Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Stevens]

Metal Warriors is a game everyone here should play.

It is one of those games that feels like it was made by a group that was really into what they were doing.

Story - Typical us vs. them, but told through gorgeous pixel art (think early 90's Amiga graphics) cut scenes. Slightly sad that they mention the main villain in the opening and then you don't see him till the end. They could have created a Cobra Commander type maniac and given him some screen time too. Minor complaint. Overall the story pulls you in and gives you a reason you're doing all the shit you're doing. Not that we need stories in our action games but sometimes it is nice, particularly when it doesn't feel like an afterthought.

Missions - Start off simple and slowly get more complex as the game progresses. Mission types run the gamut: recovery, rescue, hijack, infiltration, search and destroy, defense. There are nine missions total and you never feel like you're doing the same thing over.

Level design is pretty good overall. The first three missions are similar in location (BG graphics) but the levels are still vastly different. From five on everything looks different from what came before. Levels are multi tiered and non linear. Knowing where to go is important.

Controls are top notch. The mechs all have a weighty feel to them which is accentuated through the sound effects. Gravity and physics come into play just a bit, but nothing that turns this into a sim.

Music - Kicks ass. There are five in game tunes they use. They're all good, but Vital Mission and War in the Jungle stand out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln07dbr54jY

Like Zillion on the SMS and Tetris the composer here has come up with short loops that nail the feeling of the game and more importantly they don't get old. You'll hear Vital Mission the most.

Graphics - In game is somewhere between good and great. Mechs are nice and detailed and the BG's after the first three levels do a fantastic job of representing the locals. Level seven however is the standout here. Cut scenes as mentioned are gorgeous.

Bosses - There are three actual boss fights and a fourth thing you have to destroy so it feels like a boss fight. Particularly if you're mech is sparking on its last legs and you're trying not to die. Well done in general, especially the final boss. None of it ever feels unfair.

The Mechs - These are obviously the stars of the show. Here are my brief thoughts on each for the single player experience:

Nitro - This is the mech you will be in the most. Standard gun is good enough for all situations and can be upgraded through pick ups that make it anywhere from a bit more punchy to turn things into scrap immediately. Nothing OP though - power ups are timed. Best melee in the game, good shield, and can fly. Underused ability is its floating shield that you can put out and it kind of hovers. Could have made for a great boss fight over acid or something. You'll have this mech on almost every level - stay in it as much as you can.

Havoc - Bad guys version of Nitro and almost as good. Gun spreads a bit so it has slightly less punch. Melee good but not as good as Nitro. Has a better shield (I think), can't fly but can hover, and has a cool jet thing that allows it to speed along the ground. Underused, but crucial at one point. Sometimes you will see these hanging around without a pilot, if your current mech is fucked steal it. The mech you will spend the 2nd most amount of time in. As in a lot.

Prometheus - The bad guys mech. Hardest hitter in the game, slow natch, but lacks the ability to jump. Can build bridges to get across shit, has a shield but its meh. armor makes up for it. Pretty important in three missions, not always the best mech for the job. Minor complaint - being the bad guys mech you never actually fight one.

Drauche - Super speedy flying mech made of glass. Can shoot in any direction and has a diving attack that is pretty strong. The main mech for half of mission six.

Spider - Found it once. Didn't need it, possible troll mech.

Ballistic - This thing is a bag of dicks, don't ever get in it. Controls like shit, the only mech that can't move and fire at the same time. Avoid.

Pilot - Has a zippy jet pack and a pistol. Controls really well and can regain his health every time he gets back into his ride. If you can be in your mech you should be, but being out of it never feels like a death sentence. Unless of course you've bailed out fighting a giant mech. Then it is.

Sometimes you'll see mechs laying around to take but it doesn't mean you should. Sometimes abandoning or not abandoning your ride is a quick way to a game over.

Game is pretty long for a game without a PW/save feature. My first play through was about two hours total.

Already playing again.

[Blinge]

haha my heart was actually pounding as i beat contra with pretty much every continue possible...
A game everyone says is ezpz
losing spread to the flame pillars on stage 6 - the one you have to land next to, was rough.

most of my deaths were in the Hangar, I think what saved the game was me giving up the spread pickup and opting for the machine gun instead so i didn't have to deal with that janky last claw on the bottom level.
Last stage is way easier.

