Games you struggle with for no very good reason

Veracity · Post by **Veracity** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:25 pm

Brought to mind by the STGT voting: mostly Raiden for me, without a doubt. Gods, how I used to hate it. I know it's not exactly easy, but I always found it much harder than it had any right to be - pretty sure I never even made it past the stage two boss. Mainly for the standard reason, I guess: endless dumb deaths to single tank bullets point-blank or from nearly off the screen; also, I suck at coping with horizontal panning (is there a glossary-approved word for that? not quite 'wobble mode', I don't think...anyway, hopefully clear enough what I mean). So traumatized was I by it that I've just avoided anything in the series since.

Imperishable Night, too, kinda. Haven't played much, admittedly, but I find it weird that it's widely considered the easiest of an already forgiving series. Possibly precisely because it's easier in some respects, so I end up getting cocky and running stupid risks for points, but whatever the reason, I get hit in it far more easily than I should.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:03 am

Memorizers. I'd think all that is required is memorizing a stage. I still get hit by the foot in R-Type Delta.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:14 am

fighting games

real time strategy

shoe-sama · Post by **shoe-sama** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:21 am

Guwange

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:27 am

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:28 am

Homura

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:15 am

Dragon Blaze.

I love the game to death, but I'm just so BAD at it.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:16 am

Ikaruga and Homura to a lesser degree.

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:23 am

You'd be surprised how many people have problems with Ikaruga.

shoe-sama · Post by **shoe-sama** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:29 am

Good thing I've never played it.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:34 am

gradius v was treasure's finest

gavin19 · Post by **gavin19** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:36 am

I can never seem to get anywhere much in any hori I have ever played. I was able to 'master' R-Type at one point but that was over 15 years ago now

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:56 am

You know, when I was playing Twinbee Yahho! this past week, on several occasions I found myself saying "there really is no reason I shouldn't be able to 1CC this." And yet somehow I continued to die. And die.

shoe-sama · Post by **shoe-sama** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:58 am

Happens to everyone lol

I had to dump like 35 hours into it to get my score.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:49 am

I suck at Radiant Silvergun.... that game whoops my ass without much easiness. I just don't understand what happens when I play it, I just suck too much.

I suffer the same in Ikaruga and Gradius V, so gotta be a Treasure thing. At least I feel I can make some progress in Gradius V, and I have the excuse of have never played Ikaruga properly... but I have a copy of RSG, I clocked around 20 hours on it and still couldn't properly beat the whole level 1. I know 20 hours for RSG is nothing, but I should be able to at least clear level 1 with some easy after that, don't I ?

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:12 am

Rob wrote:Memorizers. I'd think all that is required is memorizing a stage.

Indeed. For me, my brain is kind of on autopilot during parts I've already memorized. Except it's not the good "in the zone" kind of autopilot, it's more of an "I'm not really paying attention" kind of autopilot. I think I just get bored with the part I'm on (since I already know what to do) and start thinking about upcoming trouble spots, becoming totally oblivious to the current situation. I think that's what I do, anyway.

henry dark · Post by **henry dark** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:17 am

Dragon Blaze
Gunbird 2

I've got the 'reverse into lone purple bullet and die embarrassing death' move perfected

SamIAm · Post by **SamIAm** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:24 am

Battle Garegga is like a cruel mistress that routinely flogs me to within an inch of my life, and yet I keep coming back to her for more. It's a deep but heavily misguided love I have.

tada · Post by **tada** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 3:55 am

I'm another one who sucks at Ikaruga.

And I also suck at Go, chess, and other strategy board games and never get better no matter how hard I try.

-Bridget- · Post by **-Bridget-** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 4:54 am

BulletMagnet wrote:You know, when I was playing Twinbee Yahho! this past week, on several occasions I found myself saying "there really is no reason I shouldn't be able to 1CC this." And yet somehow I continued to die. And die.

I kept saying the exact same thing, myself.

With the exact same results.

As for games I pointlessly battle against, the first DoDonPachi is a big one...... That game shouldnt give me as much ANNOYING as it does. And I hate chaining systems, so why do I keep doing it? Bah.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:27 am

I have been struggling with the MSX Parodius. Parts of the game seem harder than they actually are, partly due to the choppy scrolling.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:37 am

Turok has alot to answer for. Since I played the N64 version of the origonal I can't play any FPS game because my mind remember the Turok controls. I know left analogue is walk/run and right analogue is aim. Try to telling my brain that when i'm playing.

