Retro Game Challenge

Super Laydock · Post by **Super Laydock** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:47 pm

This really DOES look like worth having.
Seems to capture the spirit really well from the looks on the official page.

But no money to spend on games, means I'll have to wait for a trade opportunity.

Oh well, back to Mana for now...

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:18 pm

BrianC wrote:I hope the sequel comes here. It will have another shmup, a GB Tetris parody, a cool looking parody of NES platformers called Demon Returns, a sequel to Gaudia Quest (telling from the site and look of the game, a GBC parody? 1991 dated, odd.), a Pac-Man clone, a Game & Watch parody, an adventure game, and some special versions of games from the first collection (including a MSX-ized version of Cosmic Gate and a score attack version of Star Prince). Here is a trailer from it.

Please please please please please. It looks even better than the original.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:14 am

Did everybody forget about this?

I know I read somewhere that one of our Forum members had gotten through both loops of Star Prince already, but I don't see any listing in High Scores for the game. Sure, it's on the DS, but it's still a good game! It provides the challenge & enjoys!

I haven't completed the final challenge of story mode (give me a minute - I've only had the game since Thursday), which I'm hoping unlocks that 3-minute and 5-minute mode option for Star Prince.

Pretty cool game, although some aspects of the translation creep me out, which takes some doing - why is the kid asking me if I'm single? And "Homer Sexual," PUH-LEEASE [/highschool]

Great games though. Well, most of them. The shooters are grand, which is the main reason I got the game. Robot Ninja Haggleman 3 doesn't disappoint either! It's sure to sell a million.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:53 am

Ed Oscuro wrote:Sure, it's on the DS, but it's still a good game!

Oh LOL.

Sure, it's on the greatest platform ever and the one that represents 90% of the actual videogame market (and 99.9 when it comes to the stuff that really matters, 2D etc.)...

...but it's still a good game!

P.S. I imported a copy from the US. Hopefully it should arrive soon. ^^

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 3:20 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote: I haven't completed the final challenge of story mode (give me a minute - I've only had the game since Thursday), which I'm hoping unlocks that 3-minute and 5-minute mode option for Star Prince.

Unfortunately, it's on Game Center CX 2 only.

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:41 pm

Any word yet if Game Center CX 2 gets an overseas release?

It sure looks a lot better than the first one IMO.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:51 pm

After all this praise, I guess I'll have to pick this up at some point.

Zeether · Post by **Zeether** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:14 am

ZOM wrote:Any word yet if Game Center CX 2 gets an overseas release?

It sure looks a lot better than the first one IMO.

Go bug XSeed.

But I think they'll bring it over.

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 3:54 am

ZeetherKID77 wrote:
ZOM wrote:Any word yet if Game Center CX 2 gets an overseas release?

It sure looks a lot better than the first one IMO.
Go bug XSeed.

But I think they'll bring it over.

I'm positive, I mean they did bring KORG DS-10 Synth over!

loserdork · Post by **loserdork** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:36 am

http://stylejam.co.jp/DVD/rgm/index.html

Apparently if the game sells well, they might release this DVD set in the US. I would definitely pick it up. Looks much better than anything I've ever seen on G4.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:53 am

ZOM wrote:I'm positive, I mean they did bring KORG DS-10 Synth over! :o

:)

Needing to import Game Center CX 2 won't be a big deal for me, although I'd miss being able to understand all the materials (at least right now).

Star Prince on RGC is pretty good; doubt I'll be able to max out the points. Some of those technical bonuses are pretty crazy.

Quick question: I got the eye critter (with the two shell pieces that slowly float in from the side, and the little square bit that flies in quickly afterward from the bottom of the screen) bonus the first few times I tried, but now I'm not doing it. Help?

Also, on the 1.5M bonus - can it be triggered twice, in both loops? I was awarded it in the second loop, but I'm wondering if it's not just set up in the first loop and then awarded in the second.

Missed it on my latest play, too. I did pretty good otherwise, though - just lost my last handful of lives on that last boss. Inexcusable, I know - but that thing tries my patience and it's a bit tricky to kill if you don't have a wide-firing weapon.

