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noiseredux wrote:A friend of mine was planning to download the XBLA port of Gunstar so we could co-op it, but I haven't heard from him. I guess I'll end up firing up Alien Solder soon.

Have you played Gunstar Heroes before noise? If you not, and you were still wanting to give it a shot, I found it to be fairly doable in single player, though a co-op buddy might have made a couple of the end-game bosses slightly more manageable. If like me you hadn't played before, I found it to be a highly worthwhile experience!

In other news, I beat Gunstar Heroes over the weekend! I'll get a Games Beaten post up at some point, but in a nutshell I really enjoyed thins one. Definitely one of the better run-and-guns I've played on the Genesis, and possibly the best that I've beaten this year.

nullPointer wrote:In other news, I beat Gunstar Heroes over the weekend! I'll get a Games Beaten post up at some point, but in a nutshell I really enjoyed thins one. Definitely one of the better run-and-guns I've played on the Genesis, and possibly the best that I've beaten this year.

Congratulations nullPointer!

I have added you to the list on the first post.

Gunstar Heroes is a very good game and probably one of Treasure's best games.

Exhuminator wrote:I've begun to hit puzzles that are actually challenging (finally), and enemies aren't dropping restoratives like candy any more. Perhaps the tail end of this game will be tough.

It's been a bit since I played it, but I think you've probably already gotten past the puzzle that I had the toughest time with in the game. I remember it getting more challenging, but less from a figuring out the puzzles perspective (although that was still a part of it) and more about actually executing the solutions.

Exhuminator wrote:Has anyone around here beaten Light Crusader other than Pierrot?

Mostly the Euro crowd, I believe. I think Reprise has, maybe, and possibly AJ. Definitely PresidentLeever, though.

nullPointer wrote:

noiseredux wrote:A friend of mine was planning to download the XBLA port of Gunstar so we could co-op it, but I haven't heard from him. I guess I'll end up firing up Alien Solder soon.

Have you played Gunstar Heroes before noise? If you not, and you were still wanting to give it a shot, I found it to be fairly doable in single player, though a co-op buddy might have made a couple of the end-game bosses slightly more manageable. If like me you hadn't played before, I found it to be a highly worthwhile experience!

In other news, I beat Gunstar Heroes over the weekend! I'll get a Games Beaten post up at some point, but in a nutshell I really enjoyed thins one. Definitely one of the better run-and-guns I've played on the Genesis, and possibly the best that I've beaten this year.

I played it a few years ago but didn't beat it.

nullPointer wrote:Definitely one of the better run-and-guns I've played on the Genesis, and possibly the best that I've beaten this year.

Please please play Alien Soldier.

pierrot wrote:less from a figuring out the puzzles perspective (although that was still a part of it) and more about actually executing the solutions

That is my one complaint right now; the physics can be finicky. Trying to slide stuff around without fudging other things' placements, that sort of stuff.

So I started playing... DYNAMITE HEADDY via Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection on the 360.

I know this game has some sort of following, but I know it isn't as strong as some other Treasure games. I can definitely see connections. The technically impressive, busy 16-bit design of Gunstar Heroes, the wackadoo boss-battles of Silhouette Mirage, and the "hidden bonus points" of Radiant Silvergun.

So my expectations were pretty low; I've played a bit before but never made a serious attempt, but based on the little I played tonight I'm enjoying it! It feels really different from most platformers on the Genesis (although the game MIGHT qualify as a run & gun; the gameplay is really oddball). I'm shamelessly save-scumming, which means I should have no problem getting through the game.
I took a break once I reached the level "Down Under" which involves tilting platforms in a really interesting way. But I got to a point where I wasn't sure what to do, so I'll try again tomorrow night.

I was thinking of finally trying that one out myself Nemoide, though I think I've always heard the Japanese version is better and more fairly balanced.

Exhuminator wrote:

pierrot wrote:less from a figuring out the puzzles perspective (although that was still a part of it) and more about actually executing the solutions

That is my one complaint right now; the physics can be finicky. Trying to slide stuff around without fudging other things' placements, that sort of stuff.

It's a valid complaint. Pushing objects can be its own little adventure sometimes. I still felt like it worked within the context of the game, even though it's not at all what would be expected.

Nemoide wrote:So I started playing... DYNAMITE HEADDY

Yeah, but how do you like the music so far? I love the theme for Down Under--and the South Town theme, of course.
Are you attempting to do do all the bonus stages? I've played Dynamite Headdy a bunch, always getting all the numbers for the secret code, and always failing to get past the Twin Freaks boss, which is right before the final level. After Down Under there's still a bunch of crazy tech-demo-ish stuff to come. Treasure really unloaded their tool shed on the game.

Xeogred wrote:I was thinking of finally trying that one out myself Nemoide, though I think I've always heard the Japanese version is better and more fairly balanced.

The Japanese version is a bit easier (gives more continues, at least, and maybe more health(?), plus one notorious boss is much easier), there were numerous cosmetic changes when it was released to the West, and the Japanese version has more story told with text dialogue. At some point, I need to play the Japanese version, but I almost refuse to do so before beating the US version.



I actually forgot to update my progress with Ikaruga. I made it into the hell that is Stage 4, and my brain can hardly understand whatever signals my optic nerves are trying to relay to it. I could have sworn the whirling dervish of space-death was retreating into the background, but I just kept getting killed by it, and I wasn't even sure half of the time what parts of it were actually dangerous to my ship (other than the obvious opposite colored bullets, which are their own nightmare). I'm almost kind of wondering if it would actually be better to play normal mode, to get more bullets to absorb for bombs. It kind of feels like the game was made in a way that almost requires that kind of play.

I'm glad you are playing Ikaruga, pierrot. It and Alien Soldier are the games I'd like to actually get a clear of this month, as despite loving both games, I've never really felt like I really conquered either.

I also felt that the game feels more designed around Normal than either Easy or Hard, but all three modes still felt well-designed enough. The lack of homing charge does suck, but the return bullets do make for a lot of awkward situations, so I think Easy is still... well, easier, overall.

Good stuff, can't wait to see you clear it!

pierrot wrote:Yeah, but how do you like the music so far? I love the theme for Down Under--and the South Town theme, of course.
Are you attempting to do do all the bonus stages? I've played Dynamite Headdy a bunch, always getting all the numbers for the secret code, and always failing to get past the Twin Freaks boss, which is right before the final level. After Down Under there's still a bunch of crazy tech-demo-ish stuff to come. Treasure really unloaded their tool shed on the game.

The music is indeed wonderful! I wish I was playing it on my for-real Genesis so I could plug in my headphones!
I'm "casually" attempting the bonus stages, so I've gotten through two of them, but I feel like I'm entering them kind of randomly so I might end up missing a number...

I made a little bit more progress, and am definitely digging the game.