Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Mortificator]

It's only the arcade games what they're paying homage to.

You could be right, but the shot of an icy area called to mind Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts stage 5.

Also, I'd forgotten at the time of posting that we have a dedicated Makaimura thread.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

edit: got the perfect run of Streets of Rage Remake, no deaths on Mania, no police specials used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p7hCYUmPa4

[Licorice]

Looking forward to this one! I've come to regard Green Beret as surpassing even Rygar (1986), to become the current progenitor of R2RKMF. Spartan X and Makaimura (EDIT: and Kage!) are 1985, too, and eminent games in their own rights... but none have the Compact Action Man character/playfield ratio epitomised by GB, Rygar, then Castlevania and the vast swathe of hardcore FC action/platforming.

Can you fall to your death in Green Beret? IMO it's one of the more important elements in the Rygar-Castlevania DNA.

[Bloodreign]

Those are as emulation as Mame is. Likely less accurate, even.

It's still a worthy version of Fairyland Story to play, and it'll be the only way I play it as I don't own the newer fangled consoles. I know they are emulation, but my Taito Memories packs are like gold to me.

[BIL]

Looking forward to this one! I've come to regard Green Beret as surpassing even Rygar (1986), to become the current progenitor of R2RKMF. Spartan X and Makaimura (EDIT: and Kage!) are 1985, too, and eminent games in their own rights... but none have the Compact Action Man character/playfield ratio epitomised by GB, Rygar, then Castlevania and the vast swathe of hardcore FC action/platforming.

Can you fall to your death in Green Beret? IMO it's one of the more important elements in the Rygar-Castlevania DNA.

Good point! AFAIK (could easily be wrong), there are no pits in GB. The big distinction from Spartan X is the variable terrain height and subsequent routing possibilities. It may be GB's action is, despite the alien primacy of knife over gun, more proto-Contra than proto-Castlevania. Worth noting the original Contra doesn't have pits, either.

Also worth noting even Rygar and CV diverge starkly on what it means to "action-platform." The former lets you bend jumps with artful defiance of gravity and inertia. The latter's jump policy would (per Snatcher) cause a global spike in gamer suicide levels.

I think you could argue, at a stretch, that GB's landmines do something similar to pits - a jump-mandating deathtrap, with enemies frequently poised on the other side, ready to take advantage of your set-in-stone CV trajectory. Crossing some of GB's nastier minefields is an "action platforming" challenge on par with anything in CV1/Rygar, though it's rarely mandatory.

Big difference is, you can obviate landmines (even massive stretches of them) by expending a shot... expendable shots themselves being a distinctly CV element, as alien to Rygar (or Spartan, or Kage, or Makaimura, or Contra) as Rygar's hop/bop is to GB and most other combat-geared sidescrollers (Rygar being a super-elite R2RKMF, to be sure - the nameless Warrior Of Argus does not "bop" beastman scum, so much as "stomp them so hard they explode into burning skeletons").

BOP TIL THEY DROP

Spoiler

There may be exceptions THEY STILL DROP THO

Spoiler

Ultimately I credit GB more with the format than its particulars. Its player/enemy sprites aren't what magazines would champion as "massive" or "impressive" in the late 80s/early 90s, strictly germane to high-precision, high-intensity sidescrolling action, staged in unruly terrain amidst onrushing hordes. (I love big sprites and I cannot lie, but there's a time and place for everything, ie, not Dynamite Batman! shoulda been a Mutant Apocalypse-style Brawling Platformer, that one)

EDIT: Further to the Genealogy Of R2RKMF, I should also add that I wonder about David Crane's Pitfall. I've never played it - not a conscious avoidance, simply never crossed paths with it - but at a glance, its cross-sectioned jungle instantly brings to mind Rygar's neatly-delineated vistas (in Tecmo's game, an excellent "heads up display" re erupting enemies).

[Bassa-Bassa]

Those are as emulation as Mame is. Likely less accurate, even.

It's still a worthy version of Fairyland Story to play, and it'll be the only way I play it as I don't own the newer fangled consoles. I know they are emulation, but my Taito Memories packs are like gold to me.

Interlaced graphics totally ruined the collections for me. Looked nothing like the arcade counterparts. But for anyone not caring about visuals, content-wise they excel.

