Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Sima Tuna]

I'm getting my shit slapped by the 3 stage blue dragon boss. He's not that hard himself, but I make mistakes in the first or second phases. When I do survive to phase 3, he invariably gives me the spinning fireball head pattern that I don't know how to deal with.

Frog magic seems really, really good for general play in the levels. Enemies in this game are so rude, and the frogs are extremely passive by comparison. Plus there's the fact that transformed frogs immediately fall straight down, so flying enemies are eliminated as soon as they're transformed over a pit.

The pace of Resurrection so far seems slower than Daimakaimura by necessity. There are too many enemies to rush forward blindly and their spawns are set deliberately to catch and trip up rushers. But if you wait too long without effectively managing enemy numbers, the random spawns will invariably overwhelm you. The game has a really nice push-and-pull with both fixed and respawning enemies. If there were no respawning enemies, then I think it would be too easy to slow play the game and scroll a few inches at a time. You know, like what people do for parts of metal slug games.

[BryanM]

I did a more thorough investigation of the sword in Ghouls and yeah, if you have it with you, you just eat shit. Even Dragon Lightning does nothing. So you have to pick up another weapon along the way. (I've read a post saying the genesis version restarts you at bosses, so you just reset the game in that one.)

The axe is an even worse weapon, in a lot of places..

The arremers that show up in the next stage are less accommodating to the sword than stage 2's was, so it might be the designer's way of saying "it's time to use a real weapon, dude."

... the randomized timing of when enemies decide to shoot projectiles at you is my bugbear when using this thing. My favorite move, jumping in there and yelling "eat shit!" or "get fucked!" (it depends on the situation) and swinging it like crazy is often bested by such sneaky trickery.

[Sima Tuna]

Play the scrolling elevator part (where the goblins drop rocks) in Ghouls and Ghosts with either the Torch or Sword and you'll have a fun time.

GnG Resurrection: Anyway, I killed the dragon. I took him super slow and he gave me good patterns at the end. I think jumping constantly to increase your speed is really required for that fight. If you try to run normally, Arthur will be too slow. I've been using dagger most of the time because, y'know, GnG. But I finally purchased the ability to have a 2nd weapon so I can experiment. The stone, disc, lance and crossbow all seem at least usable in this. Hammer is fucking awful though.

[BryanM]

It wasn't bad with the sword, no idea how the torch does yet. The final stage is quite tough tho, spacing is very dicey with a lot of those enemies. Astaroths are best taken out bum rush style, the clouds are jerks. A lot of instances where you might take a hit to score a kill.

I bet to learn the run well enough to do it in one go like at a Too Many Games events would require complete control over when enemies decide to fire (is it truly randomized, or do inputs matter?). As well as RNG manipulation or save states to get the chests to cough up the right weapon.

That's another, easier challenge you can do with these games: if you see a weapon, you pick up a weapon. A randomized element of games that are mostly pretty predictable. .... Predictable except when I want to jump into someone's face with a sword.

There's at least one exploit to beat beelzebub. Arcade version respawns the rock droppers. Trying to learn to control his teleport better to beat him legit, but I think there might be heavy RNG on that too. It actually seems feasible, since he can take damage while he manifests/de-manifests.

The goddess crusher really puts the game into easy mode in contrast~

The weird videogame logic of the antlions being the most powerful demon in the game is weird.

[velo]

I did a more thorough investigation of the sword in Ghouls and yeah, if you have it with you, you just eat shit. Even Dragon Lightning does nothing. So you have to pick up another weapon along the way. (I've read a post saying the genesis version restarts you at bosses, so you just reset the game in that one.)

What version did you check? I think I tried the US version (in CAS), it just gives you a dagger if you reach that point with the sword. I don't know about the Genesis port.

[BIL]

Oof, Christ! Area 1 down, after a couple hours last night and tonight. Early going was spent in the lower rung (Dai's Place of Execution), because I'm a Dai man. But it whooped my ass a bit too hard, so I went up a rung for marginally less pain.



Fuck me old boots, this is hard as goddamn balls.

Regarding Kaettekita's quality: it's excellent. I don't play many newer games, but regardless, this is one of the finest bridgings of arcade and console sensibilities I've ever seen. The underlying substrate is pure coin-op granite; each Zone is effectively a bite-sized arcade-tough jawbreaker. This is overlaid with a dusting of console concession; you've unlimited lives, and with them, unlimited leisure to ferret out Umbral Bees, the upgrades purchased with liable to break former chokepoints wide open.

