Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Sumez]

Aww sheeeit! Feels good to see this confirmed.

[Imhotep]

yes that article is great, it's cool to have scientific research methods applied to the history of video games.

[WelshMegalodon]

yes that article is great, it's cool to have scientific research methods applied to the history of video games.

I will never cease to lament the fact that it hasn't become the norm.

[Stevens]

Hey, I don't have anything game related to post at this time, but I did find something pretty cool.

I recently (and by chance, I might add) I came across this website, which contains a series of articles about the history of Sunsoft.
The latest article on Sunsoft's articles was just posted a couple days ago, so I don't know if you are already aware of it, but it is a great read nonetheless.
Only some of their titles have been mentioned yet, so I assume there are more articles still to come.

Don't have time right now, but I love shit like this. Thanks _SKYe.

[mycophobia]

Anyone play Kaiketsu Yanchamaru/Kid Niki much? I've been putting some time into it lately. It's about as simple as scrolling action gets, but I love it.

[Sumez]

I have the second game. It's really enjoyable, but not too memorable, very standard third-rate NES platformer.
All three games in the series do seem very different from eachother, though.

[BrianC]

From what I played, the first Kaiketsu Yanchamaru is fun, but has some wonky collision detection in spots. The first boss is a good example of this. He can be damaged when the weapon is half an inch away from his face.

I agree the games are different, but the third game is so different it almost feels like a completely unrelated game. The second game at least has the same main character, familiar enemies, and the cross weapon.

edit: Not sure about collision in the AC version of Yanchamaru/Kid Niki, I forgot to mention that it's the FC version I played. I was playing off a flash cart and almost thought it was a problem with the game ROM and not the game itself. It turned out to be the latter.

[BIL]

The third one was by Micronics, AFAIK. That's a pretty severe accusation I don't make lightly, but yeah, pretty sure. I was overlooking the crude graphics (not bad tbh, kinda Peanuts-esque) in favour of the pogo mechanics, until I learned its parentage. Then my enthusiasm went off a cliff, as always. I am unrepentantly prejudiced against those lousy pricks.

Haven't played the arcade version, but I was trying out the FC port of the first game recently. Seemed fun, but indeed very simple. Most memorable aspect was Yanchanmaru's head-twitching run cycle - dude looks rather cross yet searching, as if he's misplaced his car keys!

[mycophobia]

The Famicom port is ok, I feel like the collision detection is a bit worse though, and of course it doesn't look as good.

[dunpeal2064]

Spent some time with E-Swat yesterday, since I had someone offering to sell it for cheap. Quite the weird game. First stage feels like a slightly lacking Rolling Thunder-esk, Stage 2 is just boring, and then all of a sudden the game gives me weapons and mobility, and actually becomes pretty badass! Were the lackluster parts any longer it might have been a bust, but I still find Stage 1 engaging enough, and one, fairly short poor stage is something I can deal with, so I snapped it up. Some nice tunes, especially the boss music!

Also (finally) picking up a copy of TNWA. I tend to go for US releases personally, but gameplay-altering localizations are criminal imo. Streets of Rage 3 and Splatterhouse 3 are also jp pickups on my list. I know censorship is a big thing in this era, but are there any other standout games that were effected similarly? Crosses being changed in GnG is fine, actually fucking with the game is very much not!

[BIL]

I had a really similar introduction to E-SWAT, haha. Recalled hype TV ads from childhood, expected badass robo action with a style on par to Super Shinobi... got random mallcop. 3:< It gains really steeply in originality, variety and style once that boring st2 preamble is done. I found the armoured character's fragility really offputting at first - like I was wearing tinfoil - but it leads to some really cool "Rolling Thunder 200X" method action.

(I thought the player character was gonna get Alex J. Murphied at some point, lmao - nope, just shut down the ROBO PRISON RIOT with no backup and only your shitty pistol, and the ultime robotechnology is all yours chief!)

Anyone who's read more than three of my posts knows TNWA and Splatterhouse Part 3 are JP OR BUST but I believe in overkill. Former has one of its enemy types deleted, with extras of another caulking the gap, damaging the crowd mixups ; latter becomes Final Fight with free bombs. It's a testament to both games' quality that they remain worth playing even in compromised US form, but yeah. JP or bust. TNWA is among the best of the best - I'd desert island it without hesitation. Infernally replayable. SHP3 isn't as surpassingly brilliant, but it's a granite-solid base for stunning slasher/body/occult horror that'll put hair on your chest and worms in your lover's skull. Neato nonlinear time attack angle, too! Can't believe it made it over uncensored, that's some dark shit bro! Hey kids! Do you like the vacant gaze of a torn-off, partially-eaten head? And have you heard of Francisco Goya? Edutainment!