[BIL]

You know, I take it back. Green Beret is most definitely more proto-Castlevania than proto-Contra, and while it lacks pits, it'll fire up the same parts of your brain as CV1's notoriously noob-hammering (yet pit-free) stage 5. GREAT game, didn't give it its full due until now because DualShock4 button underlays are shi-hi-hiiite

It does owe/share (unsure of their exact dev schedules) a ton to Spartan X though, specifically the keenly sight-coded pincer onslaught. You can see nasty setups coming well in advance, tricky part is executing the relevant tactics (EG Grave Keeper approaching from the right, needs a jumpstab, but Rifle readying a shot form the left, which you'll land on at current trajectory, so pivot, hop his shot and gash 'im, then neutral jump and do for Comrade Graveski).

(or just shoot both the cunts or BUST A MOVE )

Spoiler

In a way, it has one foot in CV1's icily tactical subgenre, another in Spartan/Ninja Warriors/Splatterhouse's relentlessly besieging "sidescrolling brawler." (scare quotes mandated by GB's 1HKOs - you can't afford to trade hits here, even with the most tactical of intentions)

I'm tempted to say a Dream Game Hackz would be midair ladder grabs demanding an [up] input, letting the player pass unharried otherwise. This would be objectively more functional, but at the same time, oldschool CV vets are hopelessly conditioned to treating stairs as no-go areas in the heat of battle. "FUCK! I wanted to duck, but BERUMONDO got on the stairs instead and ate FLEAMAN BALLS!" Much the same here.

Gotta say though, with the speedy ladder-climbing and their innate up/down efficiency, it's a helluva lot easier to incorporate them into the action than CV's treacly staircases.

[dojo_b]

In the Rygar clips BIL shared, the enemies effectively are (briskly moving) platforms, and failure to land one properly would mean likely death, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (This game is a revelation, btw, thanks for sharing! A shining token of the forebears' wisdom.)

When a run/jump game gives you strong mobility, and tests it strenuously, it gets more platformer-y in my book, all else equal. But a conspicuously weak arsenal (even if it remains important) can be a key ingredient to platform-y character too. The gravity-bound weakness of Mario's fireball is almost as important as its revocability to the game's orientation; and Spelunky's endless hijinks are driven as much by its limited, janky, failure-prone weaponry as by hoppy-boppy mobility. (One also has to mention mobility traps like out-of-control steeds, low-fuel jetpacks, and self-telefrags.)

Early Belmonts, being weak in all metrics except manly impact, lie closer to the "main diagonal" of action-platforming, arguably shared with the more-empowered NES Contra. Each in tasteful proportion to their foes, of course. And even in a high-mobility game like Cave Story, the movement can be eclipsed by the sense of just blasting the shit out of enemies.

[BIL]

Absolutely essential game, AC Rygar. Only played it properly quite recently myself, I'd expected a quality arcade game with the calibre of fan it attracts on here, but I wasn't expecting it to exemplify so many of the traits I associate with Famicom R2RMKFs - super efficient sprite/screen ratio, high malleability, authoritative firepower - and all of this in a deadly-precise 1HKO killer.

I'd rank it with Daimakaimura and Saigo easily, though while there's a decided sense of generational paradigm shift in those, this feels like an FC action game on horse steroids (as I suppose it would, being the eldest of the three by some margin).

Oho! Tangent! JYEAH and ya don't stop (collecting screencaps of oldschool JP titles with 187 prominently displayed )

[copy-paster]

GBA Green Beret has exclusive stages I think? I remember playing that version BITD and abuse save-state just to see the end.

[Mortificator]

GBA Green Beret has exclusive stages I think? I remember playing that version BITD and abuse save-state just to see the end.

That's right, it has a nighttime train stage where you fight some snipers at the end, and a hangar with a boss rush against all the stage end opponents (except the losers from stage 1 - they weren't Russian enough to mount a second attack).

[BIL]

Got my fingers crossed for Capcom Arcade Stadium, which is promising to deliver some major STG debuts (19XX, Progear, US Navy), and also some very nice sidescroller and beltscroller reprises. Currently Switch-exclusive, with PS4/XB1/PC releases rumoured to come later. Emulation seems to be in-house, details are scarce currently... I'm just glad it's apparently not those Digital Eclipse shitbirds. -_- If it's up to scratch with the in-house Belt Action and Rockman Zero collections, I will be more than good and strong like wood.

Games are divvied up into roughly chronological packs, with 1943 gifted FO FREE at purchase, and Makaimura KINDA FO FREE if you buy all three. Well isn't that nice! WHERE'S MAGIC SWORD YOU CUNTS Oh right. You're probably gonna do more packs aren't you. NM then! Magic Sword pls!

