Summer Games Challenge 2015

[Key-Glyph]

I honestly don't think I've ever officially beaten the second game actually. I always get stuck in the newspapers level.

The sound of those approaching filing cabinets is the stuff of nightmares.

[Xeogred]

I honestly don't think I've ever officially beaten the second game actually. I always get stuck in the newspapers level.

The sound of those approaching filing cabinets is the stuff of nightmares.

I'm so glad someone got what I meant by "newspapers level".

[prfsnl_gmr]

So...Blaster Master is really disappointing.

It is a good concept. It is an "open world" action-platformer in which you pilot a tank to explore the game's interconnected levels, and it allows you to exit the tank to explore certain parts of the game. It switches to an overhead shooter for certain sections of the game only accessible to the tank's pilot. Moreover, the graphics and music are superb, and the game encourages exploration of its varied levels.

The problem is that the game has no respect for the player, and the hit detection during the game's most difficult sequences is abysmal. First, the game takes several hours to beat, but it does not feature either a password or save system. Moreover, it has limited continues; so, even beating it in a single sitting is an exercise in frustration. Worse, the game's bosses are drastically more difficult than any other section of the game, and the bosses in the second half of the game are basically invincible. (There is no way I would have beaten the fifth boss without save states, and the "pause trick" is basically mandatory for defeating the sixth and seventh bosses.) That is, you take damage if the boss so much as grazes you, but the hit-box for the boss is a single pixel that is only vulnerable for a split second. (Also...the only weapon that can damage the bosses has an extremely limited but nonetheless unpredictable range; so, even if there is an opening to attack and even if you dodge the bosses attacks perfectly, whether you actually hit the boss is pure chance...and...oh yeah...the bosses takes dozens of hits to defeat...good luck with that!)

Accordingly, during my second run at the game, I have not died even once during the lengthy action-platformer sequences. I die swiftly and repeatedly during the boss sections in the second half fo the game, and there is no way I would have the patience to beat this game without save states. (I can't imagine trying to beat this game on an NES and repeatedly having to start over because the fifth boss is impossible.) Accordingly, I will be glad when I have beaten this game - hopefully, tonight - and I plan on never playing it again after that. (I will take the Adventurs of Bayou Billy, Battletoads, and Ninja Gaiden over this any day of the weeek. They may be difficult, but at least they are fair and have some modicum of respect for the player.)

EDIT: Huh...Apparently, there is a way to strafe...I think that might make things a lot easier, and I will have to try it out sometime. (That is what I get for not consulting the internet sooner... )

[BoneSnapDeez]

Many video games - old and new - owe a large part of their difficulty to some questionable design elements, unfortunately.

[alienjesus]

Strafing helps a lot in Blaster Master.

Later bosses really do seem to be all about keeping your gun maxed out though. Fighting them with the weak gun and the grenades just doesn't cut it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Many video games - old and new - owe a large part of their difficulty to some questionable design elements, unfortunately.

I know. Blaster Master could have been so good if it just improved a few things. As it is, however, I really can't recommend it enough.

Strafing helps a lot in Blaster Master.

Later bosses really do seem to be all about keeping your gun maxed out though. Fighting them with the weak gun and the grenades just doesn't cut it.

I think that this is the key. I typically have no problem dodging the bosses' attacks, but I simply can't hit them (and I keep wishing that I could strafe). After I beat the game, I will probably replay some of the bosses using this approach to see if they are more manageable.

[Xeogred]

You may as well just pooped in my cereal. Blaster Master was the peak of my early childhood. I put it above Metroid NES. It's harsh and I think I've only legitimately beaten the game once in my entire life (outside of emulation), but it's still outstanding, the gameplay, Metroidvania elements, graphics, music, everything.

Go at the bosses with the Gradius approach, if your gun isn't upgraded you may as well quit.

Seriously though, I've always thought the lobster/stage 5 boss was literally impossible without a fully upgraded gun. 20 some years later and to this day, I only approach this boss with fully upgraded weapons!

[prfsnl_gmr]

You're right. Upgraded guns - and strafing! - are the way to go. I went back to some of the earlier bosses, upgraded my guns, practiced strafing, and had no problem defeating them. (Thanks, save states!). I then pushed through the rest of the game, and one-shotted the final boss. I still have some issues with the game - the lack of a password system is tragic and the hit detection is still iffy - but my view on it is not quite as dim.

[Ack]

Last night I cleared the queens puzzle, the cans in the pantry, and the sliding grate, putting me at 9/21 puzzles solved in 7th Guest. I'm now sitting at the maze, and there is a puzzle beyond, which solving shall put me at around halfway.

Shy gypsy, indeed...

[BoneSnapDeez]

So how does it compare to The 7th Saga?