Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
User avatar
FinalBaton
Posts: 4461
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:38 pm
Location: Québec City

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by FinalBaton »

Squire Grooktook wrote:Little bit of progress on my game

ImageImageImageImage

If her arm pose looks a little weird it's because she's holding a sword (which hasn't been drawn yet)
wow this is really great animation Squire! love it

do you have another game in the pipeline in addition to your vert shmup? or is it in the same game?
-FM Synth & Black Metal-
User avatar
FinalBaton
Posts: 4461
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:38 pm
Location: Québec City

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by FinalBaton »

Alternatively, I've been playing 2 beat 'em ups lately : Turtles in Time(SNES) and King Of Dragons(SNES).


Turtles in Times : my opinion of it has faded a bit. Where I once loved it, now I find it a bit bland gameplay wise. it doesn't grab me much these days. I just don't find the combat that fun (spamming the 'smack-throw).

King Of Dragons : well now that I dig a hell of a lot. I like the way the spell orbs are handled, and the limited moveset doesn't bother me at all.

sorry for not elaborating, my brain is kinda mushy right now.

oh and Sumez : I feel the same way about SoR2. once i start, I can,t stop playing.
-FM Synth & Black Metal-
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

mycophobia wrote:damn i love metal storm's second loop. some of the hottest memorization action available on the fc/nes
Hell yeah. Image I love the balance they struck. First loop is masterpiece console action, tricky but agreeable. Second could easily serve as the loop of a frickin M72 PCB. The two halves are joined by a very progressive PW system, which not only stores your current equipment, but also auto-enters your latest PW when you hit the [reset] button (they're only short, but you know).

And unlike Castlevania III's loop (another AC-tough great), it gives you the PW in-game! So noting each down will let you gradually map out a no-miss route, which is very good for survival. Did you scrape past 2-3 by the skin of your teeth, and now 2-4's making you weep the tears of those whose god has abandoned them? :shock: Maybe regretting switching from Shot to Aura, or vice-versa? Want to try out some obscure Shield tech instead? Bung in your 2-3 PW and have a rethink Image

In practice, it's very near to the Score Attack / Practice modes seen in much later gens, like Metal Slug 3/4/5's excellent PS2 ports.

Image

I recommend FC ver for the cooler-looking Storm Gunner (white with orange highlights shows off Utata Kiyoshi's beautiful frames more), and more importantly, the much trickier final stages (both loops). Less enemies on FC, but the ones that remain will shoot to kill, and the stage is wickedly more complicated to navigate. The one slight FC tradeoff is, your mech's palette is shared by enemy bullets, so visibility is poorer in the two autoscrollers. However, it's nowhere near game-breaking, especially with the sparse bullet count. The loop's enraged autoscroller midboss is a much bigger concern there. :cool: NES is 95% equivalent however - either's a good time.

Image

Fuckin Youtube! I added you as a ~FRIEND OF TEH CHANNEL~ and everything, but it won't show this comment under the vid. Anyhoo - yes! The Loop Snappers are some scary shit. Image Model example of IREM's "Living Memoriser" (™ © Perikles). You've got quite a few ways to deal with 'em, but no matter how well-rehearsed, execution will entail pants-shitting intensity Image

It was those fuckers at the very start of 2-2.1 that really scurred me, back then. Came up with some convoluted speedkill/dodge routine, which still saw their X-patterned fusillade grazing my canopy and ass. Eventually sought more passive tactics and happened upon the tack shown. Magnifique. Almost like an on-foot Image Fight, the way routes gradually materialise and revise between varying loadouts and techniques.
User avatar
mycophobia
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:08 pm
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

the 2-1 opening fleet was a pretty big wall yeah, i'm currently more consistent with a jump+flip to the underside of the center platform to avoid the bullets than the scrolling shenanigans i saw in your replay (which as an aside I haven't watched all of cuz I don't want to get spoiled on what else this devious loop has to offer lol...2-3 looks fun).

im using a translation patch for the fc version by "sliver x" which makes the robot orange like in the US version for whatever reason. i guess i could just use the original rom if i wanted to, its not like theres much text to begin with
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

