Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Ghegs]

Thought I'd mention that Oniken, the NES-esque action-platformer that's been brought up here a few times, has now received an update called "Unstoppable Edition" which, among other things, removes the randomness from item drops. This is a change I suggested to the devs back in 2012, very cool that they decided to go back to the game after all this time and tweak it a bit. The game's currently on sale at GOG for $1.59 as well.

[BIL]

Was tooling about old JP game commercials/promo tapes on Youtube, and found some pretty nice footage of Hero Tonma's cancelled Famicom port. I'd heard of it before, but never gave it much thought; I assumed it was canned early, and the PCE port is great besides.

The footage looks really good, though, and quite complete. I'd be tempted to at least try it out for sure, had it made release. Obviously you can only tell so much from here, but I like its interpretation of the AC's look, and it seems to innovate as the best FC ports tend to (original areas and stage select). Most importantly it looks to capture the run n' gun pace that hooked me to begin with. The promo artwork (just before the timestamp) is kinda nice too - I'd almost think whoever drew Don Doko Don's gnomes was involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shPdyLfQyTM&t=1m08s

Also of minor interest for IREM on FC devotees - Metal Storm is on the tape too, here, and it's accompanied by what sounds like an arranged version of its intro BGM. I wonder if there's any more of that somewhere out there.

Ah, I love being able to leisurely dig around in all this 80s/90s stuff. ¦3 Think it's definitely time for me to check out those FC+GB Gen-san games you've mentioned, Ghegs!

[Ghegs]

Oh nice, I wasn't aware that any video footage of Tonma FC was ever made available. Really a shame it got canned, looks like it could've been good.

[BrianC]

Was tooling about old JP game commercials/promo tapes on Youtube, and found some pretty nice footage of Hero Tonma's cancelled Famicom port. I'd heard of it before, but never gave it much thought; I assumed it was canned early, and the PCE port is great besides.

The footage looks really good, though, and quite complete. I'd be tempted to at least try it out for sure, had it made release. Obviously you can only tell so much from here, but I like its interpretation of the AC's look, and it seems to innovate as the best FC ports tend to (original areas and stage select). Most importantly it looks to capture the run n' gun pace that hooked me to begin with. The promo artwork (just before the timestamp) is kinda nice too - I'd almost think whoever drew Don Doko Don's gnomes was involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shPdyLfQyTM&t=1m08s

Also of minor interest for IREM on FC devotees - Metal Storm is on the tape too, here, and it's accompanied by what sounds like an arranged version of its intro BGM. I wonder if there's any more of that somewhere out there.

Ah, I love being able to leisurely dig around in all this 80s/90s stuff. ¦3 Think it's definitely time for me to check out those FC+GB Gen-san games you've mentioned, Ghegs!

I hope it turns up it playable form. Speaking of unreleased games, Tengen Japan made Popils for Famicom and pc engine (GG version was the only one released) and had Off the Wall, Peter Pack Rat, and Marble Madness for PC Engine in the works. Klax was the original PCE/TG-16 game from them that was released.

[Sumez]

Short answer: What Squire said. Definitely worth sticking with past the initial pain!

Long flowery answer ;3 - CIII Hard is a masterpiece, imo, though not an unqualified one. There certainly is an initial memo barrier, comprised of myriad nasty little tweaks. Stages now demand practiced strategies to avert disaster, and bosses will mercilessly trap and execute for the wrong move (or sometimes just for destroying the wrong parts - don't trigger st2's pancake frenzy while he's got pods remaining!). Even Normal clearers will get tripped up, repeatedly. It's a second loop in all but name, and even in that context rather mean-spirited.

Just bumping this post because I'm currently trying to tackle Contra III over again. So paging BIL, Squire, etc., anyone who's beaten hard mode, especially deathless!

I used to play it through back in the days, with a friend who'd decimate hard mode as I tagged along, but personally I'd never beaten the game single player, as every time I'd pick it back up I had to face the fact that the game was much harder than I remember (at this point Contra 1 on NES is a god damn easy game, and Hard Corps is fairly easy to memorize, but the 3rd still kicks my ass).

