Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[trap15]

Stop projecting. That's literally all you ever do, anyways.

[Squire Grooktook]

>half the post is about the element of subjectivity/taste and how you fail to acknowledge it
>reads it as "I'm right you're wrong"

Genius. Thank you. Perfect.

[kitten]

please, obscura, jesus fuck!!!!! stop shitting in this very nice thread!

has anyone in this thread played the pc engine version of jackie chan AND the famicom version? i want to hear if the pc engine version is any better. i've no miss'd and quite enjoy the famicom game, but the pc engine game looks a little bit uglier and seems to have slightly less refined mechanics.

[Obscura]

When people say "subjective", what they really mean is "I cannot be bothered to back up my point, so I'm just going to throw out a word that modern egalitarianism tells us ends any debate with me as the winner!"

Just because we can't measure something doesn't mean we can't tell which of two examples of that thing is better. Ruth's Chris Steak House is better food than McDonalds. Beethoven is better than Rebecca Black. Literally every successful arcade game ever is better than Alien Soldier.

[Squire Grooktook]

Yeah, I'm sure Plato's Form Of The Good is aligned with your preferred video game playstyle.

God also told me that chaining is shit and that people who enoy doj are going straight to Hell.

[kitten]

obscura, i met with everyone in the thread in private, and we all agreed that you're right and alien soldier is the exact same thing as genital mutilation, as you previously alluded. you've won. it's over. we see the light. bil finally admitted he had a problem and went to get surgery for the rusty nails he hammered into his superhard dick, thus making him sadly unavailable to deliver this news, personally. you saved him from total mutilation and he is very grateful. you don't even need to look in here anymore because we promise not to talk about it ever again.

real talk: do mods clean up shit-posting on this forum? could this shitposting get moved to its own thread or something? would be appreciated. skye's nice posting about gomola speed was denied being the top of the current page for a fair amount of time over this bullshit

[Squire Grooktook]

Okay back to the true topic:

Just played Ganryu on stream with a friend on a live event. First time.

What a nice game! Ever encroaching zakos, satisfying melee, an interesting grappling hook mechanic, and slightly random boss behavior. Seems like an interesting one, I'll probably give this one a try more later.

[WelshMegalodon]

real talk: do mods clean up shit-posting on this forum? could this shitposting get moved to its own thread or something? would be appreciated. skye's nice posting about gomola speed was denied being the top of the current page for a fair amount of time over this bullshit

Unfortunately, no. You'll recall what I said about there being strange people here. Just look at the Bush thread, or the GamerGate thread, or any of these:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12815
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21615
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33193
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47705
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49800
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51311

And he's not really representative of the crowd here, but:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1134055

Anyway, as Squire Grooktook said, we should get back on topic. (Wait, belt scrollers don't qualify. Ah, well.)

__SKYe, I revisited Sailor Moon SFC the other day for the first time in nearly ten years. The first stage is a real sleeper, but the game gets a bit better from Stage 2. Oh, and Mercury is terrible in this game, even more than she ought to be*.

Skykid hates Gazelle's coin-op Sailor Moon and Zerst mentioned something about ridiculous time-outs, so I've been avoiding that one.

Haven't looked into the Mega Drive conversion yet. I understand it's sort of a Hyperstone Heist situation with that title.

*Yes, I'm a magical girl fan. Do your worst, SHMUPs.

[kitten]

Okay back to the true topic:

Just played Ganryu on stream with a friend on a live event. First time.

What a nice game! Ever encroaching zakos, satisfying melee, an interesting grappling hook mechanic, and slightly random boss behavior. Seems like an interesting one, I'll probably give this one a try more later.

never heard of this! i just skipped around a few minutes of a video, however. this has some really janky visuals to it! the visual level design is vacant and has spaced out, high resolution stuff all over the place without a proper sense of tying it together to make it feel more like a consistent world. multiple portions are just platforms jutting up from seemingly nothing below lazily placed in front of a parallax scrolling windows 95 desktop background. most animations are not very clean cut and seem to end or cycle very abruptly, too. the camera also does that really annoying snap left or right when you turn your character - this is a serious pet peeve of mine and can ruin a game. everything about how this game looks reeks of modern indie/doujin (especially the between-level character portraits) in a bad way, and yet it's an 18 year old arcade game. wild!

HOWEVER, there are some cool looking bosses and it seems it actually has a few mechanical basics down fairly well. the longplay is a reasonable length and suggests a decent pacing, too. also, a grappling hook. god, i love grappling hooks.

