Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

kitten wrote:the more death is characterized as this horribly punishing outcome, the more i think new players will struggle to understand arcade ethos and fail to appreciate classic action games for what they are.
Agreed, but in the context of the Souls games it seems like it's a hilarious case where you're told death is a horribly punishing outcome when in practice it's a light slap on the wrist. You can collect an item, die, and respawn with that item still in inventory, it doesn't even reset your progress per se.

I don't like RPGs that do the whole "if main character hits 0 HP you instantly game over", especially when you're running around with revival spells and items for the rest of the team. It feels weird and introduces issues like in the Megaten series where instadeath spells can just russian roulette you into a gameover. Persona 1 and 2 were actually the oddball games that didn't do this if I remember correctly, so you actually felt as if you were a proper team in fights and not PROTECT THE SQUISHY MAIN.
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I'm up way too late but I just popped in to say that

Zero
Motherfucking
TEAM


is out now on ACA. Aww yee. :cool: CIT's excellent New Zero Team 1CC writeup here.

Image

One letter off that BUSSI! EDIT: oh lawd this is good, entirely as expected given the calibre of peeps who vouch for it. Image Incredibly snappy-feeling from the get-go, even big dude's hits come out lightning-fast (what a badass OYAJI design! TBH, between his OLDMANFORCE and Spin-chan's ZETTAI HARAAM Olivia Newton-John cosplay, the generic blue/red ninja guys are kinda drowned out! reminds me of Elevator Action Returns' Jad and Edie, do Oyaji and Spin)

Instantly noticed the first beltscroller "back attack" I actually enjoy - [away+attack] during combo, timing's generous, and it thoroughly brains the receiver. Splatterhouse Part 3's brilliant roundhouse (RUINED IN NTSCU) is not a back attack, more of an i-framed 360' escape which also knocks down! AC Double Dragon II's elbow is more of a poke, just like its sidekick. Point is, this thing's satisfying and useful enough I don't feel like ignoring it! Lookit poor buddy here getting his shit rocked Image

PRECISION BLOWS TO THE HEAD NECK AND FACE (`ω´メ)
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Enemies splat on walls, thrown blades stick into walls, random bystanders are handy missiles - gleefully articulated mayhem, as to be expected of a post-Raiden II Seibu beater. Like a carpark turned into a multi-story BBQ after several burning helicopters fell on it, WILD AND RUEFUL DEETS ABOUND (although it's pre-Raiden, suddenly I'm wanting ACA: Dynamite Duke...)

ACA: ZT includes "Older" and "Newer" versions. I wonder how comparable they are to the game's various USA/New/2000 revisions. According to the manual, desperation moves cost more HP in the new rev. Interestingly, these are the two revisions currently unsupported by MAME. Mysteries abound! (RAIDEN II & DX PLS)

What's here plays great, regardless. Seeing this game on console is a goddamn Christmas miracle.

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Fuck what u heard (■`ω´■)
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BEST BELIEVE IMMA WHOOP THAT ASS (■`W´■) Image
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BrianC
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BrianC »

I also bought Zero Team and double dipped on a few of the Konami games. Contra still has the correct behavior in the corridor stages like the PS4 version. I'm guessing ACA Pettan Pyuu doesn't have the Banbam version?
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

ACA continues its policy of improved thumbnails, I love that they got the toilet roll perfectly framed in the lower-right. :lol:

Image

ACA Pettan Pyuu is just the JP ver, yep. As much as I love Sunsoft, and as cool as it looks (never seen an arcade take on MD Zoom's isometric tile 'em up), I gotta test it out in MAME first. Never even heard of let alone played it, and if that miserable kusoge Athena taught me anything, it's that bad games hurt not my wallet so much as my GAYMER SOUL 3;

---

Ah, Pettan Pyuu. I always treasure the console debut of Games That Make Me Think Of Drum (PBUH). I bet he'd love this. Maze chaser with cool twists, most revolving around the yellow flipper tiles. They're vertical by default - slam 'em down on nearby enemies, or let 'em get onto the tile, then use the single button to catapult 'em into space - and Death's black embrace. Image You see, unlike Pac-Man, here you gotta KMF TO PROCEED Image A more aggressive - yet still maze-chazey - vibe than the subgenre norm, I like it!

...AND BUSINESS IS GOOD Image
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You can also launch yourself off flippers, though you've gotta avoid ringing yourself out. Important to note that vertical flippers block enemies, so sometimes, you'll want to keep 'em up. The way tiles switch from black to white when traversed may suggest a Volfied fill 'em up... but you actually want to colour as few as possible. Untouched tiles = bonus points. Was genuinely surprised there, neato. :o

Economy of movement = GET BIG BOUNS
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The isometric view is germane and useful, letting you see at a glance which flippers are up/down, as well as giving you a view of incoming enemies. Per subgenre standard, there's a variety of critters, with (I think?) their own quirks. I couldn't tell, they were trying to kill me - so I killed them! :shock: I notice a "nemesis" enemy appears after a while, but I'm pretty sure I killed it/it ran away. Early days.

Anyhoo, this is cool, recommended. Image
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Jeneki
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jeneki »

Trying out Kangaroo (Sun 1982) off the Arcade Archives. Much better than I was expecting, but definitely shows its age graphically.

This is one of those games where you press up to jump, or diagonal up to jump in a direction. You can change forward jump momentum by letting go. Even the slightest fall causes a death, so much that Spelunker would blush. Basically, just don't walk off any platform no matter how safe it looks. The one button is used to punch, with a nice huge hitbox. Yeah I like this punch.

