Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

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

Post by __SKYe »

A damn shame, the Senjou No Ookami port, as, if not for the terrible shot aiming delay, it would otherwise be a very good port.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I was about to say I needed to check if the AC one was like that too - but I seem to recall you'd done the same, and reported it was a port-only issue. :o Shame indeed, it's very cute otherwise. Right down to how holding [select] lets you shoot bullets out of your ass, like Super Joe is storming the front line with a red-hot M16 clenched in his iron buns. :lol:

Box rocks too, which never hurts. <333 real model covers from BITD.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

Yeah, the original controls very well. Aiming is not only very responsive, but they also managed to put those intermediate shots in, which come out as you spray bullets left and right. It gives it a more realistic bullet spraying than just the 8 cardinal directions, without sacrificing input responsiveness.
Pretty novel both at the time, and since -- can't really recall any other games (overhead ones) with a well realized mechanic like that right now.

The FC port could probably be fixed if they reduced the timing window for those intermediate shots (by also reducing the aiming delay). I don't know if it was done deliberately, perhaps in an attempt to aid the played since it was now played with a gamepad, or if it simply came out wrong during the conversion.
It's a real shame, since the game can really shovel enemy sprites in there, and again, would likely make for an awesome port.

Didn't one of the arcade Contras have a similar problem?
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

__SKYe wrote:Didn't one of the arcade Contras have a similar problem?
Both - and AC Jackal too. :sad: It can be worked around (in Super Contra by using diagonals only while jumping, otherwise just cardinals), but ala Holy Diver, it's a constant annoyance.

When I tried out FC Senjou (released before any of the above) I instantly wondered if the same rogue was reponsible for all four. :lol:
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

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It always saddens me when otherwise good games are saddled with such basic, yet important flaws.
Fortunately in the case of Contra, we got a most marvelous FC port, otherwise there might not have been a series after the first arcade games.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I've said it before, but it bears repeating - were The Terminator a documentary, I would travel back in time to mid-80s Japan, tie up Holy Diver's dev team at gunpoint, then drop trou and use my filthy gaijin hog to cock-slap each of them into unconsciousness before chucking buckets of ice water on 'em and making them re-write the command interpreter. Then I'd playtest it for 'em, FO FREE Image - because god knows nobody else did.

I really shouldn't compare the AC Contras/Jackal to HD - the latter is truly in a class of its own for faulty controls. The 1LC rewired my goddamn brain and hands to the point that afterward, I was playing CV1+NG1 with the same goofy workarounds, and failing horribly as a result. :shock: Just watching footage brings it all back.

I don't know why I keep it around tbh. I mean, I do - it's a brilliant translation of Metroid's treacherous lunar shooting and character building to linear format. At a fundamental level though, considering what it demands of the player - good gravy, it's busted to fucking hell and back. I suppose I'm hoping its price goes Majuu Ou (SFC) nuts at some point, but it's hardly budged in the five years I've had it. Maybe it will fund my grandchildren's tuition, while scarring some poor new whippersnapper's nervous system. Image
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Vanguard »

I would much rather deal with Holy Diver's controls than the arcade Contras', even if the latter aren't technically defective.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

It's HD's reliance on pitfalls that really gets me. Right from st2 even the tiniest hop is inordinately lethal to approach. st6's Genocide Chamber and Stairway to Heaven must be the sort of transcendent pain/pleasure Pinhead was going on about in Hellraiser. :shock: It also turns bits I think would be only bracingly treacherous into absolute frighteners, like the spider-infested abyss shortly beforehand.

If I could fix only one button it'd be [jump] for sure. Halting and attempting to fire only to get the dead man's click isn't great, but jamming on [shoot] or just using autofire is infinitely less distracting than making do/die leaps.