[Sumez]

haha my heart was actually pounding as i beat contra with pretty much every continue possible...
A game everyone says is ezpz

Contra is still hard enough that your first genuine clear will have your heart racing for sure! It's just one of those games where experience is bound to greatly improve your performance.

losing spread to the flame pillars on stage 6 - the one you have to land next to, was rough.

On the positive side, that won't happen again. The flames are easy to "route", and once you know where they all are, avoiding them is purely mechanical. I can't think of which you have to "land next to", though?

[Vanguard]

I wanted to like Metal Warriors, but it just feels euroshmuppy to me. Like, 80% of enemies you exploit obvious safespots or camp behind your shield, and the rest you just tank. I know it's a mecha game and they don't always let you avoid everything, but like, Valken is much better about letting me rush enemies down before they retaliate and Gigantic Army doesn't have any unavoidable damage at all.

On the positive side, the big variety of playable mechs is cool, as is the ability to eject and switch mid-mission. What little I've played of multiplayer was fun too.

On the positive side, that won't happen again. The flames are easy to "route", and once you know where they all are, avoiding them is purely mechanical. I can't think of which you have to "land next to", though?

Probably the one right by the invincibility powerup.

[WelshMegalodon]

Spoiler

Finally beat the first stage without continues. Damn!

I haven't played it that much but the first boss was enough to piss me off lol

You can avoid taking damage from the twins' electric attack by using your Jump + Attack special. Other than that... I don't know. Though I hear the turn-around punch from Final Fight also works in this game.

[FinalBaton]

I tried this today based on everyone's endorsements. It's as rad as its name suggests. What an incredible sense of speed! Those drivers are such assholes! The radio that changes stations whenever there's a crisis and BareKnuckleRoo's rear bumping technique are both very funny. Thanks for bringing it up!

No problem bud. Happy you liked it!

"Sense of speed", yes. that's definitely something the designers and coder nailed with aplomb, and that I forgot to explicitely mention. Even as a dumb kid I had realized that the sense of speed was insane

A strategy I discovered back then was that whenever there's an inevitable collision, just put yourself straight(perfectly aligned) behind the other car. You'll get a lil' bump and a 0% chance of being tossed to the side : you'll remain Square-ly(hehe) in your tracks. Now that's how you take a hit like a man! don't even flinch at your opponent's pussy attack!!

Heck it's even in the manual! under technique "slipstream". The one called "touch and turn" is pretty esoteric though

I'd even go so far as to argue that Rad Racer is a more deserving representative of Square's Famicom legacy and Nasir's coding prowess than the Final Fantasy games, as much as I hate to admit it.

Definitely. 3-D world Runner also is eye-candy and some impressive programming by my boy Nasir. He a beast!

[BrianC]

Definitely. 3-D world Runner also is eye-candy and some impressive programming by my boy Nasir. He a beast!

Agreed. What did you think of the odd JP only 3D World Runner sequel, JJ Tobidase Daisakusen Part 2?

[BIL]

Only played Tobidase Daisakusen 2 very briefly (the first not at all, since it's FDS-only), and have to say it seemed pretty damn good. No idea how it holds up further in, but stage 1 was intense from the get-go, just like Rad Racer. Good looking, too. Backgrounds have the discomforting yet colourful "alien safari" style of 2010 Street Fighter, and although he doesn't quite fit the scene, I like the main character design. Makes me feel like I'm playing Solid Snake Harrier.

[Blinge]

Probably the one right by the invincibility powerup.

yeah I didn't realise you could just jump over haha.

Man.. the most brutal thing about contra is how enemy turrets or zako spawn in when you've already committed to a jump or something. My reaction time is so awful and it's not all memorised yet.

That and the fact that I actually have to press down to duck rather than the sloppy diagonal down i'm used to from other games. I'm constantly running or jumping up when I want to be down. Struggling to wrap my head around that one.

Edit:

Give 'er bud!

Well mr. Baton I went back in there to her legs and give it to her ..

whew. 1cc'd it. Lost my S a few times tbh. First death in energy zone after the first turret twat across the gap. I misjudged my jump awfully and landed balls first to the waiting mouth of a zako below.
Died here and there, to the boss once. Hanger taxed me too, tried to go down and grab the S/ risk the claws and didn't make it through. Managed to hold myself together for hangar boss despite zako spawning directly beneath me.

Thought "this is in the bag" after getting S on the final stage then fucked up another jump and went into the final boss with 1 spare life and peashooter >_<. That was harrowing. Also after the thing blew up I got hit! Jesus..