Unfortunately, no. You'll recall what I said about there being strange people here. Just look at the Bush thread, or the GamerGate thread, or any of these:

i try to NOT look at those threads as much as i can, actually i'm quite politically motivated outside of this forum, but would rather stick my hand into a blender than get involved in any of that shit, here. i'm here for good games discussion and a little camaraderie among fellow enthusiasts, whatever their personal views outside games are

[Squire Grooktook]

HOWEVER, there are some cool looking bosses and it seems it actually has a few mechanical basics down fairly well. the longplay is a reasonable length and suggests a decent pacing, too. also, a grappling hook. god, i love grappling hooks.

Live Blind competitive ninja action while fighting game commentators desperately try to make sense of who's "winning"
^^^I fixed the time stamp, doh

LIVE AND LEARN (the patterns)

"I am all of me" -Sacred Kabbalistic texts

Cue furious cowbell tapping.

[__SKYe]

When that Obscura x BIL discussion started, I thought it was a nice friendly chat between longtime (internet) friends over their respective gaming preferences.
Seems I was wrong.

here's an image of a whole goddamn bunch of pce controllers. the one i have is the one that comes with the duo-r, which is in the upper right, one down from the upper most right. that's the basic design - though the colors are slightly different for ones that came with older models (seen immediately above it). i also have a multitap and a couple of those bottom middle "blaster" controllers on the way, so i can play bomberman 94 w/ peeps. hope those controllers aren't shit, they certainly look a bit cheap. kinda want to get one of those 6-buttons with individual turbo settings so i can play games that require button combinations and sometimes-not-always-just-rapid-fire with better proficiency (like cotton, goddamn i hate cotton's control set-up).

Oh, I know how the controllers look like, I meant that I've never actually played with one.
Should've been more clear.

i really tend to hate the ps d-pad up until the most recent one on the dualshock 4! flagrant garbage, shreds my finger, reliable diagonals feels like murder. i swear the only reason i don't play shin contra more often is having to put up with that shit (at least i 100% s-ranked it...). i have some bizarre fondness for the original ps1 controller before the addition of the dual shock sticks, though. iknow it's essentially the same d-pad design all the way from there up to ps3, but i swear there is something about how they're manufactured that makes them a little less stiff and uncomfortable. i don't have a ps saturn pad (bawww), so that's as nice a d-pad as i tend to get on that console plus i like how they are plain grey, lightweight, and have a fun, simple shape. they look like an older controller and remind me of that innocent, childish enthusiasm i took to the playstation for when i was much younger. ah, mega man legends~ <3

I agree that the D-Pad makes one's fingers hurt after extended play, but that's something I can live up with.
You see, when I'm playing an action game, I always tend to press the buttons hard, and the PlayStation pads have that *hard* contruction, that seems like no matter how much you press the damn thing, it won't break.
And although I agree with you that diagonals are somewhat hard to press on a PS pad, I prefer the separated arrows on the D-Pad by a landslide to a circular D-Pad. Circular D-Pads always give me the impression they'll break if I press too hard.
I also dislike the triggers of the PS3 pads. I prefer digital buttons.

I never played with a DualShock 4, so I can't comment on it, but they did away with the pressure sensitive buttons, so perhaps that's why you like that one?

And after all this, the PsOne Dualshock I use, has only digital buttons, which make them feel harder, and more sturdy to the touch. And it's heavier weight when compared to the PS3 pad, helps to achieve that feeling of being sturdy.
The PsOne Dualshock I have gotta have, at the very least some 10+ years (introduced in 2000, but could be bought much later), so it testifies as to it's sturdiness.
It's definitely a matter of taste though, so opinions will differ.

Anyway, as Squire Grooktook said, we should get back on topic. (Wait, belt scrollers don't qualify. Ah, well.)

C'mon, Beat-Em-Ups are pure action side-scrolling beasts. Nothings beats a nice walk through town while beating up some punks (or demons, etc).

__SKYe, I revisited Sailor Moon SFC the other day for the first time in nearly ten years. The first stage is a real sleeper, but the game gets a bit better from Stage 2. Oh, and Mercury is terrible in this game, even more than she ought to be*.