That's a good balance, come to think of it. And yeah, it's a very terse game - just enough in there to make the argument it's a stealth R-Type prequel. :mrgreen: JP ending text is legit cooler too (it's in English by default). Classic Humans Think About What U Have Done, Hmm as opposed to NES's happy happy joy joy.
BryanM wrote:Ok, finally got around to Astyanax arcade. I had played the NES "version" as a kid, 'twas a gentle thing, easily mastered in a few plays. Like with Rygar I completely understand why they didn't do a port - it'd be a flickering mess that'd make Fry's Pac-Man's ghosts look like solid rocks.
If only because it leaves a more or less 1:1 conversion of the AC's sharp controls with little to do, I think Tecmo could've included a bit more traditional action/platforming. A dungeon or cavern or temple here and there, with lots of tricky jumps and evilly-positioned enemies, y'know. I do enjoy the FC game quite a bit, but it lacks the Approach To Danger of something like Zelda II...

...which, to be fair, has probably the best bridging of action immediacy and RPG questing possible. Ambling around when suddenly ENCOUNTERED THE ENEMY! You better get onto favourable terrain, sonny, because they coming in hot! Close-quarters ultraviolence with vacuum-tight controls and punishing intensity ensues. Oho, back to the amble. Wait fuck, it's a cave full of solarphobic horrors. And a great big fuckoff castle on the other side, by the sea, where there's a heart piece!

FC Rygar ends up in the same trap as Castlevania II, although it's never outright badly-designed ala that game's crummy mansions. As you say, obviously they weren't gonna be doing this batshittery

When new creatures rape your face: THE VIDEOGAME
Spoiler
Image


but there's quite a spectrum from there to Ys III. Battle of Olympus (an avowed Zelda II clone) got it similarly correct. FC Rygar is relaxing as all hell though, also the boxart is cute cute cute. Image

One thing's for certain, Tecmo's US marketers dropped the ball on the title! In Japan it's "Legendary Great Charge," just like the Master System entry is "Cross Sword of Argos." "Same name different game?" Nah: Different Name, Different Game, Same IP. Eat my ass, Youtube jagoffs. Image
User avatar
Mortificator
Posts: 2808
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:13 am
Location: A star occupied by the Bydo Empire

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Mortificator »

Sumez wrote:Armored Warriors didn't click with me at all. It's definitely different, but something about it also just feels off. I turned it off very fast.
The floaty movement, high damage, and importance of shooting to shut down enemies take some getting used to. It's the most shmup-like of Capcom's brawlers.
RegalSin wrote:You can't even drive across the country Naked anymore
User avatar
mycophobia
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:08 pm
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

re: metal storm, is the 2-2 1up just a trap?
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I think it's at least something of a boobytrap. IIRC, every other 1UP in the game vanishes, if you die while they're onscreen. That one will always respawn if you die trying to get it. :lol: I always left it alone, either way.
User avatar
Squire Grooktook
Posts: 5969
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:39 am

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Squire Grooktook »

FinalBaton wrote:
Squire Grooktook wrote:Little bit of progress on my game

ImageImageImageImage

If her arm pose looks a little weird it's because she's holding a sword (which hasn't been drawn yet)
wow this is really great animation Squire! love it

do you have another game in the pipeline in addition to your vert shmup? or is it in the same game?
It's a side project! May or may not be an eventual sequel, heh.

Started it when my pixel artist pitched the initial standing animation to me, and I felt it might be nice to have something else to work on when I'm stuck on my shmup.

Also implemented the animations in prototype! (except the double jump wip because reasons)
RegalSin wrote:Japan an almost perfect society always threatened by outsiders....................

Instead I am stuck in the America's where women rule with an iron crotch, and a man could get arrested for sitting behind a computer too long.
Aeon Zenith - My STG.
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Looking pro as hell. :cool:
User avatar
BryanM
Posts: 6104
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:46 am

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BryanM »

BIL wrote:If only because it leaves a more or less 1:1 conversion of the AC's sharp controls with little to do, I think Tecmo could've included a bit more traditional action/platforming.
Definitely would've been a better fit for console if it had more heft added to it. If it was like Zelda 2 or Cadash, I would have loved it.

Even Karnov, a game I'm not fond of besides its creepiness, had more to it.
...which, to be fair, has probably the best bridging of action immediacy and RPG questing possible. Ambling around when suddenly ENCOUNTERED THE ENEMY! You better get onto favourable terrain, sonny, because they coming in hot! Close-quarters ultraviolence with vacuum-tight controls and punishing intensity ensues. Oho, back to the amble. Wait fuck, it's a cave full of solarphobic horrors. And a great big fuckoff castle on the other side, by the sea, where there's a heart piece!