[Vanguard]

Nice job! Contra seems rough at first (its "impossible without 30 lives" reputation isn't entirely unfounded) but it's also a game where a little bit of experience yields big results. Very rewarding. I'm finding Rad Racer to be similar in that way.

Yeah, I like Majuuou mostly for being of a gene that was basically unexistant on 16 bit consoles. It's not up to par with the best FC sidescrollers, and quite on the easy side with some odd spikes. But I remember kitten being extremely fond of it too.

I really would have loved to be able to play the entire game as the guy with the gun.

I forgot about this post until just now, but you totally can stay human the entire game. Shoot the crystals and then don't pick them up. You'll get the bad ending for your trouble though.

[Sumez]

whaaaaaaaaa



Back to that game! :O This is some proto-curse of the moon stuff.

[FinalBaton]

Knew the 1CC would follow soon! Good job Blingey boy

Yep as they others have stated, Contra's a game where even a little bit of experience with it gives you a great edge. Each playthrough, you'll get better. By knowing the layout better, you get to avoid jumping on bullets-from-ATM-unseen-enemies while moving to the right (i.e. you learn when to NOT jump).


@BrianC Haven't played the sequel yet!

[BrianC]

Only played Tobidase Daisakusen 2 very briefly (the first not at all, since it's FDS-only), and have to say it seemed pretty damn good. No idea how it holds up further in, but stage 1 was intense from the get-go, just like Rad Racer. Good looking, too. Backgrounds have the discomforting yet colourful "alien safari" style of 2010 Street Fighter, and although he doesn't quite fit the scene, I like the main character design. Makes me feel like I'm playing Solid Snake Harrier.

Thanks for the impressions. From what I played, the sequel is pretty much the first game on speed with a graphical makeover. It even seems to be using the exact same game engine.

[Vanguard]

I just found out that Majuu Ou has a hard mode. If you press select on the title screen you'll get an options menu where you activate it. It seems like a solid improvement too. Different enemy placements and attacks instead of another quick HP job.

[BIL]

Uploaded a no-deaths clear of Lickle Samson (FC) - hardly ironman material, this game, but I've wanted to get a decent demo up for a while. Despite missing out on its full potential at the climax, it remains one of my favourite "recreational sidescrollers" with its motoring pace, smooth handling and entertaining character switchups.

Some of the really aggressive boss techniques are pretty fuckin clutch too, Ko/mouse is a tiny beast. I don't attempt much, playing it safe around potential sudden stops like Dragon and Death.

Utata Kiyoshi really outdid himself here - some of the BG art brings to mind a Famicom SOTN. Those boss behemoths are just staggeringly intimidating to look at, too, even the relatively diminutive Black Knight who makes up for his humanoid stature with a relentless armoured attack. I think the juxtaposition between the cutesy sprites and monstrous tile-based bosses actually works really well - makes the bigger beasts feel appropriately ancient and crusty.

Even the sprites are full of personality, player and enemies alike. KiraKira/dragon is one of those sidescroller PCs that's expressive just standing still. Water Nymph has a cute pair of boobs she's clearly very proud of, cruelly confiscated on NES! Fuck the police. This run's encounter with her showcases a favourite mechanic of mine: sensibly untelegraphed attacks from below. Eat a dick, Shattered Soldier Seaman! I deliberately get on the ground here with Ko for NICE REACTION

Have to say, I never shared the BGM switching criticism until watching this - still doesn't outright bug me but yeah, I get it now. Might wanna put on your own tunes, I suggest Omega Boost's OST for appropriately scurrying yet violent pace! edit: actually I suggest Omega Boost's OST in general!

[Blinge]

Looks colourful and fun!
It's not until I saw this vid that i realised how drab and grey my games have been lately!

Oh different characters for different stages? fantasee cru?

Edit: OHMYGOD what are you doing to that dragon!!

[BIL]

Oh different characters for different stages?

Kind of! Once you're through the initial four/recruiting phase, you've got all of them on tap. Lickle is always available by default, but dying as the other three will disable them for the current stage (unless they were carrying an e-tank). Lickle himself is a relatively boring character tbh, so if you're about to lose one of his cooler friends, I suggest switching to him instead and suiciding to restart the stage.

A game rotating four distinct characters with their own stages sounds really good, and perhaps the logical next step Takeru might've taken after Cocoron and Lickle. Actually I'm guessing there's something out there exactly like that, isn't there. Possibly something I'm aware of and forgetting, I've got today off so I was up all night playing this.