Haven't played Mercury yet, and indeed it isn't quite up to par with Final Fight, but considering other Beat-Em-Ups on the system, it is quite playable (and also looks pretty good). Definitely prefer it to, at least, the first two Rushing Beat games for the SFC.
It also has the Chibiusa mode, which is quite a bit easier, since most (if not all) high attacks will not hit her, due to her height. Also, the end of level ranking is something I enjoy, and those intermission cutscenes with Tuxedo Mask are ridiculously hilarious.

Skykid hates Gazelle's coin-op Sailor Moon and Zerst mentioned something about ridiculous time-outs, so I've been avoiding that one.

I mentioned this game, but I must admit I don't have too much experience with it.
Although, again, even though it is no FInal FIght, it is still a decent game, and much like the SFC one, it has a good presentation.

Haven't looked into the Mega Drive conversion yet. I understand it's sort of a Hyperstone Heist situation with that title.

This one I also haven't played much, because I didn't like it much, when compared to the SFC one.
It does play as good, doesn't look as good, and overall it's not quite on par with the SFC version, so if one has to make a choice between which port to play, I'd hands down recommend the SFC port.

*Yes, I'm a magical girl fan. Do your worst, SHMUPs.

Haha, I hadn't seen the Sailor Moon characters in ages, until I stumbled upon the SFC game. They are pretty nice really, so no reason to feel ashamed for liking them.
Honestly, I'd prefer the Sailor Moon cast in a Beat-Em-Up, rather than some generic tough guy protagonist every day of the week.

It's also nice to see video game adaptations of licensed material that is actually fun to play, rather than some generic unplayable mess.

[BIL]

Hwahhh... I am sober, rested and have all morning to lounge in my favourite chair. :3

If you've already got the experience you need to eat shit well, yes, making that scat porno will be fun. If you don't have that experience, I imagine that getting it will be like hammering rusty nails into your dick (or learning Dracula XX, LOL!)

I made some small alterations. You see why this line leads to nowhere, right?

A 2D console action title that isn't structured like a Zelda or a Metroid and kicks you back to the start if you die on its default difficulty? It's arcade in every aspect aside from not needing to put quarters in the console.

It's arcade in every respect except it's not an arcade game. The player is in a private setting with Free Play and unlimited time. "Arcade" and "home" are radically different contexts, with deep implications for a game's pace and learning curve - whatever its genre. Compare Cadash to Zelda II. Same genre, not remotely the same experience.

Would Alien Soldier be a sub-optimal arcade experience? Yeah, probably. Despite the objectively relentless pacing, the learning curve is steeper than reasonable for a coin-op. Too esoteric on both system and mechanical levels. As with my hypothetical easy mode, I would want certain alterations for greater intuitiveness. As a home release, its time investment is unremarkable.

Given that you seem to evaluate almost everything by how many sprites and effects are on the screen at any given time, (ab)using the word "intensity" as a shortcut to mean that, you probably shouldn't put any stock in my evaluations. They'd be wasted on you.

Give me some examples to mercilessly shoot down, scrub. Unlike you, I don't bitch and run. I STAY AND FUCK.

Ok, try this -- get to the werewolf boss. When he pulls his arm back, telegraphing an attack, zero teleport through him. When you aren't teleporting, shoot him.

OMG SO MUCH MANUAL ZONING AND DODGING!!! Not.

There are two werewolves I know of in this game, or rather one werewolf plus a were-lion I always mistake for a wolf on account of his colour, howl and choice of hairstyle. And despite their being two of the simpler bosses, that still describes neither.

edit: wait, are you talking about Xi-Tiger? Like practically every boss in the game, if you're not manually zoning him, and manually aiming at his weak point, you'll need an hour to kill him. See the little number that pops up when you hit something, and how it's much higher when you're shooting him in the face or chest versus his foot? Yeah exactly. Don't waste ammo son.

Spoiler

Also he's a fucking pussy, what with being the Act I boss. Get good and he'll die in no time, like every boss before him. Phoenix and half a tank of burner will do it.

Spoiler

Anyway, my point is that if you're not doing all the things I mention, you are playing like shit and probably having a shit time. Arrested development. Feel free to tell me your usual boss strategies, and I'll explain how to improve. You are not "struggling and fighting" as in The Super Shinobi's much simpler model - you are flailing and dying. Big difference!

Lots of later bosses will specifically punish you for teleporting rashly too. I can explain why if you like.