Then again RED BLOOD / SHOW NO MERCY was the Genesis' zeitgeist then. Shame the other big trend, SFII CRAZY MOVEZ, blew out the game engine. FUCK KEN LOBB (haha I dunno if he was responsible... he's mentioned "balancing work" on the US version, though. cough cough "balancing" lmao)

Drawing a blank atm on stuff that was mechanically altered for NTSCU... Mystic Defender slaps Hammer Pants on poor Kujaku's classy Shinto priest getup, but strangely neglects to cover up the HAWT NAKED CHICK at the end, hm. Although at least she's not on the boxart like on MD! YEEE Western Morality Preserved ;-;7 Here's some more oldies but goodies for now:

Contra Hard Corps is an infamous case, as discussed a bit back. I'd actually go with the US one given a choice... the learning curve will be brutal, with some clearly unintended bullshit, but the end result of a no-miss run is the same in both versions. And it's still not as brutal as the JP version's nutsack-crushing price. Unless the Genesis one has caught up over the last few years... I don't pay attention to that stuff much anymore, too depressing. >_>

Castlevania Bloodlines is marginally harder than Vampire Killer at both games' Expert levels, but only marginally. Bloodlines will stomp shitty VK players. Master VK players will stomp Bloodlines. Though again, the JP one is balls-out expensive. I'd almost sell up both but I'm a hopeless fiend.

Rocket Knight Adventures renames its various difficulties across regions, rather aggressively (JP "Hard" = US "Easy" or some such), but AFAIK the content itself is identical.

[BrianC]

Also (finally) picking up a copy of TNWA. I tend to go for US releases personally, but gameplay-altering localizations are criminal imo. Streets of Rage 3 and Splatterhouse 3 are also jp pickups on my list. I know censorship is a big thing in this era, but are there any other standout games that were effected similarly? Crosses being changed in GnG is fine, actually fucking with the game is very much not!

Decapattack Genesis was changed quite a bit from the original Magical Hat Turbo Adventure MD, though, in this case, I found both to be worth playing. The original played more like Psycho Fox and the altered version became more action oriented.

The US version of Captain Silver for the SMS had over half the game removed because SEGA of America got cheap with saving memory space.

The JP version of Ecco the Dolphin's Open Ocean theme was changed and is inferior to the US/EU version of the music.

In the case of Mystic Defender, the nudity was censored in later US/EU revisions of the game. I'm not sure if the change carried over to the JP revision on the cart. I know with SOR2 US, if the region lockout is bypassed, the game plays in Japanese, but still has the censorship intact

[FinalBaton]

US Contra Hard Corps is definitely the way to go.

life bar in a Contra game??? Are you a fucking pussy or what

The US version of Captain Silver for the SMS had over half the game removed because SEGA of America got cheap with saving memory space.

Wow! that's pretty bad...

[BIL]

US Contra Hard Corps is definitely the way to go.

Yes.

life bar in a Contra game??? Are you a fucking pussy or what

Yes

Technically, what makes me endorse the JP one these days is the rare pattern where the game just unashamedly BWAAARRRs at you, and realistically you need at least one hitpoint to not instantly die. Prime offender is the Great Takeda Robot aka We Love Seven Force's bombardment, when he pulls the supreme dick move of marking the only safespot from the undodgeable nuclear hellstorm with his crosshairs. That just screams "quickie parameter change" to me. (don't get me wrong though, I'm glad the two versions are 110% identical in gameplay terms, but yeah... and yeah, I know it's possible you'd reach that point with 1HP and eat it, too, but I find that charming as opposed to shameless ;3 )

Having said all this, I viscerally prefer the US one. Grew up with it, and although its "throw the kids in the deep end" (no lifebar) "and strafe the pool if they go for the lifejackets" (no cheats either, motherfucker!) ethos was rough, it's by no means insurmountable. Hardcore: "You probably won't survive. But if you do, you'll be much stronger because you tried."