FC Rygar ends up in the same trap as Castlevania II, although it's never outright badly-designed ala that game's crummy mansions.
Since ideally you'd only trudge over the same area once (lest you fall into a pit of monotony like New Ghost Busters 2's later stages or that endless blue shaft at the start of Metroid), in function these hub zones, whether it's a Zelda 2 esque overworld or the hub level in Cave Story or Mario 64, are a glorified level select screen. I do think they're cool even so though.

The randomly generated dungeon of Persona 4 really got me into a "what is the purpose of an area" kind of mindset. I have been thinking on the problem of how to have reusable space (like in a Harvest Moon game) with a Move To The Right And Kill Motherfuckers kind of game.

Anyway, the Metroid hack Rogue Dawn has a hub level and is way better than stock Metroid. The clearer linearity is in its favor, I think.
User avatar
Herr Schatten
Posts: 3259
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:14 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Herr Schatten »

BIL wrote:Looking pro as hell. :cool:
Seconding this. It looks great.
User avatar
Marc
Posts: 3404
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 10:27 am
Location: Wigan, England.

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Marc »

Finally got around to clearing SoR4, that last fight was equal parts tricky and annoying until you realise for the most part, you can just chip away at Y by jump-kicking. Unlocked classic Axle, but I didn't realise they were literally just going to dump a giant pixel figure into the same levels, it's wrong in so many ways I don't even know where to start.

Decided to give Cherry a whirl, and holy crap, it's almost a completely different game! Juggle city, it's amazing the way you can literally spring from baddie to baddie without touching the ground. I didn't think I'd bother going through it again TBH, but the first two level were so much fun I'm itching to get back.

Still on with Iconoclasts. The odd boss with dodgy signposting aside, it's still really good fun, and far less sprawling than a lot of these games can sometimes be.
XBL & Switch: mjparker77 / PSN: BellyFullOfHell
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Streets of Rage 2 felt surprisingly easy, when you're used to arcade games. Completed it on my second time through, with most of the deaths coming from boss fights, especially the final one.
Makes sense though, when there are three difficulties over the default. I definitely need to give it a try on either Hard or Hardest, but I need to somehow get some boss strats down. I still have no idea what I'm doing for most of them.

Don't want to waste too much time talking about the game anyway, I'm an amateur at the genre, and I'm sure tons have been said about it already. I've often heard it name dropped as a top favourite within the genre, though more than anything I'd say it's just a brilliant example of its core elements, while not really doing anything out of the ordinary either. I still prefer TNWA over it.
User avatar
FinalBaton
Posts: 4461
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:38 pm
Location: Québec City

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by FinalBaton »

SoR2 is a superb ''meat 'n potatoes'' beat 'em up. but it is elegant in its execution (meaning : buttery smooth and satisfying)
Don't expect juggles or super extensive moveset/features though

I think a 1CC in that game is quite decently challenging on normal. and yes you got 3 other difficulties.

I still can't believe you haven't played that game until now. it's a popular one and a classic and quite a solid game.
-FM Synth & Black Metal-
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Instead of doing the rational thing and attempt higher difficulty levels or different characters, I tried out Bare Knuckle 3 instead.

It took a while to get accustomed to the differences. Especially how the special attacks work - You can't easily combo into a grand upper like you can in SOR2, and since it's tied to the running move, that makes it easier to just miss the input entirely. If you push forward once too many, it won't come out, which especially throws me off when I need to turn around before attacking. Not a big fan of that.
I haven't seen how other people play the game yet, but eventually I concluded the move is more useful as a way to close distance after running, rather than being the primary damage output. In general this approach makes the game feel like it's more about crowd control than the constant zoning focus of the previous game, since you can always close into an enemy safely given a good setup for it.
I got my ass kicked at first, but either Zan is easy mode, or I'd just started to get a hold of the game after switching to him.