>half the post is about the element of subjectivity/taste and how you fail to acknowledge it
>reads it as "I'm right you're wrong"

Genius. Thank you. Perfect.

bil finally admitted he had a problem and went to get surgery for the rusty nails he hammered into his superhard dick

*splutter* *fume* OUTRAGE. No piddling nail could graze the hide of my magnificent hog! :O

real talk: do mods clean up shit-posting on this forum? could this shitposting get moved to its own thread or something? would be appreciated. skye's nice posting about gomola speed was denied being the top of the current page for a fair amount of time over this bullshit

In all honesty, don't worry. This thread was born from such contests and has seen much the same. A bit of roughage adds variety imo. Needless to say it's also important to expose and refute bad posts. ;3

When that Obscura x BIL discussion started, I thought it was a nice friendly chat between longtime (internet) friends over their respective gaming preferences.
Seems I was wrong.

I love Obscura. He's just a bit of a grouchy asshole! >:3

[__SKYe]

I love Obscura. He's just a bit of a grouchy asshole! >:3

Haha, that's good then.

-----
The SFC game is actually Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R, so ignore the comparison. The MD game was also set on easy (detailed in my next post), so also ignore anything regarding its difficulty.
-----

So, I set out to give an an honest try to the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (MD) game, since I previously only gave a quick play to compare it to the SFC version.

First of all, it's important to notice that, even though they are similar games (and I thought they were the same game but slightly altered for each console), but they play different and have different levels and bosses.
It might be wiser to treat them as separate games.

So for my playthough, I used the default character, Usagi.
One thing you'll immediately notice, is that the MD game is ridiculously easy. On the first proper try I got the 1CC, losing only 1 life on the very first level, partly because I was getting used to the gameplay, partly because the controls were mapped weirdly, so I accidently used the special attack (health draining) a few times (draining about half my health).

The MD game (playing as Usagi at least) has the standard 5-hit combo, a jump button (obviously), and an health draining special attack. This attack drains more health than the comparable Final Fight special, though, so it should be used with care, if at all (it isn't really that neccessary).
You can perform a standard jump attack, and a stronger & faster one by double tapping forward before jumping (the character doesn't run). They aren't especially powerful, but are decent when one needs to widen the space between you and opponents.
There are also throws too, but they are somewhat finicky to perform, and, in my opinion, not really neccessary. Trying to walk to an enemy won't make your character grab it (at least I couldn't do it), so to grab an enemy, you sort of have to walk to them vertically. Not very good.

The enemies and bosses do have very little HP. You can defeat the majority of enemies with a single combo, and half the bosses go down in 2~3 combos, the other half in 5~6. It's a very easy game (on default settings at least).

The end of stage ranking is here too, and it gives you a rank repending on the time spent, damage taken, and style points, which I assume as to do with how you defeat enemies. Not sure though.
Other than that, though, in my opinion, it doesn't look as good, and doesn't have the same personality than the SFC game, it's not too bad.

Now the SFC. I've yet to beat it, by the way (except Chibiusa mode, but that doesn't quite count ), but it is quite a bit harder.

This one, however, plays very alike to Final Fight. And that is a fantastic thing, in my book.
You have a button for jumping, one to do the default attack combo, another for the health draining attack (a la FInal Fight, which can also be used by pressing Jump+Attack), and a special move akin to Streets Of Rage 1. This move is limited, of course.
You can do a jumping attack, AND the Final Fight Jump+Down+Attack, which is a jumping attack which will stun the enemy instead of knocking them down, so that you can then grab the enemy and beat/throw him. Very cool feature.
Throws and grabs and also almost exactly like Final Fight. You can walk to the enemy (provided you don't get hit, of course), grab him, and either press attack to slap him until he falls, or throw him either forward OR backwards.
This throwing range, is invaluable for crowd control, and is one of the things that I love the most in Final Fight (and sadly absent from the Streets Of Rage series).
There's also a charge attack (by holding the attack button until a little bar on top ot the health meter charges up), which is a small projectile. I don't give it much use, but it's a nice touch.

But even more surprising, is that it behaves like Final Fight in yet another manner.
Take Usagi, for example. Her standard attack combo has 5 hits, the 5th hit knocking the enemy down.
If you do 4 attacks on an enemy, and on the last hit of the combo press backwards and attack, your character will throw the enemy backwards instead of knocking him down.
This is yet another invaluable tool for crowd control, and I was immensely surprised (in a good way) to find they put this on this game.
I seriously adore this game now, and again, even though it isn't quite up to par with Final Fight, it is a tremendously cool game.
It's gameplay mechanics are really nice and well executed.

