Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Sumez wrote:Oh, all POWs is a must, man! I didn't know about that one (but always pick up the poo, because it's my destiny)

I don't play for score either, but all POWs need to be rescued, and all food must be eaten. And coins must be picked up in a quickly chained succession. That's just how it is, there's no debating it.
I try to get 'em all too - missed a couple in MSX stage 3, because I honestly had no idea they were there (kinda unintuitive, beyond merely "shoot scenery"):
Spoiler
Jump back onto the first train, after killing the red attack chopper - shoot the smokestack for a couple more POWs
But I usually skip the ones that require you to flat-out stall, most commonly seen in MS1. Those ones you have to wait around for at the start of Mission 4 being the worst offenders. The ruined town is among the very loveliest pixel art you could be forced to stare at, but since you can hit the "UR GR8" 10-POW threshold without 'em (or the ones who eventually drop down at the third boss), I just forge ahead.

The ones in the fourth bosses' cave are kinda neat... I think I got them all in my newer 1LC, but it's hard to be sure what causes them to spawn.

Completely forgot the one hiding in a cloud late in MS1, simply due to nerves at the incoming final boss. >_<

I love the SMB-styled Rapid Coin mechanic. :mrgreen: MSX Mission 5's opening is great for that, blow up all the cars and nom 'em up! The st2 genies (lucky RNG lets you stack 'em for MAD COINS) and st3's midboss coin shower are goodies too.
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Sumez
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

Oh yeah, if I can kill a boss before random POWs decide to come walking in from the side, it's going down before random POWs decide to come walking in from the side.

I'm looking at you, MS1 st3 boss and MSX st3 boss.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jeneki »

I'd like to talk about Arabian (1983 Sun arcade), since it's out on Arcade Archives.

The Kick: This is probably the wonkiest part about the game. Only press the button once, right when an enemy comes into range. If you mash, it seems to stop checking your kicks and enemies can mysteriously get through around 50% of the time. Also it seems like the kick hit box doesn't extend to the bottom of the player sprite. If an enemy is a bit below you, such as if you're hanging from a vine and they come upward at you, the kick will often not connect. Most of my deaths in this game result from "wtf why did that kick fail" (outside stage 3 but more on that in a bit).

Stage 1: Not much to say about this as it's very straightforward. You can jump into ladders/poles and grab them to move up faster. This is a good stage to try comboing enemies, kicking one enemy so it hits another for bonus points.

Stage 2: This is where you need to start crawling and hanging from vines, which makes you move very slowly. Try to use crawling or hanging for as short a time as possible, or route around them. You are very vulnerable while crawling as you can't attack and move so slow; if two enemies use a combine attack while you are cawing under something you are basically dead. Also ledges are a bit wonky here; if you wan to drop onto a ledge make sure you are fully above it or you may just pass through the edge ala Ice Climber. The crow is very aggressive about respawing birds on this stage. If there are less than the full amount on screen, don't try to run under it as one will pop out with no warning. However if the crow is perching on the left side, it won't spawn enemies.

Stage 3: Aka: Fuck you: The Stage: This is some AGVN bullshit and I wouldn't blame anyone for just uninstalling after failing it over and over. The time limit is a very real threat here if you fall a few times. If you touch one of the flying carpets from the side, you'll notice the edge turns blue. When this happens, you can't jump on it as it will just keep pushing you off. Just stop trying, duck under it or get out of the way, and try again on the next rotation. I found one route that worked and just use it every time, as trying to freestyle it just doesn't work for me. It's not obvious from the graphics, but if you make it to the very top you can walk on the wall to get the last few jars quickly.

Stage 4: The brick stairs at the bottom can be a bit weird as you jump up them, but not frustratingly so like the stage 3 carpets. After that there's a short section of carpets but the pacing makes them mcuh easier to climb. Once you get past the bottom half the rest is straightforward.

After this stage you rescue a princess, and the game repeats with more aggressive enemies. Of note is the enemy combine attack; these get way worse in loops and will change direction more often. Also the genie sometimes throws projectiles so you may have to keep a longer distance.