Not much to say about the levels as they are very straight forward. Collect the fruit, punch things, and get to the top. There's four stages per loop, the third one is just punching a pile of monkeys. :twisted:

One thing I find really interesting with this game is the bell: Each stage has one, and you can ring it to replenish all of the fruit and increase their point value. You can do this multiple times per stage. However, it's also a RANK UP tool. Use it at your own risk as it gets really mean after two rings. Cool risk/reward feature.

Overall it plays smooth and I can see my platforming and punching mistakes when I screw up. The only thing that feels rough is how monkeys won't hesitate to throw stuff at you point-blank, which can be either high or low and insta-kill you if you guess wrong. Might just be an issue with learning the tempo of their throws, if I spend more time with it.
Last edited by Jeneki on Sat Nov 21, 2020 8:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Typos caused by cat on keyboard.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jeneki »

Something to try in Pettan Pyuu:

You'll notice that tiles have a 'flip' animation as you walk around. If you catch an enemy on a flip, they'll go under the play field and be a little shadow so you can see where they will come out.

Next drop one of the yellow tiles so it lays flat, as one of the shadows moves under it. If done correctly the yellow tile will go into ABSOLUTE SEIZURE MODE for a few seconds, and any enemies that walk into it during the seizure will become trapped and won't hurt you. If you catch all the enemies in this yellow tile and then flip it (so you fling all of them at the same time) you get MEGA POINTS, like up to several thousand per enemy if you repeat this a few times in the same stage. It's also funny as hell to watch. Also a girlfriend-robot will show up sometimes when you do this. :oops:
Typos caused by cat on keyboard.
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BIL
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Reddit a poop :[

Post by BIL »

Holy fuck that sounds intense :o Also, GFbot? So that's what that nemesis thing was! I think anyway. It vanished quickly. Made me think of Ikki's crossdresser that holds you in place for ninjas to stab. :lol:

I love how you're prompted to complete the tutorial - left it untouched (no read Japanesu Image) and got nailed for NO BOUNS, screwed up a few more times, then did something right and started on a blue sky rather than space background. Interesting stuff.

---

Sweet Jesus, Bloodstained: ROTN's "8-bit" stage is vacuous garbage, and doesn't even look like a FC Dracula. It looks like SMB3.

I only mention as 1] I just replayed it on my abominably lazy Nightmare Mode ULTIME CHARACTER NG+ (decent enough boss tbh) and 2] I unfortunately checked Reddit for patch notes. New ver out recently with muh waifu Bloodless. ¦3

RUB IT MORE (◎ω◎;)
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I generally hit up either there or GameFAQs for info on mainstream games, whaddayagonnado. Was feeling quite optimistic about "Classic Mode" and its promised "five harrowing stages." ROTN's mechanics are more than sound. Handling and collision are tight, weapon techs are slick and useful (the Katana fetishism is bang-on, shing).
What vanishingly little platforming the game has (Inferno Cave, a couple rooms of the Clock Tower) is good, too.

TASTE MUH BILLION-FOLDED NIHONJIN STEEL, DICKWYRM (`ω´メ)
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Then...

"I XPECT IT'LL USE THE 8-BIT FILTER" God I hope not, that'll be awful. I wasn't even considering they might-
"NO I HOPE THEY MAKE A 16-BIT FILTER" budd_dwyer_nice_shot.avi

How about they just design some new locales and enemies, using their capable engine, and not at all unpleasing graphics? Garden of Silence is out-and-out beautiful, and parts of Entryway, Cathedral and Clock Tower have their charms, too - the classic ruined opulence of the former, and the forlorn skies and weathered stone of the latter. It looks a lot like Lament of Innocence, with better set design, and that is AtfOK with me. PS2 is plenty for polygonal sidescrolling.

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I'd eat that beaver like John Rambo hiding from the cops. (`ω´メ) PLS DUN CANCEL (◎ω◎;)

RE: substance. There's a misconception among some traditional Castlevania fans, that SOTN (Dir. Toru Hagihara, Nobuya Nakazato credited for assist) is some kind of kusoge running on overpoweringly potent aesthetic opiate. It's not (not a kusoge, that is - its aesthetic is indeed singularly absorbing). SOTN's problem was always arrangement and balance, the former being weak and the latter non-existent (or to be charitable, player-determined). Mechanics and enemy design are absolutely first-rate, the latter leaving ROTN's in the dust. Circle of the Moon, Aria of Sorrow, and Order of Ecclesia's advanced monster types do similar.

I sincerely hope they design some more interesting/dangerous enemies for Classic Mode. If I have to slap one more shitty stairwell fairy, I'm gonna cry. (Nakazato's name appearing on three out of four Castlevanias mentioned above, and IGA having directed only two of them, is neither here nor there to me - AOS's Cagnazzos, Valkyries and Enchanted Mantles have the ripping aggression ROTN never musters, and AFAIK IGA's still rolling with Curry The Kid)

ROTN's few standouts - Ninjas, Banshees, Werewolves - should be the midcard, at best, not the only interesting monsters on standby. Abyssal Guardian is a decent heavy-type, though without Eye of Horus, it's basically impossible to fight effectively while keeping onscreen (camera zoom should be a basic option, mappable to controller, ala Dragon: Marked For Death).

Among bosses, Master Carpenter's startlingly vicious throwing knives are first-rate. Should've been paired with Ninjas as a regular enemy. Bloodless, Doublejump Guy and Gravity Inversion Guy could've easily worked as rare, deadly foes too, all having decent pursuit abilities and an invigorating do/die super attack apiece.

