Your own "Handicapped Difficulty"

UnscathedFlyingObject · Mon Aug 08, 2005 3:03 am

I'm just done with Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow my fourth time. This time I went through the game in Hard difficulty using no items, no armor, and no accessory ('cept something to boost luck). When I fought the true last boss, I was level 36. My weapon was the Claimh Solais, and my souls were Legion, Black Panther, Giant Bat, and Succubus. The last guy swept the floor with me for almost three hours until I lucked out and killed him

. I feel really good from that, and I'll definitely try the same with Castlevania: DoS when it comes out.

Are there any easy games you give a handicap to to make them harder?

Also on my list of handicaps:

Viewtiful Joe (normal difficulty, no life increases)
Castlevania Symphony of the Night (no armor, no cheap accessories/shields, best sword used Alucard Sword)
Megaman X8 (no life increases)
Megaman X (beat normal bosses 'cept penguin and boomer without life increment, armor upgrades, and weapons)
Gradius Gaiden (sometimes I let bullets get real close before dodging)

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 3:28 am

I've done that with SotN (luck code). I REALLY wish there was a super-hard difficulty in that game as it's a blast.

Used to try playing Ultimate MK3 with my hands crossed (left hand on buttons, right hand on joystick) because getting through the game was too easy. Didn't work very well

iatneH · Post by **iatneH** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:12 am

I don't think I've ever handicapped myself. I already suck, why force myself to suck even more?

I've played Ketsui one-handed though, when training for double plays. I only play marginally worse one-handed (was lucky the cabinet had a ball-ish top joystick and a nice button spacing). I'm right-handed, but interestingly I play better with my left hand. Maybe I'm just not used to controlling movement with my right hand.

And then there are the double plays themselves, where everything just goes to Hell the moment I reach the first boss. I guess it didn't help that the cabinet was set to hard mode. Maybe I'll do better once I get my own PCB and can finally play on normal mode.

Off topic, but I just remembered some thread about someone who visited an old folks home and heard some amazing video game stories about one-lifing such and such a game... I just learned that my granddad used to counter-stop Manhole on the old Game & Watch

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 1:48 pm

I'm WAY too good at Timesplitters 3 so I have to not only set all the bots on the highest difficulty on a team against me in Team Deathmatch mode, but I also try to beat them without dying in a 50 kill match.

I'm just a pimp like that though.

I've also beat FF1 (NES version) with a party of all black mages and a party of all white mages.

PsikyoPshumpPshooterP · Mon Aug 08, 2005 2:06 pm

games that ill bring it to anybody

Tetris
Men of Valor fps!!! Boom Head Shot!!!!

http://www.big-boys.com/articles/toomuchcs.html

Street Fighter 2 Turbo

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:53 pm

The whole megaman series without any enhancement, using nothing but the blaster (upto X4, I stop playing after that)

Special achievement 1: Megaman X without dash and heart meter, using nothing but the blaster (only doable via cheat so that you skip the stage where you are forced to get the dash, you will fight the boss of that stage again later)

Special achievement 2: Finished a corrupted version of the NES Bucky o' Hare in which one hit from anything kills you.

Special achievement 3: Finished The Longest Journey (a point and click adventure game) in 6 hours, one sitting, in the first try.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:56 pm

the only instance of this i can claim is a (near) no shuriken of Ninja Five 0 on hard. there are still some parts i can't figure out.

judesalmon · Post by **judesalmon** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:13 pm

Shouldn't this topic be renamed "Boast about how 1337 you think you are"?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:15 pm

The SotN fans might want to check out the "Naked Alucard Challenge" FAQ on GameFAQs.

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 8:13 pm

Well, perhaps, if it becomes like that.

But I think the starter of this thread (and most of those who posted) enjoy playing games with handicaps. I enjoy reading threads like this to get suggestions

. Unfortunately, most of these things are probably impossible to do without a lot of time for practice, which I don't have time for since I work.

It's like movie stunts, only with videogames.

judesalmon · Post by **judesalmon** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 8:17 pm

I was just joking - I find it quite interesting also.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:08 pm

Yeah, I think they should have special high score threads dedicated to this kind of thing - a Sky Shark thread for people you play with their feet, a Gradius thread for a no power up runs, etc.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:17 pm

Ah, beat Death at level 15 (previously 18.) Of course, no armor, no accessory ('cept for luck), and hard difficulty

.