Anyway, with the intention of doing it this time around, I've been grinding hard mode over and over again recently, and... I just don't seem to get any better. I'm capable of "1cc'ing" normal mode, but hard mode is just so much more hardcore that normal mode might as well not even exist. I still regularly die on stage 1, but I'm beginning to get a pattern down. Except from the boss who might still just decide to shoot multiple bullets just as he's firin' his laz0r, making everything completely impossible to dodge, so my best bet here is just to bomb and kill him as fast as possible.

Stage 2 still gets me. The randomness of the stage keeps surprising me with new bs, and the manholes that only react to having your back turned to them are almost impossible for me, especially if I don't have a couple of C's to leave explosions over them as I spin.

The real trouble is stage 3 though. It just makes me feel like I don't know how to video game. The second sniper (just before you jump to the railings) gets me every single time no matter what I do, even though he appears easy enough. Even the climbing section is a killer for me. I thought I had the pattern down from normal mode, where staying near the top foot and only moving while he's not firing, would cause every missile to go around me, but on hard they seem to just randomly hit me, so I need to shoot them down. Not a big problem, but the fact that I can't properly anticipate them really throws me off, and seeing speedrunners do this stage, they never seem to have a problem just hanging around not getting hit.
Of course, the big wall for me here, is the midboss when the thing starts drilling into the wall. Again, seeing other people play the part, it looks easy. Just goad him into going near the top when he's retracting, and retreat downwards as he's approaching, like on normal. But doing it in practice, it just doesn't work for me. It's really difficult to explain, but I just end up getting cornered and losing a ton of lives here. Surely there must be some sort of trick? Not saying it has to be easy, but there seems to be something to his pattern that I'm just not paying attention to.

Any tips for hard mode, on any stage before or after this fight will be appreaciated. Right now it feels like a hard mode 1cc is months away, and I really want to be able to do it live as part of a hopefully upcoming Contra marathon.

[Sumez]

Playing the best console action games (sidescrollers and others) to one-life standards tends to bring out a quasi-coinop challenge, I find - it's hugely reinvigorated my interest in old, supposedly conquered favourites. Clearing CV1 on a single life is a very different prospect from making it to the steps of Drac's keep and collapsing in a broken heap, counting on a checkpoint refresh. Contra Spirits and Gimmick are the two finest examples of this optional challenge I've found, so far - both could go straight into a JAMMA cab with the barest of DIP switch tweaks (chop the extend frequency, add a timer) and start kicking ass and taking credits.

Ever played VS Castlevania? I have a friend who has a dedicated cabinet to it - playing it while I was high on my 8bit CV trip, it was an amazing reinvigoration of the game, due to just a couple of minor tweaks.
If you've no-miss'ed CV1 (which I honestly feel is way way easier than similar in Ninja Gaiden or Contra, due to its slower pace and life bar - I did it without even intentionally going for it) it shouldn't be too big of a challenge, but it's a refreshing one none the less! Enemies do way more damage - aside from the first stage, anything will kill you in at most 3 hits, and the timers have been cut in half causing you to hurry the fuck up all the way through. Clearing the first loop of this game was the first time facing Dracula in game's final battle really had my heart pumping since the first time I beat it on NES.

[Kaiser]

I've managed to finish Super Cyborg, basically for someone who's not aware of it, Super Cyborg is a genuine Contra tribute, but here's the catch.

Remember Probotector? That crappy euro-censored version of Contra?
Imagine that but as a legit stand-alone game, instead replace H.R. Giger aliens with even uglier aliens and you get Super Cyborg.

Now as someone who beat Contra, Super Contra (both NES), Contra Shattered Soldier with the A-ending and Contra 3 on hard, THIS GAME KICKED MY ASS, a lot!
You see, this game doesn't fuck around one bit, experienced players will definitely hit their first wall on stage 3, this game requires memorization, reflexes and MULTITASKING (necessary to even try to beat the final boss) and it will tear you apart like a butcher with a pig.

Anyway it has great colorful visuals (think PC Engine style graphics), great music and it's legit contra-tight as the controls are PERFECT. I had a great time with it, if you have the balls to take on something that will not hold back in kicking your ass, this is the game.

[BIL]

Ever played VS Castlevania? I have a friend who has a dedicated cabinet to it - playing it while I was high on my 8bit CV trip, it was an amazing reinvigoration of the game, due to just a couple of minor tweaks.