Also not a fan of the environmental hazards in this game, especially the train tracks. Feels like it's super easy to get into a situation where you just can't move out in time (like if you're in the middle of a throw) unless you're taking a stupid amount of extra care which only draws out encounters. Speaking of which, some encounters in the game just last way too long, where you feel like you're fighting the same guys over and over without making progress. Like those ninjas at the end of the same train track section? God damn.
The game also suffers a lot from enemies hiding outside of the visible edges of the screen. It wasn't anywhere near as bad in SOR2, and I'm guessing part of it is due to me relying more on throws, but the enemy AI also really likes to just walk out there, which is tedious and annoying. :\

I like the TNWA style refueling special meter, and it fills really fast too, meaning the game pretty much expects you to rely on the defensive specials a lot as well, which is another thing that takes some time getting used to. I'm not sure how I feel about leaving the HP sacrificing variant in there whenever you use it without a full meter. It's very easy to accidentally do it when you didn't intend to, and the HP it eats is much bigger this time around, so I don't know when you'd actually want that as a tactical option.

I'll give the game some more attempts, I think it can definitely grow on me. I don't think I'll ever understand the apologists regarding the music though. :)
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

BryanM wrote:
BIL wrote:If only because it leaves a more or less 1:1 conversion of the AC's sharp controls with little to do, I think Tecmo could've included a bit more traditional action/platforming.
Definitely would've been a better fit for console if it had more heft added to it. If it was like Zelda 2 or Cadash, I would have loved it.

Even Karnov, a game I'm not fond of besides its creepiness, had more to it.
Thinking more of the stage design - something like Holy Diver's treacherous latter half. Even if you fixed HD's input bugs, it'd remain tense, with its Metroid-styled floaty-yet-punishing handling model.

Down too long in the midnight sea to PLAYTEST THEIR FUCKING CONTROLS :evil:
Spoiler
ImageImageImage


^^^ Conversely, I could see stuff like that being a blast via FC Rygar handling. No need to make do/die snipes, just clap bullets and senders alike with a 360' lash of your MurderYoYo. Made a panicky jump? Just bend it back with frame-instant response and stomp on the nearest head. Only need to reinstate the AC's stomp kill and invincible somersault followup, for maximum rudeness!

Particularly with AC Rygar being hardcore to the bone, Tecmo missed an obvious, perplexing unfilled niche for a breezier Rygar Jr. (as hinted at by the FC's cute boxart - ignored by the NES release, much like its distinguishing subtitle Image)

---

Image

Oho! Bagged an AC Lordy nomiss. And so, Hard Gay Village was liberated from The Tower Of Dicks. An easy 1CC, with all those score extends. The balance reminds me of NMK's Saint Dragon - another third-party Mega System title - which tends to be regarded as balls-hard, yet papered over with copious 1UPs. Come to think of it, that's what Holy Diver does too. Although, both of those use checkpoints - and are quite a bit meaner, besides. So Lordy's 1CC won't tax veterans, even ignoring the bombs.

However, it's quite a bit thornier to nomiss. Stages 1-4 aren't much threat, even ignoring the generous drops. Stages 5-6 have much less margin for error, and the last boss is a bit of a dick. Or rather, his zako are (he is OFC quite literally phallic). Sometimes I get virtually none, other times they rain like confetti - position seems random, regardless. With it being much trickier to anti-air from a crouch, it seems a choice between risky safespot speedkill, or an attrition-prone fight attacking Dickman during his jumps. Hm. Might be more balanced for 2P. At any rate, not the surliest arcade 1LC I've seen. Image

Good game. Other than the seemingly over-random last boss, my complaints are just two. Stage 4's elevator seems to be missing its boss, blueballing me with barbarous BGM and a limp mob - seems st5's Ogre surprise is meant to compensate. More fundamentally, the innately high input lag is a shame. It's largely neutralised by generous (and well-designed) attack frames - just leaves Lordy a bit loose-feeling, compared to airlock-tight greats like Rygar and Saigo.

Image

Oh WAO. :o You can see The Tower Of Dicks, and the lake/bridge, from the lowly undergrowth of Stage 1! That's great cinematic detail! Image Takemori's own FC Machoman does something very similar, with its "U"-shaped island. FC Ninja Gaiden's latter half, too. It wasn't just FC Dracula's third stage with an eye for scenic continuity, though it's the earliest scrolling action example I can think of.

Spoiler
Image


The rather nice recurring twin suns (seen from Stage 1's forest and Stage 3's lakeside) make me wish the finale had stuck to its upward trajectory. A nice arch-demon to fight at the summit of Dick Tower, which is a solarium, or some shit. The linear scenario makes me wonder if the intended JP title really was "The Road Of King" - a common variation I'd considered Engrish until now. (maybe The Load Of King? Image) To Aicom's credit, the eerily-lit finale is tasteful Gigeresque, on par with anything from his more famous Konami/IREM epigones. And finding utter darkness lurking at the seat nearest the heavens is a satisfying concept, just arrived at a bit jarringly (the point, I suppose).