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:10 pm

Don't know if anybody would enjoy a competition where you play one action game, be it platformer or shmup, and kill no enemies except the boss. The rule would be simply, record your longest run (1 life, obviously) and send in within an alloted competition period, a month for example.

Another variation of this rule would be, kill no enemy, touch no enemy, but you are allowed 2 instances of shooting/special weapon usage per stage, to account for parts where you are forced by the level design to shoot something or touch it.

If two players are on par in terms of game progress, the one who did it in a shorter time wins.

I would thoroughly enjoy such a competition (say, "True Heroes Don't Kill Cronies - a videogame competition")

Edit: fixed shoddy grammar

thegreathopper · Post by **thegreathopper** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:19 pm

My handicap is I only ever play games when I have been drinking..
Which is better than I used to be, a few years ago me and my friends would only ever play video games after a big coke session, would always end up as all night Samurai spirits 2 sessions...

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:41 pm

I'm currently playing through Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past again on my DS and I'm trying a "Green Tunic and Two Bottles only" game. Basically, I skip two of the bottles and the armors and don't get as many pieces of heart. I have picked up a few, only to compensate for the extra damage I will be taking.

I've also tired starter car only games in the Gran Turismo games and see how far I could get with the first car I bought.

Winning with Class D cars in Midnight Club 3 is also a good challenge too. Who needs that fancy Lamborgini?

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:58 pm

TGK wrote: Another variation of this rule would be, kill no enemy, touch no enemy, but you are allowed 2 instances of shooting/special weapon usage per stage, to account for parts where you are forced by the level design to shoot something or touch it.

I'm a big fan of playing shooters without shooting. No bombs, no shots, only dodging.

I've managed to make it to level 4 of Strikers 1999 this way once. I usually make it to level 3. I have a recording of making it to the level 3 boss too (happened to be the tank). The hardest part seems to be not getting killed by the boss's suicide bullets. Damned near impossible.

I tried Progear recently (just once), and got to level 2 without shooting.

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 11:41 pm

Andi wrote:Yeah, I think they should have special high score threads dedicated to this kind of thing - a Sky Shark thread for people you play with their feet, a Gradius thread for a no power up runs, etc.

Mode7 made a thread like that back in the day, but it basically went unused.

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 1:29 am

landshark wrote:
TGK wrote: Another variation of this rule would be, kill no enemy, touch no enemy, but you are allowed 2 instances of shooting/special weapon usage per stage, to account for parts where you are forced by the level design to shoot something or touch it.
I'm a big fan of playing shooters without shooting. No bombs, no shots, only dodging.

I've managed to make it to level 4 of Strikers 1999 this way once. I usually make it to level 3. I have a recording of making it to the level 3 boss too (happened to be the tank). The hardest part seems to be not getting killed by the boss's suicide bullets. Damned near impossible.

I tried Progear recently (just once), and got to level 2 without shooting.

You do shoot the boss right?! I can't imagine how you get through the stage without shooting the boss. I know some games have the boss suicide after a while, but I haven't managed to endure the barrage long enough without shooting back (except maybe for the first 4 bosses in Batrider, which are very manageable, but I don't think they suicide)

My comp is too weak to record movies in mame (it barely runs certain games), but I'll try to make some .zmv no-kill movies with some snes platformers and shmups.

Hic, anyone who can get to stage 3 of Bio Metal on the snes without shooting can kick my ass, and I would be honoured.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 2:52 am

Well, I don't have too many stories like this, but I have managed to defeat Golden Axe (Genesis version) without taking a hit, and have gotten to the point where I could infinitely play Rampage (Amiga version) without dying.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 2:55 am

TGK wrote: You do shoot the boss right?! I can't imagine how you get through the stage without shooting the boss. I know some games have the boss suicide after a while, but I haven't managed to endure the barrage long enough without shooting back (except maybe for the first 4 bosses in Batrider, which are very manageable, but I don't think they suicide)

My comp is too weak to record movies in mame (it barely runs certain games), but I'll try to make some .zmv no-kill movies with some snes platformers and shmups.