Sad to see such a lack of standards in this game's fanbase. EDIT: WTF am I saying. It's fucking Reddit. Apologies, ROTN aficionados. 3;

Still cautiously optimistic RE: Classic Mode! I think it could be great, if they really put this engine to work with some trickier enemy designs (and some decent stage design/arrangement, obviously).
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Re: Reddit a poop :[

Post by kitten »

BIL wrote:problem was always arrangement and balance, the former being weak and the latter non-existent (or to be charitable, player-determined). Mechanics and enemy design are absolutely first-rate, the latter leaving ROTN's in the dust.
do you happen to have a 3DS? i know this is is an uncommon angle, but i think of my joy in goofing around in SotN being kind of like a directionless kirby game with a drop table in how much of a toybox it is. i did a cursory search for any kirby opinions you've had and saw you quite mention enjoying dream land and super star ages ago, and while i'd say adventure is at least as good, if you're into super star, i think you'd probably quite enjoy robobot. it has a seriously rollicking pace, more in-depth and robust abilities than super star, and loads of bosses and diverse stages to perform in. super star's mechanics begin to capitalize on beat 'em up inputs and design (sakurai's design trajectory of dream land -> adventure -> super star -> smash brothers makes a lot of sense), and kumazaki's games - he's run the series since RTDL onward - build on that with robobot easily being his finest work. star allies, the successor, was sadly rushed out the door too quickly and compromised by overt focus on co-op design.

the game is also jaw-droppingly gorgeous, of course, but i really think it's the most mechanically proficient single-player kirby experience (though super star's asymmetrical co-op is still my favorite way to play the series). you're still, of course, going to be want for challenge, but the skill ceiling of quick kills on bosses and generally speedy play is nothing to scoff at. unlike most IGAvanias, there's a consistent and thrilling sense of forward motion and much to facilitate a direct interest in riding with it. while i've long been this thread's pernicious & persistent kirby stan, i promise this angle isn't something i'm coming out of desperation to get someone to play the kumazaki games - i really do see some appeal parallels and have positioned them before, though maybe not on the forum.
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

It's one of those series I enjoy casually, and have a lot of respect for per your, Vanguard, Squire, Mortificator and several others' recommendations - got the GB original and SFC Super Star a couple years back - but like way too many games, it's stayed in the rainy day folder for now. Tryna brush up my arcade resume a bit after a half-decade of XTREME console deep dive. :mrgreen:

Objectively (because god knows, once I sit down and play it, I stop caring as much), my issue with SOTN is space. There's a bit too much of it, and combined with the lack of pits/hazards, it tends to leave its very nice enemies stranded. The times it deploys them properly - see the tendency of Venus Weeds to appear in tight squeezes where you can't jump over them - it instantly gains. A deft Hellfire past the impaling perimeter and flying barbs, straight to the core of the fiend, followed by Shin Zettai Weedkiller Ougi aka BIG BLACK BALLS (plants hate fire Image) - that's beautiful gaming!

See also the Inverted Entryway, where they're paired with Jack O'bones and Nova Skeletons, the former's projectiles a nuisance, the latter's scorching death. You've got the headroom there to do a number of things, but more importantly, if you don't do something you'll be batted away like a chump, if not killed outright. Even the stock "Soulsteal the zako, chop down heavies" is compromised by those zakos' aforementioned meddling/annihilating projectiles.

Also Salomes, whose combination of bulldozing advancing guard and drifting bombardment goes great with their area's tight geometry, and the absolutely fizzing Inverted Clock Tower. The Moon Rod should've been behind the gear door, given how wickedly - though sensibly - powerful it is. Getting those *click*s while swatting and twitch-dodging Gold Medusas (even with Mirror cuirass, their spawn rate is fierce) is sine wave pestering on par with anything from the traditional series. I'd only make it so the Heaven Sword knights kept spawning in, so you couldn't just obliterate them before proceeding to the gears, but even that preliminary carnage satisfies on account of the game's impeccable handling and collision.

Also Snipers of Goth x Mischievous Imp tagteam in the Anti-chapel... and these goofy fuckers. Look, just the fact they're able to do that counts for something in my book! Image

And many more, but I'll stop now... this stuff's all bursting forth, as I was playing the PS4 version extensively a couple weeks back. But it's the same stuff I've always come away from SOTN wanting to see given its due. If I'd been replaying COTM, I'd be representing Dark Armours (the armour that shoots you in your motherfucking face), Wind Demons (in Soviet COTM, Rod Moons YOU), and most of all Fallen Angels (found near the Battle Arena's front door, wielding the most fiendishly organic tracking laser this side of Taito). Or, for Aria of Sorrow, its Cagnazzos and Valkyrie's vicious divebomb attacks, which are invigorating to dodge, and a hoot to punish. Nothing in ROTN goes for your throat like them, except maybe Werewolves... but their big, dumb charge is so easily backdashed/shutdown, unlike SOTN/COTM/AOS's agile OTG killers, they're more of a short-lived jumpscare than a credible opponent.

Eat shit dickwolf. Got that lady her socks and drawers, Eye of Horus bitch Image
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All this said, SOTN's sense of ambling leisure (my pet name ~Magical Vacation Dracula~ is not a pejorative, but the dearest praise) isn't something I'd sacrifice. I've wished since my first playthrough (and especially since COTM's excellent Arena) they'd just included a set of discrete, optional challenge levels, calibrated to kill ala oldschool Dracula. It always makes me a little melancholy, seeing that big beautiful DRACULA X in the JP ver's opening, and the little "Dracula X2" save icon... "Akumajou Dracula" and "Dracula X" should've always been complementary series. I get things from one I can't get from the other! If one was going to be dominant, there's no reason it couldn't have incorporated a bit from the other side (again, COTM's basic but perfectly harrowing gauntlet).