VS Castlevania's a neat curiosity for hardcore CV1 fans, certainly. I've played it a bit and although I prefer the Famicom cart, VSC is certainly the screw-tightening "Loop 3" it never reaches. (it plays like Dracula X68k's nuttier high loops, really)

I actually find CV1 about as hard to 1LC as NG1, simply for it taking so much more out of you per mistake. Couple hits and you're running on fumes from st5 to the end; Ryu can take a hell of a beating to little real peril. However NG1's far more aggressive at batting you into pits, so it just about evens out. Contra's a tier down, I'd say - Spread is dominant like nothing in the prior two games. It's a (relaxing, enjoyable!) formality for the end of a long day, where I have to pay a bit more attention to CV/NG.

Gonna write up some Contra III Hard tips, but for now: don't worry, what you describe is totally normal. (sounds like a doctor, bahaha) Here's my no-miss for the time being, hope it's of some initial help as a "Normalplay" !

[Ghegs]

I've managed to finish Super Cyborg, basically for someone who's not aware of it, Super Cyborg is a genuine Contra tribute, but here's the catch.

Super Cyborg is indeed good stuff. I haven't really bunkered down on it yet, the best I've done is reaching Stage 4. The stage 3 boss is a pain.

[Sumez]

Any way to get a DRM free version of Super Cyborg without having to go through Steam, Desura, or another forced client installation? I'd really prefer just a standalone copy, GOG-style.

Gonna write up some Contra III Hard tips, but for now: don't worry, what you describe is totally normal. (sounds like a doctor, bahaha) Here's my no-miss for the time being, hope it's of some initial help as a "Normalplay" !

Looking forward to it! I've been looking into your video (and a bunch of others for that matter), and probably have a few questions. Is it wrong to assume that you're going a little balls-out on the first stage, taking risks you wouldn't take if it weren't the start of the game?
Also, I gotta keep that move you do on the stage 2 boss in mind for my own runs. You know, the one you pull off after he starts exploding. Never thought of that.

[Ghegs]

Any way to get a DRM free version of Super Cyborg without having to go through Steam, Desura, or another forced client installation? I'd really prefer just a standalone copy, GOG-style.

There is no "forced client installation" at Desura. See how it has the DRM-free logo next to the price?

Desura doesn't have the latest version, though. They have 1.1, Steam's is up to 1.26 (or even higher, 1.26 came out in January but the game's title screen reads build June 2016). But as far as I know it's just bugfixes, no new features or such.

[BIL]

Ok, some specific pointers first:

I still regularly die on stage 1, but I'm beginning to get a pattern down. Except from the boss who might still just decide to shoot multiple bullets just as he's firin' his laz0r, making everything completely impossible to dodge, so my best bet here is just to bomb and kill him as fast as possible.

st1 Hard Boss's laser is a delayed death sentence if ducked. As soon as you see him revving it up, take to the upper areas or you'll be easy pickings for bullets/flies. When the coast is clear, dart downstairs and pound the heart; although I advocate aggressive bombing over hoarding, you shouldn't need 'em for this guy.

Stage 2 still gets me. The randomness of the stage keeps surprising me with new bs, and the manholes that only react to having your back turned to them are almost impossible for me, especially if I don't have a couple of C's to leave explosions over them as I spin.

A bomb will stand-in for C nicely; they can indeed be pretty awkward if you lack either. Been a while since I had to deal with that situation, though... in the big picture st2 is small potatoes, but it certainly is random. I guess a general tip would be to not hang around, as stuff will just keep spawning. Also try to develop a consistent route - the one I use in my replay is a snap, though in that particular run I got held up at the start by a peekaboo turret.

stage 5 is the real danger with its far more aggressive shooters, spin titles and constant pit hazards. The route I use in my replay was born of much terrified wanderings! Keep in mind you can fast-rotate by doubletapping the shoulder buttons. This is utterly vital for counteracting the annoying spinner tiles, as well as the boss's second phase (the "carousel" as I call it).

The real trouble is stage 3 though. It just makes me feel like I don't know how to video game. The second sniper (just before you jump to the railings) gets me every single time no matter what I do, even though he appears easy enough.