Pack I: ARCADE WIENER WAS IMPRESSIVE



^^^ Interested to see it's "Bionic Commando" rather than "Top Secret" there. I hope we get both versions, considering BC's noted aesthetic tweaks. <3 Top Secret's goofy sprites. I wonder what's up with that and Forgotten Worlds aka Lost Worlds' regional titling. I don't think I've ever seen the latter go by its JP name outside of the original arcade run. Glad to retire my mayonnaise-filtered old CCC discs, at any rate.

Pack II: ARCADE DONG WAS GETTING MASSIVE



^^^ 1941: COUNTER ATTACK BAYBEE. GET READY 2 RUB SGX ver is heroic, but I want the real thing sans CCC2 mayo filter.

Tenchi wo Kurau, having never appeared in arcade-perfect form, is my main curio. Conspicuously absent from the 2018 Belt Action Collection (I'd have assumed due to licensing issues, but then its more famous sequel BATTLE OF THE RED WALL made it in just fine). Rare example of the "broken belt" multi-lane subtype, most famously seen in Guardian Heroes, and also its PS1 doppelganger Panzer Bandit. Always loved the look of this one - the compact sprites, massed mounted warriors and filmic ratio give its battles the look of moving paintings. Vludi's vouched for it ITT, all the reassurance I ever need.
Yes Edmans I know it's aykshually "Battle of Red Cliffs" FUCKIN WEEB

I'm hoping my longtime nemesis Magic Sword gets a look in, if there are later packs. It's on 360/PS3 via Final Fight: Double Impact, but holy fuck that hardware generation makes me uneasy. Best to migrate stuff to the relatively sane current gen imo.

Pack III: ARCADE BUSTED ALL OVER YOUR GOD DAMN FACE



^^^ It's Progear, enough said. Or is it? Slowdown accuracy might make WR chasers/Emu jagoffs rage! Oh well. Besides 19XX: TEH WAR AGAINST DESTINY, super-buff beltscrollers BATTLE CIRCUIT and POWERED GEAR would be my BFDs if not for the Belt Action Pack. If beltscrollers make u SCURRED you should play BC! Then grow some fuckin BAWLS and play PG!

Daimakaimura is possibly the best-ported late-80s sidescrolling icon, with even the MD and SGX versions 95% nailing it, and CG1 yet closer. However, one can never have too many perfect Daimakaimura ports.

Similarly, a lot of the remainder have been covered in good form by Capcom Generation (PS1/SS), Arcade Cabinet (PS3/360) and Belt Action Collection (PS4/SW/PC) - but tbh, I'd be all-in for 19XX or Progear alone, and with games of this quality, I welcome modern reissues regardless. If this goes well, and we get a couple more packs covering some conspicious absences (Black Tiger, Magic Sword, Three Wonders), we'll have nearly all of Capcom's entire AC scrolling action catalogue on a single platform, those nagging licensing issues (Nemo/Willow/Punisher/Cadillacs/AVP) aside. I'd mention D&D there too, but Mystara Eiyuu Senki is as good as I'd ever ask for.

WTB: Big Buff Half-Naked Men w/Swords Pack (Tora e no Michi, Black Tiger, Magic Sword & Three Wonders), Ohshi Here's The Other STGs Pack (Gun.Smoke, Side Arms, 1943 Kai, Last Duel, Area 88, Mars Matrix, Great Mahou & Ultimate Ecology), Orphaned Genres Ultimate Revengeance Pack (SonSon, The Speed Rumbler, Hissatsu Buraiken, Quiz and Dragons & Block Block), and most of all, HWAAA! I've Been Holding This Licensed Load Back Since 1988 Pack (Nemo, Willow, The Punisher, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, Tower of Doom, Shadow Over Mystara & Aliens VS Predator)

Yeah I know, Area 88's a licensed game too. I'm hoping it skates by just like the Tenchi wo Kuraus. >_>

[Bassa-Bassa]

The Tenchi wo Kurau license is an easy one given that Capcom must have a permanent agreement with the author for using his Strider Hiryu and the game series must be more popular than the original comic these days. Area 88 (manga) was big in Japan, I don't see that coming ever. The PCB sold well, so Capcom wanted to remake it without the license hence U.S. Navy (which was soon forgotten, lol).

[BIL]

Aha, of course! I never twigged that the Strider manga guys also did Tenchi wo Kurau. They must indeed have a pretty solid partnership, given those TWK2 reissues over the years (PSOne Books, Belt Action Collection).