I'm a big fan of Ecclesia's approach here - use the outskirts and ruins to build the obligatory movement tools, then introduce a castle designed around the traditionally unstoppable endgame character, a castle loaded with bad bastards looking to cut you in two. Resident vampire BLACKMORE gave me quite a time. Accepting the bone-eating corruption of DOMINUS_AGONY, then pistoning my punch daggers into his eyes as our HPs plunged into the red was memorable. Undoubtedly more elegant, skillful ways to go about it, but his cunty VA made me want to tear him apart. Image

It's killing me. BUT I'M KILLING YOU FUCKER Image
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While I loved that game, the tiny screen was testing my endurance, so I left the dubiously-named Large Cavern for another day. About six years ago. Yo, a console port would be nice that's all I'm sayin >_>

(did you know Rugal Bernstein's regular VA Norio Wakamoto also voices Konami's Dracula now and then? I got such a kick out of that, after eating OOE Dracula's brutal God Press and experiencing Surprise CVS2 God Rugal Vibes. also, what a cute intro!)

>*HWAAA* *smack* Fuck time is it. Oho! EYYY BBY U WANT SUM ETERNAL DAMNATION FUCC (`ω´メ)
>EWW NO UR LIKE 50
>This isn't the DEMURE_AZN_WAIFU I ordered. *ahem* Surely you've realized my company comes at a price... (・`W´・)

(how I enjoyed a break from destiny and other tired guff, for a story about random opportunists and the assassins in their employ trying to steal Evil Magic Shit. that water mage who ambushes you with a body-obliterating deluge after you escape the tunnels was a star, a star I snuffed out with a rapier through her heart. OOE is gangster Image)

Typing this, I realise that fond old dream is what's giving me some hope re: ROTN's upcoming mode... I'm fully prepared to be underwhelmed, if not outright disappointed, but it's a nice thought, and there's no reason even the existing enemies couldn't be arranged into something decent (though really, they need better).
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by FinalBaton »

SotN is NOT a R2RKMF, so you're bound to be left disappointed everytime if you expect that out of it
I've never played that game like a R2RKMF, ever. it's a different vibe and experience completely


I'm not sure I get the space complaint. Seems decently compact to me. Fun to navigate without being too mirred in long corridors, vertical/jumping section are designed very well(as good as in Metroid) and the density of enemies is decent. There's a good amount of interesting enemy pairings in the game too, that are ''annoying'' (in a good way)

Not a very hard game for sure but remember that you're on your 10th playthrough and you know where all the OP weapons are... think about a first playthough instead.
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BIL
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

I actually came away from this revisit thinking of the game more positively, in single-session action terms. On a whim, I decided I'd ignore the Jewel Knuckles/Mirror Cuirass secret this time, and get them "normally" - meaning after attaining Mist. (I'd seen the secret in GamePro like a week before I got my copy - would probably never have found it on my own, like a few other secrets). Jewel Knuckles are of course a hefty ATK boost, I typically use them well into the Inverted Castle. That jumpkick's aerial poke caves Doppelganger10's shit in.

Yes, Beryl Circlet was out this time around, for the same reason. ;3 Not that it matters. Galamoth, pfff. Homie best wear a cup this time. >¦3
Spoiler
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^ MUH DREAM HACKZ :cool: (STATUE OF BAT ON OTHER SIDE :o ITS LIKE METROID RIDORI/KRAID STATUES :shock:)

Part I: ~Magical Vacation Diary 2020~ "Year of the Coof" Image

So, my progression went Baselard (from Alchemy Lab) + Gladius, found after Doppelganger10. Doppy was fought at LVL9 as usual. A boss that tends to intimidate noobs. Tip: trap him with throwing axes and crouching stabs, while keeping your Leather Shield up. Most he can do, other than eat axes/stabs, is Wing Smash, which will miss you and drive him into a corner, where he's really fucked.

Had a few sword upgrades en route to the Coliseum. Cutlass from the Chapel, Broadsword from Olrox's Quarters... and here, my blades started having trouble with the Coliseum's heavily armoured enemies.

Part II: Don't Cut Tin Men, Beat Their Brains In (R.I.P. BAELOR BREAKSPEAR)

At this point I could've easily winged it on aggressive spell use - pointblanked Hellfire into Big Black Balls will demolish anything in here, Tetra Spirit likewise, and while Soul Steal is pricey, if you know where to use it, it'll blow chokepoints apart.

However, I wanted to continue "normal" play, taking advantage of the game's systems rather than ancient experience. So I used the handy Library Card waiting at the entrance to Richter's arena, and bought the strongest club (aka HIT) I could. In hindsight, I coulda probably gotten that Morningstar from the Chapel, but this was all very ad-hoc.

Made my way back to the Coliseum and got the Shield Rod, whose ATK left my expensive new club's in the fucking dust. (-w-) Felt a bit cheated. Reloaded my save (one per area! house rules! Image), popped down a floor to the Shield Rod's hallway, and massacred every last motherless fuck in there with my Big Black Balls. Keep the change ya filthy animals.

Were the devs saying "attaining new gear with skilled adventuring is more efficient and rewarding than scrounging together coins and paying the Librarian for second-rate goods" ? That's the reality, in any case. Image

Part III: BOP TIL U DROP / Master Of The Knifing

Bopped the shit out of everything, grabbed the Holy Rod from the Library while picking up Bat, then the Combat Knife (one of the two ENDGAME WEAPONS OF BIRUFORD) from the Pit. The Ultime Stabbing Weapon. "B-b-b-but CK loses out on Baselard's flurry by limiting you to two hits!" WRONG BITCH :O Hold [forward] while feathering [attack] for a perforating flurry that'll leave the stoutest foes needing a crateload of tampons! They're for the stab wounds, puta!

Blap Blap / Blap Blap Blam / Mi gun goes "click" / Mi gun goes JESUS CHRIST! THE MAN STAB ME! OH FUCK SOMEBODY PLEABPTHHTHHHghhh
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Everybody gangsta til OBMAR the knife-obsessed edgy vampire rolls up. Image As if this wasn't a terrible enough consequence of the castle's "Leave dangerous shit lying around for battle-hardened vampire killers to pick up" policy, I was soon at the Inverted Clock Tower! Where it was MuhMuhMuhMuh... MOON ROD TYME.