Designwise, st3's opening snipers are a minor sore spot for me. Their shot velocity and instant reaction make them extremely dominating, and you really need to anticipate+lead them while returning fire. Note my replay, I don't let them get far onscreen before taking counteroffensive action. Incidentally st1's snipers are every bit as nasty, but the level topography means you can charge 'em down for the kill while hopping or running under their deadly response.

Even the climbing section is a killer for me. I thought I had the pattern down from normal mode, where staying near the top foot and only moving while he's not firing, would cause every missile to go around me, but on hard they seem to just randomly hit me, so I need to shoot them down. Not a big problem, but the fact that I can't properly anticipate them really throws me off, and seeing speedrunners do this stage, they never seem to have a problem just hanging around not getting hit.

There's a definite pattern; the one in my replay works every time. (I only learned how to no-shot it because shooting his missiles down causes a lot of needless slowdown, denting the awesome scene. Man I love the screen-jarring *CRASH* as his claws impact the wall, and that moody grey sky, and the music... BIL_RZR IS A BAD FUCKIN DUDE)

Basically, notice the position of Bill's upper hand on the wall. Touch the boss's claw with it as he launches his first volley; it'll miss you broadly. Scoot up along with him, not quite as high as before, and again the missiles will miss. Now get your hand over the claw, etc, pattern repeats. Watch out for the spike rack, it's gonna explode from the notch in the wall. ;3

Of course, the big wall for me here, is the midboss when the thing starts drilling into the wall. Again, seeing other people play the part, it looks easy. Just goad him into going near the top when he's retracting, and retreat downwards as he's approaching, like on normal. But doing it in practice, it just doesn't work for me. It's really difficult to explain, but I just end up getting cornered and losing a ton of lives here. Surely there must be some sort of trick? Not saying it has to be easy, but there seems to be something to his pattern that I'm just not paying attention to.

This guy is simply one of the most fiendishly organic adversaries I've ever encountered. Even master speedrunners fear his capricious ways. It'll look easy, but with his speed and your limited mobility, the execution really isn't.

Basically, yes, you want to goad him into charging, scoot away as he comes screaming in, then counter attack while getting back into "goad" position. It's a groove thing. Towards the end of my 1LC attempts I'd definitely started getting a consistent groove, leading him into whiffed charge after charge. But it's the sort of fine-motor thing that only hands-on practice can build. Luring him by moving upward, then crawling downward to dodge feels more natural to me; not sure if it's mandatory. Can't recall seeing others doing the reverse...

Will add some more stuff later. Basically though, CIII Hard is a very tough loop with lots of stuff both memo and improv to master, so don't be surprised if it's alternately unforgiving and elusive to get down.

Is it wrong to assume that you're going a little balls-out on the first stage, taking risks you wouldn't take if it weren't the start of the game?

st1 Hard Streets is best dealt with by steamrolling through, I find. The snipers and towers can be rushed safely, and with the onrushing pincer hordes, you've simply not got time to deal with them more elaborately (as in st3's sniper run).

If it occurred late in the run I'd definitely have a finger over the bomb button, in case I get a particularly hellish RNG horde spawn... but yeah, 30secs into the run I'm just gonna go for broke! It usually works out. "Calculate and pray" is my credo. ;3

Also, I gotta keep that move you do on the stage 2 boss in mind for my own runs. You know, the one you pull off after he starts exploding. Never thought of that.

Hahaaa, you're a man after my own heart. Inspired by master speedrunner Hurblat, whose porno pumpin' skills far surpass mine. By the time st5 rolls around I'm all tuckered out, he's just gettin' started! True stamina!

[Squire Grooktook]

I think my strategy for the stage 3 snipers was just to fire a laser before they spawn, scrolling the screen onto them before it reaches its target.

Quick draw motherfucker.

[Sumez]

What happened to Hurblat anyway? I see him being very active on the internet up until 2014 where he just seems to have disappeared. I hope everything is okay :S

[BIL]

Speaking of high-calibre SDA people, Enhasa seems to have vanished too. I do wonder.

[Sumez]

although I advocate aggressive bombing over hoarding, you shouldn't need 'em for this guy.