That does seem to put Area 88 in the slim chance bin with Nemo and AVP et al. :[ TBH, I've no attachment to the arcade version. I think I played it once as a kid and never again. It just sucks to see historic developers' catalogues locked up like that.

I don't even want to invoke that FBA-blagging (?) "Capcom Home Arcade" thing, but given its manufacturer (apparently) got AVP licensed, I suppose nothing's impossible. Just incredibly improbable.

[Bassa-Bassa]

The Area 88 arcade game is great, splendidly tweaked, and I don't even use autofire (feels like cheating much like in Darius Gaiden, here). Much better than the console version, no matter what you'll hear, too.

[BIL]

Amazing how much Green Beret gains with the FDS/NES soundtrack overlaid. It's absolutely first-rate music, easily on par with Contra and Super Contra's OSTs. While there's a definite aesthetic to the stone-cold, granite-jawed arcade BGM (the unflappable tone reminds me of this interview with a retired SAS commando, asked about a night raid on Nazi barracks - "We killed everyone in there. Moved on.") - in the infinitely lighter-hearted context of videogames, it's hard to turn down that sense of rollicking adventure.

It works great too, since the arcade's consistent martial drumbeat flies right under the waveform - you can put the SFX high without it becoming noticeable (the AC's "Coin in" / explosion SFX, I wonder how influential that was on Hidenori Maezawa's unmistakable FC Contra/Salamander works).

Highly recommend trying it out, particularly if you're able to make a simple Foobar/etc playlist, so you can leave individual tracks looping and skip forward/back as required (laptops/remote mice are great for this). OTOH, in a game this relentless and brisk, letting them run through unimpeded works fine too. You don't have a lot of time to stop and enjoy the BGM in this game, nor should you.

Not bothered with the port-exclusive boss, powerup or dungeon BGMs just yet, just the three stage variants. Here's a simple YT playlist if anyone's interested. (if you're a fan of Konami/Natsume FC action music, give it a listen regardless - good stuff)

Just reaching what I think is the home stretch of the fourth and final (?) stage - still haven't seen any pits, but building on the earlier stages' "prestige" jumps - holy cow, you can save yourself a ton of grief by hopping from rooftop to rooftop, all cat-like n' shit. COMMANDO, involved again!

Got the distinct impression the designers knew exactly what they were doing, making all of these jumps near the character's absolute limit. If you slip and fall, or miss the jump, you're gonna be in deeper shit than if you hadn't tried at all, but that's rather life on the edge.

Enter the storm
You probably won't survive
But if you do
You'll be much stronger because you tried

Dogeared ol' [up to jump] cramps it slightly, but it's masterable. [jump button] was truly one of this subgenre's most valuable innovations, whoever started it.

[Volteccer_Jack]

Spoiler

I'm back and I'm wondering if the Switch ports of Ninja Spirit and Shock Troopers are good? Google has been less than helpful and this is the best place I know for Ninja Spirit info.

I also brought this cool 1LC and review with me. Game is called Panzer Paladin and I'm a big fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wyY2xRLGHQ
^^Be warned, it's over 2 hours long (and I didn't even do the loop!)

Magical weapons are raining down from space, acting as portals for demonic invasion. Our brave, murderous hero is Flame, a rescue android piloting a mecha named Grit. Their mission is to collect the weapons, stop the invasion, and do it all with weaponry that is very realistic and not at all cartoonish or comical.

Spoiler

"Pocket Knife"/public transit size comparison:

Grit's movement draws me as if against my will to compare it to Actraiser 2's Master: a chunky boy who seems cumbersome at first but nevertheless comes to feel fluid and wonderfully versatile after you learn the ropes. The main mover and shaker is the invulnerable backdash. It can be used to cancel any of your attack animations, and you can even turn around in the process, smashing some poor sod's head in only to instantly spin around and moonwalk through the dust they've just been reduced to. You'll find yourself using this copiously, both to avoid attacks and for rapid movement. It can also be performed in the air, but you must be sure of landing in that case as you forfeit horizontal control until Grit lands and recovers from the dash.

In addition to basic attacks, you've got an upward thrust that doubles as a double jump and a downthrust that bounces off enemies. The downthrust is noteworthy in that once initiated, you are locked-in no matter how far you fall or how many times you bounce, until you either land on the ground, take damage, or cancel into a backdash. In the case of either taking damage or backdashing, you lose horizontal control until you land and recover (I demonstrate this quite well at 35:55 in the replay, purely for the sake of the audience and not because I forgot about that enemy or anything). You've also got a passive shield akin to Zelda2 or Actraiser2 with the added ability to parry/riposte melee strikes. With regards to the shield, I must note one definite annoyance with the controls here: Grit cannot cancel his walking animation with a crouch, pressing down while walking will simply do nothing. Fortunately, there's a simple workaround: cancel into a crouching attack instead. Since Grit is well programmed in the martial arts, it never drops its guard even when attacking, so this will enable you to block those low strikes at a moment's notice. Still, it irks.