Yet another similarity with Final Fight, is that after taking some damage, the first boss will hind back and call for reinforcements, just like Damnd (aka Trasher) from Final Fight.

Other than than, both the SFC and MD games have 5 characters each to play with, but the SFC game has the Chibiusa mode, which is in all aspects like the standard game, except you play with Chibiusa (obviously). The difference is in that she is small, so all high hitting attacks (many of the enemies' attacks) will miss her.
In return she cannot perform throws, and has less HP than the standard characters, but nonetheless, it is much easier than the standard game.
There's also 2 player mode in the SFC game (don't remember about the MD one), for whoever's interested.

So, as the veredict, I consider the SFC game much superior to the MD one, and would most definitely recommend it to any fan of the genre.

I'll have to properly play the Arcade version know.

EDIT: Apparently the SFC game also has a sort of piledriver move, performed by grabbing + Jumping+A. God, I love this game.
EDIT2: Pointed out that the SFC game is Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R, and that the MD game's difficulty was erroneously set to Easy.

[BIL]

Fuck yes, my longtime Alien Soldier Act IV bugbears the CATMAN BIKERS are finally starting to make sense. You see, I could easily wipe 'em out with a tank of burner. EASILY. But SHIELD VIPER is immediately after, and he's a drag to fight without same. "Pack two burners obviously lmao" STFU noob! (・｀W´・) I want three Lancers to tear up Valkyrie, Medusa, Silpheed, Artemis and Siren Force immediately beforehand! And there's no more weapon boxes after that. :O "You could just hide from them at the top of the screen rofl" ಠ_ಠ

So the LLLF-packing solution I've found, which lets me tear up all the above-mentioned, is to let the CATFUCKS start firing, instead of attempting to speedkill 'em all (doable but drains burner). Phoenix the gunfire while slaughtering its sender, leaving two small gems onscreen. Nab 'em, BOOM, Phoenix again, repeat. The rockets need working around during, but with a little finesse you can Phoenix the majority and scoot around the latter. Obviously if you get hit, the fun times are over, but killing even 75% of the pack this way will leave plenty of Burner for Shield Viper. (and you shouldn't get hit :O )

I had the basic gist in mind for ages, but it's only on this weekend's revisit that I've incorporated the groove of Phoenix Force -> two small gems -> repeat. Much smoother running - that split-second's hesitation I used to need, to confirm I'd actually have another PF readied, is lethal to pace. I'd been wondering if switching to a digital HUD like MrMonkeyMan and Hebo might've made it easier, but I find the default too comfy. Digital ammo count definitely makes sense for their tightly-rationed speedruns, but my much spendier, slower KILL EM ALL approach does fine with Type 1.

lonly wolf

The thread's moved so quickly the last few days, I totally forgot to say - you are cool kitten. Among my favourite Engrish ever. Among my favourite fucken games ever too. SHESHELIAHHH

[__SKYe]

Alright, I got a lot of apologises to make, so I'll start.

First of all, every mention to the SFC Bishoujo Sailor Moon game above, is actually a different game altogether (altough still a beat-em-up).

The MD conversion is based on Bishoujo Sailor Moon (SFC) while the game I described above is actually called Bishoujo Sailor Moon R (SFC). My bad.

Second, I said the MD game was very easy, but actually I accidentaly set the difficulty to Easy while fiddling in the options menu (it is all in japanese).
To regain my honor , I replayed the game in the default difficulty, and still got the 1CC, but with much more trouble. The game gets pretty challenging.
I apologize for the misunderstanding.

So, onto the actual comparison between the games, they have some stage differences, and slightly different looks. I said earlier that the SFC game looked better, but that was for the wrong game. In this case, I actually think the MD version looks and sounds slightly better (it was released later, after all).

They both play pretty much the same.
Besides the mechanics I've described before, there's also the charge shot (by holding the attack button), but it is pretty slow, both to charge and to fire, so it is not very useful. You can also perform a Jump+Down+Attack like the sequel, but it doesn't wowrk quite as well, since the gameplay mechanics aren't quite as polished.
They both have a health draining move, but it not very useful, since it drains about 1/4 of your life (at least the MD one does), which is not good.

The only actual difference in the mechanics, is that the SFC one has the last-hit throw thing, and the MD does not.
Mechanics/controls-wise, I think the SFC one is a little more polished, but it's not too different.