Regarding the graphics and overall presentation: Really good! I was expecting some horribly cheap n' tatty Flash game thing, from what I vaguely recalled of the lukewarmly-received trailer. Far from it, this is as tangibly solid a depiction of Makai as I could've asked for; it's wonderfully overgrown and weathered, the first Arremer's devastated chapel an early highlight. While the paper-doll joint animations have an innately scrappy quality, it's parlayed flawlessly into the sense of a playable macabre storybook.

What really helps is the underlying mechanical solidity - handling and collision are both utterly airtight, the spells in particular connecting with every bit of the cathartic jolt as their 2D predecessors.



Regarding the default difficulty: I agree with Sumez that Legend works superbly, though with a slight caveat; I think it's best recommended for veterans who've gone at least a 2ALL with Makaimura, and have acclimated to that familiar, initial sting of despair.

Personally, I've 2ALLed Dai, and only dabbled in Makaimura's loop, which I always found a far meaner prospect, on account of Arthur's more restrictive mechanics (there's also Chou, whose 2ALL, while tough, I think most would put a rung or so down; naturally, with it being a console original). I found Area 1 easily as tough as Dai's endgame, and while I wouldn't call it Kaizo-style design, it's definitely the kind of gauntlet that would keep arcade communities huddled around the cab, noting each death and fighting for every inch of screen. In that sense, of course, it's a delightful return for Fujiwara - but by that same token, not universally ideal, with even arcade games having quite the spectrum of difficulty; Makaimura and Metal Slug are very different propositions, as are Rolling Thunder and Sunset Riders.

I supect the next tier down (Knight?) might be perfect for fans of arcade action who might not be accredited Makaimura masters, or even those who are, and simply want a little more leisure; with Legend tackled after a working knowledge of stage layouts and Arthur's equipment is gained. I was seeing unfamiliar weapons and spells that, for all I know, might've greatly expedited this first Area; but given the series' long history of "dagger or bust," I played it conservative with Fire and Lightning, the former dealing nicely with 1-2's quadruple flytrap ambush, once I'd noted their weaknesses - a long cooldown after firing, and a comfortably short trigger-zone for their bite, these points combined with Fire magic and a barrage of Daggers making short work of what seemed a hopelessly fast, aggressive threat.

For players who've no arcade experience whatsoever, I imagine Knight will give them all they can handle and more. I'm speaking from deliberate blindness here, having not tried it myself, but having long observed the differences in mindset between AC and CS fans. The former expect a beating, knowing comptence lies somewhere down a hard road, mastery further still; the latter might react poorly to the same rough entry, wrongly assuming the game is lost before it really even begins.

I'm tempted to keep going on Legend, just to extend my time with this game; it's marvelous to get a 110% uncompromising new work from Fujiwara himself, and I'd like to savour it. I may leave the game until this fall, when I'll be back home on a fibre line; currently living in the England, which has surprisingly shitty basic internet. I wouldn't mind streaming some of this torment, as Sumez suggested. We'll see, though! This game's quality is hard to stay away from.

[BryanM]

What version did you check? I think I tried the US version (in CAS), it just gives you a dagger if you reach that point with the sword. I don't know about the Genesis port.

Arcade World. You're right about US, it's even positioned in a "you either pick this up or jump into the ocean" kinda place.

The rank on the US version is also juiced up quite a bit. What's the default setting the Japan release uses? Was World made easier or US harder?

Like a junkie that needs to cut themselves to feel anything, I think I'll go with the hardest set up and dip switches they offer for future Ghoulsing. The only downside is it adds a ton of stupid wasted time with the stupid bouncy turtle stage. It's not to the extent of the stupid house in the first one that makes me not play the game outright, but I loathe them so much.

"Walking to the right so-as to kill more motherfuckers, so much fun... oh never mind. I'll just uh. Stand here and watch you bounce. Yeah. So much 'fun'.."

It's been over 25 years since I first played this game on the genesis, and my hatred of them has only grown deeper since.

[BIL]

Something I forgot to mention - the classic ground-shaving jumpshot translated over sooo perfectly. As integral to Dai's feel as NG1's rising jumpslash.

When he bust they bes duck Cuz if he miss IT AINT BY MUCH (■｀w´■) - William Chaucer

Spoiler

The rank on the US version is also juiced up quite a bit. What's the default setting the Japan release uses? Was World made easier or US harder?

AFAIK, the difficulty pecking order from easiest to hardest is US -> World -> Japan.

Daimakaimura tends to smack around Ghouls n' Ghosts (US) fans who're revisiting after a long absence. I recall hearing the second loop is more standardised, but I've never played US/World that far.

jepjepjep and mikehaggar always deliver. That's a great thread, and incidentally spawned this one.

It's been over 25 years since I first played this game on the genesis, and my hatred of them has only grown deeper since.