Spoiler

Just look at that beautiful mech keeping that shield ready, it'd bring a tear to my boxing coach's eye

Weapons are many and varied, mostly interchangeable and all expendable. The moveset is the same across all weapons but reach, attack speed, attack power, damage type (blunt/cut/pierce), durability, throwing power, and magic spell all vary based on the stats of the weapon, and all are significant considerations in weapon choice. Of course with weapon durability being very limited, and as the weapon throw and spells both result in the destruction of the weapon used, you'll find yourself using new and different bludgeoning or stabbing implements with regularity. Each stage provides a distinct set of weapons, and each boss awards a powerful one-of-a-kind weapon, which lends the game a small touch of Megaman-esque routing.

When you eject from Grit, hopefully to enter a narrow passage and not because your ineptitude has reduced Grit to smoking rubble, you play Flame, who controls like a fever dream of a Belmont, using a "laser whip" to battle enemies and swing from hooks until you can reach a teleport pad to summon Grit back to your side (assuming it is not smoking rubble). Much like the vehicles in Metal Slug, Grit is fully invulnerable when not in use, and Flame gets a hefty grace period of invulnerability whenever exiting or entering Grit, and much like in Metal Slug this can be exploited as a powerful panic button defense.

The stages are quite long, and checkpoints are few, however 6 out of 14 spells provide health recovery and another gives a buff to reduce incoming damage, so attrition will rarely be a killer. What will be a killer are the pits and spikes seen on a regular basis throughout the game. Spikes will only destroy Grit (and even then only on Hard mode) while pits will immediately end Flame's life. But you'll scarcely see anything like the latter parts of NG, so the sort of person who is reading this thread will find the game entirely manageable. The six stage long Wily-Fortress-knock-off at the end is when you'll start to feel like the game is serious about opposing you, but intelligent use of your weapons will carry you through. Upon clearing the game you unlock "Remixed Mode", essentially a second loop with quite a lot of changes to level design and enemy placement in addition to increased enemy stats. This mode will put you to the test, although bosses, being mostly unchanged, will be a bit underwhelming compared to the gauntlets you navigate to reach them.

Overall I highly recommend Panzer Paladin, the length can be a bit tiring, I think a stronger version of this game would've been around 90 minutes long, but it looks and sounds fantastic and deftly piloting Grit through demon lairs is a great time, so I find myself hard-pressed to complain, even when it overextends and pushes me to take a break.

[Marc]

I keep hearing Actraiser 2 mentioned, but it's something I've never played yet.
It got slated at the time in Super Play - the one mag that was mostly on the money, even now reading back their reviews are mostly decent - but I picked up a US copy anyway, which steadfastly refused to work with any of the three region-free adaptors I had at the time. Worth a visit?

[Vanguard]

Panzer Paladin

That looks and sounds pretty cool. Always liked the way Metal Warriors lets you get out of your mech, even if the game itself is too euroshmup-like for me. Would definitely be interested in seeing that mechanic in something more arcadey. Weapon system sounds interesting too.

I keep hearing Actraiser 2 mentioned, but it's something I've never played yet.
It got slated at the time in Super Play - the one mag that was mostly on the money, even now reading back their reviews are mostly decent - but I picked up a US copy anyway, which steadfastly refused to work with any of the three region-free adaptors I had at the time. Worth a visit?

Absolutely. It loses the original's sim aspect, and its learning curve is steep, but it's an excellent, one of a kind game.

[BIL]

Spoiler

I'm back and I'm wondering if the Switch ports of Ninja Spirit and Shock Troopers are good? Google has been less than helpful and this is the best place I know for Ninja Spirit info.

I've not tried them, only the PS4 versions - if it's of any help, I can vouch that those are dead-on accurate to hardware (Saigo being one of the very few PCBs I was smitten enough by to own, ST being a permanent resident of my Battered Ol MVS Carts container).

As always with ACA, there's very little in the way of extras (an anti-cheater "hi score mode" which enforces default DIPs, and autokills your run if you so much as pause being most notable), and you get just one savestate (one being plenty imo - arcade heads ain't get SHIT ) - but all the essentials re: button remap, screen adjust and DIP settings are well-covered.

