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

[BIL]

Got a 1cc of Daimakaimura myself too. I actually had to fight Lucifer twice due to a double ko lol.

I'm going to start going for a 1 life clear now. So far I've managed to make it up to Beelzebub on one life.

Nicely done - good luck with the 1LC.

NOW IF YOU EXCUSE ME I'M GOING TO GO FAP TO FAN ART OF SABER FROM FATE STAY NIGHT

Also, thanks for the laugh.

[Squire Grooktook]

Also, thanks for the laugh.

Relevant cross over fan art. Edited for 404 error lol

[boagman]

Relevant cross over fan art.

Forbidden 403

[BIL]

Relevant cross over fan art.

Bad Arremer! spritehack plz (say... I wonder if teh wimmenz and gayz have been fappin to Boxers Arthur all along?? talk about risk/reward!)

[mikehaggar]

Something crazy happened....

On my continuous mission to no miss Makaimura (Japan Revision G), I actually made it to loop 7 today on one credit!!! I wonder what the record is?

No, I did not get the no miss. I died ONCE on loop 2. Aargh!! But yes, I did record it!

[mikehaggar]

Finally! Yesterday I finally truly conquered Makaimura. On default settings, I beat the game without dying! (2 loops) I then kept playing and playing.....in the end, I got to loop 8, stage 5 before I finally lost my last life!

Superplay will go up soon and I will post it here once available!

[CStarFlare]

That's some serious skill, and stamina. Can't wait to see the replay.

[mikehaggar]

That's some serious skill, and stamina. Can't wait to see the replay.

The game lasted nearly 2 hours. Stamina indeed! You start to get delusional and forget key parts. Many parts of the game require deep concentration and precise inputs to stand a chance...needless to say, after playing that long, you start to mess up a lot.

[Mortificator]

That's some serious strongth.

[EmperorIng]

A bump to celebrate the arrival of my Capcom Generations 2 for the Saturn.

The S-Video cable I picked up makes Makaimura (plus Dai plus Cho) look absolutely fabulous. Wonderful, loving detail in every sprite.

It's interesting reading all of these posts bragging about the 1-ALL, 2-ALL, or even 8-ALL (!!!) clears of these games. My first impressions: I'll never be able to beat any of them!

I've been hankering for a good platformer now, so this should give me something to really sink my teeth into.

The port itself has lots of nice art bonuses (and a few arranged music tracks), and I like that infinite credits in the game don't detract from its difficulty in any way (anything less than infinite would be a crime, I think at this early stage!).

Hopefully, I can master the Makaimura games sometime later this year, ha ha.

[Squire Grooktook]

Awwww man, I made it all the way up to Lucifer on one life, only to die right before finishing him. I'm not mad though, just itching to try again ASAP.

Also you know it just occurred to me, in Arthurian Legend, Merlin is the son of Lucifer (or at least a demon) and an intended Antichrist, so he's totally pulling an Alucard here and going against his dad by telling Arthur about the Psycho Cannon.

[mastermx]

That's some serious skill, and stamina. Can't wait to see the replay.

The game lasted nearly 2 hours. Stamina indeed! You start to get delusional and forget key parts. Many parts of the game require deep concentration and precise inputs to stand a chance...needless to say, after playing that long, you start to mess up a lot.

Wow that sounds amazing. I'm looking forward to that super replay!

[Squire Grooktook]

I did it! I 1 life cleared Daimakaimura!

I'm watching the replay right now to make sure it didn't desync, the last one didn't so it should be fine.

Also am I crazy or is Lucifer harder than the stage 4 boss? At least with the latter, you can play it safe and hide out on the other side of the screen. Lucifer's attacks are a bit easier to sight dodge, but you're never truly out of his reach, and if you don't wrap up the fight quick things get nasty.

*edit* here we go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=813olf-gB94

[BIL]

Congrats! Whole lotta strongthin' going on in this topic.

[Skykid]

Finally got a copy of Goku Makaimura Kai and sat down with it properly for the first time tonight.