I'm really not gonna conserve my bombs - if I don't use them, they'll just be wasted.
I'm not going for the no-miss, at least not yet. I just want to be able to consistently clear hard mode. Like, if I sit down, set the settings to Hard and standard 3 lives stock, I want to know that I'll beat it without using any continues. Every time. I'm alright with shedding lives along the way With as many extends as the game gives you, I can't believe it's this hard.

stage 5 is the real danger with its far more aggressive shooters, spin titles and constant pit hazards. The route I use in my replay was born of much terrified wanderings! Keep in mind you can fast-rotate by doubletapping the shoulder buttons. This is utterly vital for counteracting the annoying spinner tiles, as well as the boss's second phase (the "carousel" as I call it).

Stage 5 literally makes my fingers hurt. I realised it was probably time to clean up my SNES controller, especially the shoulder buttons, and did a full spring cleaning on it yesterday. Hopefully I'll have the time to see if it paid off today.

There's a definite pattern; the one in my replay works every time. (...)
Basically, notice the position of Bill's upper hand on the wall. Touch the boss's claw with it as he launches his first volley; it'll miss you broadly. Scoot up along with him, not quite as high as before, and again the missiles will miss. Now get your hand over the claw, etc, pattern repeats. Watch out for the spike rack, it's gonna explode from the notch in the wall. ;3

That sounds like what I'm doing on normal, and for some reason it just doesn't work. I tried again yesterday and died several times to this obviously easy section... even when trying to shoot the missiles. I guess I'll just have to really study your video, but I wish I had some actual understanding of what controls the direction of his missiles. Also, I can't seem to figure where the pattern repeats.

Basically, yes, you want to goad him into charging, scoot away as he comes screaming in, then counter attack while getting back into "goad" position. It's a groove thing. Towards the end of my 1LC attempts I'd definitely started getting a consistent groove, leading him into whiffed charge after charge. But it's the sort of fine-motor thing that only hands-on practice can build. Luring him by moving upward, then crawling downward to dodge feels more natural to me; not sure if it's mandatory. Can't recall seeing others doing the reverse...

Definitely retreating by going downwards. I seemed to get a better system for him yesterday. I guess the trick is to know exactly WHEN you need to start moving downwards. There's actually more leeway than I thought in still climbing upwards while he's starting to move towards you, ensuring that he'll be as far up as possible... Still, some times he just seems to get me when I thought things were going well. Not unlike the alien wall boss on the final stage.

st1 Hard Streets is best dealt with by steamrolling through, I find. The snipers and towers can be rushed safely, and with the onrushing pincer hordes, you've simply not got time to deal with them more elaborately (as in st3's sniper run).

I was actually mainly thinking of the fire section. I guess you have a set pattern for the fire and "meatballs", since you just keep holding right? I really thought they were RNG, especially on hard. The way you just jumped over the first pit of little meatballs seems like something that would get me killed at least 50% of the time.

[Squire Grooktook]

If by meatballs, you mean the first volcano-esque geyser of fireballs, I don't know if it's rng, but I think you can invalidate it entirely by just jumping through while firing downward. Nothing should be able to reach you regardless.

The big fiery balls afterwards are static I think.

[Sumez]

By meatballs, I mean the first volcano-esque geyser of meatballs

[BIL]

Oh, the fire pits! Yeah, I'd probably take my time on those were it the endgame. I can get the quick route 99% of the time now though. It just allows you to skip a bit of waiting around (though the final "snake" hazard will always stop you, but it's cool to look at so eh).

I actually nearly screwed it up in that run - made it through by the skin of my teeth (or arse).
The trick is to start moving right the instant the scroll unlocks, hauling ass up and over the wall and onto the railing. At the time, I didn't realise you could simply walk [right] off the ledge, and was relying on a neutral jump - which I executed too early in this run, putting me within pixels of getting fried by the fire column. Worked out though. At first I worried it looked a bit falsificare!, but then I saw even Hurblat's beautiful run had some asswipe scrub accusing him of CHEETZ in the comments, so whatever.

Yeah, the "bubbler" pit can be suppressed by blanketing it with your newly-acquired Double C. Takes a little practice but basically you want to keep a nice buffer of shots between your arse and the fireballs - don't try to shoot them down individually, just smother it with downshots as you rush over.

[Sumez]

Forgive my "atheistgod1999 style" twitter updates, but I'm so enthralled in C3 I need to keep going about it, but at the same time it's also starting to really infuriate me. How anyone can no-miss that game on hard is incredible. Also, how anyone can claim Hard Corps to be the better game is beyond me. Sure, HC is amazing, but this is such a sublime demonstration of pure blood pumping, action oriented run'n'gun platformer design that I can hardly imagine any other game doing it better.