Part IV: When Life Moons You, Give It Rod

Awww shit. They done FUCKED up now. The other ENDGAME WEAPON OF BIRUFORD. Image Combat knife in right hand. Moon Rod in left. Distant targets are pulverised. Nearby ones are sushi. "But what about ur shield?!" Shields are for cunts! Image If something's survived long enough for you to need a shield, say Olrox and his vulcan spray, you didn't stab/club/Big Black Balls it violently enough. (Holy Rod command attack kills Olrox dead - slap the shit out of him with its air version for a classic LVLUP freeze-frame!)

If you are a wiener: you will be glad to know that Moon Rod's command barrage inflicts such a brutal collective HIT, it will - with no grinding whatsoever - slay Guardians (golden Armour Lords) in two/three shots. That's thousands of XP a kill, easily enough to take you from LVL30 to LVL60 (ie: overkill), in ten/fifteen minutes. Park near the entrance, give 'em rod - you'll annihilate the accompanying Giant Brother in the process - back out, repeat. Or sweep the whole room, killing two Guardians at a time. It's pretty fun tbh, between their slow but hellaciously hard hits, the Giants' agile interference, and the rod's winning combo of startup delay and i-frames.

However, I avoid the Guardians until the very end, because Inverted Castle is already weaksauce, and grinding SOTN is 4 wieners. >¦3 I also like to leave the Black Marble Gallery for last, as it's one of the few areas with interesting hazard design. Those spiketraps are cool, as is their accompaniment, Zako Division tag champs Nova & Jacko. It's a rad joint. Good target for ROTN's upcoming Classic Mode.

Part V: Don't Grind, Noobs! Use Your Equipment FFS

Also, with the TOPAZ CIRCLET (Library), poison ain't shit. MIRROR CUIRASS (Outer Wall) likewise for stone. Why's this important? Because Doppy40 is one of the only dangerous bosses in the Inverted Castle, and you've just nullified his Terminus Est and Stone Sword, leaving him open to a stiff Moon Rodding. And with CATS EYE CIRCLET (Catacomb), you're on easy street for the Inverted Catacomb. Cat Damage abounds! If you're scared of Galamoth, here is how to kill him. Wait for his Lightning Shower pattern. Mist through his front leg. Tear his nutsack apart with your mightiest attacks. Mist back out as the pattern ends. The other patterns are self-explanatory and safe to either attack or hang back during. A simple boss with superficially nasty attacks and a ton of HP.

"What a big surprise. I hope for your sake you've got something inside that big body of yours." - Winston Churchill
"You puny pathetic thing! I'll step on you like an ant!" - Benito Mussolini


Epilogue: Of Luck And Cocks

All of these items are found, not dropped, as are all the weapons mentioned above. I never really twigged this before, but combined with low/no-save runs, it improved my opinion of SOTN a lot (objectively speaking - I'll be replaying this when I'm in Depends, regardless). Skinnerboxing sucks, but the game gives you more than enough cool toys that you don't need to. Combat Knife is far grittier and grimmer a blade than Crissaegrim or the other exotic swords. Moon Rod's QCF onslaught is mighty yet nuanced enough to support an entire game, and it's backed up by lots of other strong mechanics like the Chain Wing Smash, Superjump/Dropkick, Big Black Balls, Tetra Spirit, and eternal guilty pleasure Soul Steal (shoulda cost 2xMP tbh), all handling with sublime smoothness.

If this joyful cacophony of SOUND & VISION doesn't make you feel at least a bit better, see a MFN game doctor (`ω´メ)
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Moreover, you almost never need to be in an area twice, giving matured single-sessions a surprisingly effective stage-by-stage feel. (the big exception, the Library revisit for Bat, still nets you lots of useful gear).

All this ignoring the perpetual splendour of Michiru Yamane's OST, and TEH GRAFX. This game looks good enough to fuck. Literally! Image
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I only wish the Obsidian Sword was a set drop. Its mighty, air-ok command thrust is killer. Not the hardest weapon to get, with the shit-tons of Lesser Demons that'll spawn in the Necromancy Lab, at least. Marsil, on the other hand... Jesus, that thing took forever, this time around. Good job Flame Demon's "UOHHHHHH" death scream is hilarious. Dude sounds like he's blowing his load while burning to death, surely a confusing way to go.

I immediately started a new game, as I wanted to play the much-ballyhooed "Luck Mode." It's supposed to be hard. It's not. Unless, I suppose, you approach SOTN as an RPG, without bothering to learn its action elements. BAD IDEA TBH Image Starts you off viciously under-powered and Euroshumpy, until around Outer Wall, where gradually, it becomes more and more indistinguishable from a regular run. My runs, anyway.

You want me to "luck off?"
HOW ABOUT I LUCK OFF ALL OVER YOUR STUPID LUCKING FACE (■`W´■)
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Don't expect tons of drops either (I recall COTM's Thief mode being a lot more generous). Even with 200 LCK (base 99, plus two Lapis Lazulis and a Luck Potion), I had to Skinnerbox well over ten minutes for a Vandal Sword's Muramasa. Luck also has zero effect on the Jewel Sword; you'll get more jewels, but the ratio of low/mid/high value ones won't change.