I should probably practice with the purple (bomb launcher) weapon some more, it's pretty powerful. Green weapon is completely useless as far as I can tell, however.

Turrican wrote:
Ed Oscuro wrote:Sure, it's on the DS, but it's still a good game!
Oh LOL.

Sure, it's on the greatest platform ever and the one that represents 90% of the actual videogame market (and 99.9 when it comes to the stuff that really matters, 2D etc.)...

...but it's still a good game!

The fuck are you smoking? The DS's terrible mushy crosspad without diagonals literally causes me pain.

More evidence for your "greatest platform ever:" Lol, two button games on a touchpad system. The only games on it I've bothered with so far don't require its special features The touchpad and second screen are just a convenience in this game; sure, you'd lose the nice scene of the kids playing the games, but that's not absolutely essential to the gameplay experience.

I'm sure this will change whenever I try out Ninja Gaiden DS (packing along a healthy supply of screen prophylactics) and whatever else requires amazing pen swiping action, but the DS doesn't fare very well for traditional buttons-based games.

Zeether · Post by **Zeether** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:25 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote: Quick question: I got the eye critter (with the two shell pieces that slowly float in from the side, and the little square bit that flies in quickly afterward from the bottom of the screen) bonus the first few times I tried, but now I'm not doing it. Help?

Start shooting it when the eye flashes. It's like Lalios in Star Force.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:00 pm

I will try this out immediately, if not sooner! Thank you.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:58 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote: The fuck are you smoking? The DS's terrible mushy crosspad without diagonals literally causes me pain.

More evidence for your "greatest platform ever:" Lol, two button games on a touchpad system. The only games on it I've bothered with so far don't require its special features The touchpad and second screen are just a convenience in this game; sure, you'd lose the nice scene of the kids playing the games, but that's not absolutely essential to the gameplay experience.

I'm sure this will change whenever I try out Ninja Gaiden DS (packing along a healthy supply of screen prophylactics) and whatever else requires amazing pen swiping action, but the DS doesn't fare very well for traditional buttons-based games.

Well, you are exaggerating a problem that mainly concerns Lite. Control might be a factor in evaluating a console, but I'm pretty sure if Cave, Treasure & Co. are ok with it, then it must not be as atrocious as you say.

But that's besides the point - the DS is awesome because of its lineup, see Contra 4 etc. Suppose the console with the worst controls ever gets all the best games, and another system with the best arcade-stick replica doesn't get any, which one would you go after?

Besides, I don't think diagonals are that crucial in these famicom fakes. We're not talking Street Fighter Alpha here...

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:12 pm

It sure doesn't feel exaggerated to say that my left thumb is pounding after using the thing for a while.

Indeed I have a Lite, but it's still Nintendo's stubbornness about their cross design that's ultimately to blame. It's specious logic to say that something terrible becomes something grand if it has good software for it. Is a book that burns your eyes out great if it's the only place you can read (insert favorite novel here)? I don't think so.

Also, I meant to write that many of these games don't require diagonals (there's a nasty looking gap in my texts where I rearranged something and forgot to finish it), but that wouldn't be true. Star Prince, game of the hour, requires a lot of diagonals.

And Contra 4 only works at all because they kept the flexible (aimable) inertia with jumps, and thankfully I can set up many diagonals (i.e. to shoot wall mounted weapon pods, or hit enemies on the same level) ahead of time. There are actually some design flaws in the game, but let's not dwell on that.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:34 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote: It's specious logic to say that something terrible becomes something grand if it has good software for it.

I disagree there. Games are what ultimately makes an hardware grand. If not for this, Master System would have won, Lynx and Game Gear would have won etc etc. It's not specious, it's weighting all the factors. Of course I would be all over a DS with a better cross. But meanwhile I still dig the DS because it hosts the greater deal of good games in recent years (that, is since the decline of PS2).

Anyway, my humble suggestion, if you play handhelds indoor, is to get a phat DS. Outdoor the lighting of the screen is too weak, but indoor it's just fine and the controls are way better.

loserdork · Post by **loserdork** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:30 am

I don't have any problems using the "cross" on the DS Lite. I think it might be because I have small hands though.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:39 am

OT, but if some of you actually like the DS phat's 'clicky' d-pad, then you'll probably like the DSi.