Hell bells, it can't be serious! I know Kai is considerably tougher than vanilla, but I've been stuck on the beginning of stage two for half an hour. Brutal isn't a strong enough word.

[mastermx]

Goku Makaimura Kai is punishing. It requires you to rely on power ups way too much. Once you unlock that special armour in stage 1, you have to keep it for as long as you can, lose it and it's game over.

[Skykid]

Goku Makaimura Kai is punishing. It requires you to rely on power ups way too much. Once you unlock that special armour in stage 1, you have to keep it for as long as you can, lose it and it's game over.

Ugh, it's amazingly difficult. Special armour?

I find that the character responsiveness feels a touch out owing to the 3D. I definitely don't feel the same kind of precision as in sprite-based Makaimuras.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

I don't think Kai is that bad unless you're going for a 1LC. Not saying it's not difficult (it does have much harder bosses than the original games) but it absolutely showers you in extra lives. Compared to the first three games, getting a 1cc is trivial once you know the game reasonably well, although it is rough at first.

I believe the special armor mastermx is talking about is the one that lets you fly. You can get it shortly after the snake mid-boss in the blood swamp area, although I don't remember exactly where it is.

[Skykid]

I don't think Kai is that bad unless you're going for a 1LC. Not saying it's not difficult (it does have much harder bosses than the original games) but it absolutely showers you in extra lives. Compared to the first three games, getting a 1cc is trivial once you know the game reasonably well, although it is rough at first.

I believe the special armor mastermx is talking about is the one that lets you fly. You can get it shortly after the snake mid-boss in the blood swamp area, although I don't remember exactly where it is.

Right, so stage two?

Compared to the first three games, getting a 1cc is trivial once you know the game reasonably well, although it is rough at first.

I've only properly finished Chomakaimura and Wonderswan Makaimura (2 loops). 1LC'ing isn't for me, although I 1cc'd Cho in pursuit of clearing its two loops.

Are you saying Goku-Kai is more trivial (easier) than Cho? At the moment it feels a little like dragging a lead boulder up a muddy slope - I'm not making much headway.

I've neglected to watch any videos yet, and perhaps I should. I'm sure practice will do the job, and I'm happy with a clear on Type A (3 lives 3 continues) however I get it (avoiding saves, of course) - but I'll be damned if it isn't proving tougher than expected.

[mastermx]

The armor I'm talking about is the white armor that let's your magic cover the whole screen. You can get it anywhere in the game. Without it I have to try multiple times to beat the very first stage miniboss. If you wanna see what I'm talking about, check out this replay and see at 1:05 how easily that miniboss is taken down with magic. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxedQBTKMQ

[Skykid]

The armor I'm talking about is the white armor that let's your magic cover the whole screen. You can get it anywhere in the game. Without it I have to try multiple times to beat the very first stage miniboss. If you wanna see what I'm talking about, check out this replay and see at 1:05 how easily that miniboss is taken down with magic. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxedQBTKMQ

Ha ha, awesome vid. Helped a lot, managed to get through the first section on a life, but that snake is a bit of a bastard isn't it. I killed it and then got swept off screen by a wave of blood almost instantly. Classic Makaimura - everything out to kill you. I think I'm getting a feel for it now though, the horrors are coming back.

[mastermx]

In stage 2 what always gets me is those piranha fish that slow you down. It's like you're in the middle of making a jump and they just latch on and drag you down. They are the most rage inducing enemy ever.

Yeah lol this is sometimes said to be the hardest Makaimura. I'm not quite sure how true that is. I mean they are all quite difficult, but kai has this strange sense of unrelentless brutality. I think the reason I find it so much harder than the other gng games is because I haven't played Kai as much as I've played Dai. So judging a games difficulty can be very subjective.

[Skykid]

In stage 2 what always gets me is those piranha fish that slow you down. It's like you're in the middle of making a jump and they just latch on and drag you down. They are the most rage inducing enemy ever.