Turtle Town, aka The Real D-Day Landing Simulator

[Sima Tuna]

I decided to play on Knight knowing that I'm not good at arcade games. I don't have any 1ccs of any makaimura title (because I never practiced for them yet,) so I wanted to stay conservative with the pain train. You can still use Legend checkpoints (forgoing banners of rebirth) if you want, in which case I believe all Knight scales down compared to Legend is maybe some enemy spawn frequency and giving you 1 extra hit per armor. Considering that a new/bad player is unlikely to be wearing Gold Armor, and a veteran player more likely to have some, it's not that big a difference. Knight difficulty gives you the same number of hits before death as if you were wearing Gold Armor when you're in Steel, but you won't have the damage or rate of fire buff Gold provides.

The deliberate fuckery of the level design is very enjoyable to me. I don't think it's kaizo really, because every Makaimura game has the same fuckery to some degree. I've had enemies spawn literally on top of me in ALL makaimura games I have played. The only tweak I would make to Resurrection is modify Arremers to be slightly easier to kill. I'm not sure they should be fully invulnerable except when attacking. It would be neat if you could still hit them when they're idling now and then. Not sure how they would program that. Maybe add 1 very fast idle animation where they're locked in and can't move.

BIL, did you complete the shadow stuff and the second loop? My understanding is the game has quite a bit of content for such an arcade experience.

Reviews for Resurrection are interesting. Some people really gelled with the experience. Some "got" what the game was going for and just didn't enjoy it at all. And then there were a lot of people who came in with the console/modern gamer mindset ("every game should hand me a free clear in time for the review window") and hated it.

Those motherfucking turtles btw. Hate those guys. The turtle sections might actually be easier in Resurrection than in Dai. Why? You get magic that doesn't rely on having armor and the turtle patterns don't feel quite as random or bullshitty.

[BIL]

BIL, did you complete the shadow stuff and the second loop? My understanding is the game has quite a bit of content for such an arcade experience.

Oh hell no That's just Area 1 (Graveyard/Forest/Unicorn), took me a few hours. I'll go back and edit the post, sorry it was unclear. The shadow/loop stuff sounds absolutely diabolical, and intriguing.

Yeah, to me, Kaizo means a reliance on unreactable gag bullshit; pure rote, where you see something once, die once, then never again. Bad IREM copycat memoriser STGs are like this, too. Sometimes even IREM and other great houses, on their occasional bum notes.

Ambushes and furiously-spawning enemies are a different matter; even if it's fiendishly easy to get driven into a corner and die, you still have to come back and figure out a strategy. It's not just an oilslick-deep jumpscare.

Perikles had an extremely useful term for his favourite IREM et als: "Living Memoriser." Games where knowing the layout, and formulating a plan, is very useful or even vital, but execution is consistently intense, and preferably malleable to individual players. R-Type II's second loop finale was his gold example, that absolute wall of enemies and revenge bullets that you need to herd like a conductor at an orchestra into something intelligible and evadable.

So far, Resurrection has offered exactly the action/platforming scenes of relentless treachery and simmering volatility I'd expect from the classic AC duo, with a bit of Chou's still-impressively unruly environmental effects.

All this said, Legend is endgame-brutal from the outset; I think Knight sounds about perfect. Legend reminds me of stuff like Metal Storm's second loop, and Contra III's Hard difficulty, where it feels like the designers either:

1) expect you to have completed the lower rung, developing an awareness of where/how the screws will tighten, or

2) are prepared for A Searing Struggle, arriving at the same destination in less time but with more battle scars.

Like an oldschool game center samurai, killer's eyes unflinching in the warmthless white CRT glow, his men observing in intense silence. I can't overstate how delighted I am to see Fujiwara return with a beast like this, and one so perfectly leavened by an (entirely player-determined) layer of console flexibility.

Picking through Area 1 looking for Dem Bees (I love how the map screen tells you if you've missed any). Had a zombie erupt out of a wall, furiously clawing the thin air above my head as I ducked. "Ha!" I thought. Then he tumbled out of the wall and killed me.

[BryanM]

AFAIK, the difficulty pecking order from easiest to hardest is US -> World -> Japan.

Huh, it's really quite weird. The hearts on the larvae boss take 4 hits in US versus the 3 in world, but the US version is absolutely littered with extra checkpoints, including the bosses. (So that's why they absolutely had to add a dagger there for swordsmen, otherwise it'd be a hardlock like in the Genesis version.)

Guess my impression was clouded by having a much harder time swording bosses to death without getting hit in the US version.

