Game Debate #173: Fester's Quest

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[Tulpa | 3,494]

I genuinely like this game, though I don't play it that often. It has flaws, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out which way to go, and you need to grind early to upgrade the weapon to be effective, but it's kind of cool to just go around blowing up shit as Uncle Fester. And it's got the typically rockin' Sunsoft soundtrack.

[mbd39 | 2,020]

I remember renting it as a kid and it wasn't fun. 4/10

Rare miss from Sunsoft.

 

[fox | 1,667]

A rare misfire from Sunsoft.

Kind of like Blaster Master's weird cousin, at least the soundtrack is bumpin'

[Jicsan | 589]

This was a title I had as a kid,  I liked it much better when I got an NES Advantage and could use the turbo to auto fire the guns.  Never did beat it though.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Rented this a bunch as a kid.  Pretty good.  Turbo makes it better. 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

9 hours ago, mbd39 said:

I remember renting it as a kid and it wasn't fun. 4/10

Rare miss from Sunsoft.

 

I played it for a few minutes and got bored quick. I'd be willing to give it another shot though.

[Hammerfestus | 3,844]

This one was one of my childhood nes titles.  Thus, I like it and don’t particularly have a justification for that.  Turbo controller helps otherwise it is brutal on the thumb. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Present back in the day along with the first TMNT from my uncle.  I've always liked it, just never loved it.  Nothing really surprising really about why as it has been discussed to death.  Unique game, really great sunsoft music, good weapons and strange creatures.  Problem is, it's overly hard due to some weird design choices coupled with having to grind dragon quest like almost to get the weapons not to suck, and taking a hit diminishes them annoyingly like blaster master has happen (also from them.)  It's a good game, not great, some flaws, but if you can tolerate it it's a nice ride for a time or if you care to finish it either way.

[Webhead123 | 675]

This was one I had in my collection as a youth. Even at the time, my brother and I used to use it as a poster child for what a "funny-bad" NES game looks like. Janky as hell, way too difficult for all the wrong reasons and not particularly good-looking either. Good music, though. Never had the stamina to beat it, despite multiple attempts over the years.

Despite its numerous and crippling flaws, or in fact, because of them, it played such an influential role in my youth that I have a certain fondness for it. Yeah, it's a bad game but it's a bad game that's almost like watching The Room or Samurai Cop. It can be enjoyed for all the ways in which it tries to be cool and fails miserably.

5/10

Edited September 27, 2023 by Webhead123

[TDIRunner | 2,737]

I remember seeing this one at the rental store because the cover always stood out.  But I never really wanted to try it as a kid, and I've never played it to this day.  

[Tulpa | 3,494]

17 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I remember seeing this one at the rental store because the cover always stood out.  But I never really wanted to try it as a kid, and I've never played it to this day.  

It might be a bit of a hard sell as an adult, as it's slow paced and the aforementioned grinding; like going back and forth shooting the purple "broccoli" things that are everywhere and grabbing the gun powerups to get the best gun (though after that you can just melt through weak enemies with impunity.)

It is one of the few games that mentions using a turbo controller in the manual.

[The Count | 527]

We rented this one a lot as a kid and I enjoyed the third/first person aspects. I didn't beat it, but I imagine the strategy guide would be helpful. 6/10.

[DefaultGen | 5,405]

Only remember playing this a little as a kid. Literally the only thing I remember is being mad at respawning enemies.

[Tulpa | 3,494]

1 hour ago, DefaultGen said:

Only remember playing this a little as a kid. Literally the only thing I remember is being mad at respawning enemies.

Yeah, it had that Ninja Gaiden quality of having the respawn just on the edge of the screen so enemies were constantly coming. You had to motor forward pretty much all the time.

[Webhead123 | 675]

53 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

Yeah, it had that Ninja Gaiden quality of having the respawn just on the edge of the screen so enemies were constantly coming. You had to motor forward pretty much all the time.

Which wasn't helped by the terrible weapon design in the game. The fact that your projectiles can be stopped by level geometry combined with the wide, wavy patterns of most weapon stages makes for an absolutely agonizing experience in many parts of the game. Using the whip becomes almost mandatory until you get the gun upgraded to the final levels.

[Tulpa | 3,494]

That's why I always spend a few minutes grinding to upgrade the gun to "not ass" at the start.

It's a pain, but makes the rest of the game fairly enjoyable.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Tulpa

[Webhead123 | 675]

Yes, if you want to give the game an actual shot, you just have to bite the bullet and spend 5-10 minutes at the starting spawn point grinding power ups until your weapons don't suck.

...And for the love of god, don't accidentally grab the "downgrade" power ups. Ugh!

[Webhead123 | 675]

This conversation reminded me of a really interesting behind-the-code look at Fester's Quest, why its design was so frustrating and how minor changes could have dramatically improved it. Absolutely worth a watch:

 

[rdrunner | 422]

8/10 - Childhood favorite.  Can't go any lower, despite all the warts.

Believe it or not, you can beat Fester's Quest without turbo or even button mashing.  Like others have said, just take that first few minutes and max out your gun's level (or at least to level 7).

I actually like this one better than Blaster Master.  Both games have the crappy concept of downgrading your weapons, but I'd rather have it happen due to an item than from taking damage.

Oh, and Sunsoft nailed the music here as usual!

Edited September 28, 2023 by rdrunner

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

I've barely played FQ, but the spiritual sequel Addams Family Values is a maddening mix of big ambitions and terrible design choices.  I'd probably give it a 5/10.

[Gloves | 11,777]

Of the games relating to Addams Family, I've only played Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt. I liked it as a kid but never beat it.

[AstralSoul | 502]

I played this for the first time on my gaming channel back in February in case anyone wants to watch: 

I thought the game was okay, not great, not terrible. Definitely felt like a poor man's Blaster Master though. 5/10.

[AirVillain | 489]

Never got into it because your weapon sucks and you just walk around not knowing what the fuck is going on...

I just learned you can grind to upgrade your weapon and such... probably still not my jam.

[Sydpinkfloyd | 12]

A fun game to explore when it first came out. A few annoyances such as getting stung by bees, the weapon downgrading and the “continuing” from the start of the game hindered my progress. Great soundtrack though, and an innovative design. 
 

The recommendations to upgrade your weapon early will entice me to try this one again. 
 

6/10