There are two main differences between actual gameplay/game flow.
The MD game is much faster than the SFC one (think SF2:WW vs SF2:HF), so if you're coming from the SFC game, it is quite the difference.
The other is, when you reach areas where you have to defeat every enemy to move on (like in every beat-em-up game), in the MD version, the actual area is larger than the screen, so you can scroll it.
This gives a larger area than just the standard single screen area.

The MD version does have a few issues.
For example, since the game runs pretty fast, and to scroll the screen you have to be about 2/3 of the screen towards the edge, you'll frequently get hit by cheap shots, from enemies that suddenly appear.
Also, approaching enemies head-on isn't a very good idea, since they frequently have more range than you, and many attack from afar, but there are occasions where the play area becomes very narrow, so it becomes pretty hard to fight without taking too much damage.

In each of the last 2 stages (MD version), there's an item pickup that extends your life by about 1/2 (or thereabouts). This effectively doubles your health by the last stage (if you pick both of them).
You will probably need it, because the last boss is absolutely cheap. Winnable, but stil...

Still have to get far in the SFC version, so we'll see how it is.
The SFC version does have 2 player support (and allows changing the controls), while the MD version does not.

Regardless, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R (SFC) is superior to both these games, so if in doubt about which game to play, definitely go for that one.
Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with either of the versions. Slightly different flavors of the same game, I guess.

[Obscura]

Hwahhh... I am sober

It's the weekend. You need to get to work on fixing that. Especially if you plan on posting on the internet.

I made some small alterations. You see why this line leads to nowhere, right?

No? I imagine that anyone who makes a hobby out of eating shit probably learns to enjoy it, and that few other people do. I also imagine that said coprophagist didn't like it on their first try.

It's arcade in every respect except it's not an arcade game. The player is in a private setting with Free Play and unlimited time. "Arcade" and "home" are radically different contexts, with deep implications for a game's pace and learning curve - whatever its genre. Compare Cadash to Zelda II. Same genre, not remotely the same experience.

I specifically made an exception for games with Zelda-like structures for a reason. Yes, a game that has saves and a non-linear structure isn't going to work in an arcade. Alien Soldier is a "go straight through the levels" course like most arcade games, and doesn't have saves.

Give me some examples to mercilessly shoot down, scrub. Unlike you, I don't bitch and run. I STAY AND FUCK.

Go back to our Contra III discussion from a few weeks ago. Another example can be found in your Doom tastes -- Brutal Doom has all sorts of pretty explosions and blood splatters, but isn't as mechanically interesting of a way to make Doom harder as playing the more interesting user-made mapsets.

There are two werewolves I know of in this game, or rather one werewolf plus a were-lion I always mistake for a wolf on account of his colour, howl and choice of hairstyle. And despite their being two of the simpler bosses, that still describes neither.

edit: wait, are you talking about Xi-Tiger? Like practically every boss in the game, if you're not manually zoning him, and manually aiming at his weak point, you'll need an hour to kill him. See the little number that pops up when you hit something, and how it's much higher when you're shooting him in the face or chest versus his foot? Yeah exactly. Don't waste ammo son.

I think it's Xi-Tiger -- it's the one you fight on top of the train. Wow, so I have to hover in front of him to do optimal damage, before zero teleporting through every attack he does! Such an amazing game, wow!

Anyway, my point is that if you're not doing all the things I mention, you are playing like shit and probably having a shit time. Arrested development. Feel free to tell me your usual boss strategies, and I'll explain how to improve. You are not "struggling and fighting" as in The Super Shinobi's much simpler model - you are flailing and dying. Big difference!

Lots of later bosses will specifically punish you for teleporting rashly too. I can explain why if you like.

We're talking about a game it's been five years since I've played (as I've said before, I don't make a habit out of playing games I hate, unless it's my brief stint with Futari). As far as I got (which was "dying in the level just after the dolphin boss"), there wasn't a single boss that couldn't be handled basically for free by standing in front of them, shooting, and then teleporting through them whenever they did an actual attack. If there are bosses later that prevent you from doing that, why wouldn't they design earlier bosses to also force you to play the game correctly? Letting the player get through half of the game on a dumb first-order optimal thing that stops working at some point is really fucking dumb!

[kitten]

Live Blind competitive ninja action while fighting game commentators desperately try to make sense of who's "winning"
^^^I fixed the time stamp, doh

whoof, the hitbox on her is pretty damn mean. you get near the back of her to wail and then walk into her and die i would have likely done something similar, can't believe how far out she can damage. that feels like a hitbox i'd never be able to reconcile in my head with how different it is from how she looks. not only can she damage you from outside what is visible of her leg, but that leg looks a foreground part you'd be able to walk through, anyway.