In conclusion, this game might be a bit too annoying to be enjoyable, between the weird kicks and the flying carpets. But still very completeable if you put some time into learning the quirks.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by kitten »

finally actually sank my teeth into twinkle tale and this game fucking rules. just completed a recording for a hard mode 1cc/nomiss and then read an old vanguard post about how mashing with spread shot increases your dps - and holy fucking shit does it ever 0___0 lol. i'm really curious if the default fire rate is the "intent" or not. i kind of like how scary a lot of parts of the game are with default fire rate, even if it pumps the brakes on the game's hyper-rollicking pace a bit. you stop moving forward as quickly and find yourself holed up, but the pressure never lets off thanks to the shocking careful attention to detail on when pressure enemies spawn in. there's a bit of fun in being made to stop and start dealing with the walls closing in!

tempted to possibly go back and do another recording where i actually use the rapid fire spread, some parts will seriously be dramatically easier. this game feels like even once you've mastered surviving hard efficiently, there's a huge upper limit to how quickly you can play, but i don't think i'd enjoy that too much. definitely much better accommodated for speedrunning than your average game, but i'm really not down for how much that require routing bomb deployment, enemy spawns and movement, etc. i think this game shines brightest when just playing for survival given some of the fun stuff that can go wrong on a casual pickup, but there's at least the capacity for a lot of high skill to be exercised.

this game is so fun!!! i love how much it encourages forward momentum, i feel like i'm playing something as sheerly joyful as contra fc. this is an almost perfect difficulty level for me - casual but far from sedate, and it will absolutely squash your face for disrespecting its sense of urgency.
Image ahhh, it's just really good!!!!


ahhh!!! also, a bit of a funny -

Image

at the end of this, i had beaten the boss again and gone to watch my twitch playback and discovered what had happened... i had died because i went to go sit on the boss while he was exploding to show off, set the controller down and looked away to type my celebratory message, then had my life tick down to his still-active hurtbox that doesn't disappear until he finishes blowing up. linked the clip of my idiotic hubris to my friends and had a good laugh at myself.
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Vanguard
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Vanguard »

It owns. I prefer playing on normal because hard jacks everything's health up so high. I don't think it changes anything else. I don't like mashing either because Twinkle Tale's weapon system is one of its best features. Mashing makes the star spread shot the uncontested king and consequently trivializes a lot of fun tactical decisions.
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To Far Away Times
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by To Far Away Times »

Huh, I sunk maybe 10 hours into that game and never knew about the mashing thing.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

I have added Volgarr the Viking to my Steam collection.

If Rastan's sequel didn't suck it would have been this game.

Volagarr has an impressive array of moves - he can attack high and low with his sword and throw spears which can be used to attack and create platforms. He has a downward thrust (DUFFMAN IS THRUSTING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PROBLEM), can roll through enemies (but I don't think projectiles), and lastly can jump and do a spin attack by pressing jump again. This can also be used to jump a bit higher. Volgarr can attack with his sword and spears while jumping as well. He cannot throw spears while crouched.

I've only spent a short amount of time so far with my furry brief wearing friend, but Volgarr will be a tough one to crack if stage 1 us any indication.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Klatrymadon »

Playing Crypt Stalker at the moment, a Castlevania-adjacent thing. It's really beautiful and plays pretty nicely. The controls are a lot zippier than you might expect, and I'm always wary of people who think the older CV games needed a speed injection, but the pacing is good so far. The jump physics might throw you a bit at first (I think they might even change depending on whether you're on the floor or stairs, etc), but it's great fun barrelling through the stages once you get comfortable. Your subweapon is a gun with various types of ammo, which I've generally been saving for the bosses. I haven't seen all of the ammo types yet, but they're really powerful and seem to have a range of uses. Some nice stage gimmicks, too, such as 'up' and 'down' arrows on certain platforms that send them in the corresponding directions at some speed. Good first impressions all round!