Critical hits seem more affected - I killed Doppy10 so quickly with my usual Baselard/Axe strat, I checked the replay wondering if I'd glitched him. Turned out poor DOPPEH_BOI had taken two Criticals in rapid succession, at 100 damage apiece, vs the normal 8 or so. Knife crime, it's no joke lads! :shock:

I didn't mind though! I enjoyed myself so much I Skinnerboxed all sorts of exotic gear, including several I'd either forgotten about or never knew. Did you know Fake Sypha's "Lightning" magic actually does Holy damage? Or that Beelzebub literally can't hurt a player wearing Dark Armour and the Topaz Circlet (since all his damage is either Dark or Poison?) Wheee!

SAFE CORPSE DISPOSAL 4 ALL, VOL.II
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PUT IT AWAY LOVE, I'M WORKING HERE (■`ω´■)


I rove u Magical Vacation Dorakyura, see you in another three years. What? No lmao, the coof isn't going to get me, I'll bat it away with my enormous cock. >¦3
Last edited by BIL on Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by FinalBaton »

Some knifing akshyun, awesome! I approve, mah boy

I actually just discovered moon rod"s special in this latest playthrough. there's just so much stuff, this one had slipped between the cracks until now

I also rocked two weapons most of the time. being able to use special moves of 2 diff weapons is so handy and fun



and yes no beryl circlet here either
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Handy trick with the Moon Rod (such a fun name to type Image) - if you need something pulverised ASAP, like a charging Valhalla Knight, turn around and launch the barrage away from your target. The rod will instantly erupt in their face (it happens :oops:).

OTOH, the launch delay can work for you too. If you're advancing into dangerous territory (so many dick jokes Image), fire the barrage, then hurry in behind it while it crushes everything in your way.

Note also, Alucard's invincible during the "HNNNG" launch frames. No need to dodge before launching - any incoming attacks will pass harmlessly though you during, and whatever's standing in front of you afterward is gonna get smashed. (or behind you - charging enemies will pass through Alucard and eat the entire barrage at pointblank, almost certain death)

Superbly balanced power weapon/shotgun. Could easily support a traditional CV on its own. The only thing I'd change, as mentioned a few posts back, is moving it to the Inverted Clock Tower's Gear Door. The stuff in there is nowhere as valuable (though I always get it, because that is some AAA1 Sine Wave Pestering in the gear rooms).
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

Akane - Steam/Switch - $4.99

Saw this one a few months ago but wasn't ready to play something else. I don't back log and figured if I saw it again and was still interested I would give it a shot.

Top down fight to the death against the Yakuza for less than the price of a cup of fancy coffee.

First we get a nice loading screen of the title character and some of her Yakuza pals in an elevator:
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Followed by this which leads to the title screen:
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The game begins from there with those four mooks being your first victims.

What can Akane do in the face of insurmountable odds?

Sword slash - You'll be cutting down hoards of fuckers with this. The only move you have tied to stamina. Honestly you can swing it 13 or 14 times before you need a break. There is no diagonal attack animation, but you can move in 8 directions and the swords hitbox if plenty generous. I didn't even notice it was missing until someone else mentioned it. There are two other swords you can unlock. I've unlocked the first which allows you to do a 360 slash with a start up, five second cool down, and a bit of recovery frames at the end. This move seems pretty well balanced.

Gun - You can shoot fuckers too. There are a few different gun. I've been sticking with the default pistol so far. Good fire rate and a fair amount of ammo. Bullets are replenished by cutting enemies down with your sword. Switching back and forth between both modes of attack is seamless.

Special Attacks - You have a meter at the bottom that is filled as you kill and chain enemies. What fun would a romp like this be without chaining? A mechanic I usually loathe. LOATHE. Here it works beautifully. Go figure.

There is a bar at the bottom of the screen, cut into 3rds, that fills as you kill. Fill it 1/3 or 2/3 of the way and you can do a dash slash that kills all in your path. Fill it all the way though and murder everyone on the screen as your character does the ole' zip around the screen, kill everyone, and get back to where she started in time to take a drag before everyone falls to the floor. It's very cool, and a better use of the meter, at least early game.

Block - Yeah you have a block, but the only time you should be using it is if you're being shot at which is rare. The gun mook has a unique sprite and visual cue when he is about to shoot. If he isn't on screen block is useless.

This game rewards aggression.

Dash - I use this for two reasons - breathing room or to close distance. It works for both. I do not know if you're invincible while dashing.

These mechanics can be practiced in a cool training stage.

Back to the mooks, there are 4:

Sword mook - Has a few different sprites which is nice.
Gun mook - As above
Cyber Ninja mook - There is a huge X before he dashes and slashes. Avoid and hit him when he is recovering.
Tank mook - Only one who takes multiple hits. Pretty easy to avoid.

Boss - A boss mook. Boss mook has three levels. Level 1 he is similar to Cyber Mook. You can generally dash towards him while he is running towards you, he will attack and miss, you hit him in the back. Do this once or twice and he gets put into a nice little stun animation where you can strike him down.

Level 2 he gets a gun, so that block will come in handy. You can also choose to hide as there are five things you can hide behind in the arena. One reminds me of a Fotomat. Anyone else remember those?

Level 3 he gets an attack like Cyber Mook. That is his max level.

That's it. There is only one stage. Kill 100 mooks, fight the boss, and do it again. And again. And again. Until you die.

Upgrades - These unlock by meeting certain criteria. Swords, guns, smokes (just effects the color trail you leave behind), shoes, and two slots for cyber type upgrades that grant passive abilities. Sword 2 of 3 is probably the best as it grants you that spin attack. You can throw sword 3. Not a fan as of yet.

I've come to appreciate the shotgun. Less capacity, but aiming not required. I've unlocked some shoes too - the 2nd pair is Marty's from Back to the Future 2. They give you a really long dash that doesn't seem too useful. The next pair are sandals that grant you a proper long dash, those are pretty cool.