Sometimes I wonder how HD jumping would feel with the exact same input drops, only telegraphed by animation; ie the character having visible startup/slowdown, ala Prince of Persia. Maybe it'd be a total abomination... Moon Crystal incorporates POP-esque handling pretty well into snappier context, but it's nowhere as harrowing an action/platformer as HD. (or even POP, really)

I think I've forgotten AC Contra's handling details, but I always remember Super being marginally more manageable. Still absolutely onerous without the aforementioned work-arounds absorbed, though.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jonny2x4 »

Super Contra has more or less the same issues as AC Contra, except it has the added mechanic of controlling the height of your jumps with the joystick (i.e. you jump higher if you have the joystick held up or fall faster if you hold it down). In the NES versions, your character always jumps up to a fixed height.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I think it may be AC Super's badass machinegun that's got me remembering its handling more fondly - I really like that weapon, both for zako shredding and hard target demolition. Obliterating incoming runner mobs with the classic jumping downshot is particularly rewarding. The lag almost feels legit there, given how brutally it tears through stuff if you can draw a bead on it.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jonny2x4 »

I think the two AC Contras are underrated games that are way overshadowed by their NES counterparts. I used to play them once in a while to relieve stress, especially considering their short length. I hope I can 1CC the Very Hard setting of Super Contra one of these days.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

Jonny2x4 wrote:Super Contra has more or less the same issues as AC Contra, except it has the added mechanic of controlling the height of your jumps with the joystick (i.e. you jump higher if you have the joystick held up or fall faster if you hold it down).
That's something I've always disliked. I always prefer to either have the height controlled by how ong you keep the jump button down, or simply have a fixed height jump (ie. Makaimura, etc).
If I'm not mistaken, the original arcade Wonder Boy had this and is why I dislike it in favour of the FC port -- though this one requires to be moving to jump high (which is still annoying), it is still better than having to hold the up direction.

One of the more bad examples of weird jump mechanics I can think of, is FC's Atlantis No Nazo. You really have to play it to feel it in action. :wink:

EDIT: I was mistaken, the arcade Wonder Boy behaves like the FC. It's the SMS port I meant, though you have to hold the run button to high-jump and not the up direction.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

buhh. what should I play
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Ever tried Ninja Five-O aka Ninja Cop (GBA)? Easy to pick up and play, quite the performance ceiling too if you're into time trialling. Nowhere as hard as the AC stuff you've been posting lately, but for simple recreation it's among the best sidescrollers I've ever played. Always refreshing! (apologies if you've played and/or disliked it Image )

I'm up to my neck in FC goodies but must crash soon. GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE Image Legend of Kage and Takahashi Meijin #1 are quality arcade-bred axe murderers. Image Thought as much from brief encounters as a scurred little kid, but now I'm a grown ass mayne and can rent all the VHS horror tapes I want muhfucka. Image
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Both far tougher than Trojan. Apparently Kage has a bad rep on the NES side? Hm. Not that it'd matter to me, but I was surprised. Anyway, I love this. Concentrated deadly wuxia action. Burst shield and precision sniping immediate standouts. Simple and relentless, seriously fraught once you hit the second loop. Wanted it largely for its prefigurings of Fudoh Myouou Den and ultimate wuxia nightmare NINJA SPIRIT, but it's holding its own sterlingly. I already knew Meijin was no fucking joke from the Awesome Game Replays episode, which I always meant to post here. It's harrowing. :shock: Anyway, tomorrow I suppose! It's good to be back in the ol' nerdbunker. :cool:

That art style on Meijin (and its many sequels!) looks familiar, wonder if it's the same illustrator who did Shadows of the Tusk (Saturn)? Jebus I need to tear myself off my crummy PC already.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

Ninja Five-O seems cool but I am looking for more of an arcade game. just something that's not a shmup, doesn't even necessarily have to be a sidescroller
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