Ikaruga screwed with my head as well. Absorbing bullets its just not acceptable no matter what colour they are.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:42 am

BrianC wrote:I have been struggling with the MSX Parodius. Parts of the game seem harder than they actually are, partly due to the choppy scrolling.

No, this is just you sucking :p The game was desgined around the choppy scrolling, you just need "LRN2PLY" or whatever they say these days.

The game is easier than MSX Gradius 2, and I think it's the most enjoyable horizontal Konami shmup on the MSX 1 (Though Nemesis 3 is the most advanced one).

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:55 am

Shatterhand wrote:
BrianC wrote:I have been struggling with the MSX Parodius. Parts of the game seem harder than they actually are, partly due to the choppy scrolling.
No, this is just you sucking :p The game was desgined around the choppy scrolling, you just need "LRN2PLY" or whatever they say these days.

The game is easier than MSX Gradius 2, and I think it's the most enjoyable horizontal Konami shmup on the MSX 1 (Though Nemesis 3 is the most advanced one).

No, it's me just not getting used to how the game works. My previous post sounded worse than I meant it to sound. I wasn't dissing on the game or saying it was poor due to the choppy scrolling. I like it quite a bit so far. I know it's designed around the scrolling, but it does take some getting used to. Even though the game is designed around the scrolling, trying too hard to do the exact same things as the smoother scrolling games like staying right by an enemy, has gotten me killed.

At first, I had a much harder time with Parodius than the other MSX shmups, aside from Salamander. I kept making dumb mistakes like letting those bees from the boxes kill me because I kept forgetting that more pop out, getting killed by using the white bell and crashing into something, or getting hit from an enemy behind me. Once I got used to the enemy placement, memorized the levels a bit more, and got used to the way the game works, and how to maneuver in the narrow areas, it got much easier. I aslo like the MSX Gradius, Sky Jaguar, Knightmare and what I played of Gradius 2 and Gofer no Yabou Episode II.

While the actual difficulty of Parodius may be easier, the narrowness of some of the areas took some getting used to. BTW, the topic is games I have been "struggling with for no good reason". I don't feel that I need to be told to "learn how to play" in a topic where I feel I should admit dumb mistakes. Part of the reason I posted in this topic in the first place is because I realize my mistakes were dumb and I'm starting to play the game much better.

kengou · Post by **kengou** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:22 am

Gunhed/Blazing Lasers. The horizontal panning sucks so much because as you move, the background moves, but the bullets sort of don't, and it looks really weird and messes up my dodging. And if I shoot something, then move, the background moves but my shot doesn't which makes it look like my shot is controlled by my horizontal movement even though it isn't. I don't know... it just messes with me a lot.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:26 am

Progear

I dunno why, but I just can't get into it. If I try to go for score I die immediately.

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:31 am

kengou wrote:Gunhed/Blazing Lasers. The horizontal panning sucks so much because as you move, the background moves, but the bullets sort of don't, and it looks really weird and messes up my dodging. And if I shoot something, then move, the background moves but my shot doesn't which makes it look like my shot is controlled by my horizontal movement even though it isn't. I don't know... it just messes with me a lot.

The background moving and the bullets not messes with me too.

Nakano · Post by **Nakano** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:35 am

CIT wrote:Progear

I dunno why, but I just can't get into it. If I try to go for score I die immediately.

Same with me, I seem to play better on DOJ, although I'm still crap at it as well.

Kaiser · Post by **Kaiser** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:28 am

Armed police batrider
I play it a year now but still can't get past stage 5 on advanced... dammit and i find japan battle garrega easier

Klatrymadon · Post by **Klatrymadon** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:22 pm

I still get hit by the foot in R-Type Delta.

Haha, that happens to me far too often considering I used to play it religiously. And those fish at the end of level 2. I always manage to put my ship against the left edge of the screen and have one fly right up my arse.

Why does this happen? We know they're coming, they require no dodging skill whatsoever to avoid, and yet they can occasionally present an impassable barrier.

As for putting time into games that don't "click" with me, I gave Ibara a good 50 hours or so. I absolutely love the game, you understand - it just never reciprocates for me!