Passive Upgrades - Unlocked 3 things so far. A power glove looking thing that makes your bullets recharge faster. That one is super useful. Another that doubles the amount of bullets you reflect back. Cool, but gun guys don't show up enough to make it worth it. The 3rd upgrade fills your meter faster. That one is pretty good so far.

Fun game? Yes. Worth a fiver? Easily.
Last edited by Stevens on Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

That looks (and sounds) rad. :o Always been partial to the high-rise sucide mission premise. Image
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

Yeah after two hours I can confidently say this game does one thing and does it well.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Fuck me dead Image I just realised what the Coliseum's library card is for. It's to instantly teleport you back to the Library after getting Mist, right in front of the newly accessible Bat's area. That's beautiful. ;-;

Gained an appreciation of the teleporters this time around. Scorpion->Horse chops out the backtrack from Library to Alchemy Lab/Marble Gallery (after getting Jewel of Open). Lion->Scorpion puts you at the foot of the previously-impregnable Clock Tower with your new Leap Stone. (this is where a blind player will presumably get the Bad End).

Also nice how, in the True End item hunt, Scorpion->Goat will zip you from Bat to Olrox's now-accessible upper floors. Snake->Goat does similar once you've returned from the lowest depths with Spikebreaker, with Olrox's Quarters, Coliseum and Chapel being in tight horizontal proximity.

Nowhere is it more evident that Harmony of Dissonance was the first "IGAvania" than its map. Nice if flawed game but holy fuck, my endgame map screens look moth-eaten. Image So many big, pointless cul-de-sacs and blatantly padded/bloated hallways and shafts. Aria of Sorrow's map design is an absolute quantum leap forward, or in other words, pretty much even with SOTN's.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Stevens »

I played SOTN on the Saturn. Bought the import when I was a wee lad of 19 or so. Enjoyed it at the time even if it was in Japanese. That said I've had it in English for quite some time and can never get into it.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

There's only so much to SOTN, tbh. Amiable Metroidesque with a AAA1 engine, but never consistently AAA1 action, gifting a herculean mechanical toybox and sumptuous audiovisuals. I love it dearly, but I could see it sailing right past others leaving little impression one way or the other.

I do question those who call it outright poor, simply because I don't think it ever leaves its comfort zone significantly enough to become so - mediocre or vacant, absolutely, but it's not badly-made. A pretty empty box VS a fugly empty box that gives you splinters, gets jammed shut and creaks obnoxiously.

My approach to SOTN is that it's up to the player to fill the box with extreme violence and 1337 stunts, not my favourite approach, but it'll do when they got the looks and feel >;3

Never played the Saturn one myself, but I heard it's got some unfortunate conversion issues as a result of pawning off to KCEN (SOTN was by the big swingin' dicks at KCET). Incidentally, you have to fight Maria in the PS4 version just like Saturn, but her mechanics are completely different, as is her playable incarnation, and there's otherwise no trace of the Saturn version.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by rapoon »

Any of you pick up Zero Team from the US PSN store? I can't find shit.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Just checked the ACA North America page, doesn't seem to be there. It's on the Japanese and European pages... I wonder if there's some buggery to do with Fabtek.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Jeneki »

North America gets delayed by a week or two quite often when it comes to Arcade Archives. If I don't want to wait, I pick it up from the Japan store.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

That's encouraging to hear, this one deserves to go worldwide! (again!)

Was reading up on Seibu over at shmuplations. Interested to see a mention of Zero Team doing well for them in North America, BITD. Spin-chan, she of the thong that launched a thousand credits? Image Image Then again, it's a killer game. Raiden was a resounding hit (THE BEST FLYING GAME EVER JUST GOT EVEN BETTER) and 100% cooties-free!

I wonder if the NA Arcade Archives Zero Team will have any differences WRT revisions. Will happily double dip if it has USA/New/2000, not that I'm too up on what changed there beyond stage order.

From what I can tell, it seems the 1993 JP ver's "Early Version" is its own thing, while "Later Version" (which has HP-costlier bombs, says the manual) was the basis for Zero Team USA and New Zero Team. I dunno WTF is up with Zero Team 2000, except people say it reverts to the OG Japan board's level order.

(I originally typed "willy happily double dip," and while I didn't want to leave the typo, I couldn't bear to let it pass into eternity unheralded ;-;)
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by rapoon »

thanks for the clarification, Jeneki.

BIL (or anyone else) what are your top beat em ups that are part of the Arcade Archives / ACA? lets say top 5.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Zero Team is an enormous boost, but otherwise, ACA's not a very strong lineup for beaters, imo. Technos's games (Kunio, Double Dragon, Double Dragon II) have some very strong points, but you have to be prepared for certain foibles - ironically, despite being the earliest, Kunio has aged the best, and is a model arcade experience. Short, violent, technical, and the upper loops will keep you busy long after the 1CC.

DD1 is rough as hell, with crushing slowdown if more than two enemies get onscreen, and the infamously broken Elbow... but the explosive impact (those sound effects have never been bettered - bone-crushing, dry-heaving street violence!) keeps me returning for "honest" runs. You can make something out of it with practice. DDII is technically much sounder, though still fairly quirky. Simple yet ruthlessly unforgiving game, I wrote a primer here (avoid DotEmu like the plague).

Ninja Gaiden is excellent, going by the five or so stages I've played. Rock-solid fundamentals paired with ambitious combat and stage design. Smashing enemies into scenery is not only good fun, it's also key to attaining powerups. Easy recommend - still feels fresh today, and its tongue-in-cheek humour is completely underrated. Tecmo's AC team were some funny dudes, they marshal the grim and the goofy like few others.

I suggest avoiding Prisoners of War. Its system has some potential, but its enemy and stage designs are repetitive, its boss game is nearly non-existent, and it has some seriously idiotic quirks (like guns being impossible to drop once exhausted, which ruins said nice system).