Edit: oh, and there's grappling that isn't hell to perform!
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Vanguard
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Vanguard »

Stevens wrote:
Great game. It's a lot more tactical than technical, and it's 100% deterministic, so once you learn how to beat something you should be able to repeat it semi-reliably. Look before you leap, don't forget about the camera zoom out button, and you'll be fine. I really like that the 1CC path is an almost entirely different set of levels from the credit feeding path. Doesn't get much more rewarding than that.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by kitten »

Vanguard wrote:It owns. I prefer playing on normal because hard jacks everything's health up so high. I don't think it changes anything else. I don't like mashing either because Twinkle Tale's weapon system is one of its best features.
i'm kind of into the widespread health pump - a very, very rare thing for me to approve of without massive caveat in a classic game's hard mode - just because so much of the tension in the game is when you're halted for just a second in your wanton path of destruction to have things catch up with you or start boxing you in. i never feel like it makes the game tedious, just significantly more scary and prone to making fuck-ups harder (but more exciting) to roll with. also makes me want to tactically bomb more often rather than just hold onto 'em all the time. i would absolutely not want a game without both choices, though, i like both normal & hard a whole lot.
Mashing makes the star spread shot the uncontested king and consequently trivializes a lot of fun tactical decisions.
i agree very strongly!

- -

i really wish i could get into sfc kiki kaikai!!! every time i play it i am just immensely frustrated with how much HP everything has even on normal and feel like i'm "playing it wrong." whereas i love that twinkle tale doesn't have fixed firing, kiki kaikai seems to suggest you're meant to precision snipe stuff for long periods very often and i'm deeply annoyed by the lack of it. am i supposed to use the dodge, ever? do i really just sit there and waggle the shield whenever i'm shot at? i don't "get" this one, and it feels weird because i'm otherwise onboard with almost everything natsume did on sfc. jesus, i like the four power ranger games, even - including the fighting game :<
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BrianC »

Too bad I'm without a CRT ATM. I like what I played of Twinkle Tale, but I'm not a fan of the dither blending. Might give it a go in Genesis Plus GX, despite being able to play it on the Mega SG.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

kitten wrote:i really wish i could get into sfc kiki kaikai!!! every time i play it i am just immensely frustrated with how much HP everything has even on normal and feel like i'm "playing it wrong." whereas i love that twinkle tale doesn't have fixed firing, kiki kaikai seems to suggest you're meant to precision snipe stuff for long periods very often and i'm deeply annoyed by the lack of it. am i supposed to use the dodge, ever? do i really just sit there and waggle the shield whenever i'm shot at? i don't "get" this one, and it feels weird because i'm otherwise onboard with almost everything natsume did on sfc. jesus, i like the four power ranger games, even - including the fighting game :<
Natsume love their powerdown-on-damage penalty. :wink: SFC Kiki's a fairly assholic example of it (the reigning champ being FC Kage).

Sorry, pretty obvious, I know. But depending on how far you've gotten into the game, it might be worth pointing out. Stages 4 onward can get unnervingly Euroshmuppy if you get powered down. Dramatically better experience when you're consistently maxed out.

Blocking/deflecting is critical, yep. Movement speed is moderate and hitboxes are large. The dive/slide is pretty much only for the obvious "bull charge" events, at least I don't recall using it very much.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

Vanguard wrote:
Stevens wrote:
Great game. It's a lot more tactical than technical, and it's 100% deterministic, so once you learn how to beat something you should be able to repeat it semi-reliably. Look before you leap, don't forget about the camera zoom out button, and you'll be fine. I really like that the 1CC path is an almost entirely different set of levels from the credit feeding path. Doesn't get much more rewarding than that.
Wow you're not kidding. After clawing my way through the first stage last night and stopping just after the boss - I just waltzed right through it. On my way to try the 2nd stage for the first time.

Also thanks for the pointer about the camera, I've been using it more and it is really helpful.

Edit - Fish King(?) down. 2nd stage took me around a half hour. I found stage two way easier (I still died a lot) now that I have come to grips with all the tools Volgarr has. Killed me on my first try (GET OUTTA THE WATER- DUH) and then I downed him with my next life. Some may find it unfair that you have to do the whole stage again but once you know what to do it seriously only set me back a few minutes.

