Is there any emulator that can emulate Gimmick! perfectly?

[noiseredux]

Yeah, I checked that link before. (You posted it already remember! ). I also set a notifier on Playasia to tell me when a new or preowned copy is available.

I don't think you can find it new anymore unless you go to Japan. I have a diplomat friend who's constantly travelling, next time he's in japan I might just ask him to keep an eye out for it.

Failing that, I guess there's ebay or yahoo auctions japan or something. Not in a hurry to find it... after all, the fun is in the search.

I'd like to get the next available copy after you.

[D.D.D.]

Curious, having never played Gimmick!, is it a worthy platformer (it kinda looks like one)? What would you compare it to?

[toadhall]

Curious, having never played Gimmick!, is it a worthy platformer (it kinda looks like one)? What would you compare it to?

Gimmick! is indeed a worthy platformer and is my all-time favourite Famicom/NES game. I'm not sure what you can compare it too... I was going to say it's like Kirby + Rescue Rangers but then realised that's a terrible description.

You should just watch Frank Cifaldi's restrospective on Youtube to see it in all its glory:
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9016659

There are 4 parts, be sure to watch all of them.

This game has great graphics, catchy music, tight control, superb level-design (the secret areas you can discover are pure genius) and is challenging but always fair. If you messed up, most likely it was your fault, not the game's. It's very rare an 8-bit game is top notch all round like this. The only other game I can think of that comes close is SMB3, but I like Gimmick! better.

I'd like to get the next available copy after you.

After me? I thought you'd be waaay ahead in line before me!

[noiseredux]

but I'm a gentleman.

Frank's video is truly incredible. Every retro game fan should watch it.

[toadhall]

They really should. It's too bad 1Up never made any more like it.

Anyway, I just noticed I actually left a comment on that page with some additional notes about the game:

Back in the day I had a Japanese NES and one of the games I had for it was Gimmick. Simply saying the game is awesome is an understatement. I played this game to death but I never got the real ending. It was so damn hard!

Anyways, thank you Frank for such a great trip down nostalgia. More Lost Levels videos please!

Some notes:

1) The bonus items can be destroyed if you shoot them enough times. Destroying them will net you some huge bonus points... but unfortunately then you'll never get the true ending.

2) In level 2, when you're just about to board the ship, there's an empty space with seemingly no point. (It's the part where Frank says, "This scene serves no real purpose, I think it exists so you can relax and admire the birds.".) If I remember correctly (it's been almost 20 years since I last played) that's where you fall if you fall off the boss fight screen.

3) In the level 2 bonus stage, you need to get on the bird to escape back to the ship. You can kill the bird, but then you'd have no way back... unless you kill him right before you reach the ship. Also, you don't have to shoot him to get him to give you a ride like in the video.

4) In level 3 the logs you jump on to cross the waterfall are the same ones that fall on you earlier in the level (before the bonus stage. Also! I never knew how to kill the spider! Gah! So that's how you do it!)

Anyways there's loads of other neat details. I really recommend finding a rom and playing it.

Thought I'd repost that here, because Frank doesn't mention these details in his video. (And in a reply to my comment, apparently he didn't know you could destroy the bonus items.)

[noiseredux]

I remember Frank said it took him like a ridiculous number of hours to put the video together. I guess that's why there was no follow-up.

[toadhall]

That makes sense. The video makes it looks like the game is easy but it could not be further from the truth. I can imagine the umpteen times he had to reload save states to perform some of the crazy maneuvers he manages to pull off.

[noiseredux]

That makes sense. The video makes it looks like the game is easy but it could not be further from the truth. I can imagine the umpteen times he had to reload save states to perform some of the crazy maneuvers he manages to pull off.

I'm pretty sure he played the game at half-speed and then sped up the video to make it a little easier on himself as well.

[toadhall]

Yeah he slowed it down to 25fps. Still looked hard though.