BTW, not sure if you've reached the Ninja Pit yet, but just in case: take this, it's kusoge.



"Alright boys, let's fuck this chicken and go home."

I also brought this cool 1LC and review with me. Game is called Panzer Paladin and I'm a big fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wyY2xRLGHQ
^^Be warned, it's over 2 hours long (and I didn't even do the loop!)

A splendid return! Marked for index. That looks superb, the style reminds me of Metal Storm's chibi-murderous mechanised assault. Vehicular/on-foot variable scrolling action is always of interest, too.

I keep hearing Actraiser 2 mentioned, but it's something I've never played yet.
It got slated at the time in Super Play - the one mag that was mostly on the money, even now reading back their reviews are mostly decent - but I picked up a US copy anyway, which steadfastly refused to work with any of the three region-free adaptors I had at the time. Worth a visit?

Actraiser 2 is hardcore, and thus, makes scrubs mad. ;3 Substantial, unique, visceral sword action. Play it like AR1's stolidly reserved platform slasher, and you'll be in a world of pain! Requires a completely different mindset, emphasising not risk minimisation, but calculated aggression. You've got to leverage your offensive and counter-offensive assets: a quick hori/vert chop that staggers enemies into ToD combos, a sniper-foiling shield, and invincible air attacks that traverse the fray with calculated impunity.

Also, situationally invaluable magic attacks, which solid fundamentals will gradually illuminate the use of. That boss-incinerating fireball might seem impossible to connect with, but it's not!

So if a nuisance enemy comes hippity-hopping along, don't enage at maximum safe range, like it's Berumondo v Fleaman. Jump in and bust its fucking head open with a downstrike, then finish it with a chop before it can recover. If a bruiser is bulldozing you into spikes, skewer him with a doublejump divestab, reversing your footings. If you're in a pincer, spear through one side and consolidate your foes into a single ToD/burnable lot. Etc etc. You're too slow and bulky for twitch - the trick is to spot openings and let the i-frames do the work.

More slashers should have such graceful implementation of i-frames, as well as enemy hitbox cancelling. When a massively buff avatar of God himself drives a burning blade of retribution straight through a motherfucker's back, best believe said fiend is not going to be in any state to do contact damage. A sound bilateral principle for high-intensity, high-precision, toe-to-toe sidescrolling combat. Imagine a fighting game without hitstun. What's that? Why yes, I do know of Setsuna's hyper armour super in Bakumatsu Roman 2. That's my point! Nobody would give a shit otherwise!

And on that note, here is STEEL ASSAULT.

Spoiler

You just got bitch-slapped outta your OTG Mr. Axe Mech! It's gonna be rad.

A good primer: All About Actraiser 2 I-Frames [img]https://i.imgur.com/NQXvpiu.png[/ ... [/img][/i]

[Volteccer_Jack]

I keep hearing Actraiser 2 mentioned, but it's something I've never played yet.
It got slated at the time in Super Play - the one mag that was mostly on the money, even now reading back their reviews are mostly decent - but I picked up a US copy anyway, which steadfastly refused to work with any of the three region-free adaptors I had at the time. Worth a visit?

Both Actraiser games are high quality side-scrollers but where the first is pretty standard fare (barring the city-building sections), the sequel is unlike anything else and easily one of my all-time favorites. In addition to the i-frame bonanza BIL talked about, one thing that was a major hook for me when I started playing is that the Master's neutral/high/low sword slashes on the ground can be cancelled freely into each other, which lets you comfortably fend off enemies from multiple directions at once, or go full ATATATA on a single large foe. It's not typically the most efficient solution to problems but god damn is it fun.

And on that note, here is STEEL ASSAULT.

So funny story, Steel Assault is the reason I played Panzer Paladin. When SriK revealed that he finally had a publisher for Steel Assault and they go by the name Tribute Games, I immediately went and looked them up. Wouldn't you know it, they were developers of a side-scroller by the name of Panzer Paladin. They made another game called Flinthook that appears to revolve around a grappling hook which I will probably give a try sometime soon while I wait impatiently for Steel Assault.

an anti-cheater "hi score mode" which enforces default DIPs, and autokills your run if you so much as pause

Oh that sounds dope, I want it. And yes, I'll be glad to have that Ninja Pit guide...just as soon as I can make it out of stage 4 alive >.>

[BIL]

That confirms it, next up in my fledgling OGST (Other Gaming StraTegy) series will be Saigo. Stage 4 is an enduringly dangerous joint, specifically 4-1's semi-random Purple/Samurai mixups and 4-2's ceiling crossings (unironically the best stealth action ever - cease movement! Black Ninjas can't stab what they can't hear! however, everyone else in the joint can see your ass juuust fine so shoot them! ).

