Summer Games Challenge 2014
- noiseredux
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- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 1:09 pm
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Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
Made some progress in Final Fantasy this evening. Class change, Water Crystal, and apparently I can speak Lufenian now.
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
LoZ definitely plays 10x better on original hardware. Why do I keep realizing this for some games? This is a little sad considering I own the wii vc version...I don't think I can bring myself to play vc games anymore after playing it this way so far even though I suck at staying alive still.
FF1: still making my way to marsh cave
FF1: still making my way to marsh cave
My gameroom
My systems: NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, original gba, gba sp(001), ds lite, 3ds, vita, psp, PSone(101 model) ps2, ps3(320gb model), ps4, retron 5, and Dreamcast.

My systems: NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, original gba, gba sp(001), ds lite, 3ds, vita, psp, PSone(101 model) ps2, ps3(320gb model), ps4, retron 5, and Dreamcast.
bogusmeatfactory wrote:Ever feel like a wild gazelle in the wilderness?
- BoneSnapDeez
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- Posts: 20148
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:08 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
Which one of you basteds is gonna finish FF first?
I'm playing it on Xbox and trying to get used to these controls too.
Well that's good to know.noiseredux wrote:OG MM is brutally hard man, no shame.
I'm playing it on Xbox and trying to get used to these controls too.
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
I don't know I keep meaning to play it but I really should be asleep right now since I have to be at work in less than 8 hours but I have already slept quite a bit...ehh I'll play some more later 
My gameroom
My systems: NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, original gba, gba sp(001), ds lite, 3ds, vita, psp, PSone(101 model) ps2, ps3(320gb model), ps4, retron 5, and Dreamcast.

My systems: NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, original gba, gba sp(001), ds lite, 3ds, vita, psp, PSone(101 model) ps2, ps3(320gb model), ps4, retron 5, and Dreamcast.
bogusmeatfactory wrote:Ever feel like a wild gazelle in the wilderness?
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
Me. I'm gonna kill it this week; you can quote me on that one.BoneSnapDeez wrote:Which one of you basteds is gonna finish FF first?
- alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8876
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
1. Double Dragon (NES)
2. Super Aleste (SNES)
3. Perfect Dark (N64)
4. Wave Race 64 (N64)
5. Shantae (GBC via 3DS VC)
6. Ristar (MD via Wii VC)
7. Bangai-O (DC)
8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSP)
9. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)
10. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Vita)
4th game down!
I actually beat this yesterday afternoon, but I've only now got round to writing about it.
Double Dragon is absolutely, thoroughly and totally....OK. It's fun enough, it's just nothing very exciting. Beat 'em ups as a genre have just moved on (and did so very quickly too). Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and Final Fight blow this game out of the water. Even on the NES itself, Street Gangs (aka River City Ransom) is a massive improvement on this formula.
I liked some of the mechanics - the levelling to gain new moves was cool and gave you a big variety of attacks to use later on.
...
I was trying to think of another mechanic I liked there and realised there isn't really any others I liked
The game is full of annoying little things that aren't a big detriment, but make it feel dated - punches are generally worthless other than for powerlevelling for moves early on. Some of the 'upgrades' you get by levelling are utterly worthless (looking at you high kick combo!) whilst some break the game (looking at you elbow smash!). The fact that some of the worst upgrades replace good moves is annoying as levelling makes you more vulnerable a lot of the time. The platforming segments are really unnecessary, the enemy variety is very lacking (there are literally 7 enemy types in the game. 2 of those are the final bosses). There's not much in the way of crowd control - thrown enemies don't hit each other, most weapons cant be dropped or thrown. The list is pretty long, although actually most of these don't take away from it being a simple and fun little game.
One thing does, though. That fucking wall in stage 4. By my 4th or 5th time through the game I could easily reach stage 4 (the final stage) without losing a life. I probably did so about 6 or 7 times between all my playthroughs of this game. Of the 20 lives lost in this stage (3 x 7 tries, minus 1 for the time I beat the game), I calculate that I lost 1 on Jimmy (the final boss), 2 on Willy (the penultimate boss), 1 on the outside section, and SIXTEEN to the fucking wall of death. It hits randomly - I looked up several strategies and timing online, and none worked consistently. I reckon that what it actually does is to use an RNG to determine which brick goes next from a very small seed, meaning some patterns repeat more often, but it's still unpredictable. Each time it hits you, you lose one quarter of your life. If you get hit, you generally get juggled by the next brick or two - normally 3 or 4 bricks will hit you if one does, either killing you or leaving you at a massive disadvantage.
There are two fucking walls back to back. ARRRGHHH!
Anyway, for all my gripes, Double Dragon is enjoyable enough. It just feels very rough around the edges, and very, very old in a way that few 8 bit NES classics do now in my opinion.
I think I'll be going for Shantae for my 5th summer game. I'll be playing some more NES games whilst it's set up too, before swapping over to Dreamcast for Bangai-O as my 6th!