Edit: OHMYGOD what are you doing to that dragon!!

Top secret Rockman boss AI tricks.

Spoiler

She shoots whenever you hit (B), but if you wait a bit she'll autocharge a full blast... hop it when she's near the screen edge and you can stunlock her like so. Depending on RNG she'll sometimes fly about the room, but in that case just let her touch down a second time for the same setup. Too far from the edge and your shot rate will be low, enough for her to trade brutally and escape! Looks sloppy!

Behold! INSTRUCTION MANGA VER:

Spoiler

Spoiler

[Sumez]

That final illustration sums up the bossfights of that game quite well.

[BIL]

HAPPY RAINBOWS UNF UNF UNFFF

versus

NECROMANTIC SCREAMS

[Vanguard]

I've been playing a lot of Majuu Ou the past few days. Here's a fairly sloppy no miss with the best ending on hard mode. I've mostly been playing human-only runs, and you can see a few times when I get tripped up by a demon form's unexpected weakness. The green dude is the coolest one, even though I'm garbage at aiming his laser.

Edit: You know what? Even for me that's too sloppy. I'm gonna take it down and upload a run where I at least keep the fairy.

Human form's not that bad. His hitbox is tiny and his bullets have no travel time. His weak damage output and inability to consume corpses mean he's still a challenge character, but the difference between him and the demons is smaller than, say, normal mode and hard mode. I actually find human form preferable over the ultimate form on the final boss since he can roll under her grounded dash attack.

Edit: OHMYGOD what are you doing to that dragon!!

That was my favorite part too!

[Blinge]

Man I can't beat it yet even with continues but Neo Kobe in CIII is awesome.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Here's a very brief snippet of The Ninja Warriors Again Again. Looks like the first boss is giant and ungrabbable now.

[Durandal]

Gotta size up to keep up with all that extra screen space. New backgrounds and character sprites are looking mighty fine, Kunoichi's hair seems to be a lot more fluid now, though the level of background destruction from the missile hitting the truck isn't quite the same.

Also, I don't think the new badass cover has been posted.
Or the new title screen.
Stage 1 intro?
A wild Pikachu appears?
Nearing retirement age and still putting your heart into games.
(What's the kanji in parentheses say? 'Again'?)

[WelshMegalodon]

Looks like the first boss is giant and ungrabbable now.

No more unleashing your grapple flurry on the first boss? That's a shame.

(What's the kanji in parentheses say? 'Again'?)

I believe it says something like 'temporary' or 'provisional', indicating that it's a prototype.

[soprano1]

This looks very promising.

[BIL]

Hopefully the old st1 bosses are still in there, just as midbosses (as they become in the SFC game). As to the new giant, it's the sort of thing that I could see going either way. I know this game will be a blast, at absolute minimum, but it's too early to guess how well-tuned it'll be. At least AFAIK, I've not gone looking for info. Ta Ilpalazzo and Durandal!

More potential but more to go awry. Que sera sera. :3

I wonder if they'll bring back the tank after it only got a cameo on SFC. :O

Watching the video pop up I thought to myself "please tell me that new tanker is going to detonate like a motherfucker killing everyone in the room just like on SFC" and I was not let down, so I've no doubt this a loving project.

A wild Pikachu appears?

Ohshi, background splosions :O

"PRESS THE BUTTON," haha. Mockup, I presume, but I like that.

[soprano1]

I wonder what the odds are of seeing a HD remake of Kiki KaiKai: Nazo no Kuro Manto, AKA Pocky & Rocky?

[BIL]

After this miracle of IP, surely anything is possible. I've not had my expectations so pleasantly defied since Clarice Disc did that Sunsoft NES Anthology album loaded with licensed OSTs.

Really pipe-dreaming, I'd love to see them do a few original Taito sequels, like Elevator Action Returns Again.

[Stevens]

Really pipe-dreaming, I'd love to see them do a few original Taito sequels, like Elevator Action Returns Again.

The Return of Elevator Action Returns HD HYPER FIGHTING

[soprano1]

Really pipe-dreaming, I'd love to see them do a few original Taito sequels, like Elevator Action Returns Again.

That's on SE's hands since they bought Taito, right? Hmmm, not enough edgelord bishounen in belts and zippers.
Speaking of bishounen, I would love an Endless Duel remake by Arc System Works.