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:59 am

I never liked the feeling of the old DS pad... the DSLite's one is tolerable, much better than the old pad, I think.

Anyway, nobody's mentioned GunDuel on GCCX2 yet? It's lightning-fast and completely awesome. It's definitely a cross between Aleste and Hudson's Soldier games on the PCE, but downgraded to the NES.

e_tank · Post by **e_tank** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:06 pm

the d-pads on the ds lite are hit or miss in terms of quality, on many ds lites you have to almost pound the buttons and d-pad in order for it to register, especially for the diagonals. the d-pad also feels loose as it's able to slide around a bit in the case. if you have a ds lite with a shit d-pad you would immediately recognize what Ed Oscuro is talking about. it's a common problem, just google ds+lite+d-pad+diagonal if you don't believe it. 2 out of the 3 ds lites i've played have had this issue, both crimson red models.

it's kind of odd that it's only the ds lites that have this problem, the gba micro and wii have similar d-pads but i've never heard anyone complain about those (or if they do it must not be common).

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 2:00 pm

SFKhoa wrote:OT, but if some of you actually like the DS phat's 'clicky' d-pad, then you'll probably like the DSi.

really? they went back to the clicky cross? that's the best thing I've heard about DSi in a while.

DJ Incompetent · Post by **DJ Incompetent** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 6:23 pm

SFKhoa wrote:OT, but if some of you actually like the DS phat's 'clicky' d-pad, then you'll probably like the DSi.

I got one the old way. Mine doesn't click.

I'd like an L button that works though. That'd be nice.

Beat this thing. The end credits are fun.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:05 am

Update and shmups related...

How many times do I have to shoot Arino during the credits? I've barely gotten him to a third form (normal -> green -> red) in two tries, and I don't imagine I'll be able to go much farther since my thumb starts cramping up. I think this is the secret "final challenge" of the game, since the game just sends you to a Game Over screen and taunts you until you switch the console off (and it's not a "wait it out" kind of thing; I left it on a long while plugged in just to see).

guigui · Post by **guigui** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:15 am

Here comes another question : anyone could beat Arino guadia in Guadia quest ?
He is hidden in a tree along the beach on the south peninsula, near the entrance of the dark cave.

I cant beat him, he seems to level scale with me. I did not know Oblivion was already out in the 80's.

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:02 am

Check out a FAQ at GameFaqs.com (yeah, sorry!) for Retro Game Challenge. It'll help you with fighting some of the several different Arino Guardias that are hiding around the map, as well as let you in on what you get at the ending of the game.

I defeated the Arino head in the end credits by pounding the A + B buttons piano-style and using the same shmup-style technique of flying my spaceship ahead of where he was going, then stopping when he stops to let out the blue sine-wavy shots. He takes a LOT of shots.

*SPOILER BELOW!*

If you hold either the R or L buttons before the credits start, your ship gets a power-up which makes defeating him easier (this is what is revealed if you wait at the end screen for 30 minutes, as well as a way to view the credits again...)

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:31 am

I actually did beat Arino "fair and square" soon after typing that last post, but he blew up right as the credits ended and nothing else happened. Rapidfire still shows "Amateur" in Freeplay, and I assume it's looking at how you do in the credits sequence. Beating Arino took me a total of four tries, including the first time I saw the credits and realized late that I could shoot him. I'll definitely try out the cheat, thanks Chris :D

I also discovered something interesting for Star Prince:

Everybody knows that you eventually get 50,000 points maximum for collecting (not blasting) the same powerup type as you currently have, right?

The bonus you get from blasting a powerup multiplies for bullets onscreen, and not just enemies. It's difficult to do, but in each stage there's the potential for scoring big points if you can keep the end-of-stage powerups onscreen and clear the pre-boss enemies until a type that spits out lots of bullets appears. When there's lots of bullets onscreen, simply blast the powerup.

I managed to get over 100K points with one powerup this way, which is far better than even the maximum re-collecting bonus of 50,000.

