Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[BryanM]

Basement Brothers had an episode on Sorcerian.

What I really love about so many of these old games is how particular the designers sometimes got over some feature that completely doesn't matter but they're fixated on it due to autism, so it absolutely must be in the game! ... Even if the hardware is super duper limited, and it comes at the expense of adding something else!

In this case, an aging system. Unless you have it built in as a core feature, like a kind of reset button to force the player to start fresh (rewards are always more impactful when you have nothing and everything is a reward), while at the same time creating this vibe of a tribe improving over generations... It probably only makes the game worse. But by god some 80's RPG guys loved the hell out of tracking their dude's age.

[Steven]

I like Zero Mission. dealwithit.jpg

Spoiler

The suitless part sucks though.

Did you know that you can get softlocked in Zero Mission? Did you know that there are multiple ways to get softlocked in Zero Mission? Did you know that Metroid can't crawl but sometimes can? DID YOU KNOW METROID IS A GIRL??? NO WAY~

[Randorama]

Shameless self-promotion: the Double Dragon squib is up.

[Sumez]

Dread is a top 4 Metroid game at worst, and possibly top 2 at best.

Dude, it's Fusion 2.

Dread is pretty great at everything except maintaining 60 FPS

And exploration.
Whether you think exploration is an essential part of a Metroid game is subjective I guess.

[BryanM]

Another day of being utterly baffled at the incongruity of Metroid-the-game versus Metroid-the-lore.

My brain just refuses to accept that the space pirates are people. What, does Kraid have a mom? Did she kick his fat ass out of the house for being a space slob? And that's how he had a run-in with a bad crowd and ended up working for them to pay the bills?

None of it makes even a little sense, and it's all so much work put toward making things worse.

"Those creepy, mysterious statues of space chickens were actually Samus's grandpa!" WAT...

WHY?????

[velo]

Ok this definitely helps me see 1942 in a totally different light than I did before.
Thanks for sharing your insight, truly.

Happy to be of service. To add: I think Hishouzame feels more like a sequel to 1942 than any of its actual sequels, despite being a memorizer. Single weapon with linear upgrades, straight shot, fairly strict shot limit, red planes dropping powerups, a bomb in lieu of the loop (1943 weirdly has both).

Sega released a new Shinobi gameplay trailer a few days ago. IMO the game is looking really solid, can't wait to give it a go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lLxNxbmRX0

Looks like the sequel to 3DS Shinobi that I always wanted. That game was almost great, but needed some serious polish. I have high hopes for this one.

[Randorama]

Shameless self-promotion: the Mercs squib is up. BIL, this one is for you in particular.

EDIT:

Those who want a no non-sense review of the game, please read [url=ttps://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=76408]here[/url].

[BIL]

Ten thousand Banzais and Arigatos, Rando-sensei! Apologies for absenteeism lately, this time of year buttfucks along all axes m(_ _)m Will return soon enough to enjoy DD and Mercs in my comfy chair!

Quick Bryan! Do A Controversy about Mercs, I recall that being your heel turn game. :3

[BryanM]

Yeah, I was gonna say something but decided there's no reason really to poop over something most people here love.

I still don't really see the appeal outside of the graphics and being like a 'full game' with a variety of bosses and stages. Commando, Shock Troopers, etc are just way more fun to play.

Maybe it's just something a lot of us attached to early, it'd hardly be the first and last jank we'd all get attached to. There was certainly worse hot garbo in the arcade I have stupid nostalgic affection for: Aliens, the 'Real Ghostbusters' (lololol *dies*), Cyber Police ESWAT, Altered Beast, etc. Pretty much all games that sold on vibes and aesthetics, and not the gameplay so much. It's easy for grognards to hate on the bulk of gacha games as mindless crap that makes a profit off of basically being softcore porn selling hot cartoon women and men, but are we honestly any better? Cool monsters, explosions, and macho guys blasting the fuck out of alien scum.... It's just as much catnip to us as well, no?

I sometimes think about those horrific wire-heading experiments with mice, those horrible creepy youtube videos meant for children with pregnant spider-man and shit, and the type of trash that effectively wire-heads myself. We're completely hosed as a species, regardless if the machine gods turn out to be nice or mean to us. Virtual extinction is guaranteed either way within a century.

[Randorama]

No problem Birrufordo, at your leisure. Also, luckily, I have BryanM in the "ignore" list.

[BIL]

Pretty much all games that sold on vibes and aesthetics, and not the gameplay so much. It's easy for grognards to hate on the bulk of gacha games as mindless crap that makes a profit off of basically being softcore porn selling hot cartoon women and men, but are we honestly any better? Cool monsters, explosions, and macho guys blasting the fuck out of alien scum.... It's just as much catnip to us as well, no?

tbh I barely know what a Gachas is But nah I have always maintained if you don't think your collection (L-L-L-LEGIT or TEH ROMZ alike) is the strongest ever, ur doin it wrong. Less collector than selector.

ofc there are games I enjoy on style points despite their virtual crimes against humanity, but that's a conscious decision on my part. There are many such examples, but I will say a few common whipping boys are not among them. Splatterhouse for example, that is LEGIT Spartan X clone! More legit than Vigilante tbh. Oh god site's being a bit slow.

[BryanM]

tbh I barely know what a Gachas is But nah I have always maintained if you don't think your collection (L-L-L-LEGIT or TEH ROMZ alike) is the strongest ever, ur doin it wrong. Less collector than selector.

I think kusoge is just as important! If not more-so! Think how much more shallow and bland your life would have been if you had never known the touch of Athena~

Splatterhouse is definitely a competent game. Shame the western 'revival' was handled by sickos like they usually are. The weird part is how the company wanted them to make something much smaller and more like the original games; why not make it themselves? It was their money either way.