On the slim chance you haven't already (very popular game round these parts), perhaps it's a good time to give Ninja Spirit a go? It is 95% five star fucking incredible, 5% utter kusoge memoriser bullshit - but ho ho hooory shiet, is it ever worth playing up to the infamous Ninja Pit, then stopping. Mortal wuxia intensity with monstrous firepower, murderous pursuits and a peerless necro-feudal aesthetic. PCE port is eminently respectable, and would easily reap similar praise were it the game's sole iteration - but AC ver (preferably Japan / Saigo no Nindou) is ultimate pressure and painterly gloom, topped off by vintage IREM guttural BGM pulse. Ultimate recommend with an unfortunate caveat. Actually lots of good stuff in life fits that description! :shock:
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

I've played I think exactly one credit of that game and it wasn't when I was actively looking for something new to play. so I will likely be spending some time with it soon, thanks 8)
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

You could also try Cabal or one of its variants, or an overhead run n gun like Shock Troopers, Senjou No ookami, etc.

Ninja 5-O, although not nearly arcade-like in difficulty, is a very fun exercise in rope swinging and sword slashing. The tense timed sequence at the very end of the game is quite fun too. Should be played on Hard for maximum enjoyment, of course.

Or go with a balls-to-the-wall cool, Crude Buster MD. :wink:
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

__SKYe wrote:You could also try Cabal or one of its variants, or an overhead run n gun like Shock Troopers, Senjou No ookami, etc.

Ninja 5-O, although not nearly arcade-like in difficulty, is a very fun exercise in rope swinging and sword slashing. The tense timed sequence at the very end of the game is quite fun too. Should be played on Hard for maximum enjoyment, of course.

Or go with a balls-to-the-wall cool, Crude Buster MD. :wink:
Is Crude Buster arcade not as good?
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by __SKYe »

I find it considerably worse, yes.
It is by no means unplayable, but having tried it after clearing the MD port, I can't really enjoy it.

I've posted some differences between both games, after giving the arcade game a rough, partial playthrough.

You could give both a try, if you can (and if you end up playing it), if not just to get a rough feel for the differences.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

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BIL wrote: Easy to pick up
If you are super rich!
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Image

Yeah it's a shame. :sad: Worth it though. :wink: Blaze of glory from 16bit-era Konami vets. Seamlessly evocative of Shinobi, Umihara Kawase and Elevator Action Returns. Image
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

__SKYe wrote:I find it considerably worse, yes.
It is by no means unplayable, but having tried it after clearing the MD port, I can't really enjoy it.

I've posted some differences between both games, after giving the arcade game a rough, partial playthrough.

You could give both a try, if you can (and if you end up playing it), if not just to get a rough feel for the differences.
Noted, thanks. I also put down the other games you mentioned into my "cool games" list, which I forgot I had when I asked the question "what should I play" in the first place :P

I've played Saigo for a bit and it seems like a really cool game, the controls specifically are spot on. Really satisfying to glide through the air with your shadow buddies throwing like fifty shurikens in all directions :D
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by mycophobia »

I think I'm going to stick with Alien Syndrome actually, since I'm somewhat familiar with it and it's a good game. US/World version cuz I need a nice cheap clear after spending 60 hours with Truxton
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Nicey nice nice copy of FC Senjou no Okami tempting me, but gave teh ROM a spin and yeah. :o Reiterating Skye, those aiming controls are a goddamn shame. Port keeps a furious tempo with no slowdown - Nazis flooding onto the field as fast as you can slaughter them. Amusingly it actually outperforms Sega's rather nice Senjou-esque Rambo III (MD), which also sports massive crowds but chugs under similar numbers. As seeming tradeoff, it's decidedly glitchy - especially WRT slain enemies just vanishing, which seems to confuse the game logic. Sniped a captive's two would-be abductors only for them to disappear, and him to run into a brick wall and die. :lol: Still, generally very tolerable.

Laggy aiming dulls the whole experience, sadly. Makes me play exactly like AC Super Contra's topdown stages, sans that game's transformatively blistering violence. Moving like a chess rook, diagonal shots a rare treat requiring advance planning, anything nearby a pain to get a bead on without being bumped into. Not good. MD Senjou II would seem to be the ultimate in home console Battlefield Wolfing, outside of the AC-perfect Capcom Generation 4 (PS1) ofc.