The ranking's pretty relative I guess; what good are extra checkpoints if you don't die, what help is the first boss having less HP if he's a sandbag and the later bosses have more, what good is extra armor if you're not a pervert willing to wear someone else's clothes that're just laying around in the middle of hell. It's training wheels for newbies, but aside from the armor harder for those who know the game.

... well, US also did seem to lack one of those extra wall snakes things that's in a real assy place...

[BIL]

a pervert willing to wear someone else's clothes that're just laying around in the middle of hell.

Man, my butt is in much better condition after clearing Zone 1/Graveyard, then heading down below to Execution Ground. Magic undeniably helps, but having absorbed the game's handling, gravity, and speed even moreso. Movement and jumps are incredibly close to Makaimura; moreso than the marginally spritelier Dai, I think, despite the presence of the latter's vertical fire and magic.

Coming back with absolutely no illusions of how fast those SKELETON MURDERERS can close distance, or how sharply Arthuer can - and must! - respond, sniping the bastards at range while picking through the terrain feels damn fine.

EAT A KNIFE IN THE NUTS SALAD YOU FUCKS (｀w´メ)

Spoiler

...I wondered, looking at that, why I'd crouched. Not like it'll save you from the scythes, though it can help prevent a whiff on uneven ground. Then I remembered it's something I tend to do in my sidescrollers, to ensure no unwanted horizontal travel when pivoting. God this plays faithfully.

Was bracing myself for a particularly tight jump, when a vulture who'd set himself on fire bummed me while flapping about frantically. This game cracks me up, nonstop mayhem.

Total moment, after what seemed like an entire building collapsing on me, spotting the pennant and making the hop... then the damn step I landed on started crumbling away juuust right.

JESUS BALLS (｀w´メ)

Spoiler

I really like the warning flash when you've stepped into an enemy rush - it's the sort of thing that seems a bit handholdy on paper, but in-game, it just cranks the tension up. Good time to ready a nice crowd-obliterating magick. Lock and load, kangz! Dead cunts comin' in hawt!

The environmental malleability in this game is wild. Poor ol' execution yard is falling apart, genuine sense of large-scale collapse.

THAT IS MY HOUSE (◎w◎;)

Spoiler

Excellent stuff. As expected, Sumez and Ebbo have it right - this may not be classic pixel art, but it all works so well (and the game is so goddamn tight), it's more likeable than I'd ever have thought. Kamaitachi forest lookin fiiine EDIT: Dawww! Lookit he little tongue lolling out! Poor varmint's puffed himself out, by way of the classic vulnerability window. So much TLC in these player/enemy models.

KAMAITACHI no YORU SUPER ARRANGE VER

Spoiler

I shouldn't be so surprised. Shin Contra had attractive, 2D-tight, arcade-precise polygonal sidescrolling nailed two decades ago. I'm just used to modern productions screwing up, I guess. Figured that one had an old master at the helm too in Nakazato-san.

EDIT2: WTF, did I just see a ledge pullup? Thought I was imagining things. Splendid.

NU TECHMOLOGY (｀w´メ)

Spoiler

[Sumez]

Heyyy, this is pretty good Went in on Legend, as per Sumez-san - it's bumming me into next week, but that's Makaimura for you. I imagine I could happily bump it down one, but I'm liking the sheer audacity of it too much for now. You really fight for those checkpoints.

Not trying to play this off like hey Legend mode isn't 2 tuff, might as well play on that. No, Legend is genuinely super difficult (at least the first time around, it's one of those games where a 1LC is actually much more viable than it first seems), but it's all worth it. On my first playthrough, I'd usually do only one or two stages per day. For some of the Shadow Loop stages it would take me two days for just one stage. Death count frequently rocketing well past 100.
It's all in a day's work for Knight Arthur, really.

Handling feels nearer the first game's conservatism than the second's marginally more freewheeling action, despite the presence of vertical fire and magic. I love Dai's rollicking cutthroat pace more than the heavier original or floatier Chou, but this game definitely seems to know what it's doing.

Oh, Resurrection is freewheeling as shit! If you think it feels conservative now, just wait till you get more familiar with it, and tasked with some of the crazier challenges thrown at you (but even the burritos on the first stage should keep the pace up quite nicely). I think it takes everything great about Dai's split-second decision making and amps it up to 11.

[Sumez]

I did a more thorough investigation of the sword in Ghouls and yeah, if you have it with you, you just eat shit. Even Dragon Lightning does nothing. So you have to pick up another weapon along the way. (I've read a post saying the genesis version restarts you at bosses, so you just reset the game in that one.)

