I've been to hell and back, and other Makaimura Miscellanies

[Bassa-Bassa]

I was casually playing some Makaimura and Dai this morning and found that most of my deaths happened during readjustment to nuances such as "having to stand up from crouch-firing to crouch-fire the other way", which suddenly feels like a huge and onerous commitment, like a King's Field IV turnabout.

That's because those games are designed for 4-way sticks. You still stand-up when you change direction when crouched, but the stick moves without fake positions from one to the other and it kind of feels natural. My guess, anyway, maybe you're already playing like this.

[Klatrymadon]

Ah, good shout — I have a dedicated 4-way stick but hadn't even thought about the issue with extra inputs here! I've adapted to things now but I'll definitely give this a try.

Edit: god, yeah, it's so much more fluid now. Cheers!

[Sumez]

Oh yeah, GNG1 is notoriously horrible with an 8-way stick, you'll get stuck on every single ladder. I've run into a PCB in way too many standard Jamma cabs with 8-ways on them, so I've almost gotten used to it - but it's not good.

Daimakaimura really needs four-way also. The MegaDrive version even has a setting in the options which similates the 4-way mechanics on the D-pad (which otherwise obviously allows diagonals). Not sure why you'd ever want it set otherwise.

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah, I've spent a lot of time with the MD version, which makes it more puzzling that I didn't immediately clock what was going on! Haven't had any issues with ladders so far but it's nice to have that crossed off too.

The first two shadow stages in GNGR are kicking my arse. The execution grounds are a lot easier than the graveyard, but I've still hit a roadblock in the hell hole, which seems simple enough but has a lot of tight, tricky timings and some of the nastiest spawns so far (it's the one with the two windmills and the woody pigs). I'm still marvelling at how this game manages to keep upping the pressure and yet somehow still appearing perversely reasonable. It's tightening the screws all the time but I've never once felt like calling it a day.

[Sumez]

Some of the shadow stages clocked up insane retry counts for me first time through! Especially the graveyard one. It's insane how much that game can punish you and you'll still come back for more! Truly a masterclass in enjoyable replayability.
I don't think they are all strictly harder than the normal stages though, some are actually easier. It's more like a set of remixes which of course does change a lot of things quite a bit. Shadow-4 is straight up hilarious once you realise what it's doing!

Definitely B-sides though. They aren't as strong as the first set of stages, but I wouldn't want to be without them!

[Austin]

I need to spend more time with Resurrection. I recall my biggest issue with it being that you can't attack as fast as you want. Like, there's a hard limit as to how rapidly you can fling projectiles around, regardless the distance from enemies. Unlike, say, Ghouls 'n Ghosts where if you're right next to enemy with the dagger in particular, you can basically fire as quickly as you can mash. It's just an adjustment thing I guess, but I much prefer having that extra bit of fire control you get in the old arcade games (or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts), as it helps in tight spaces, when you're getting cornered, or when a Red Arremer divebombs you.

And on that note, I am reminding myself I need to get back to learning Goku Makaimura Kai for the PSP. Ultimate itself never clicked with me, mainly because of the mandatory exploration aspect, but Kai is more the typical "two loops then done" kind of experience and seems like it will be easier to learn. I at least always liked the visuals and level design, despite being brutal as hell.

[Klatrymadon]

So uh, if you open the black chest in a hell hole and then die to an obstacle on the way out, does it still count as cleared?

Edit: actually, I've just remembered Pablo would sometimes exit the stage from hell holes during his speed runs to save time, so it's probably fine, right? The map is usually very clear about what you've done and missed, but doesn't acknowledge these at all (maybe until a later playthrough)...

[Sumez]

IIRC once you've beaten the shadow stages you'll see a count for how many hell holes you got. Why are you going for them already?

[AGermanArtist]

Can you imagine the travesty Capcom could do to this series, in this day and age?

Didn't age well.

[Klatrymadon]

IIRC once you've beaten the shadow stages you'll see a count for how many hell holes you got. Why are you going for them already?

Heh, mostly just because I want to 'complete' the game, and can't see myself having the time for 3rd and 4th playthroughs any time soon. It's so compelling that I might end up making the time, though!

[Sumez]

Oh man, you're gonna miss out on the best challenge in the game then

[Klatrymadon]

I'm away from home at the moment and don't have access to GNGR, so I've been revisiting Kai on the PSP. It's great fun, and almost feels relaxing next to the newer game — it's still tough as nails, but most checkpoints are taking me 3-5 attempts to clear rather than 20-40. I feel less motivated to go for the true ending here than in GNGR, though — it's still very long for a game of its type, and finding dozens of gold rings hasn't grabbed me as much as uncovering hell holes did. Maybe I'll get more into that as I find them in more interesting locations. For a revision clearly aimed at restoring an arcade structure to a slightly bloated and unwieldy game, though, it strikes me that it needs an arcade mode itself.