Yeah lol this is sometimes said to be the hardest Makaimura. I'm not quite sure how true that is. I mean they are all quite difficult, but kai has this strange sense of unrelentless brutality. I think the reason I find it so much harder than the other gng games is because I haven't played Kai as much as I've played Dai. So judging a games difficulty can be very subjective.

Earlier in this thread I seem to remember Kai was cited as the hardest, although the last stage on loop 2 of Cho (when you have to use the Goddess Bracelet to finish it) was said to be the hardest overall section.

From experience and from seeing other people clear it, I think Daimakaimura is the easiest. Between Famicom and Super Famicom I have no idea, I haven't played the Fami one since I was about eight years old.

[EmperorIng]

I would have thought Cho would be the easiest, owing to the SNES game seeming a bit slower-paced than the original Makaimura and Dai.

It's not like I've been able to make it past level 2 in Cho, anyhow. Or even past the first stage in Dai!

I have, since my previous post, been able to make it all the way up to level 4 on the original Makaimura on a single credit, which is a feat that impresses even me. I was completely worn down by level five in the tower, though. I still haven't figured out a decent strategy for the Arremers in Level 3, and the dragon boss wrecks my shit more often than not.

While I'm not completely sure I'm devoting the most time to that one, it probably has something to do with me wanting to "do the series in order."

All this talk about Goku is making me want a PSP...

[mastermx]

From experience and from seeing other people clear it, I think Daimakaimura is the easiest. Between Famicom and Super Famicom I have no idea, I haven't played the Fami one since I was about eight years old.

Dai makaimura was released on neither famicoms if I remember correctly.

All this talk about Goku is making me want a PSP...

[/quote]
The PSP has been one of the best handhelds I have ever owned. Especially with Custom firmware and all the emulators you can get on it. It also has a good array of shmup collections. Like the gradius collection etc. It's so worth it if you are the kind to enjoy hardcore arcade games on the go. Too bad the mame emulator sucks on it though. I enjoy though for it's library of ps1, neogeo, and cps1/2. Recently I got into star soldier on the psp after watching the stg weekly eps on caravans. I gotta say star soldier is very underrated on the psp. Maybe in japan it has praises shone on it, but not so much outside.

[Skykid]

^ Sorry, misunderstanding. I meant I have no idea which is harder between Fami Makaimura and SFC Chomakaimura because I have limited memory of the former.

I'm sure Dai is easier than Cho though, no?

I would have thought Cho would be the easiest, owing to the SNES game seeming a bit slower-paced than the original Makaimura and Dai.

The chronic slowdown does you no favours, believe me. If anything you have to learn to work around it, especially with double jump timing.

Careful what you wish for with Goku-Kai, it takes no prisoners!

[mastermx]

I'm sure Dai is easier than Cho though, no?

I grappled with this question for a few minutes before writing this. And tbh, that is a really tough question. I think difficulty is always very subjective. I haven't played Cho nearly as much as i have played Dai. If Cho was released as an arcade release I think I would have played it just as much. I felt that for me, as soon as I understood the mechanics of the double jump, it got much easier for me. Keep in mind, that though I enjoy the makaimura series, I suck at these games. I would need to play Cho much more to really see how hard it gets.

They are both so difficult, that the idea of deciding which one is harder is actually quite funny. I enjoy Dai so much, because it feels so responsive, and you can shoot upwards as well as downwards. I found the reason i found cho difficult for me, was because I wasn't using double jumps properly. They were there to help, but I abused it. In the makaimura games, it feels very much like a fighting game. Jumping is very dangerous because you can't change your trajectory. It's like jumping at someone in street fighter and eating a shoryuken to the face. You need to be certain of your arc where you'll land, and what you will do on recovery. When looking at people as well as myself play these games. I always find that the biggest reason for deaths is wrongly placed/timed jumps. Only jump when you must.

[Skykid]

I'm sure Dai is easier than Cho though, no?

I grappled with this question for a few minutes before writing this. And tbh, that is a really tough question. I think difficulty is always very subjective. I haven't played Cho nearly as much as i have played Dai. If Cho was released as an arcade release I think I would have played it just as much. I felt that for me, as soon as I understood the mechanics of the double jump, it got much easier for me. Keep in mind, that though I enjoy the makaimura series, I suck at these games. I would need to play Cho much more to really see how hard it gets.