Oh, I know how the controllers look like, I meant that I've never actually played with one.
Should've been more clear.

worth a picture refresher for how that d-pad looks exactly, imo. very xbox 360 circle kinda thing, but wayyyyy better than a 360 dpad.

I agree that the D-Pad makes one's fingers hurt after extended play, but that's something I can live up with.
You see, when I'm playing an action game, I always tend to press the buttons hard, and the PlayStation pads have that *hard* contruction, that seems like no matter how much you press the damn thing, it won't break.
And although I agree with you that diagonals are somewhat hard to press on a PS pad, I prefer the separated arrows on the D-Pad by a landslide to a circular D-Pad. Circular D-Pads always give me the impression they'll break if I press too hard.
I also dislike the triggers of the PS3 pads. I prefer digital buttons.

i'm pretty gentle with my controllers, i think. never done anything to break one, all my stuff just wears down over simple repeated use. most stuff i have that ever gets technical problems just needs cleaning or replaced nipple pads. rarely, i will push buttons a bit too hard in a game, but it's gotta be something where there's a variable jump and i'm trying to make sure i get the absolute height or something, or something where i'm pushing multiple buttons at once. sometimes i'll hold too hard in a game with a run button just to make sure i'm always runnin'!

i remember when playing super meat boy, i actually got into it so much i felt like i indented my thumb. i still feel that if i rub my index finger around on my thumb, it is softer from where i'd been pushing it, no joke! i was no. 1 in overall speedrun time on SMB for most of the first month it came out, competing neck and neck with someone else who would occasionally surpass me, and then we'd switch who was catching up. when exploits were discovered and not handled quickly, i decided to give it a rest - game was starting to get a little too routine, anyway, and i felt if i continued to compete in this fashion i'd be subscribing to new rules and meta strategies that would sap the sheer joy out of the difficult platforming. speedrunning is so purely destructive to joyful play! damn bit of fun, but i burnt myself out on it. still definitively one of my favorite games! the soundtrack i have has my old XBLA gamertag on it, along with the signing "#1 in my heart, #1 on XBLA" by dannyb edmund gave me some cool swag when i was buying from the shop, too. sad to hear they had some sort of split, and signs point to ed kinda being a shit, but whatever, i'll always have loved the game.

I never played with a DualShock 4, so I can't comment on it, but they did away with the pressure sensitive buttons, so perhaps that's why you like that one?

i specifically meant that i like the d-pad on the dualshock 4 - it's a huge improvement over previous playstation d-pads and features a new design. not the best thing in the world, but it's a noted improvement. ds4 is probably my all-time favorite controller for 3d games, though i'm honestly growing quite fond of the switch pro controller (which is a monumental improvement over the sack of dogshit that was the wii-u pro controller). i hate the triggers on the ds3 because of how easy they are to accidentally press, but the ds4 fixes that (still has a squeeze to it, but that's something i actually prefer for popcorn entertainment cinema shooters like call of duty, which, yes, i play for the campaigns ).

Anyway, as Squire Grooktook said, we should get back on topic. (Wait, belt scrollers don't qualify. Ah, well.)

C'mon, Beat-Em-Ups are pure action side-scrolling beasts. Nothings beats a nice walk through town while beating up some punks (or demons, etc).

imho, it would be wonderful to have a sub-forum on here specifically for all sorts of non-shmup, classic genre games. i feel like jamming this thread in "off topic" is a bit weird, and i hate seeing stupid political threads or w/e while i'm browsing, looking to just talk about games. would anyone else want to get behind this? just below off-topic, a "non-shmup, ruff n' tumble fun game" forum? shumps dot com is three thousand years old and i'm afraid of stepping on toes just bringing this up, but damn it, there's enough enthusiasts on here, for sure.

Regardless, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R (SFC) is superior to both these games, so if in doubt about which game to play, definitely go for that one.
Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with either of the versions. Slightly different flavors of the same game, I guess.

as someone who has yet to find it within themselves to think of the first final fight (the only i've played) as anything more than some eye candy, and mostly a quarter-sucking vacuum (1cc's of final fight look JARRINGLY tedious and boring, at least to me), would you recommend this?

the only beat 'em ups i feel like i've truly, sincerely enjoyed are the first two bare knuckle games and double dragon II. HUGE bonus points if those sailor moon games are multiplayer, which can turn a banal belt scroller into a good time. my roommate - she's a big fan of sailor moon, see? would be a lot of fun to go at this with her.