Nope. No shooting period. You have to endure the boss until it self destructs.

Strikers 1999's bosses go into a sort of PMS mode if you hang around too long where they shed their outer armor and start doing mass bullet barrages.

Progears just exploded (never tried the 2nd boss).

I can send out the movie or the mame replay file if someone has place to store it. I don't remember how big it is, but my webspace refuses it.

Zweihander · Post by **Zweihander** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:58 am

for a while after reaching lvl 100 in CV: AoS (not to mention a few playthroughs and 30+ hours of gameplay) i started limiting myself to using only the Whip Sword as a weapon, in an attempt to go 'old-school'. sadly, this was short-lived, when i realized that even an obsolete weapon is decent when wielded by a lvl-100 Soma Cruz. let's hope DoS is challenging, i've been left feeling cheated by SotN and AoS' lack of difficulty. LoI and CotM were bitches, though x_x

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 4:40 pm

haha biometal without shooting, i'd like to see it.

TGK · Post by **TGK** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 4:51 pm

yea me too, that would be the pinnacle of video game achievement

I die within the first 15 seconds

UnscathedFlyingObject · Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:00 am

Killed Aria of Sorrow's Death at lvl. 14

(Hard Difficulty, no items, no armor.) I had the Hrunting and the luck charm as equipment, and my souls were the one that shoots cobwebs, Flying Armor, and Ghost Dancer. Pretty patetic arsenal. It took 1 1/2 hours and about two dozen tries until I nailed him. He took 193 hits to die (4444HP divided by the damage I did to him, 32.)

Edit: I'll probably stop here.
Edit2: Coincidentally, my lowest level to kill Chaos is 32. I used the same configuration as in the first post of this thread.)

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 6:42 am

TGK wrote: Hic, anyone who can get to stage 3 of Bio Metal on the snes without shooting can kick my ass, and I would be honoured.

I think I could do this pretty easily. JUST stage 3?

Regulus · Post by **Regulus** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:24 am

Eh... the only games that I can think of that I've done anything like this would be the Mega Man X SNES games... All armorless/heartless/X-buster only, with the exception of X1 SNES, where you're required to get the Buster part. Zero doesn't give it to you in the PC version, though, so it all worked out in the end.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:39 am

I beat Metroid Zero Mission 15% on normal, though it's not really as hard as it sounds. I used to play SFII Turbo with that no moves code, but I don't remember if I beat the game with it or not.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 3:38 pm

hmm..

I finished Turrican 3 without using the "spinner" mode (Or whatever you call that mode where you become some kind of wheel that's invicible and drop bombs) ... Not a big deal. I tried to do the same with Turrican 2, but didn't manage to do it.

In Winning Eleven 2002, I set the game in the hardest difficult, play with South Korea in a league against the top teams, and I win all games.

Used to do the same with Sensible World of Soccer, but with even more obscure teams (Like, choose Once Lobos (3rd division from El Salvador) in a league against the top teams from Europe)

I've tried to win all games in the Brutal Sports Football league by making more goals than the opponent AND killing all players, but I think it may be impossible to kill all players of some teams... they are too damn strong!

Finished Flasback without continuing or saving or using passwords in hard mode. I think it may be possible to finish it without taking ANY hits, but that would be a little too much (I finished this game 23785483 times... I never PLANNED to finish the game like that, I just did it once, and then I thought "Well, I am done with Flashback now")

I used to play Beamrider without taking any extra-lifes and reaching level 20. What's funny is that when I play getting the extra-lifes, I still can't beat level 20, and when I used to play in a hi-score board of this game , no one could beat level 20. Anyone who have played Beamrider here ever beat level 20? I am believing that level 20 is set to be so goddamn impossible that it WILL TAKE all of your lives, no matter how good you play.

That's all I can remember now.

EazyP · Post by **EazyP** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 1:47 am

I play Counter Strike with only scouts and usp's sometimes...good pistol workout

shmups.system11.org

Your own "Handicapped Difficulty"

Your own "Handicapped Difficulty"

Pissed...