The US version of Ghouls n Ghosts has a checkpoint before each boss on arcade, so you can softlock yourself on that one if you're stuck with the sword against Ohme.
The MegaDrive version has those checkpoints only if you're playing on "Practice" mode. Change the game up to "Professional" for the true Daimkaimura balancing, you wouldn't want people thinking Arthur can't make a living from this.

The rank on the US version is also juiced up quite a bit. What's the default setting the Japan release uses? Was World made easier or US harder?

World was made easier. Japanese is the hardest version, but IMO rank does very little in this game, which is why the second loop also doesn't really feel harder at all (especially with the psycho cannon).
The most important difference is that chests are more lenient on the US revision (maybe World too? Not sure) and will give you more silver armors where the JP versions would only give you a gold upgrade or magician. Another design replicated by MegaDrive's "Practice" mode.

I think jumping constantly to increase your speed is really required for that fight. If you try to run normally, Arthur will be too slow.

Jumping for a speed boost is a massive part of the entire game. I love the trade-off of taking away granular control in favor of more effecient forcing of terrain. Overall, GNGR is just stupidly well balanced.

I was seeing unfamiliar weapons and spells that, for all I know, might've greatly expedited this first Area; but given the series' long history of "dagger or bust," I played it conservative with Fire and Lightning

Oh, definitely don't even look at any other weapons outside of the Dagger until you get a certain skill pertaining to weapons.
My preferred skill early on was Doppelgänger for those cool-ass speed kills. But lightning is useful too, mostly as a planned smartbomb of sorts. There's one specific stage particularly coming up, where this becomes extremely useful, though I've seen people playing it through without ever realising it was even viable...
Late in the game's shadow loop, I'd use lightning only very rarely, and only for one specific purpose. When you know you know.

I'm tempted to keep going on Legend, just to extend my time with this game; it's marvelous to get a 110% uncompromising new work from Fujiwara himself, and I'd like to savour it.

Oh man, don't even consider backing down! You can do Knight after you've beaten the game, when you're going for your fist 1LC. I think Knight would be very nicely balanced for an arcade setup where you had 3 lives to beat the fucker. But with the infinite-lives design the game gives you, Legend is absolutely the way to go, if you want that traditional punishing-yet-satisfying Makaimura experience where you won't be able to just survive on a fluke.

[Steven]

How does the SuperGrafx version compare to the arcade version? I've generally heard it's more accurate than the MD version, but I've never played the arcade version and only the first 2 stages or so on the SuperGrafx and MD.

[Ebbo]

EDIT2: WTF, did I just see a ledge pullup? Thought I was imagining things. Splendid.

I too was flabbergasted when I encountered this unicorn of an mechanic for the first time, then immediately plummeted to my doom. Even the digital manual seems a bit confused about its inclusion judging by the wording

[BryanM]

How does the SuperGrafx version compare to the arcade version?

At this rate we'll be playing all the variations of this game including the Commodore 64 and Master System version this console only has five games on it gosh darn it >_<

All I know it looks like it's a bit of a step down from the arcade when it comes to aesthetics, but not as much as the Genesis version was.

(There's also this aMaru fellow claiming to be doing an overhaul of the genesis port.)

Watching these videos has reminded me how much Demon's Crest oozes atmosphere. It's a pity it's not fun to replay and replay. Even bigger pity that it's been buried to the sands of history, only showing up on the SNES as far as I know.

[Sumez]

Only heard good things of the SuperGrafx version - can't afford one myself. But the MegaDrive port is already one of the absolute best (maybe the best?) contemporary arcade ports I've ever seen. The visual downgrade is quite a hit, but aside from that the game plays excellently. The fact that it's easier than the arcade version seems almost accidental, since the devil really is in the details.

[BIL]

Heyyy, this is pretty good Went in on Legend, as per Sumez-san - it's bumming me into next week, but that's Makaimura for you. I imagine I could happily bump it down one, but I'm liking the sheer audacity of it too much for now. You really fight for those checkpoints.

Not trying to play this off like hey Legend mode isn't 2 tuff, might as well play on that. No, Legend is genuinely super difficult (at least the first time around, it's one of those games where a 1LC is actually much more viable than it first seems), but it's all worth it. On my first playthrough, I'd usually do only one or two stages per day. For some of the Shadow Loop stages it would take me two days for just one stage. Death count frequently rocketing well past 100.
It's all in a day's work for Knight Arthur, really.

This is exactly how I've been tackling it, one stage an evening, plus a bit of treasure hunting for dem bees. It's such a clever bit of AC-to-CS design, making each stage a compressed arcade gauntlet in its own right. Perfect for short, brutal sessions, and every bit as viable for classical 1CC/1LC play.