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MD Rambo III is quite good too, underrated imo. BIGGU FACKING GIFFU:
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It's pretty fascinating going through these old ports ("old" for my purposes being up to maybe 1987). Finding ones that handle properly and maintain arcade tension is such a treat. You really have to take them on case-by-case bases, particularly with those chronic shitbirds Micronics having gotten so many Capcom/Taito contracts. Image I've found early Namco and Nichibutsu stuff quite consistently excellent.

Speaking of, I think I cleared Kage no Densetsu last night. Made it through summer/fall/winter, got staff roll, then back to summer. Was dead tired so left it at st1, but it didn't seem any different. Anyway, surprisingly excellent wuxia-style action if you're willing to work with a couple idiosyncrasies - chiefly the inability to aim up while grounded, without also getting a jump / wallclimb. Didn't find it a problem myself, any more than averting unwanted wall-sticks in the NG trilogy. It's a remarkably short but rivetingly deadly run, generally always fairly so. The slash's generous burst shielding will take care of regular projectiles, with rare grenades and flame blasts ensuring you can't freely turtle. This counter-guard mechanic dovetails perfectly with the running sword and lack of player/enemy bumps, facilitating some aggressive and slick run-by slashings (appropriately, again, there are enemies where this isn't safe - namely the monk dudes who'll promptly incinerate a head-on attacker). The various (randomly spawning?) powerups are fun but, the spectacle of corpses raining and points for the next extend aside, the bomb's a bit daft. Avoidable at least! Man, did that imagery stick in my little boy brain, though.

Aiding the pace, the first couple stages are free-ranging kill lists (mow through the enemy as quick as you like), the latter two are total free runs. All quite exhilarating - Kage himself really books along at his third and final upgrade level.

Seems like the sort of RNG-fuelled 1HKO action that'll stay gratifying to no-miss in the long term (haven't quite managed yet!). Neither this nor its mechanically near-identical but structurally very different (and much longer) FC followup Fudoh Myouou Den are quite essentials, Ninja Spirit most definitely claiming the wuxia sidescrolling crown - but their super-cool jump/flight mechanics and smooth, deadly action certainly merit a look from ninja action aficionados.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

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The enemy count in FC Senjou No Ookami looks fantastic, really rivaling the arcade original, taking into account the smaller resolution of the FC. A real shame, but there's nothing that can be done. :(
A bit ironic that, as bad as the Micronic ports are, they still manage to be more playable than this. Though, both FC's Makaimura and 1942 aren't nearly as busy as SnO. :lol:

Rambo III MD looks pretty fantastic on the other hand. Love the 3rd person, behind the shoulder, helicopter fight. :lol:

Reminds me a bit of the PCE's Red Alert/Last Alert, which is pretty much a standard overhead run n gun, but its levels resemble Alien Syndrome more -- you mostly have to some sort of task in each mission, be it rescue a number of POWs or plants some bombs, and when you're done, you go to the end of the level and fight a boss. All on a timer as well, but without the helpful maps of AS. There's a mild RPG system going on (increasing XP by killing enemies, if I'm not mistaken) that increases your HP and occasional unlocks a new weapon. You also retain your level when dying (and continuing? Not sure, it's been a while) so it gets easier the more you try. At first I thought these new weapons messes the balance of game, since the very early missions are quite easy, but the game gets very mean later on, so you'll defenitely need them to progress (they're pretty well integrated with the difficulty of the game). The main difference to its arcade brethren is that it is on the long side (23 missions) so it takes quite a while to beat, which I have yet to do. :)
And, of course, it was developed by the much loved, B-tier developer, Telenet Japan. The main character is voiced by the same person that voiced the original Hokuto No Ken's Kenshiro as well, so you know he means business. :wink:
BIL wrote:It's pretty fascinating going through these old ports ("old" for my purposes being up to maybe 1987). You really have to take them on case-by-case bases, though I have found early Namco generally very reliable. Finding ones that handle properly and maintain arcade tension is such a treat.
Indeed, Namco especially has always been on top of their game when it comes to ports (FC ones, at least). Galaxian, Galaga, Mappy, Xevious, Dig Dug, etc, are all very good on there, and they were also one of the very first 3rd party developers on the Famicom, so their ports's quality since day one is pretty remarkable.
BIL wrote:Speaking of, I think I cleared Kage no Densetsu last night. Made it through summer/fall/winter, got staff roll, then back to summer. Was dead tired so left it at st1, but it didn't seem any different.
Played this for a while some months ago, and I also find it pretty fun. It did take me a while to get used to the huge jump height, and the frantic pacing. That, and trying to figure out what the conditions were to advance through the first (forest) level. :lol:
Will have to eventually go back to it. Haven't played the second game (besides giving it a go to test if the controls and basic mechanics were decent), but isn't it the one that has massive levels?
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

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__SKYe wrote:Haven't played the second game (besides giving it a go to test if the controls and basic mechanics were decent), but isn't it the one that has massive levels?
Yeah, Fudoh Myouou Den is a fairly long haul it seems - tons of stages, and they're big too. Even has passwords. :o Although I'd prefer arcade over console duration, the content is good enough that I'm happy to indulge it as an ARPG of sorts. Bosses are basic, but the three or so stages I saw were hardcore. Despite it handling more or less exactly like Kage, the rugged, treacherous terrain really changes things up.

It's actually somewhat experimental-feeling, in that the base difficulty is arcade-brutal, with hoardable booster items meant to offset. You set the pace - either farm up lots of HP and subweapons, or go without, or (most likely I'd imagine) somewhere between. It's not entirely successful (item drops seem insanely random), but it's nothing I'd turn away either - especially with another outing for Kage's very cool wuxia concept.

I also like that you no longer "bump" the top edge of the screen while jumping, too - a minor but consistent annoyance that mutes Kage's high-flying action slightly. Not that it's a great idea to jump excessively high or long in either game - makes you a sitting duck for unblockable projectiles, and frankly you can kill more furiously on the ground anyway. And in Fudoh there's pits everywhere, so going without seeing the ground for too long is a (considerably thrilling) gamble. Actually from what I've seen of Fudoh, you're down in the undergrowth a fair bit finding item chambers and keeping an eye on your footing - very different from the first game, as I say.

The spark of my revisiting was actually the badass stage 1 BGM; always remembered it from my brief time with the NES version, as a kid. Very Ninja Gaiden-esque (reminds me of Act 2-2's rapidfire paean to fearless cliffjumpers). Character design is unusual and cool too. (even if the palette makes him look like he's wearing hooker boots and a Chinese dress, the same way Billy and Jimmy never bothered with shoes, and the Rolling Thunder and Codename Viper guys likewise with trousers :lol:)

The Acclaim-published NES version "Demon Sword" is very different apparently - both in terms of missing content (NES is smaller ROM - the FC box proudly declares its "3 MEGA POWWA"), and balance (you have a lifebar by default, versus earning hitpoints on FC). To be honest a shorter version of the game sounds good, but I've no idea what they may/may not have screwed up in the localisation process. :mrgreen:
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Despatche »

As far as Namco, the semi-remakes like Warpman and Battle City are key. I think it's just those actually.

It's Namco, but not a Namco port: I'm pretty fond of the FC Rolling Thunder. It's a nice "beginner's" version that isn't as crazy as the arcade game. Everything looks and feels right, and I actually enjoy it more than the arcade game. The devs obviously cared about making a good game, because we got Dead Fox out of it.