The zoomed out camera helps a TON! I played the Village of Decay for a bit - wondering if I'm going to find Arthur's corpse? Rastan's on stage one was a nice homage.

Well I didn't find Arthur's corpse, but hole Conan homage. After breezing through stage two (comparatively speaking) I decided just to start on stage three. Wasn't too bad, probably about as hard as I found stage one. Boss took me four or five tries - seems to be a dps contest - I only had to really dodge him once and wailed on him.

Wasn't quite able to get passed the first part. I had also been playing for a bit, figured it best to take a break.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Strider77 »

I didn't play any Castlevania this Oct.... I should be whipped.
Damn Tim, you know there are quite a few Americans out there who still lives in tents due to this shitty economy, and you're dropping loads on a single game which only last 20 min. Do you think it's fair? How much did you spend this time?
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by kitten »

BIL wrote:Natsume love their powerdown-on-damage penalty. :wink: SFC Kiki's a fairly assholic example of it (the reigning champ being FC Kage).
would you say the blue or red are better? was talking w/ palazzo and he reps the max charged blue shot pretty hard.

- - - -



also, got a nomiss on KUJAKU OU 2, today! what a rad game! you know, i remember first playing as mystic defender some time back and absolutely sucked at it, but eventually got good enough to get a 1cc. went back to it for a pretty expedient nomiss (under 20 minutes counting opening scroll and the credits, and i even grab the two 1ups for funsies) and came to like it quite a bit more. i think i was too hard on it, originally, even going as far as to call it "a bit shoddy." i think it's actually really solid, it's just got a bit of that trademark early mega drive pseudo-arcade weirdness.

= =

tips on weapons -

energy charge - this is largely used in the first stage, when you have nothing else, and during a couple of the hell maze stages when you're trying to hit something from a distance. it's got solid DPS if you can hit something with repeated charge shots, but the flamethrower is so much more reliable and exciting to use that there's really not that much utility for it. this game has a super rollicking pace and trying to use this as a crutch for ranged encounter isn't conducive to its design.

flamethrower - this is probably the most satisfying flamethrower i've ever used in a video game. ahhhh, it feels so wonderful! charge up and let loose, then aim by pressing up or down. you should probably be using this for almost the entire game, and with two red power-ups, it charges so fast that you rarely have to disrupt the pacing to get it back up to full speed, it's almost more like a quick little reload button. remember that you charge while standing still or jumping, not while running, so try do little hops to get it back while also keeping forward momentum.

bouncing ball thingy - this ability really fucking sucks and i only use it during select parts of stage 5.

= =

stage advice -

st1 - the only part that should give any trouble is the boss. just go to the highest level as soon as you can and fire the flamethrower downward. the boss will repeatedly jump into it like an idiot. piece of cake.

st2 - this level, i think, makes a lot of people bounce off the game. it's really difficult to read what is actually a platform and contains some strange semi-branching paths and big punishment for missed jumps by wasting a lot of time. don't give up, it's actually quite easy to route with just a smidge of practice. don't charge an attack while doing the last hard jumps at the end, it makes it easier to hit the timing on the jumps, which is weirdly tight. for the boss fight, i strongly suggest using the energy charge and climbing up either the left or right stair case and then jumping back down to the center from the top. don't jump from one side of the top to the other because it spawns the enemies in weird locations that aren't conducive to hitting them in time before they disappear.

st3 - yokai giger maze stage 1. just take it nice and slow, get it routed, then get to being a bit more expedient at it. there's a 1up if you take an alternate corridor, you actually pass right underneath it on your normal way through the stage and just need to wrap back around to get it. will have demonstration of all paths techniques in a video i'll hopefully have up soon. neither of these stages have bosses.