Also I want my Contra mistakes followed by sudden screaming death, not "yeowch!" I've toyed with the idea of a third way that gives you HP, but loses your equipped weapon after a hit. Either version, if I get hit, it's now a practice run or an instant reset, but I think it'd work well (as Squire has pointed out, it's not just the 1HKOs that hurt in US... it's losing your weapon of choice and likely eating a quasi-Gradius pileup as the boss's lifespan extends with every mistake).

The US version of Captain Silver for the SMS had over half the game removed because SEGA of America got cheap with saving memory space.

Bahaha, that's like if NEC couldn't be arsed to release the other half of R-Type on PCE. At least rip 'em off with the double album approach! 3;

[FinalBaton]

Having said all this, I viscerally prefer the US one. Grew up with it, and although its "throw the kids in the deep end" (no lifebar) "and strafe the pool if they go for the lifejackets" (no cheats either, motherfucker!) ethos was rough, it's by no means insurmountable. Hardcore: "You probably won't survive. But if you do, you'll be much stronger because you tried."

Exactly. It's very though, but it's certainly not impossible. Not even close. A no-death run is possible, so that tells you right there that the game is not "impossible" nor "totally unfair".

It is the embodiment of what the general public calls "Nintendo Hard" and I personally love that difficulty curve dearly. This is an aspect I love about retro-gaming, and it accounts for a good portion of the experience too, as far as I'm concerned. That "throw him in the water and let him learn to swin" mentality.

The JP version is not as fun to me, despite being more forgiving. And that right there is a microcosm of 8 and 16 bit gaming

[BrianC]

At least Hard Corps isn't like the MSX2 Contra where you are stuck with a life bar no matter what version. MSX2 Contra also lacks scrolling.

[BIL]

Best thing about MSX2 Contra is the mantastic boxart. Phwoaaar! Hard gay and really quite threatening!

[dunpeal2064]

Appreciate the good tips BIL and Brian. Didn't know about Mystic Defender, already have that one. Iirc its one of those "Both versions on one cart" affairs, so should be good to go there. His sprite is definitely way better in the jp version! Already snagged Contra: HC US as well (Its price would indeed likely disgust now).

Managed to snag a Midnight Resistance 1cc. Not a terrible tough game, but enough there to keep you on guard. Really, though, its just damn fun, even with its somewhat lacking resistance (lol). Fairly constant in its engagement, only really pausing to show you your poor families. The last boss sprite is glorious!! Will definitely return for a 1lc, and maybe on the higher difficulty.

Also finally grabbed a Streets of Rage 2 1cc. Beat em ups have always gave me trouble, but I feel like I am coming to grips with how to approach them (Better be, with TWNA currently en route!). Obviously SOR2 is gold. Too bad my US copy of SOR3 is fuckin nasty.

Quick question, I've seen GB/GBC/GBA stuff discussed occasionally. Is there a good thread (or even a certain page of this thread) that one could point me to to get a quick and dirty look at the stronger titles on the handhelds?

[BIL]

For GB/GBC, the biggest thread I can recall is here; some excellent suggestions there. There's also a bit of intermittent GB/GBC discussion throughout this thread, off the top of my head here. Will see if I can think up some more links later!

A flying visit, but for now I'll just say: you must play Bionic Commando, it's utterly excellent (wrote a bit at the foot of this post). Although it re-uses the FC game's plot and items, it's otherwise totally original and easily worth calling a true sequel.

As for GBA, I can't recommend Ninja Five-O aka Ninja Cop highly enough. By Hudson with ex-Konami staff, never got a Japanese release; plays like a seamless hybrid of Umihara Kawase's wire, Shinobi's precision rescues and Elevator Action Returns' mild tactical stealth. Superb in both full campaign and time attack modes. Hideously pricey these days, sadly, but it's the sort of game I'd buy a console for. My previous "justifier" GBA title was Double Dragon Advance (most recent talk at foot of this post), which is damn near as good and a must-play for beltscroller fans.

[WelshMegalodon]

He pretty much beat me to the reply, but I'll post this anyway.

