say the line “Nail, don’t take his coat!” to myself every now and then because it just kills me. Go Team Four Star!

8. Adventure:

• One Piece (1999) - I enjoyed the 10 or so episodes I saw years ago but didn’t get back into it until recently. It was too daunting of a task for a while there; this show has been running for 24 years now with no end in sight and there are so many episodes that I feared I’d never catch up. It wasn’t until I was working as a story editor on a book for an author that really pushed me to watch it since it was his favorite series of all time. It really hooked into me at the end of episode 37 and I went on a sprint of episodes. I’d take breaks and come back to it. I’ve since made it to episode 706 and am on a break again. I’m watching ALLL of it but If you want to cut it way down, you can skip all the anime-only stuff, all the movies, all the filler and follow something like “One Pace” to just get the manga-relevant episodes. The pacing can be a complaint, but it’s one of the most popular manga/anime of all time for a reason. Oda really cares about this story and tells it with wonder and passion.

9. Music:

• BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (2004) - If you played in any kind of rock band or were involved in your local music scene at all, this is a great one. If not, it can be a lot slower than some would like. One catch is only the sub version really works for this. The dub version butchers the original songs and, even worse, wasn’t able to secure the rights for a very popular song that plays a major role in the story. Since the entire show is centered around music, losing it in the dub version turns a good story into a snooze-fest.

10. Bonus:

• Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - Sure it’s a movie, not a series, and it’s live-action, not animated, but it’s still a solid adaptation of a manga. This movie always makes me smile. It’s a rare breed: a live-action manga adaptation from an American studio that has its own ending different from its source material, and yet is completely perfect in every way. Even Tom Cruise, whose real life overlords creep me out, gives one of his best performances in one of the best roles he’s had in years. And Emily Blunt is just awesome.

Sorry about the late reply, for some reason I didn’t see this until I was notified of a different response to a completely different comment just hours ago. I tried to get a variety on here of some shows that really hit the spot for me – they might not all do it for you and I’d wager you’ve already seen a fair amount of them, but hopefully there’s something fresh here that you’ll enjoy! If you’ve got any to add, please let me know as I’m always looking for more to add to my watchlist.

Note: This is PART 1 of my response. Since it’s too long for one comment, I’ll reply to my own comment here with PART 2.

1. Sci-Fi:

• Parasyte: The Maxim (2014) - Another series that uses a Sci-Fi storyline to explore philosophical themes and concepts. While not always as eloquent at exploring its ideas as something like Psycho Pass, it still objectively examines what it means to be human, if a species’ prime directive can be viewed as “bad” or just part of nature, as well as surrounding considerations that I won’t spoil here. All in all, it’s a fun ride with interesting viewpoints and is worth checking out. Bonus points: it only has one Ecchi moment that, while out of place in the series, at least happens and is out of the way in the first five minutes of the series.

• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) - Set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, this officially serves as a prequel to the game. Don’t worry though — you don’t need to have played the game or even need to be familiar with it. It stands on its own and isn’t afraid to show the consequences of living in such a gritty world. It hit me hard; I loved it, I cried, and the marketing tie-in completely worked as I became one of many to buy the game after watching this (which, luckily was patched up to a point of working just fine by then). The entire series flies by in a short 10 episodes so it’s a rollercoaster ride that fits into lots of different schedules, even if you’ve got a busy one!

• Cowboy Bepop (1998) - Let’s be real, you’ve probably seen this already so not much needs to be said. It’s one of the best future noir, space western, genre-expanding shows out there and is one of the few animes that I recommend to people that don’t like anime. I’ll usually watch both sub and dub without preference, but this is one of those shows where the dub really works best for me (and most of our introductions to voice actor Steve Blum). If somehow you haven’t seen it already, check it out now!

• Trigun (1998) - The other space western from 1998, Trigun holds up still. It’s not as accessible as Cowboy Bebop, but it’s still one of the best in my book. The alt. universe reboot, Stampede, is fun so far but has a long way to go before touching on the scale of the original.

2. Inspiring:

• Mob Psycho 100 (2016) - Easily in my top ten completed anime series of all time. Created by ONE (creator of One-Punch Man), this is one of those shows that makes me want to be a better person. It follows its character with genuine heart and only gets better as it goes on. Also, Season 2 has the best fight choreography for someone with teleportation powers that I’ve ever seen. BONES went all out with the animation for Seasons 2 and 3.

• Assassination Classroom (2015) - This is actually what got me back into anime after years of not watching any. I saw it on Hulu, thought it looked interesting and ended up loving it. A powerful, tentacled being will destroy the world in a year, but gives humanity a chance to save itself by becoming a homeroom teacher and challenging his students to find a way to kill him before the year is up. The storytelling impressed me on multiple levels, but most of all because there are no loose ends when it’s all done. Every question is answered, every students’ mysteries revealed, all paced in a way that makes it that much sweeter by the end. There were times where I’d have a question in the back of my head and get the answer 20 episodes later. It always gets to it. That coupled with a satisfying ending put anime back on my radar after a long break.