By the time the bullet-spitting enemy types appear, however, the powerup you'll need to trigger will likely be at the bottom of the screen, so it may be necessary to use a spark shot to trigger it. The green shot works as well, although why anybody would use the green shot is beyond me (aside from having an easier time triggering a few of the stage 3-4 technical bonuses.

I find my respect for the purple shot increasing. It takes out the 2000 point bonus domes very quickly, and I wonder if it will let me finally trigger those four big technical bonus gold domes in stage 2 (I think that's where it is) arranged in a square. I think those might all need to be taken out at once.

I'm still working on getting a 5M+ score...I nearly made it through both loops earlier, although I died before the Stage 4 miniboss this last time. That would've put me well over 5M.

On beating the Arino Guadias: I have found two of them, and while I haven't beaten them, I have an idea what to do.

Use Guadianip - notice the similarity to catnip? It reduces a Guadia's stats by 50%. I have found this item twice in the game - once at the tower, but the easiest place to get it is in the hidden underground area with the credits cheating guy at the mausoleum, which is due east of the starting town. I used Guadianip once to easily beat the Aged Guadia in the tower.

guigui · Post by **guigui** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:06 pm

Thanks for the tip on arino guadia.

Now I just beat Star Prince, both loops. Is that me or one cannot trigger the 1.5 M bonus twice ?

guigui · Post by **guigui** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:17 pm

guigui wrote:Thanks for the tip on arino guadia.

Now I just beat Star Prince, both loops. Is that me or one cannot trigger the 1.5 M bonus twice ?

Well, I just cant get it twice. Also thanks to Obscuro for scoring tips above. I am far from 5 Mil now, only 3.5 Mil.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:27 pm

I imagine the Star Prince bonus can be triggered twice. The thing that trips me up usually is getting the stage 4 miniboss in under 12 seconds. If you're having trouble, get the purple weapon (you'll lose your pickup chain bonus of course) and go straight for the core. This one has too many orb shooters for you to be able to quickly destroy everything with the spark shot.

Updated tactic on triggering the 70K+ bullet bonuses right before a boss: It seems best to use spark shot while doing this, just making sure that the powerup is onscreen when you get the last bullet. Oftentimes that powerup slipped away under me when I was trying to shoot it; neither method is completely foolproof of course.

Stage 1 gives up at least 340K points; somebody might be able to go higher. Usually I only do about 250K for the stage.

There are three Arino Guadias in Guadia Quest, actually. Note that the first one, at least, isn't better than other high-level Guadias in the game; the second is, though, I think. The final one is undoubtedly the hardest single fight in the game.

First one's by Mount Labyrinthia, the lone tree hidden in the middle of the maze. The easiest and gives up Slapstick (worth 50 gold, what?)

The second one is north of the maze, 6 north and 2 east (the left of two trees) of the previous Guadia. Hard, you should use two Gold Orbs or Guadianips on him. Gives up Haze Edge or whatever it's called.

The third (last?) one is a single tree somewhat west of The Tower, easy to find. He's the hardest by far; you need to be a very high level to beat him, I believe; higher than the endgame requires.

Udderdude · Post by **Udderdude** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:38 pm

So I finally got my hands on this and gave it a try. I'm on the "final" challenge where you have to complete every game.

I'd have to say the worst game by far is the racing one. By level 3, the AI literally can't handle the course layout, and the enemy cars end up crashing and spinning out all over the place. Even being near one of them is dangerous as they are completely unpredictable and may crash/explode at any moment. Also the enemies have no collision with eachother so they can be right on top of one another, which looks completely retarded when you have 3 or more cars in the same place. It doesn't help that by level 3 there are 20 other cars on the track, and by the end that's down to 5 or so because they've all managed to kill themselves off. Just plain sloppy.

The rest of the games aren't too bad, Haggle Man 1 and 2 are somewhat ruined by the fact that abusing the doors makes things 10 times easier than actually killing the enemies with jumps/throwing stars. And Star Prince's bosses are made into a bad joke with the autofire button. The RPG is put together well but let's face it, it's not really any fun.

I couldn't really give it more than 7/10, I guess all those flaws are the result of trying to pump that many complete games into one. Quality suffers as a result.

Hope the 2nd game is better (and ends up over here as well).