[1KMS]

Mercs sucks? My biggest complaint was I thought standing diagonally was a little too difficult, and that could've just been my controller. It was definitely the best of the Sega developed MD ports.

Splatterhouse for example, that is LEGIT Spartan X clone! More legit than Vigilante tbh.

Shadow of the Beast is a more legit Spartan X clone than Vigilante.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Combat Trailer: https://youtu.be/ahKG2_5QRLw
This is more X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse than Shinobi. Usually I'm not a fan of "character action"-ing 2D games, but we'll see how it works out. Most likely, better than Bushiden and Slave Zero X at least.

[Sima Tuna]

I'm firmly a Mercs enjoyer. Shock Troopers is a better game because of the strafing and melee attacks + scoring system (that I suck too much to use.) But Mercs is solid. I would rank Mercs a solid 4/5 on the Pocky and Rock Reshrined scale.

[Randorama]

Shock Troopers is also 1997, and it does show in several spots that the programmers studied the genre meticulously and with a sense of devotion to bringing out the possibilities within the genre.

I am now also 100% sure that Data East's Desert Assault/Thunder Zone heavily influenced the Saurus/SNK title. Please play the last Stage/phase of both games and you will see why I make this claim.

I must say that I have been playing the DECO game on the sly (real life has been horrendous, of late), and it is 100% 1990s Data East: a combo of pilfered concepts and very innovative spins, the usual degree of jank (but small! Their 1990s games were usually OK!), a marvellously rawk OST, and a good degree of JoJo-esque humour (...just watch the ending).

I swear that if I find the will and time to 1-CC it, a glorious "modern age" squib will ensue, pronto. I didn't skip on some DECO games for nothin', me.

[Sumez]

I wouldn't say strafe shot is an objective improvement of the genre as much as it's a design element that completely changes the game into something quite different (and the fact that Shock Troopers wants you to melee everything also impacts things quite a bit).

Imagine if you could strafe in Commando, that would upset all of its core challenges

[Bassa-Bassa]

^I agree. We've discussed that not too far ago, I recall. Part of this series' beauty is its simplicity in the controls and how demanding it gets because of it. It's true diagonal standing is not too responsive, but picking well the stick you'll use helps a bit.

[velo]

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Combat Trailer: https://youtu.be/ahKG2_5QRLw
This is more X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse than Shinobi. Usually I'm not a fan of "character action"-ing 2D games, but we'll see how it works out. Most likely, better than Bushiden and Slave Zero X at least.

The 3DS Shinobi game seemed to be inspired by the 3D Ninja Gaiden series. It had the very same jumping blade swipe followed by air slashes, plus a parry move. You could say they've just gone further down the path that Shinobi 3 started on, but it's definitely a long way away from the original. Not seeing a lot of shooting. Still, I think it looks good. A trailer is going to highlight the flashy bits and I would bet you won't be firing off super moves like that nonstop during real gameplay. I expect it to feel like SoR4.

[Sima Tuna]

I wouldn't say strafe shot is an objective improvement of the genre as much as it's a design element that completely changes the game into something quite different (and the fact that Shock Troopers wants you to melee everything also impacts things quite a bit).

Imagine if you could strafe in Commando, that would upset all of its core challenges

I agree that it changes the game. I just also happen to prefer the change. You obviously can't bolt-on an element like strafing to a game such as Commando that relies on not being able to strafe for its game design. But when a game is designed with strafe in mind, I generally have more fun playing that game than I do with a game that has no strafe. The fumbling with aim controls is just an aspect of no-strafe top-down shooters that I don't enjoy. Having said that, I suppose I still prefer such game design to twin-stick indie fare like Gungeon.

[BrianC]

Rotary aiming is definitely something that sets the AC Ikari apart from most of its home ports. I think Frontline had the rotary joystick aiming too?

Edit: Frontline had a separate pressable spinner for aiming/firing, similar to Forgotten Worlds. Definitely along the same lines, though.

[it290]

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Combat Trailer: https://youtu.be/ahKG2_5QRLw
This is more X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse than Shinobi. Usually I'm not a fan of "character action"-ing 2D games, but we'll see how it works out. Most likely, better than Bushiden and Slave Zero X at least.

Did Bushiden ever come out? I thought it was still in development.

[1KMS]

Not yet, but my interest has waned after seeing what they've shown. Things like this for example.

[it290]

Geez that's egregious. Hopefully they clean up sections like that before the final game drops.

[it290]

Also PSA: The demo for the new Ninja Gaiden just dropped.

[cj iwakura]

It looks fun, but it's a wasted opportunity to not have this be Ninja Gaiden IV and distance itself from the modern ones. It'd also remove the stink from III being the last classic title, and could fix the hot mess of the plot. Hell, bring Ashtar back, why not.

[Daytime Waitress]

Have played only the first stage of the demo, and the pace and movement tech (double jump/attack, wall jumping, wall/roof climbing) compliment each other real well.
"Arenas" are technically bite-sized, single-screen combat puzzles not dissimilar to a boss fight, but they feel a bit too much like padding for mine, slamming the breaks on the momentum that the platforming sections (the other 80% of the game) has generated.

All in all very enjoyable so far, but I gotta call out the dogshit narrative, though.
Players control Ryu's trainee, Kenji, and you hop around the improbably large mansion to as a tutorial.
Demons kick the front door in and start setting shit on fire.
Ryu gets handed a copy of his father's will and promptly teleports to America with barely a "You got this, n00bie".
Who the fuck thought that was a good plot device?!
"Demons are attacking and Ryu's not here, so we have to defend the town", I can buy that.
Having the series' hero warp out the instant shit goes down?
What in the actual fuck.