It also fits my preferences like a glove. 99% of my gaming at the moment is arcade via ACA, ShotTriggers, and the like. Typically, once I've gotten the basics absorbed, I'll start putting a savestate at the start of each stage, moving on once I can consistently no-miss. If I feel like it, I'll move onto legit single-sessioning, having assembled a rough gameplan. Absent shumps friend captpain, author of the famed Greater Bakraid Theorem, as well as a professional musician, likened it to the process of learning a song; you don't scratch a tough sequence then start over, that'd be maddening. Instead you isolate and target, before assembling the finished piece.

This is nothing new for me; the first arcade-tough game I really took on was Metal Slug 4, via its PS4 port. In that one, every cleared stage is added to the Practice Mode. I quickly took to nailing down each before moving on. I never did get the single-session 1LC or even 1CC, back then; but I really wasn't going for either. On some intuitive level, it just seemed the right way to really engage with the game design. Even now, I can tell when I'm really digging a game, when I find myself replying "beaten" levels just for the simple pleasure of it, as I'd do with MS4's rollicking first and third stages.

So basically, I'm already well-accustomed to having infinite lives, yet being forced (even if only by my own rules) to nail down stages before moving on.

I think a lot about how this relates to classical arcade gaming, at the cab with no savestates, often playing with a queue behind you. And in a way, I think it tracks. No matter how painstakingly accurate a home version, there are three factors distancing us from that time:

1) Selection. Just on my PS4 alone, I have more arcade titles than anyone but a paid professional and/or Uber-NEET could realistically gain competency at, let alone mastery, stretching from the late 70s to contemporary. Including past gens, along with console originals that are for all intents and purposes bona-fide AC-tough, this leads to...

2) Time. A lot less of it, and while gaming is my passion, it's not my only hobby, let alone responsibility.

3) Atomisation. Instead of an in-person scene gathering around cabs, most of us rely on hobbyist communities like this one. The learning process of watching each other's credits and taking notes over days, weeks and months is a lot less realistic. Ultimately it's all about The Run; I don't particularly mourn nailing down a boss via savestate, instead of watching buddies reach it and die multiple times while gradually noting safespots or other tactical assets.

Speaking of The Run, I think GNGR's marmite reception confirmed something: all arcade gaming, no matter how ingeniously-leavened for console audiences, is ultimately self-driven. You have to want it, quoth Terry Bogard. Some people seek out or even cultivate the most unspeakably, mind-blowingly hot peppers known to humanity, pushing that Scoville rating higher and higher into the stratosphere. I don't get it, at all. I ate a relatively tame La Soufriere on a dare in highschool, and would've unhesitatingly sucked a dick to escape the heat, tears and sweat streaming down my face.

A jar of medium-hot chimichurri's good enough for me, thanks. I'd rate Carolina Reaper Resurrection as "good but not for me," too. If the normies are running for the fire extinguishers in a trail of 5/10s, it's probably... Teh H4rdc0r3.

While the noobs were never going to really embrace it - because ultimately, they don't really want it - this is legitimate crossover design genius from Fujiwara and co. I've no doubt it'll wake up a few latent diehards, the way MS4, Gradius V and Shattered Soldier did for me back on PS2.

EDIT2: WTF, did I just see a ledge pullup? Thought I was imagining things. Splendid.

I too was flabbergasted when I encountered this unicorn of an mechanic for the first time, then immediately plummeted to my doom. Even the digital manual seems a bit confused about its inclusion judging by the wording

Haha, I went looking at the manual afterwards, but couldn't spot it in my bleary-eyed state. I wonder if it's random, or just incredibly strict. I half-noticed it at least a couple times in ten minutes before finally confirming it; thought it was just a glitch at first.

[Blinge]

You know, after all this time, i'm starting to have my doubts that Dr Biruford MD, PHD actually studied at an accredited institution.

I'll be back in a few months with the results of my investigation

[BIL]

TBH I just tell em that so I can grab they butt (｀w´メ)

Don't share this pm with anyone aight (■｀w´■) wait fuck (◎w◎;)

[Lander]

Cracking write-up on new GnG; I had every intent of getting into that when it debuted on Switch, but got distracted by something shiny when it eventually made its way to PC. Such glowing praise is enough to spark my interest anew!

I'll probably end up on Knight, since I haven't been good at controlling Arthur since Ultimate GnG on the PSP. Loved that game - I've seen it take flak for the more open structure and progression (to the point of Japan demanding an ULTIMATE Ultimate version with gamecenter CBT intact ), but the esoteric stage layout and interesting powerups hidden everywhere had me by the proverbial crown jewels.