Current status:
Stage 1: Got it down, just gotta practice.

Stage 2: Got it down, but randomness still manages to catch me off guard. I try to finish off the boss as fast as I can using a bomb to help, but if I miss the chance, the tail laser keeps getting me. It's just crazy unpredictable and seems to be able to shoot me from anywhere. Still rare for me to lose more than one life here.

Stage 3: Got this down now, as long as I'm able to keep good weapons for the midboss, it goes down without much trouble. The upwards scrolling section just before the boss for some reason keeps getting me even though it doesn't feel harder than Normal. Once again I just need to practice it some more, same for the twin robot part of the boss fight.

Stage 4: Opening segment is basically the same as Normal, just a lot more hectic. Easy with double crushers. With just one, I feel like I'm at a risk of getting screwed over by RNG. Rest of the stage is pretty much identical to Normal until the stage boss, everybody's favourite bastard. I can't really tell you why, but this is leaps and bounds more difficult than on Normal, despite looking really similar. If I can't keep some good weapons until the final part, it takes forever and turns into an exercise in pure endurance. Of course there's no chance for me to have anything here, as it's the first part with the force field that's giving me trouble, and easily steals 5 or more lives from me. Any tips would be really welcome.

Stage 5: It's ridiculous how inconsistent I am here. This stage will take an entire 7-stock credit from me as easily as I'll do it without getting hit. Boss doesn't feel harder than Normal, cleaning my controller definitely helped.

Stage 6: Practice is obviously the key here, which is a bit of a problem when it's that late in the game, but the real show stopper is the wall banging alien fight. His movements feel identical to Normal(?), but with the tail as an added danger. I know I have to watch out for it, but I have absolutely no clue HOW. I feel like dodging his movements has me completely locked with little or no room to move any further.

[Squire Grooktook]

Wall banger is completely manipulatable. Watch my video or BIL's for reference, and you should be able to repeat it 100%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjOXkmF ... _&index=25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsBVDmrUT10

Would say more but I'm walking out the door right now lol.

[Sumez]

I'm specifically thinking of the first part to his fight. There's not a lot to give me an impression of his pattern in those videos Maybe I'll watch some "low%" runs.

[BIL]

Forgive my "atheistgod1999 style" twitter updates

You are doing the furthest thing from that, I assure you.

Now, st6 flying xeno most definitely ain't got shit on st3 wall driller. The thought of them swapping places in the run makes me wake up screaming and drenched in cold sweat! Yet it's infernally tempting all the same. Having said this, although he's not as dangerous, it's still a groove/feel thing where you lure a charging enemy at your slow, wallbound character.

His first phase's headbutts are much cleaner than driller's rams - where the latter's Hard variant will chase after you, skidding and juddering horribly along the wall, xeno will bounce away neatly on impact every time. What's more, he won't "feint" you like S3WD - pretty much once he's got you in sights, he's gonna rush in with no possible recall.

The second phase (*brandishes tail* "Imma cut choo mayne") is more or less the same deal, but now he actively hunts you down, and his attack is nastily truncated to stab you dead if you're tardy on getting out of the way. At the same time, his rematerialising animation is a dead giveaway to do just that. Scoot up or down as needed and blast him in the head as he whiffs the stab.

His best feature imo is bridging the arcade and Famicom versions of Super Contra (he's the fourth boss of the former, whereas Beast Kimkou - fought immediately prior - is the final boss of the FC port). Maximum geeky lore points there. Although they did clean him up slightly to be not quite so brazen a Giger ripoff.

Rest of the stage is pretty much identical to Normal until the stage boss, everybody's favourite bastard. I can't really tell you why, but this is leaps and bounds more difficult than on Normal, despite looking really similar. If I can't keep some good weapons until the final part, it takes forever and turns into an exercise in pure endurance. Of course there's no chance for me to have anything here, as it's the first part with the force field that's giving me trouble, and easily steals 5 or more lives from me. Any tips would be really welcome.