st4 - the hardest stage in the game. no joke! always have a flamethrower firing before hopping from pillar to pillar and make sure you clear available nests before pushing forward. what makes this level particularly precarious is a set of two pillars you'll need to jump from before they plunge into the river and cost you a life - let the 2nd one sink a little before jumping to the one after it, you'll need to exercise a bit of patience. this often seems to be where a lot of people just quit the game because lol this shit is mean. i recommend using the energy charge for the boss and just staying on the left side and sniping it. if you made it here with full HP or just a half-hp knocked off, you're gold. otherwise, try hopping to the middle pillar if needed to avoid when necessary - which way the boss faces when it pops out of the acid is random.

st5 - relatively straightforward scrolling. keep your flame charged before moving forward on the first half, then get aggressive with the midboss. if you track its projectiles well, you can stay right in its face and kill it before it begins a really annoying pattern of moving itself to the other side of the screen. for the second half, switch to the bouncing balls when you're pinned by projectile enemies, then repeat a very similar strategy for the boss.

st6 - yokai giger maze stage 2. you're PROBABLY going to die at least once playing this stage on practice attempts because getting it routed requires a little memorization. just be very judicious, play it safe on early attempts. there's a 1up to the upper right in a platforming segment that is kind of hard to miss if you're exploring even a little. if you suck at the wall fights and don't want to flamethrower them, play it safe and use the energy charge from a distance.

st7 - another maze! however, very simple to route. i keep repeating this, but it bears mentioning - always have the flamethrower firing before moving forward for the majority of this stage and you'll get through it without breaking a sweat. you just need some moderate reflexes. the boss may seem tough but you can make him comically impotent and bully the fuck out of him, actually! just fire the flamethrower up in the air and rapidly switch left to right while tracking him. you can actually kill him before he gets off an attack if you don't get unlucky and throw him too far to one side of the screen, but even if he gets one off it's easy to trap him again.

st8 - final boss stage! use the flamethrower and slowly advance while frying the chaff, then switch to energy charge for the boss because flamethrower suddenly doesn't do damage anymore. you want to do a small jump, hit the center, then quickly do it again to shoot the bullets that would otherwise box you in. unless you get an unlucky shot arc from the projectile he lobs, you can really bully the hell out of him with this. in my video, i panic and use my bombs and play like an idiot because he hits me with one or two of those and barely make it out lol. you can also very tediously kill him with the bouncing balls and play it surprisingly safe by cancelling his bullets with those, but it's so fucking slow and boring.

= =

OTHER TIPS & TRICKS -

1. if you're playing with the jp cart in a us console, try resetting the game. it'll suddenly have the mystic defender opening text scroll and also have the english text for when the castle pops up. wild. ending text is the same no matter what, though. thanks, JoeYamato420 for e-mailing in this tip!

2. tap jumping is extremely useful, don't just hold the button down. this is a game where it's easy to forget there's alternate modes of jumping! it'll jump for roughly as long as you hold it down. i wish it was like jigoku gokuraku maru, where the tap and hold are binary options and the game is very tightly designed around that, but this *feels* very similar despite that not being the reality.
3. acid kills you in one hit! it's very fucking dangerous! god damn DO NOT FALL IN IT Image

i'd like to thank god for helping me write this guide, and my chemical romance for being there for me while i was writing it. pls add me on AIM and pop me a message if you read this far XD
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Blinge »

O hey. Just finish Hollow Knight's Steel Soul mode. Permadeath, got 100% completion and beat the TLB.

aand thought I'd share someone elses video of the super optional area, Path of Pain. It's like super meat boy but doesn't feel like a pisstake.
https://youtu.be/a5EUUB5_HwY
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Stevens
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

How is it possible that Volgarr's 4-1 in normal mode is fucking harder than the hard version? I've yet to complete it on normal, but fucking blind cleared the hard version and got to the boss?
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Vanguard
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Vanguard »

Stevens wrote:How is it possible that Volgarr's 4-1 in normal mode is fucking harder than the hard version? I've yet to complete it on normal, but fucking blind cleared the hard version and got to the boss?
The valkyrie path isn't really harder than the crystal path, setting aside that you have limited lives.
kitten wrote:would you say the blue or red are better? was talking w/ palazzo and he reps the max charged blue shot pretty hard.
I go with fireballs on stage 5 and spread shot everywhere else.