[Sima Tuna]

Speaking of The Run, I think GNGR's marmite reception confirmed something: all arcade gaming, no matter how ingeniously-leavened for console audiences, is ultimately self-driven. You have to want it, quoth Terry Bogard. Some people seek out or even cultivate the most unspeakably, mind-blowingly hot peppers known to humanity, pushing that Scoville rating higher and higher into the stratosphere. I don't get it, at all. I ate a relatively tame La Soufriere on a dare in highschool, and would've unhesitatingly sucked a dick to escape the heat, tears and sweat streaming down my face.

A jar of medium-hot chimichurri's good enough for me, thanks. I'd rate Carolina Reaper Resurrection as "good but not for me," too. If the normies are running for the fire extinguishers in a trail of 5/10s, it's probably... Teh H4rdc0r3.

While the noobs were never going to really embrace it - because ultimately, they don't really want it - this is legitimate crossover design genius from Fujiwara and co. Image I've no doubt it'll wake up a few latent diehards, the way MS4, Gradius V and Shattered Soldier did for me back on PS2.

Speaking of the review situation, if you want a quick laugh, you can check the Gamespot review. They gave Resurrection a 40%. Now I want you to really think about that one. Because to me, 4/10 reviews of video games imply something objectively "bad" about the game. Like, maybe it's buggy as fuck, crashes all the time, shipped in an incomplete state etc. I wouldn't typically imagine "game reams my asshole" as a quality worthy of ranking a game lower on the objective quality scale. But hey, I'm not a PRO game reviewer.

The scores for Resurrection seem to reflect the wildly different reactions people have when encountering difficulty in video games generally.

But yeah I just want to say the game is brilliant. Fantastic, sadistic level design. Extremely tight and responsive controls. Arcade/Console hybrid design that pushes you to go for just one more flag. Multiple difficulty levels to cater to those very people who ranked the game poorly. A persistent upgrade system to (again) make the game easier without compromising level design itself. The game is smart as heck in how its systems are put together. Can't make it to the next flag, newbie? That's ok, there's probably some umbral bees in the area you can grab while you're practicing.

I don't think Fujiwara and co ever intended these console players to play without Banners of Rebirth. That's what I don't understand about the low scores. The gap between Banners of Rebirth is not very long. Each section separated by them is pretty small. So just play for a while. Get some Bees, experiment with the environment. Figure out where the chests are. You WILL get to the next Rebirth Banner eventually. So why get mad and give Resurrection a 0/10 user score? Even playing on Page or Squire would be fine if you're reviewing the game within a review window. Better that than get buttmad and slate a game of high quality because baby can't clear it.

[BryanM]

All this chat about good games is starting to make me ill.

I've been thinking about Gameboy Games a lot lately, and I found a cure for this disease: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon R.

Think of everything you'd do to make a good running to right killing fuckers of mothers kinda game, and then do the opposite. The only thing it's missing is Athena's numb attack.

You might think the thought "well, the art isn't that bad" but a-ha! You would be wrong.

See, the gameboy has a limit of 40 sprites on screen at a time. The player's huge sprite eats around 12 of these, so the art is the reason only two/three human-sized enemies can be on screen at once!

... but on the flipside it's the perfect kind of game for little girls. Which I slightly suspect is what they were going for, not so much the hardcore blood and guts crowd... so I guess they're the real winners here...

[Lander]

Grabbed GnGR and went for top route on Legend. Arthur's grumpy countenance is very handsome in 4K, controls are super tight - I don't remember being able to duck / look up / change direction to cancel throw recovery in the old games, but it's certainly appreciated.
And I'm noticing while typing this on the second monitor that the game has ducked the music and applied a tasteful low-pass filter to lower its profile while my attention is elsewhere - class.

I dropped to Knight after a few runs to the church and - ah, the satisfaction of that first Arremer kill
Plus the ensuing don't fuck up the jump, don't fuck up the jump... *platform changes direction half-way*

Absolute bastard game. Very good.

[Sumez]

I'll probably end up on Knight, since I haven't been good at controlling Arthur since Ultimate GnG on the PSP.

Oh man, you guys are gonna miss so much of the experience and the delightful twists of a first blind playthrough if you go at it on Knight before playing it through on Legend.
I'm running out of things I can say to talk you out of it. It would just be such a big mistake.

I don't remember being able to duck / look up / change direction to cancel throw recovery in the old games

The first game lets you cancel throw recovery simply by walking forward, and that's an essential ingredient for that rapid fire master tech you'd only hear about in arcades

[BIL]

All this chat about good games is starting to make me ill.

