There is, however, one exception. A game that was one of the most elusive games to get my hands on without spending an arm and a leg. I knew I wasn't going to spend money on a console that I was only going to use for one game. I had the toughest time getting it to work on an emulator, and there's definitely no friend of mine that owns this game.
Of course, I am mentioning Grabbed by the Ghoulies which is now emulator compatible. Thanks Xemu for allowing me to play one of my most sought after games.
But you might be asking why this of all things is a bucket list game. Because I will tell you right now, this game isn't very good. So, I will give you guys a bit of a background.
Now I already delved into Rareware as a company, but I've purposefully neglected to mention their eventual purchase from Microsoft. At the time, this was an agitating moment for gamers as the purchase marked a time when quality in Rareware's titles took a notable downshift. It was almost as if Microsoft was solely to blame. Although through age, I eventually learned the writing was on the walls well before the purchase.
Anyway, the first game in a Microsoft era Rareware was Grabbed by the Ghoulies, and it unfortunately gained the notoriety of being the company's bellwether into inferiority. Despite that, I wanted to play it. As a long time Rare fan, it was like fulfilling a sacrament. It's like a Star Wars fan watching the Star Wars Holiday Special or Sonic fans playing Sonic '06.
In Grabbed by the Ghoulies, you play as a boy named Cooper whose girlfriend gets kidnapped and locked away in a haunted estate. Immediately, I thought of Luigi's Mansion. The premise is the same with the only difference being the sexual implications not being incestuous.
The gameplay would reinforce the comparisons as the object of the game is clearing rooms of ghosts or ghoulies in this case. However, that's about as far as the similarities go. Where Luigi's Mansion is just clearing rooms from enemies with the occasional puzzle. Grabbed the Ghoulies are a series of varied challenges generally revolving around your interactions with the enemies. They're fairly standard challenges like "defeat all enemies," "find the key," and finishing before a time limit.
A not-so-good description of Grabbed by the Ghoulies is "gamey." Maybe this stems from the cynicism of adulthood, but I can't bring myself to enter the magic circle on this one. I can't think of an instance where a game made me feel this dissociative between me and the player character. I don't know why I feel less immersed in Grabbed by the Ghoulies than in something as abstract as Pac-Man, but I have a few theories.
To start off, there is no exploration. Levels are connected via loading screen transitions. Unlike Luigi's Mansion, or frankly any 3D action adventure game, there is no natural segway, not even a world map or level select screen. It's one level after another. This gives a feeling of not playing a game but filling out a puzzle book.
Second, all the levels are isolated from each other. Anything you do in one level doesn't carry over to the next. Just really think about that. If you get a fire flower in Super Mario Bros, you will keep that power up until you lose it. If you do anything in any game, chances are it will have an impact on something in the long run. In Grabbed by the Ghoulies, you don't get any of that. It doesn't matter if you lose or gain health as levels set your health count at the beginning of every level. As I mentioned, there is no exploration, so there are no chances to back track. This affects the one collectable in the game as you can't collect them on your own leisure. It is either get them now or wait till the game let's you return.
Grabbed the Ghoulies made me appreciate the lives system. How cruel is that? Because at least with a lives system, there is some tension. Here, if you die, you just redo the level. Levels are short too, so you can easily brute force them if they get even marginally difficult.
Despite all of this, I can't bring myself to hate it even if there are very few things going for it. And even then, those good things come with an asterisk.
The combat is rather unique. You use the right stick to attack in the four cardinal directions which is applied adequately since enemies swarm in all directions. I like the punishment for time limits isn't instant death but rather the grim reaper chasing you meaning skilled players can continue for as long they can avoid him. He can even friendly fire other enemies, so you can lure him to damage enemies.
That's the gist for what I like from the game. And to its credit, the qualities are applied to the core combat. It's not perfect unfortunately. Stun locking is prevalent in the combat. This makes most enemies a matter of continually curb stomping them once you stun them. To make matters worse, you are not the only one that can stun lock. You don't have invincibility frames leaving you vulnerable to getting stun locked yourself.
I would say this has the groundwork for a polished sequel, but I don't think Grabbed by the Ghoulies is one of those games that deserves it. This isn't like Kameo, Rare's other underperforming Microsoft IP. Unless the game completely revamps its design, the game is sloppy by concept and execution. And if it did do that, I imagine it would look closer to Luigi's Mansion. And frankly by that point, I would much rather play that.
And so, my journey to play one of my most coveted bucket list games has ended. I wonder what's at the top of that list now? ....Blinx the Cat? Man, I am really scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
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