Only nerves of steel (and perhaps liberal bombing) can get you through here. I like to use the bombs not so much to inflict damage, as to intercept his floating grenades while I drill the cannons. If you're using C, try to time your volleys so he'll lurch forward into the explosions.

Once the cannons are gone, I shift to more of an endurance approach. Again, his swaying motion means C will do a lot more damage when properly timed.

There's also a really nasty random instakill associated with the boss's death sequence; fortunately you can avoid it every time, guaranteed, by hauling ass to the upper-left as he explodes. You'll notice I do it in my run. Holy fuck that was a close call, Team SFX!

[orange808]

Has anyone managed to finish Castlevania on the x68000? I thought the SNES Dracula X was hard, but this is just ridiculous....

[BIL]

Yeah, offhand, several of us around here have. saucykobold and IIRC SuperDeadite have looped it massively. Probably the hardest first-loop challenge of the traditional console games, at least rivalling Castlevania III (NES) but it's not too out of order. Here's Saucy's loop 8 replay.

Note the PS1's Original mode is marginally easier - enemies do a bit less damage in the earlier stages. It's absolutely in the same ballpark, though. PS1 Arrange mode OTOH does drastically lower damage throughout, and doesn't even loop, so it's not worth bothering with for survival challenge purposes.

Dracula X (SNES) / XX (SFC) is pretty up there too, though not always for the best reasons. I've no-missed the Best End route, might give the Bad End a shot sometime too. A love/hate CV of mine.

[Sumez]

Dracula XX is a great game, I find. I like it much more than CV4.
I don't think it's horribly difficult though. I think the reputation comes mostly from the final boss fight, which IS ridiculously difficult for all the wrong reasons. The rest of the game though, is pretty standard fare Castlevania that's easily memorizable. I consider CV4 the harder game, overall, even though all the bosses in this one are jokes.

[BIL]

I think XX Drac would've been cool if the battle had been confined to a single screen (or slightly more), similar to the arenas of the first two Game Boy CVs'. The huge room means you'll need to do a lot of tedious chasing initially... and when you finally reach the second form, he might swiftly clobber you into a pit if you don't know to head for the far-right, where there's a nice refuge from which to axe-murder him.

[Sumez]

No doubt about it. I appreciate that they tried to work it up a notch from the walkover that's the Rondo final fight, but having to chase down Dracula or hope that he spawns in an appropriate place is not my idea of fun. But I won't let it ruin how much I appreciate the rest of the game.

[Obscura]

I just played a few rounds of Contra 3 for the first time in almost a decade.

That really didn't live up to my recollection.

The controls are a bit wonky (why is the angle-down shot a thing? It just makes crouching harder), the level design is one fucker of a memo-grind in ways that neither the NES or Arcade Contras or Metal Slug are (if you don't kill the snipers before they have a chance to get started, it's a forced bomb), and the weapon balance is really fucked (why is the default machinegun the only reliable tool against the zako rushes?). And it could *really* use the Super Contra AC/Metal Slug style machinegun "sweep".

Also, the top-down stages are totally unplayable on an arcade stick :\ Not a fully disqualifying factor, but I really prefer playing sidescrollers on a stick if I can.

[BIL]

The snipers are a bit mean, yeah. Should've dialled back either their reaction speed or shot velocity. Are you playing on Normal or Hard? Do Normal first, Hard will be unplayable from a cold start.

Good fucking lord no at III's controls having anything to gain from AC Super Contra's. I can think of a couple dozen scenarios that'd see you skullfucked into sub-atomic dust with that atrocious lag, offhand. Starting with the game's opening half-minute.

Use Flamethrower if you really want to sweep (it's handy in a few spots), but with the game's overall high speed the loss of snap aiming is no free lunch and it's limited in range too.

The weapon balance is a little screwed, in that C+C is better at killing hard targets than everything else, but it's got an appropriate tradeoff. Lacking range and low onscreen shot count make other weapons tempting at several points, and become outright deadly liabilities more than once. I do wish [M] was available as a pickup. Not that I'd ditch C+C, but M has an edge in certain situations that'll only become apparent if you die and respawn.

TBH I'm ok with games having even a flat-out dominating best weapon, these days, as long as it's satisfying to use (and I do love surgically deploying C+C for precision zako exterminations and face-smashing boss kills). Hardly ideal balance, but many games don't feature even one great weapon.