A post of BIL's from last year:

I've been a bit tempted in the past to nab the Japanese GB Arremer 2... at the time though, there were other games I didn't have in any shape or form that took priority. Even if it's "just" the FC game downsized to GB, it's not easy to resist. ^w^

Ah, OG Gameboy. The most insidious format I've yet encountered! It doesn't take much more than a competent action game hewn out of that cruelly primitive monochrome to win my affection. Recently batted away a very nice Spartan X, just too damn lightweight compared to the original's immortal FC port. Currently rocking ten or so games, Bionic Commando the absolute sidescrolling champ with Contra, Dracula II, Arremer and Ninja Ryukenden filling out the midfield and Rubble Saver's alarming yet endearing "faxed to your GB from grandpa's office circa 1971" MSX-esque for avant garde factor. EDIT: aw cwap! BURGER TIME DX is great too, for more oldschool arcadey-type sidescrolling! (yep, this version does indeed scroll! but IDGAF tbh, single-screen platformers are good here) And a Metroid II is fine too.

As an aside, for topdown shooting everyone should play Totsugeki! Ponkotsu Tank aka Trax, ideally with one life = one credit stipulation. The sense of pummeling, razing devastation via dot-matrix warfare is inordinately gratifying! When those helldozers start levelling entire city blocks on a beeline for your little tank, ho ho hoooly shit. Like certain other cutting-edge action games (Ex Ranza MD, Omega Boost PS1) it both makes me ponder a hardware-upgraded sequel and doubt it needed one. For the love of god - tap the turret rotate button, don't hold it (latter is slow!).

He's also had many good things to say about Cave Noire. Other popular recommendations here include Mole Miner, SolarStriker, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, Donkey Kong, Batman: The Animated Series, Nemesis II, Trip World, and Chiyuu Kaiho Gun ZAS in addition to the usual first-party stuff.

For GBA titles, BIL mentions Ninja Five-O and Double Dragon Advance a lot.

[BIL]

Nice, that's a way better post to link than the one I did.

[BrianC]

As far as GB Data East goes, Tumblepop GB was a bit of a disappointment (too slow and not frantic enough), but I found Lock 'n Chase, Side Pocket, and Burgertime Deluxe to be good stuff.

[dojo_b]

and Rubble Saver's alarming yet endearing "faxed to your GB from grandpa's office circa 1971" MSX-esque for avant garde factor.

An awesome and evocative quote. I've been hankering for dated, weird ambience in gameplay myself. There's something special about Umihara Kawase---its deranged juxtaposition of, like, Trapper Keeper- and Lisa Frank-scrapbooked characters and textures, over grimly washed-out, pixelated B/W nature photography (Laura Palmer crime scene?), that quite speaks to me.

I think there's at least two dimensions to the appeal. First, the cheap in-group pleasure of seeing depth & brilliance behind a deeply unpromising facade. (Tetris Attack---which I must've played more than anything else---is my favorite example, with its stigmatic match-3 associations, its cloying characters, and its shameless multiple licensing.)

Second, and more specific to games with a strong sense of place, is this perception of primitive cyber-spaces as objects of nostalgia and giddy horror. What's worse than being trapped inside a vivid yet sterile, boxy environment, plastered over with terribly repetitive texture-maps? Cramped or vast spaces, hastily thrown together with indifference or malice towards the occupants, then abandoned for 20+ years. In 3D, my strongest example (for purely personal reasons, though I'd hope it holds up) would be The Lawnmower Man on DOS; I'm low on good 2D side-scrolling examples, but the general tendency would be to look to JP PC gaming, e.g. instead of revisiting Mega Man, to try out its doujin-soft clone Rosenkreutzstilette.

It's tough to set guidelines for what's almost an anti-aesthetic, and I don't mean to blanket-endorse nostalgia or shoddy craftsmanship. Just a fragile but definite feeling I've been having and decided to share (sorry if a bit OT).

[BIL]

Addendum to previous: I actually picked up Spartan X (and Lock 'n Chase) since that older post. Spartan is okay... it's very easy, simple and short (and also kinda fugly ) - but it executes the series' signature feel perfectly, with airtight collision, snappy controls and rushing walls of goons to flatten. Got a nice deal on a NOS copy - wouldn't go out of my way for it, but it's a charming little rendition if you're into the series.

Lock n' Chase I got in the same lot, largely to complement Burger Time Deluxe (you were exactly right about the two games' aesthetic resemblances, Brian - so cute!). I rank BTDX higher, with the more immediate sense of pressure, but LNC's a fun little dot eater that does eventually turn up the heat with its advanced mode. Again was mint n' cheap so I nabbed it up.