Blocking is often your best defense and imo that's the game's biggest flaw. The dive is usually more dangerous than it's worth.
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Yeah, I eventually settled on Spreadshot for 90% of the game. The zako suppression's too valuable to pass up.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BrianC »

Jeneki wrote:I'd like to talk about Arabian (1983 Sun arcade), since it's out on Arcade Archives.

The Kick: This is probably the wonkiest part about the game. Only press the button once, right when an enemy comes into range. If you mash, it seems to stop checking your kicks and enemies can mysteriously get through around 50% of the time. Also it seems like the kick hit box doesn't extend to the bottom of the player sprite. If an enemy is a bit below you, such as if you're hanging from a vine and they come upward at you, the kick will often not connect. Most of my deaths in this game result from "wtf why did that kick fail" (outside stage 3 but more on that in a bit).

Stage 1: Not much to say about this as it's very straightforward. You can jump into ladders/poles and grab them to move up faster. This is a good stage to try comboing enemies, kicking one enemy so it hits another for bonus points.

Stage 2: This is where you need to start crawling and hanging from vines, which makes you move very slowly. Try to use crawling or hanging for as short a time as possible, or route around them. You are very vulnerable while crawling as you can't attack and move so slow; if two enemies use a combine attack while you are cawing under something you are basically dead. Also ledges are a bit wonky here; if you wan to drop onto a ledge make sure you are fully above it or you may just pass through the edge ala Ice Climber. The crow is very aggressive about respawing birds on this stage. If there are less than the full amount on screen, don't try to run under it as one will pop out with no warning. However if the crow is perching on the left side, it won't spawn enemies.

Stage 3: Aka: Fuck you: The Stage: This is some AGVN bullshit and I wouldn't blame anyone for just uninstalling after failing it over and over. The time limit is a very real threat here if you fall a few times. If you touch one of the flying carpets from the side, you'll notice the edge turns blue. When this happens, you can't jump on it as it will just keep pushing you off. Just stop trying, duck under it or get out of the way, and try again on the next rotation. I found one route that worked and just use it every time, as trying to freestyle it just doesn't work for me. It's not obvious from the graphics, but if you make it to the very top you can walk on the wall to get the last few jars quickly.

Stage 4: The brick stairs at the bottom can be a bit weird as you jump up them, but not frustratingly so like the stage 3 carpets. After that there's a short section of carpets but the pacing makes them mcuh easier to climb. Once you get past the bottom half the rest is straightforward.

After this stage you rescue a princess, and the game repeats with more aggressive enemies. Of note is the enemy combine attack; these get way worse in loops and will change direction more often. Also the genie sometimes throws projectiles so you may have to keep a longer distance.

In conclusion, this game might be a bit too annoying to be enjoyable, between the weird kicks and the flying carpets. But still very completeable if you put some time into learning the quirks.
I tried the FC "Super" version of Arabian after playing the AC. It's not a terrible port like it's rep suggests and I like some aspects better than the AC version. The main character doesn't slow down when he crawls and the magic carpets are easier to jump on. Music is of lesser quality, but strangely more fitting to the setting. The words to finish the stage are shorter, but there are now multiple words to spell and not just "Arabian".
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Stevens
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

Starting from 1-1 I've made it to the end of 5-2 in Volgarr.

I didn't mention it but there are two paths through stages two through six. If you open enough chests without taking a hit you get these little blue flames that allow you to open up a harder version (although like Vanguard has said harder only cause you get limited tries, not necessarily more difficult). I've managed to open two of the hard paths (2-1 and 4-1), but only cleared 4-1 and 4-2 on the Valkyrie path.

Honestly it's a hard game, but it's fair. I mean you get unlimited lives for crying out loud!
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Sumez
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

I guess I'm officially started on the Metal Slug X training. Haven't put real time aside for it yet, but I practiced some stage 5 the other day, and it's immediately become my favourite stage in the Metal Slug series.
It has everything I like about it, and very little of what I don't. The frantic RNG enemy spawns, tons of grenades (the Metal Slug grenade is one of the best things I've seen in any game of this type, and I feel like 2/X might have improved it slightly from the first by making it a little less predictable, or is that just me?), and just lots of tricks to effeciently use grenades and cannons to ravage the battlefield.