You should stop punishing yourself for a day or two, it's not so bad once you get used to it 3; tbh it feel kinda good

Look it even habe turtles AND their fruity BGM, u like turtles right :3 :3 :3

Holy fuck that DARGON was an oldschool pulse-pounder/arse-clencher. DIE YOU BASTARD Delightful Strider 2 vibes

Arriving at Giant's Tower: "I wonder if this was influenced by Eleum Loyce from Dark Souls II?"

Inside Giant's Tower: "I wonder if this was influenced by The Raid: Redemption?"

Hark! CONCEAL PETARD IN YON ICE-CHEST TO END THEM RIGHTLY (｀w´メ)

Spoiler

Tactical espionage mayhem. I just know I left some goodies back in that hellhole, hit that top floor and promptly GTFO.

I know I keep mentioning it, but the environmental collapses and transformations are sooo fun. First half of the stage, where you're making your way through that skewed house (feeling like something out of Bloodborne's Hunter's Nightmare), then *CRACK* the wall busts open, chunks of plaster flying as the exposed brickwork shears apart, as half the building starts sliding away, neither the swarming zako nor deadly-precise turrets (or fiendishly-placed Bees) missing a beat... it's the kind of thing you can imagine them wanting to do back in '85, if the tech had allowed.

In hindsight, Zone 1's BurritoMania (feat. Ser Sine Wave) feels like a baptism of fire; if you don't have the jump arc and hitboxes down going in, you almost certainly will coming out. Superb zoning tutorial, especially on the unruly terrain.

Got another ledge hang, when there was really no need for it. Unlike in the Kamaitachi forest and its punishing gale, I was just poor-playering.

Dem KINGLEH LATS (｀w´メ)

Spoiler

EDIT: Aww hell yeeah, cancelling a charged spell with L/R, nice. Finding, exactly like in Dai, that the i-frame burst is frequently as vital as the spell itself.

[Lander]

Conquered the graveyard during yesterday's session - I was expecting the Cyclops to be a bigger wall than Arremer, but crushed him with furious hammer upswings after throwing one round to get the download.
It was absolutely in no way a fluke enabled by a generous checkpoint chest.

Also no magic, because I didn't realise it was bound to charge attack

Oh man, you guys are gonna miss so much of the experience and the delightful twists of a first blind playthrough if you go at it on Knight before playing it through on Legend.
I'm running out of things I can say to talk you out of it. It would just be such a big mistake.

Well, my save is dialed in for Legend, with a game plan of taking the "Abandon the way of the Ninja?" prompt on a stage-by-stage basis several deaths after it first appears, which I assume means dropping to Knight.
I was considering making a new save on Knight, but ended up second-guessing myself since optioning between it and Legend seemed more doable after that first stage clear.

To follow from BIL's point, I probably wouldn't love DMC3 like I do (or at all ) if I'd forced myself to clear Dante Must Die (/ Very Hard, to sidestep the argument muddle caused by exclusive enemy DT mechanics) before dropping down to see the encounter changes on lower modes.
Going for retroactive completionism in those Capcom / Platinum games tends to work out pretty dull versus building yourself up gradually, since you've seen it all and are overqualified by the time you go back to fill out the ranking table.

And it's similar with games like Thief, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark etc. that add more unique stuff as you up the challenge; easy to rob yourself of 2/3 fresh-eyed successive plays if you blow out all the difficulty-bound unique content on your first go.

[BIL]

It just occurred to me - is GNGR's turtle village redux the series' first daylight setting? (have only played OG/Dai/Chou). It looks daaamn good, in any case - my favourite scene since the gorgeously overgrown Kamaitachi forest, whose trees are visibly on the brink of tearing free in the wicked gale.

Spoiler

Somehow never twigged that the antlion's nest was meant to reflect the desolation further downslope. Turning the entire place into a desert is a legit aesthetic upgrade, imo.

[Lander]

It just occurred to me - is GNGR's turtle village redux the series' first daylight setting? (have only played OG/Dai/Chou). It looks daaamn good, in any case - my favourite scene since the gorgeously overgrown Kamaitachi forest, whose trees are visibly on the brink of tearing free in the wicked gale.

Spoiler

Somehow never twigged that the antlion's nest was meant to reflect the desolation further downslope. Turning the entire place into a desert is a legit aesthetic upgrade, imo.

Exactly where I am at the moment- developing a knit-one-perl-one strategy for the boulder pile, and battling against the finely designed push-pull wind sequence that almost feels like a wilful inversion of the Kamitaichi setup with its constant challenges from the rear.

And I don't remember any day sequences in Goku. Speaking of, the persistent weapon setup in this is prompting some nostalgia for that game; cases where you'll hit a specific challenge and consider traveling to a previous stage to fetch a different weapon from a known drop, just with sparser fast travel.