Its contemporary Ikari III (topdown rotary brawler) makes lots of similar mistakes. (NB it really isn't an Ikari to begin with... the first two games are tactical rotary shooters ala Taito's Front Line. the real third game, Guevara, is inbound. looking forward to that one! enjoyed it even on Digital Eclipse's tatty SNK40th, it's shockingly tough)

64th Street is ok from what I've played, nothing outstanding, but competent and solid ala early 90s Jaleco. Has NG-esque scenery-smashing, though its combat system seems nowhere as unique, pretty much an early 90s FF-esque. Haven't played enough to give a solid impression, but I liked what I was seeing so I took a punt at it.

Not to fanboy, but Capcom's absence makes me recommend their Belt Action Collection, which gets you Final Fight (surly old warhorse, loved by some, loathed by others - it's essential, imo. as much for its cruelty as in spite of it, though I agree with Hagane that it's a potentially disastrous first Capcom beater, fortunately you also get...) Battle Circuit (FF's diametric opposite - much friendlier game with super-smooth handling and lovable personality), and several intervening titles, like the excellent weapons-based Warriors of Fate, the thoroughly unique mecha-themed Armored Warriors, and the charmingly straight-ahead slasher King of Dragons.

Also Captain Commando and Knights of the Round, which I don't know well enough to vouch for tbh. Still, good to have 'em around. Apologies if you're already familiar with these games. :wink:

ACA Top Five? For now I'd say:

1) Zero Team (categorically superior - smooth, violent, hilarious, and a snap to pick up)
2) Ninja Gaiden (inventive and solid, two great attributes for any genre effort to have - also a good laugh)
3) Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (the OG beltscroller beatdown, still a model of violent efficiency)
4) Double Dragon II(Technos goes to the movies, pretty much... Kunio's savage violence in slightly artsier format)
5) Vigilante (Yeah I know >:3 Don't wanna say DD1, because it's basically a salvage job only a Technos lover will tolerate... and I don't know 64th Street that well. Vigilante is a solid effort in the Spartan X style, though it won't convert anyone to it)

US PSN gets Renegade rather than Kunio, AFAIK... you get Renegade on JP as free gift for buying three Technos titles. Not sure how comparable the two versions are, Stevens might know (I've played maybe five minutes of Renegade, in the arcade when I was like six :oops:)

Also, on the subject of 2D brawlers - if you've got a system that runs it, The Ninja Warriors Once Again will keep you busy. Five extremely distinct characters, tastefully oldschool juggle system, ultra-smooth controls, and some of the best time trialling in any combat-based genre. Unequivocal recommendation on that one.

EDIT: Oh shit! :O Forgot about ACA Neo Geo (he said, while playing ACA NG Metal Slug). Sengoku 3 aka Sengoku 2001 is very good. Smooth controls, hard hits, extensive combo system, take a look for sure. Haven't played the two earlier games, they tend to get mixed reviews it seems. Sengoku 2's necrofantasmic style and fever-dream transitions look rad as fuck, though.

iconoclast likes Burning Fight, always a point of interest in my book. I've had my eye on it for a while, just procrastinating. That's about all I know re: MVS beltscrolling, I still need to try out Robo Army, Mutation Nation and Ninja Combat for myself. Again, they tend to get middling-to-poor reviews, but that early Neo aesthetic can sometimes put me over the line.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by rapoon »

Thanks for the recommendations. I picked up Sengoku 3. How's Sengoku 2 in comparison?
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by BIL »

Can't say tbh. I've only played a couple credits in MAME, and I managed to completely miss the charge attack mechanic (only realised when I watched some 1CCs and the players blasted 'em out relentlessly). Felt more traditionally weighty than Sengoku 3's modern combo, super attack and dash mechanics, though not offensively so.

One thing I know - it looks cooler than the merely agreeable Sengoku 3. Crazy-ass boss designs and malarial dream-shifts made me think of stuff like Cannon Dancer and Taromaru. Rad-looking game, I could see myself learning to play just to enjoy the style. andsuchisdeath has no-missed it IIRC, always a player whose attention I'll note.

Sengoku 3 is by Noise Factory, not SNK/ADK (I can't recall offhand which of them did the first two games), which surely contributed to the differing feel. I'm quite fond of NF, the other game of theirs I've put time on being the aesthetically blah but quite nicely-arranged Metal Slug 4. Shame that one didn't have MS5's shiny new coat of pixels (not that MS5 looks nearly as good as Nazca's Slugs, but it at least looks like a new game).
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Sumez »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote: Agreed, but in the context of the Souls games it seems like it's a hilarious case where you're told death is a horribly punishing outcome when in practice it's a light slap on the wrist. You can collect an item, die, and respawn with that item still in inventory, it doesn't even reset your progress per se.
One thing that really irks me is how frequently I've seen the statement that one of the defining elements of the Souls series is how dying has consequences. Like, that's literally the opposite of what the games do.

I can't figure out if people are taking the potential loss of souls more seriously than they should, or if being set back 2 minutes of wading through stuff is a "consequence"...
Or maybe it would be more appropriate to take a "glass half full" approach and consider that simply the fact that everything in the game just feels more involving and every action like an investment will cause any individual mistake to feel like a "consequence" for the dedicated player.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Marc »

Another thumbs up for Renegade. Can seem punishing at first but is, in fact, eminently learnable/exploitable, and it's just so damn snappy and brutal to play.

Not managed to get into Ninja Gaiden myself, it does the same thing as Golden Axe where individual hits feel a bit wishy-washy.

Really enjoyed what I played of Sengoku 3 - another in the list of things I need to spend more time with.
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Re: Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

Post by Blinge »

b...but most enemies in ninja gaiden die to a single hit..
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