However, it can be mostly brought to heel with judiciously-applied XTREME FIREPOWER in a way the other great fiend, the feared st6 aka 闘いの RAININGU SHITTOSTORMU ("Battle of Raining Shitstorm") can't quite be. That one requires zen AND extreme ordnance!

Ryuichi-san's KAZEKIRI ain't nothin 2 fuck with! Bait out blade / Blow he head off! PS4 Saigo: Input Response You Can Trust Your Knackers To

Spoiler

Nice roof overhead though? Dodging kazekiri ain't mean shit 2 me! Well ok no it's tight. :[ I DO IT RITE THO ;3

Spoiler

[jepjepjep]

Saigo is such a sublime action game. I've been playing it a lot lately. It'll be awesome to see your breakdowns, BIL. I have the 1CC in the bag, but I'm still working on the 1LC. There's just so much opportunity for death in this glorious game.

[BIL]

Good luck, you'll definitely make it knowing your other arcade sidescrolling exploits! (you and mikehaggar were instrumental to getting me back into non-STG arcade gaming a few years back, see the Makaimura Miscellanies thread aka R2RKMF Alpha )

Of the games I've managed to no-miss, Saigo's the one I'd be most uneasy about doing live. !!!Headphones Warning!!! This commentator losing his shit at the hellishly dangerous final boss in this live 1LC @ Mikado sums it up. "ORAORAORAORAORA! SU-GEEEEEE!"

(he's hamming up @ the Ninja Pit, though, or maybe just isn't familiar with its dire straits. nobody who'd dare attempt a live Saigo 1LC is going to screw up the Pit, unless someone distracts them with a feather duster or something!)

Pitifully bleak odds (warning on box! The Last Ninja), compellingly balanced by demigod mobility and firepower. A desperate fight, as the ending succinctly puts it.



^ Not actually Saigo art - from Death's Gambit, a game I've never played but whose look, regardless, reflects Tsukikage's Really Violent Day better than any of Irem's few official pieces. Reminds me of JB 5th's ending in ESPRade, where the adrenaline has burnt off, and all those inescapable brushes with slashing/blasting/scorching death become apparent.

I still wonder about possible influences/shared staff between Saigo and Metal Slug. Exactly like Cave's pixel hitbox STGs, these games can afford to put you square in the heart of the scrum, via null enemy contact and massive weapon hitboxes, in a way stricter stuff like Contra can't (that series having its own Green Beret-modelled aesthetic of icily surgical dispatch at barrel's length).

I'm intuitively fonder of Irem/Nazca's approach, not incidentally found in Taito's Saigo forerunner The Legend of Kage. Best of both hardcore 2D worlds (precision/flexibility), when you can freely navigate crowded screens on the understanding that if you're not 110% switched-on, a shockingly abrupt death awaits.

[Blinge]

Dear Task Force, I know it's been a while since I've had a mission but I think this could be my next deployment.

Big WaterBomb Adventure, Doctor's orders!
I've given Mizubaku Daibouken / Liquid Kids a brief look today.


Man what can I say, I'd have jumped at this years ago if only I knew of a game where I could take the role of a fine young Platypus.
No, not this godawful looking trash https://youtu.be/O4Wu4yb0DMA

So what struck me instantly is my lack of experience with actual arcade platformers. The platformers I've played are all codified for console, the wilder design aspects ironed out.
When I look at Mizubaku I get more of a "wild west" of design feel. The level geometry is sometimes unclear, shit is popping off constantly and has me thinking ' Wow what the hell is happening??'
I throw water bombs at fish to no avail, until they surface and take a big one to the mouth, then I kick their stunned bodies skimming across the water to massacre all of their mates.. OK

It took me a while to figure out you can charge up a bigger waterbomb instead of just spamming the little ones. I've found myself doing little things like jumping down pits while bouncing balls off the wall in the hopes they'll go before me and take out anything that may pose a threat when I land. I think I have instincts leftover from playing SK as Plague Knight.

I played for barely more than 15 minutes tbh. The adorableness made my cynical weary old face smile once again.

[BIL]

So cute. If that opening still of all the platypuses sitting around chilling @ peaceful WOODY LAKE doesn't warm your heart, you one cold shell of a man

I'm only casually familiar with it myself tbh, but I always got good vibes. I think Sumez might know the ropes. Gonna put some quality time on it this year when the ACA one hits!