Image

Was surprised to see the Famicom boxart is cropped directly from the arcade flyer - which is superbly on-model to the PCB, and thus very off-model to FC (some wild shit in that manual, including a comparable lust for monster boobage). Interesting situation, a big marquee coinop getting a simultaneous FC cart of tenuous relation. Not unlike this thread's founding game! Ideally, I'd like the FC's bloodening soundtrack and vivid monsters with the AC's raging carnage and tight runtime.
User avatar
Stevens
Posts: 3799
Joined: Thu May 01, 2014 11:44 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

That's uh.... Pretty... Er....manly.

80s rad.
My lord, I have come for you.
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Mischief Maker »

Bikini Armor isn't just for chicks!
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Revisited Bare Knuckle III for another 1CC with Zan. Made it to the final stage with 9 lives, but lost most of them to the final boss, which I have absolutely no idea how to approach. The timer ran out and I got the bad ending hah.
I think after getting into the flow of the game, most of the criticism I had for it kinda mellows out. The environmental obstacles actually aren't that bad when you find a good way to deal with them, and there's usually a faster way to get rid of most of the enemies than what it felt to me on my first playthrough.
It's still incredibly bad at the enemies hiding outside the edges of the screen thing, and that's by far the worst attribute to the game. Everything else I kind of love. Great game, really.
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Got another clear, good ending with Blaze. It might just be a question of getting used to her playstyle, but it feels slightly more challenging with her due to her shorter reach. But on the other hand, her jump kick is fierce, and it's super easy to getting the final boss into a simple loop with her.

Returned to the game today to play on the highest difficulty setting (Very Hard, seems there's no Mania in this one) with Zan, and got another (good end) 1CC.
Outside of a few encounters/enemy waves lasting way too long on this setting, the game is definitely more enjoyable like this. The difference from Normal isn't that big, but all enemies pose much more of a threat, which feels great.
I know the western Streets of Rage 3 release is typically lamented for its absurd difficulty, but now I'm a little curious about it, considering how mild Bare Knuckle 3 is. Keep in mind, this was only my fourth time through the game, ever.

Image Image

Mechanically I generally like BK3 over the second game, but that one is definitely better at stepping things up towards the later levels, with tougher bosses and more of them appearing as regular enemies later on. BK3 has more different low-level zakos, but 2 definitely has a higher variety to the more dangerous enemies.

The enemies hiding outside the screen edge is still infuriating to me. And paired with the whip ladies who take forever getting up after getting knocked down (and tend to jump immediately after, which means they'll like repeat the progress while barely taking damage), there's way too much waiting around in this game. Seems like an issue that should be incredibly easy to fix too, so it's really regrettable. There's one stage in the game where you're able to scroll the screen both back and forth a bit while still locked into a limited area, and it honestly improves the experience a lot.
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Image

Hungry for some more thug throwin', I played around a bit with Two Crude Dudes today and eventually got the 1CC on Normal.

Game Over'ed at the final boss three times before finally making it. But every time through, including the clear, I lost two lives to that fight, I absolutely have no clue how to approach it. The trick was just getting there with enough lives in stock.
I did some research and checked out SKYe's informative GIFs, but I haven't been able to do what his guide demonstrates at all. Whenever I punch him and walk through immediately, I just take a hit halfway through and things mess up - it happens completely consistently. There's some trick to this that's completely not obvious to me.

This is my first time playing the game in probably over a decade? My last time was a drunken co-op thing at a meetup, and I never got any real idea about how the game played, so I was excited to revisit it. I remembered it being fairly kusoge, but the praise and attention it's gotten in this thread had renewed my interest.
At the end of the day, it definitely has a fair deal of kusoge. Although it often works out well, most of the time you're obviously not fighting the enemies the way that was intended, but on the other hand I'm not sure most of them even had an intended method. The obvious example here is the rhino guy, but there are definitely more than a few where any decent approach feels like an exploit. Overall, the game is entertaining though, and that's what matters. It's very, very Data East, and I'm getting super strong "Karnov" vibes from the whole (somewhat wonky) nature of the game, a game that's pretty dear to me for unclear reasons.
I thought Toki shared enough elements from Karnov to convince me some of the central staff moved on to TAD Corp., but you can definitely see a clear connection to Crude Buster as well.
User avatar
__SKYe
Posts: 701
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:51 am
Location: Portugal

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

Glad to see you finally picked up the Bare Knuckles and Crude Buster. :)

Regarding the last boss, there really isn't anything else to it other than what's in the GIF.
You can ignore the baiting + going under his jump kick bit, as that was just to beat him without taking a hit. Once you punch him up close he'll always retaliate with a double punch and you can just walk through him while he's in his i-frames, and punch him from the back.