2. Super Aleste (SNES)
3. Perfect Dark (N64)
4. Wave Race 64 (N64)
5. Shantae (GBC via 3DS VC)
6. Ristar (MD via Wii VC)
7. Bangai-O (DC)
8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSP)
9. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)
10. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Vita)
4th game down!
I actually beat this yesterday afternoon, but I've only now got round to writing about it.
Double Dragon is absolutely, thoroughly and totally....OK. It's fun enough, it's just nothing very exciting. Beat 'em ups as a genre have just moved on (and did so very quickly too). Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and Final Fight blow this game out of the water. Even on the NES itself, Street Gangs (aka River City Ransom) is a massive improvement on this formula.
I liked some of the mechanics - the levelling to gain new moves was cool and gave you a big variety of attacks to use later on.
...
I was trying to think of another mechanic I liked there and realised there isn't really any others I liked
The game is full of annoying little things that aren't a big detriment, but make it feel dated - punches are generally worthless other than for powerlevelling for moves early on. Some of the 'upgrades' you get by levelling are utterly worthless (looking at you high kick combo!) whilst some break the game (looking at you elbow smash!). The fact that some of the worst upgrades replace good moves is annoying as levelling makes you more vulnerable a lot of the time. The platforming segments are really unnecessary, the enemy variety is very lacking (there are literally 7 enemy types in the game. 2 of those are the final bosses). There's not much in the way of crowd control - thrown enemies don't hit each other, most weapons cant be dropped or thrown. The list is pretty long, although actually most of these don't take away from it being a simple and fun little game.
One thing does, though. That fucking wall in stage 4. By my 4th or 5th time through the game I could easily reach stage 4 (the final stage) without losing a life. I probably did so about 6 or 7 times between all my playthroughs of this game. Of the 20 lives lost in this stage (3 x 7 tries, minus 1 for the time I beat the game), I calculate that I lost 1 on Jimmy (the final boss), 2 on Willy (the penultimate boss), 1 on the outside section, and SIXTEEN to the fucking wall of death. It hits randomly - I looked up several strategies and timing online, and none worked consistently. I reckon that what it actually does is to use an RNG to determine which brick goes next from a very small seed, meaning some patterns repeat more often, but it's still unpredictable. Each time it hits you, you lose one quarter of your life. If you get hit, you generally get juggled by the next brick or two - normally 3 or 4 bricks will hit you if one does, either killing you or leaving you at a massive disadvantage.
There are two fucking walls back to back. ARRRGHHH!
Anyway, for all my gripes, Double Dragon is enjoyable enough. It just feels very rough around the edges, and very, very old in a way that few 8 bit NES classics do now in my opinion.
I think I'll be going for Shantae for my 5th summer game. I'll be playing some more NES games whilst it's set up too, before swapping over to Dreamcast for Bangai-O as my 6th!
- alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8876
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
Double post I guess, but I've gotten stuck into my 5th summer challenge game - Shantae.
Mixed feelings so far. It's very charming and very impressive in some ways, and yet it's really oddly designed and a little too old-school in others. I get they were probably going for a very old-school play style, but there are some very cheap enemies here who aren't challenging as such, just unfair. Lots of guys spawning on top of my character without warning, that kind of thing.
The dungeon area I've done was a lot more interesting and fun than the overworld, which has been pretty shoddy so far. I have a feeling it'll stay that way, but we'll see.
It's very pretty though, and the music is impressive for GBC.
Anyhow, I got the Dribble Stone from the Dribble Fountain and earned the monkey transformation. Now I've arrived at Oasis town, and I'm searching for a Golem dungeon to get the Golem stone.
Mixed feelings so far. It's very charming and very impressive in some ways, and yet it's really oddly designed and a little too old-school in others. I get they were probably going for a very old-school play style, but there are some very cheap enemies here who aren't challenging as such, just unfair. Lots of guys spawning on top of my character without warning, that kind of thing.
The dungeon area I've done was a lot more interesting and fun than the overworld, which has been pretty shoddy so far. I have a feeling it'll stay that way, but we'll see.
It's very pretty though, and the music is impressive for GBC.
Anyhow, I got the Dribble Stone from the Dribble Fountain and earned the monkey transformation. Now I've arrived at Oasis town, and I'm searching for a Golem dungeon to get the Golem stone.
- prfsnl_gmr
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 12412
- Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
R-Type Delta remains as difficult as ever, but I am slowly pressing through it. I am now using the RX "tentacle type" ship, and I can now complete the first three levels with a single ship. The final section of the fourth level mirrors one of the most difficult "memorization" sections from first game in the series, however, and I have only made a few attempts at the fourth boss. Thankfully, I unlocked "free play during my last run; so, I should be able to get through the rest of the game through force of will in the coming days.
- BoneSnapDeez
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 20148
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:08 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Summer Games Challenge 2014
The original R-Type is gonna end up on my Summer 2015 list most likely.