They are both so difficult, that the idea of deciding which one is harder is actually quite funny. I enjoy Dai so much, because it feels so responsive, and you can shoot upwards as well as downwards. I found the reason i found cho difficult for me, was because I wasn't using double jumps properly. They were there to help, but I abused it. In the makaimura games, it feels very much like a fighting game. Jumping is very dangerous because you can't change your trajectory. It's like jumping at someone in street fighter and eating a shoryuken to the face. You need to be certain of your arc where you'll land, and what you will do on recovery. When looking at people as well as myself play these games. I always find that the biggest reason for deaths is wrongly placed/timed jumps. Only jump when you must.

Of course, and in Cho you can't change your trajectory, just the course of your trajectory. Once.

The double jump really makes the game interesting IMO. Of course the problem with Cho is that it's plagued by slowdown, which you do get over during the course of learning it, and it literally decides to fuck with your soul on 2-7. I can't express enough how much of a completely ridiculous bunch of fuckery trying to get through that stage and kill the boss with the Goddess Bracelet is. You need to experience it for yourself.

Dai is way more responsive and quick, but from watching guys finish it my living room I saw it as a more streamlined, neater affair. They knew all the right chests and dealt with less on-the-fly nonsense that Cho's mode7 rotating and forced weapon exchanges.

I should also mention that the Red Arremers in Cho are possibly the most abusive and cagey enemies I've encountered in any game. With some weapons they're literally impossible, and with decent weapons you need to coax them to fly head on toward you, somehow making sure you fall just short of the pendulum swing approach to get one good hit in - and repeat. I strive never to give up the crossbow.

[mastermx]

it literally decides to fuck with your soul on 2-7. I can't express enough how much of a completely ridiculous bunch of fuckery trying to get through that stage and kill the boss with the Goddess Bracelet is.

Wow! I haven't made it that far. I can't even imagine getting that far in cho. You've earnt my gamer's respect!

I'd love to hear more from you on kai. If you were tough enough to stick it out till 2-7 then im confident you can get pretty far in kai, and then make a detailed diagnosis of the difficulty level of this monstrosity. I have heard many people say that kai is hardest. But It would be awesome to have someone from our forums actually confirm that.

I plan to one day really stick it out with the makaimura games, but current lack of time, and too many games on my backlog slow me down. I've got SSF4, DDPDOJ, Ikaruga, and the gradius games leeching my time. I play ghosts and goblins (Arcade) everynow and again, but never earnestly sat down to really complete it. I only recently found out about kai a few months back. It was so exciting to find out that capcom are still making real games here and there.

[Skykid]

it literally decides to fuck with your soul on 2-7. I can't express enough how much of a completely ridiculous bunch of fuckery trying to get through that stage and kill the boss with the Goddess Bracelet is.

Wow! I haven't made it that far. I can't even imagine getting that far in cho. You've earnt my gamer's respect!

I'd love to hear more from you on kai. If you were tough enough to stick it out till 2-7 then im confident you can get pretty far in kai, and then make a detailed diagnosis of the difficulty level of this monstrosity.

Ah, to be honest I tackled Cho on a whim over three days, and it's perfectly learnable once you establish the rules and work around its foibles. Getting to 2-7 after that isn't particularly difficult because it's just pure repetition. In the course of learning the game I ended up 1cc'ing it in the process of trying to clear the 2 loops. Alas, I'm not made of stern enough stuff to 2cc it - 2-7+GB is probably beyond my ability to confidently clear within, oh, fifteen/fifty attempts.

The PS2 port however, I think I can 2cc if I wanted. Capcom realising they pushed it a little far changed the rules to allow you to hold and switch between two weapons at once, meaning you only need to bring out the Bracelet for the last boss. That means you can essentially repeat two runs with the knife or crossbow (my preference) which is so much easier it doesn't even qualify as the same game.