The third GB title I got then, and my favourite sidescrolling addition since that post, was actually the original Kirby. I enjoy several of the Kirby games, but they tend to make me a bit dozy. Kirby 1's default difficulty is the same, but its second loop is a model example. Rejigged to feel almost arcadey, with much more mischievous enemies and bosses. Highly recommended! It's accessible from the start via simple code - I suggest just diving straight in.

Although not an action game, Mole Mania is a thoroughly excellent topdown puzzler. Super cute, and addictive! Cheap, too, at least the JP ver Mogura Nya. Recommended without reservation.

Also, I decided not to pursue Arremer II after getting smacked with an obvious control bug right out the gate. Didn't bode well! Box is purty but that ain't enough! Decided to stick with the (also beautifully-boxed) FC original.

There's something special about Umihara Kawase---its deranged juxtaposition of, like, Trapper Keeper- and Lisa Frank-scrapbooked characters and textures, over grimly washed-out, pixelated B/W nature photography (Laura Palmer crime scene?), that quite speaks to me.

Holy shit, I'd never in a million years have made that connection and now I can't unsee it. There is indeed something very ambiguous in those stills! Imagine if they'd inadvertently (or advertently!) used one with an observer or two peering back, brr.

Although I don't think there was actual Lynchian dark intent, Umi did always strike me as endearingly brazen that way... the combo of ultra-detailed wireplay and perfunctory combat likewise. It's a not unpleasant sense of clash I tend to associate with stuff like my beloved KCET Silent Hill quartet (sumptuously produced and lovingly directed interactive darkscapes, oh also, bop Bloody Foetal Dischargeman with a spiked plank until he falls over, then kick him).

It's like "Lissen, you - this is a HAAD COAH BUNGEE ACTION game. So fucken what we used Windows 3.1 wallpapers - tha fuck you want outta my life, asshole?!" *phone slam*

[copy-paster]

OMG people now prefer Hard Corps US?

Time to play some more, wait for me Alien's lair and Super Bahamut route!

[dunpeal2064]

Lots of good gb stuff there, you guys deliver as always.

Any word on the Konami GB Collection series for GBC? They seem to contain a lot of solid games, with color to boot, so they seem the way to go assuming everything is in tact.

[__SKYe]

Any word on the Konami GB Collection series for GBC? They seem to contain a lot of solid games, with color to boot, so they seem the way to go assuming everything is in tact.

The Konami GB Collection games are great, but special mention to both Vol.1 (which contains Gradius, Castlevania and Contra) and Vol. 4 (which contains Gradius II, Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge, Yie-Ar Kung-Fu and Antartic Adventure), which in my opinion are the more interesting compilations.

Since they're Europe only releases, you have the european titles, but Probotector still has the original JP/US sprites instead of the Probotector ones, so the games might actually be the JP ones, but with the european titles & title screens. This may be because Konami just reused the original GB compilations and simply changed the titles (along with the color/SuperGB changes) for the GBC releases.

[dunpeal2064]

Yeah, after further research, they seem to be solid comps. Apparently only the European releases had the GBC support, JP release only had the built in SBG palettes. The numbers are different between regions as well, just to add to the confusion!

I believe you are correct that they are just using the jp version of the game, and only bothered to change the title for Contra, after watching some videos of the two comps.

They do not, however, seem to be easy to find. One copy of Vol 1 on the ebay (Which was the most appealing one for me), and it was not cheap! Bought it nonetheless Vol 4 was nowhere to be found, hopefully I can track one down at some point.

Edit: also, holy hell is the fake/repro thing rampant on these handhelds! Even when looking for an $8 game, I have to scroll though repros priced even higher than the legit carts.

[Sumez]

OMG people now prefer Hard Corps US?

I think people always did.

[__SKYe]

Finally, and after getting inspiration from dunpeal2064, got the 1CC in Bare Knuckle II with Blaze.



Damn, this took a long time, and I got it on my very last life, which is no joke, given that I reached the last stage with 7 lives in stock.
I always thought SOR1 would take me much longer to clear than SOR2 (with the twins and whatnot), but I still have a pretty rough time with this game.

On the other hand, I thought that Mr. X was somewhat easier to beat in SOR 2 than on the first game. His gun whippings do a nice chunk of damage, but the bullets themselves are nearly harmless. Also, the enemies aren't as threatening, since in SOR1 they are all of the agressive variety.

Anyway, I'm happy to have finally cleared it, and now only the 3rd game remains.