I've only played the japanese version so I don't know if the western release was changed. The only other possibility I can think of is that the emulator I've used isn't accurate on that regard.
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

__SKYe wrote:Once you punch him up close he'll always retaliate with a double punch and you can just walk through him while he's in his i-frames, and punch him from the back.
When trying to do that, the double punch will hit me while walking through him, well before I reached his back. :\ In your gif I even see you turning around and stalling for a tiny bit before punching again. I definitely don't have time for that.
I'm not sure it's a regional difference, sounds like a weird thing to change. But there's something here I don't get.
User avatar
__SKYe
Posts: 701
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:51 am
Location: Portugal

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

Yeah, his invincibility wears off around the time he finishes executing his triple (not double) punch.
Sumez wrote:I'm not sure it's a regional difference, sounds like a weird thing to change. But there's something here I don't get.
A regional difference is all I can think of, though. :)
I'll give the western version a try later on and I'll report back.
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8010
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

I was playing the European one specifically if that makes a difference.
User avatar
mycophobia
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:08 pm
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

finally cleared 2-3 in Metal Storm on one credit. what an absolute ball buster. time to grind out 2-4, which looks pretty fun as well. it's pretty interesting that G all of a sudden becomes an absolute necessity after doing all of the previous stages with P
User avatar
BIL
Posts: 18957
Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 12:39 pm
Location: COLONY

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Good going! 2-3 is possibly the trickiest stage, on account of its juggernaut freighters (what an evilly cool loop upgrade). That's where I switched to G, too. Those i-frames massively expand your options, VS speeding armoured death. It's no free lunch, ofc, with the loss of P's speedkills, but I found improvising around that surprisingly intuitive.

Have you run into the gravity jump glitch, btw? Thankfully, it's tricky to trigger, and easy to disarm. Basically, if you invert gravity on the same frame as a scene transition (ie, your mech is in the very first "barrel roll" frame of its new orientation), the next GJ input will come out as a normal jump. Can be a nasty surprise, obviously. Happily, you can defuse it simply by tapping [jump] at the start of a new scene - even the tiniest tap will do. This is why I execute a short hop at a lot of my scene starts.

G also has an interesting "rebound" effect, which I'm pretty sure is another frame-perfect glitch... basically, after executing a G attack, hitting [jump] on the frame your mech impacts the new "floor" will cause it to ricochet off, still in aura state. You can actually do this multiple times, though it's way too precise to ever be practical. I could see a TASer using this to bounce all over the place though. I guess it could work as an absolute Hail Mary escape, if an ill-timed G attack puts you on a collision course with something, but ofc this is a situation best pre-empted. :mrgreen:
User avatar
mycophobia
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:08 pm
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

i've had a couple of times where i could swear i gravity'd when a jump came out instead, but can't say whether it was actually due to a glitch. in any case, i'll keep in mind that beginning hop, thanks
User avatar
CIT
Posts: 4641
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:39 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by CIT »

Image

Just cleared Game Boy Contra on the Switch Anniversary collection.
I never paid much attention to the Game Boy because I think the b/w graphics suck (Game Gear master race reprazent!), so this game always flew under my radar. But I've been very pleasantly surprised at how well and smoothly the playability was translated to the handheld; it doesn't need to hide behind its arcade and console brethren at all. GB Contra makes use of existing elements from Contra and Super Contra and blends them together with some new additions (e.g. Homing Shot) to create a very entertaining romp that's overall a fair bit easier than the other games in the series.
Cleared the second loop on the same credit to see if there were any differences in difficulty or ending wise, but as far as I can tell everything remains the same.

I give this game 8/10 spread shots. I actually liked it so much that I got myself an original copy for my tiny Game Boy collection. :oops:

So yeah, if you dig Contra and want a quick snack to hold you over for an evening between more demanding games, give this one a go.

Pro-tip: Milk the ceiling pods before the final boss until they release a power-up. Very convenient!

Image
Post Reply