I almost hesitate to mention it, not out of any doubt it's rad, just because I've yet to try it myself, and I've no idea what breed of sidescroller it actually is - but you may want to give JJ Squawkers a look. Similar vibe and highly recommended by trap, Squire and I think a few other regulars. I hope Athena gets hooked up at some point ala NMK and UPL, would love to see DAIOH finally get a console debut.

[Blinge]

Aha, yeah I was thinking of JJ Squawkers the entire time. That also fits into my "damn arcade platformers are whack" impression.

I may get to that eventually but i feel like i have to finish the Platypus game now for honour reasons.
I would like to know if platty boi has to score in order to go for extends or not.

[BIL]

Oho, you too know of Athena's landmark Parrot Action Platformer! You are better-informed than you think Burinju.

As far as straight action/platforming ala Ninja Gaiden goes, Rygar (AC, not FC! the latter's a completely separate project with its own subtitle to match, in Japan that is ) is a safe bet. About as elemental as Green Beret aka Rush n' Attack, but infinitely more flexible.

...actually, you could almost say Rygar/Green Beret are the arcade-contemporary forerunners to NG/CV, respectively. Though since NG is really a pro-standard Castlevania mod, the comparison breaks down. 3;

Still, they'll serve similar ends at arcade intensity, albeit via icy 1HKO mode. Not much in the way of weirdness, just high-precision action/platforming with a whole lotta killing.

For another in the subtly bent arcade platformer vein, see Ninja-Kun II: Ashura no Shou. Looks cute n' cuddly, but holy fuck, it's mean! Excellent game if you can get along with its idiosyncratic controls and UPL's typically weird decisions (don't fight gigantic skeleton monster without bombs! want bombs? here is how 2 get bombs).

EDIT: oh, scratch that. You can kill Boney-sama with fire too. Probably shuriken even. But I'm gonna call it a night, buried alive in nice ports and all that.

Spoiler

Oh also! Not really a platformer, but play Sunset Riders if you haven't. One of the user-friendliest arcade sidescrollers out there. Plays like Contra with null enemy contact and Rolling Thunder tier switching. A relatively ubiquitous game, but you never know!

An arcade Contra with absolutely none of the actual arcade Contras' teething issues re: aim lag.

Spoiler

USE SLIDE FFS (and Rolling Thunder superjump i-frames!)

Spoiler

[BareKnuckleRoo]

So what struck me instantly is my lack of experience with actual arcade platformers. The platformers I've played are all codified for console, the wilder design aspects ironed out.

I'd actually been working on this game on and off too; I feel like I don't really know much about arcade platformers as a genre and Mizubaku Daibouken (Water Bomb Great Adventure)/Liquid Kids is kicking my butt. It's an incredibly cute yet tough game because your shots have a slight upward arc to them which means in some cases you have a blind spot directly in front of you. You also don't have the mobility to really evade or outrun stuff, so it's often best to stand your ground and fight as enemies appear.

The hardest part is memorizing where to stand and use bubbles. Several sections deliberately have low ceilings your bubbles can bounce back at you from, making attacking those enemies ahead of you tricky. This part in particular is a nightmare:



You can't just jump onto that platform, and the only way to attack the fish is to try and lure em out or hope you can get under the platform, where your bubbles will bounce downward instead of failing to hit the fish.

FYI, I've tested, and Liquid Kids appears to be identical to Mizubaku Daibouken unless there's changes much later in the game. An input replay that got to world 3-1 synched perfectly in both versions.

[Sumez]

I'm a Mizubaku PCB owner obviously. It's an incredibly easy 1CC, but it's a super enjoyable game.

It's definitely all over the place in terms of design, and it's not always very thought through, which is one aspect that feels somewhat unlike Taito. Some areas (and boss fights especially) can be unfair if you don't know what to do - but die once, and you'll know to do something else, so it's not exactly frustrating. And it's all so creative and adorable that I can't fault it for anything.
It was a fun idea to design a game around the original Bubble Bobble water baloon, but it never really comes into play in puzzle-like manner like you'd expect. It's just an attack and not much else. (compare to the vast utility of bubbles, rainbows, and parasols)
As with its spiritual predecessor, The New Zealand Story, there's weird hidden rooms all over the place, including warps that'll take you ahead in the game. At least two boss fights can be skipped entirely.

Don't play it for score, as you can farm some areas endlessly, making scoring completely broken.