I kinda wish the jumping knife soldiers would be a visibly distinct enemy that only does that one attack, would really have helped a lot with the visual orientation in the game.
Last edited by Sumez on Tue Nov 03, 2020 8:29 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Marc
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Marc »

I'd like to put a bit more time into Volgarr. Game absolutely kicked my ass when I first picked it up. The combat seemed fun but some of the platforming felt a bit 'off', and it discouraged me from going for the secret areas/chests. Probably didn't give it long enough to be fair.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by kitten »

been on a mega drive kick, lately, and have been playing a reasonable bit of that. i've got uploads of golden axe 3 (hard mode, nomiss), kujaku ou 2 (nomiss), and twinkle tale (hard mode, nomiss) uploaded, but i've yet to give them descriptions and post them here, which is becoming a bit of a habit. i still actually haven't given a description to that metal stoker vid and properly put it in here yet, despite saying i would months ago..... whoops lol. been surprisingly busy or occupied to do write-ups i used to love doing!!

- -

i played through a bunch of shadow dancer md yesterday - anyone here really like that one? i want to like it more than i do, but some of the hitboxing and times it decides to sword slash versus times it doesn't drive me up a goddamn wall. occasionally i'll uselessly chuck a shuriken and get hit and die, or i'll slash at something and watch the swish obviously pass through it and not get a hit registered (this is particularly ambiguous with jumping enemies like the radioactive(?) spider-man guys or the red/black ninjas, you sometimes just get fucked if you do not play it safe). while there are ways to get around this and reliably trounce every encounter, it turns the game into rote memorization and really strict pattern adherence. i think this is part of why i've never much liked rolling thunder-esque games all too much, they're a little simon says-y.

gave the highest difficulty/third loop a credit-feed spin and the last stage feels like comedy in how mean they try to make it. utterly cruel shit, really! dudes everywhere. last boss is also a nightmare until you realize to stand in the middle every time and bait one guy to jump over so you can hit them both with 3 quick slashes (and then to just jump over rolling guys and let them run off screen). bonus stages suck horribly and are a huge waste of time/wrist health, and oh my god does the game just *spew* lives at you. if you play the third loop the game also just suddenly gives you TEN continues, too!

- -

my copy of TWO CRUDE DUDES (i wanted to import a copy of crude buster but didn't want to start up an import spree, so i just grabbed a loose copy that looks like it got pulled out a washing machine but still works fine lol) also arrived within the last day, and i played some of it a little while ago. it feels... weirdly tight? sometimes data east games infuriate me with this sense of ambiguity and goofiness (werewolf: the last warrior, specifically the NES version, which is more difficult, is one of the most miserable experiences i've ever had with a game, yet i'm still somehow fond of it), but this one feels like it's pulled a lot more tautly. kind of at a loss on how to fight a few bosses, though? i remember bil cataloguing a lot his experiences with this one, maybe i need to consult the index here in a bit, but i'd like to feel the edges a little more on my own, first.

- -

also, playing these games back-to-back purely by accident has been funny! post-apocalypse new york in both, including twin towers prominent on the title screen. the idea of new york having to be salvaged as some sort of national treasure following an apocalypse feels kind of like a weird notion, tbh! that monuments would even still be in the skyline following a widespread destruction of the city is ridiculous enough. feels like the notion is the value of the culture the monuments represent, so they need to be enduring to feel you're still saving "america?" all feels so obviously influenced by american movie propaganda about hyper vigilance regarding terrorism and the preciousness of the american way of life. how decrepit 0_0

glad crude buster has this hilarious satirical vibe to it! a lot of games (and ova's) seem to pick up on the anti-american shit in john carpenter or verhoeven-like stuff of the time, which was usually hyper-critical of what it depicted. (either version of) shadow dancer's strange obsession with very distinctly american terrorism feels a bit gauche 30 years later, though it does kind of engender this morbidly silly "of the times" feel to the games. the english box cover especially is just like, good lord lol. i prefer it when a game like contra mixes movie elements and then takes them to such an absurd height that you're operating on raw aesthetic, shadow dancer alternatively feels a bit too what it is and should have been a bit more heightened or parodical.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Marc »