In the hunt for Dead Fox information, I found... a bunch of posts in this thread. I found one in particular that I wanted to answer. It's not about Dead Fox.
__SKYe wrote:I agree that playing Fighting games single player is nowhere near as enjoyable as playing human opponents. After all fighing games where meant to be played between two humans.
The fighting game genre is funny. Games like Yie Ar Kung Fu and the first Street Fighter were absolutely singleplayer-focused. But Street Fighter II? That was also meant to be a singleplayer game first and foremost, with the multiplayer capability an afterthought. Even the first Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting were heavily built around singleplayer. Then and now, fighting games are still judged based on their singleplayer; if the arcade mode is "too easy", then the game as a whole is "too easy", for many people. This can even threaten to cloud a person's judgement and lead them to filter everything about a fighting game through their mashy, creditfeeding, singleplayer lens, never knowing anything about the characters and how moves interact with each other.

The rise of Evo and the whole esports thing have largely put a stop to this, but it still occurs in certain contexts. The perceived quality of a fighting game is still reasonably dependent on whatever singleplayer it has. Situations like this are where I get my "you have to trick people into taking games seriously" line from. These aren't small exceptions, we're talking about entire genres here... for fighting games, the "trick" is organizing tournaments with monetary prizes, and getting the developers of the games in on it.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by WelshMegalodon »

I don't know if I would lump Street Fighter II into that category. For one, unlike the other games you mentioned, your opponents in that game aren't fought in an enforced order, with the exception of the four bosses. There's also the fact that you can fight against yourself without the game really bringing attention to it. In other words, there isn't any structure within the game encouraging completion of the single-player mode.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

__SKYe wrote:Reminds me a bit of the PCE's Red Alert/Last Alert, which is pretty much a standard overhead run n gun, but its levels resemble Alien Syndrome more -- you mostly have to some sort of task in each mission, be it rescue a number of POWs or plants some bombs, and when you're done, you go to the end of the level and fight a boss. All on a timer as well, but without the helpful maps of AS.
Meant to say, glad to see Red Alert mentioned! The JP one's always around for peanuts, but I was distracted the last time I went hunting for NEC softs. Been meaning to kick the tyres on that one.
And, of course, it was developed by the much loved, B-tier developer, Telenet Japan. The main character is voiced by the same person that voiced the original Hokuto No Ken's Kenshiro as well, so you know he means business. :wink:
Final Zone and Arcus are two further Telenet-published topdown action series I'm tentatively interested in. Their stuff always looks rad in stills, and when they're good they're good (Wolfteam have a pretty decent brace of MD hits under them), but I never quite let my guard down with 'em. ;3 PCE-CD mech sidescroller Browning looks rad (and like RA is an easy pickup) but it's just not much good. OTOH, I find isometric mecha blaster FZ Senki: Axis (MD) quite likable, pardon the inherently chunky (though stable) performance. Was getting some good vibes from topdown ARPG Arcus Odyssey (MD) too, using the whip/flail character.

Their presentation is usually topnotch, at the very least - lots of sharp coverart, and I'm impressed but not entirely surprised to hear RA features voice talent as formidable as Akira Kamiya! Even Browning has some rad mecha stomp & explosion SFX straight outta Badass 80s Anime.
Despatche wrote:It's Namco, but not a Namco port: I'm pretty fond of the FC Rolling Thunder. It's a nice "beginner's" version that isn't as crazy as the arcade game. Everything looks and feels right, and I actually enjoy it more than the arcade game. The devs obviously cared about making a good game, because we got Dead Fox out of it.
Arc System Works, legend has it? Great pickups both, either way. FC snapcases rule too. Nice bookends for cardboard softs. Image

RT's enemy reaction speed is a bit merciless on certain spawns - there is a particular Yellow/Green masker near the end of Story 1, who I always scroll a pre-emptive bullet into - but it's nothing out of line. I notice Dead Fox reserves the really fast shooting for its third and final difficulty tier, which was clearly balanced for veterans of Easy+Normal.
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