3. Psychological:

• Paranoia Agent (2004) - From Satoshi Kon, the “David Lynch of anime” behind movies like Paprika and Perfect Blue. Overworked and stressed out people keep getting attacked by a criminal dubbed “Lil Slugger” by the news. The catch? Lil Slugger doesn’t actually exist and was made up by the first victim. As more people claim to have been attacked, more stories and fear spread about the non-existent delinquent. Are the victims making this up for sympathy or are they manifesting his existence when they need it most? The ending is of course weird and might not do it for you (I’m still deciding how I feel about it), but the show in all is a unique experience and the only time Satoshi made a TV series before he passed.

• FLCL (Fooly Cooly) (2000) - A very short, very odd show when I first saw it. It has since been brought back for four more seasons that I have not seen, which may affect the vague and psychological elements of the original season, but for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary and for anyone that ever wanted a Rickenbacker bass guitar, this is worth taking a look at.

4. Action Horror:

• Castlevania (2017) - Yes it’s a US studio so maybe it isn’t actually anime, but semantics aside it’s a refreshingly fantastic video game adaptation. It starts out by actually making the audience very empathetic to Dracula, which makes his brutal mission of vengeance one that maybe we can’t condone but we can certainly understand. The first season is pure horror. The second season slowly blends in impressive action sequences until it’s a full-out action horror thrill fest until the series end.

• Chainsaw Man (2022) - This one isn’t for everyone. If you can put yourself in the shoes of the protagonist, whether through understanding his newly found access to being able to have a life of his own, or at least remember your hormones in high school, then his goals and motivations will add to the story. Otherwise, his motivations might just feel silly and juvenile (despite the fact that, in a way, juvenile is how it’s supposed to feel). Fantastic bloody action from MAPPA, though quite different from the look of Jujustsu Kaisen. However, similar to JJK, this one gives you two doofuses and one serious guy working as a team to fight the supernatural in style.

5. Action:

• JuJutsu Kaisen (2020) - There’s a lot to love about this one, but more than anything it’s one of the most impressive efforts from MAPPA, with beautiful animation that will hype you up. Similar to Chainsaw Man, you get two doofuses and one serious guy working as a team to fight the supernatural in style.

• Samurai Champloo (2004) - The creator of Cowboy Bebop trades in future noir and jazz for a period piece set to hip hop. Tons of fun, absolutely dripping with style and one of the most re-watchable series in existence. If an episode of it is playing, I’ll watch it.

• My Hero Academia (2016) - Often described as “Otaku X-Men,” this show really knows how to put you on the edge of your seat. It’s not perfect and sometimes might be a little too ideological for its own good, but I absolutely love it despite its flaws. Sure it’s another anime that’s slow to start, but the last few episodes of the first season ramp things up into a thrill-ride that had me running around the room and somehow keeps pushing that even further for the next two seasons. It’s superhero stuff but it’s very clever at how it goes about it. I’ve rewatched this so many times; the satisfaction of feeling so enthralled every time makes it one of my favorites. BONES doesn’t always deliver on the animation quality they start out with after Season 3, but it still works just fine. The soundtrack is on my workout playlist because it makes me want to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!

• One-Punch Man (2015) - Created by ONE. While I consider Mob Psycho 100 to be ONE’s heartfelt masterpiece, One-Punch Man goes a different direction: a satire of superheroes and any anime protagonist that wanted to train to be “the strongest ever.” If satire is a kind of comedy you enjoy, this is a good time. There’s definitely a reason this became one of the most popular properties.

Steins;Gate is my #1 but I admit I count Steins;Gate 0 as part of it.

The first Psycho-Pass is also up there for me as a top-tier Sci-Fi anime, though it’s my #1 philosophy anime which is the lens I usually view it in. I never thought I’d see a futuristic conspiracy anime where the best battles aren’t the slick action sequences, but the philosophical debates (you give me a cop forced into their position against their will, arguing with a criminal about Pascal’s philosophies and responding with José Ortega y Gasset’s famous quote, and I’ll remember it forever as one of my favorite scenes of all time).

When it sunk it that reversing time was more than just a clever puzzle mechanic, I did a lot of self reflecting.

If you haven’t checked it out, I highly suggest the game Disco Elysium. It’s similar in that the more beautifully-written context you learn about, the more it transcends the plot and explores the themes. You can check out a playthrough of the first parts of gameplay to get a taste of its writing style but it continues to evolve as you level up the voices of your own conscience to the point of genuine wisdom or sheer madness (or leave them oblivious which is also fun).