kitten wrote:my copy of TWO CRUDE DUDES (i wanted to import a copy of crude buster but didn't want to start up an import spree, so i just grabbed a loose copy that looks like it got pulled out a washing machine but still works fine lol) also arrived within the last day, and i played some of it a little while ago. it feels... weirdly tight? sometimes data east games infuriate me with this sense of ambiguity and goofiness (werewolf: the last warrior, specifically the NES version, which is more difficult, is one of the most miserable experiences i've ever had with a game, yet i'm still somehow fond of it), but this one feels like it's pulled a lot more tautly. kind of at a loss on how to fight a few bosses, though? i remember bil cataloguing a lot his experiences with this one, maybe i need to consult the index here in a bit, but i'd like to feel the edges a little more on my own, first.
Interesting, I need to play the MD version. Crude Busters as an arcade game is something I want to love, but 'tight' is the last word I'd use to describe it. Typical Data East in fact, lots of interesting ideas carried out in a half-assed fashion.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by kitten »

there's occasionally a bit of ambiguity w/r/t grab distance, but when you get in a rhythm of getting it down you feel like a total powerhouse. i can't speak to arcade/md differences, but there were moments i was playing the MD game where i was really delighted by the pacing and sense of carnage. i almost totally lost that vague sense of anxiety that data east games give me where anything can go wrong at any moment for reasons i may or may not be able to read properly lol. it gives me that feeling when i'm failing that i'm *so close* to doing better that makes me want to keep playing until i'm much better at it. maybe that'll crumble when i play it more, but it definitely feels like something firmly masterable.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Crude Buster MD isn't as renowned a console rebuild as its stablemate Chelnov, but I get the feeling it should be. Never played the AC one, but the MD game is indeed nicely refined. SKYe's written a ton about his experiences with it, should answer just about anything you need to know. :smile:

Crude Buster, Kujaku Ou 2, Twinkle Tale and Shadow Dancer is one nice slate of MD action gaming. :cool:
also, playing these games back-to-back purely by accident has been funny! post-apocalypse new york in both, including twin towers prominent on the title screen. the idea of new york having to be salvaged as some sort of national treasure following an apocalypse feels kind of like a weird notion, tbh! that monuments would even still be in the skyline following a widespread destruction of the city is ridiculous enough. feels like the notion is the value of the culture the monuments represent, so they need to be enduring to feel you're still saving "america?" all feels so obviously influenced by american movie propaganda about hyper vigilance regarding terrorism and the preciousness of the american way of life. how decrepit 0_0
Nobody did innocently deranged ReaganRama like DECO. :lol: They really loved that NYC skyline.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Vanguard »

copy-paster wrote:Any write-up for Rockman 4: Minus Infinity someday?

It seems like the author of MI hinted a "sequel" for it but no news these days.
Looks like that just came out. Rockman 7 EP, which can be found here: http://borokobo.web.fc2.com/#Rock7. Rockman 7 would be my last choice of games in the series to hack, with its terrible FOV. From what I can tell, PureSabe isn't confident in it either. Well I'm willing to bet PureSabe's failures beat out most people's successes. I'll play it and report back.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

kitten wrote: bonus stages suck horribly and are a huge waste of time/wrist health
this is the big thing that kept me from playing MD Shadow Dancer beyond the bare 1CC on level 3. shits so boring and you can't insta-fail it like you can the arcade games' bonus stages. also not fond of the final stage being just a warehouse full of crates, really uninspired stuff. AC Shadow Dancer is so much better
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by WelshMegalodon »

Yes, I believe all of us agreed some time ago that No-Shuriken Mode was the best way to enjoy the game. Everyone (including BIL) also agreed that the bonus stages sucked.

I honestly don't mind the rote memorization too much. It makes the first loop nice and easy, perfect for comfort-food gaming.
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