*Yes, I'm a magical girl fan. Do your worst, SHMUPs.

sharc is, too. my criminal lurker friend whose account is even older than bil's. he dropped in for a single post a couple pages back, i believe, and no one paid attention to him. poor guy! i've already exceeded his post count in a short few days, too. i talk with him more about games than any other human being, he's got some damn good taste and observations!

edit: wait, are you talking about Xi-Tiger? Like practically every boss in the game, if you're not manually zoning him, and manually aiming at his weak point, you'll need an hour to kill him. See the little number that pops up when you hit something, and how it's much higher when you're shooting him in the face or chest versus his foot? Yeah exactly. Don't waste ammo son.

Spoiler

Also he's a fucking pussy, what with being the Act I boss. Get good and he'll die in no time, like every boss before him. Phoenix and half a tank of burner will do it.

Spoiler

boy, these gifs remind me of one of the big reasons i often have a disdain for treasure stuff - ambiguous hitboxing on those multi-segmented, almost marionette animated bodies. that, and they're so animated and moving around with those big ol' chunks that my brain can't read what's an attack and what's an awkward swerve or lunge. it ain't nearly as bad as a later igavania about that kind of trashy weirdo visual design, but it does get to me and is a big reason i've never, ever enjoyed gunstar heroes. AGAIN THOUGH, distinct memories i did have significantly more fun with this than gunstar heroes on my ancient playthrough. oh, if only i were playing this now and could make more than superficial observations or half-assed recollections :O

The thread's moved so quickly the last few days, I totally forgot to say - you are cool kitten. Among my favourite Engrish ever. Among my favourite fucken games ever too. SHESHELIAHHH

awww, i appreciate it, bil

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 5#p1246475

shock troopers even made it into my hastily assembled top 25! seemed to meet the requirements for both discussion in this thread and qualification as a "shump." great game, but i do feel it is a tad too easy and simple, at times. completely balked upon playing it for the first time that it was even an arcade game, honestly. great violence, largely deserves its reputation as an overhead metal slug. really love the cast, too! how often do you get the opportunity to play as someone as outright fucking rad as big mama??? hulking supermom shredding human beings to pieces with a machinegun - sign me the hell up.

- - - - - - -

yo, speaking of my list - have y'all mother fuckers played battle formula (super spy hunter)? i adore that game. it's the pinnacle of sunsoft action game design, feeling like further evolution after the great gremlins 2 and dynamite batman games (gimmick i will regard as its own platforming beauty, no. 1 GOAT). basically a shmup, but also unique enough with its usages of inertia and terrain to be very much its own thing. deeply abrasive first experiences (the first level shoves almost all the game's ideas at you at once and is not purely easy even on later attempts at the game) for many lead them away from it, but it's got some incredible nuance to it. if you all aren't already familiar, i do have a severe sunsoft bias, but goddamn i will celebrate this game any day of the week, it absolutely doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

also, i sincerely hope you all give ZAS a shot, too! god, i love that game. it's an out-and-out shmup, though, so i'll mostly zip it for the thread's sake

Go back to our Contra III discussion from a few weeks ago. Another example can be found in your Doom tastes -- Brutal Doom has all sorts of pretty explosions and blood splatters, but isn't as mechanically interesting of a way to make Doom harder as playing the more interesting user-made mapsets.

the only thing brutal doom is good at doing is ruining the game for people, imho i'm actually with you on this one, obscura - it destroys many wads not specifically made for it and ruins doom's finer nuances for some stupid, gory thrills. i love senseless violence, but bil, i am very disappointed in you for advocating this, if that's true >;(

[BIL]

Hwahhh... I am sober

It's the weekend. You need to get to work on fixing that. Especially if you plan on posting on the internet.

Nah I'm good, over many years I have honed a fine line between Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.

I made some small alterations. You see why this line leads to nowhere, right?

No? I imagine that anyone who makes a hobby out of eating shit probably learns to enjoy it, and that few other people do. I also imagine that said coprophagist didn't like it on their first try.

Great, have fun with your shitty DOOM maps then! Or whatever other sick thing it is you get up to - I don't want to know, I actually have some semblance of taste. Shit-eaters and kusoplayers wouldn't understand.

I specifically made an exception for games with Zelda-like structures for a reason. Yes, a game that has saves and a non-linear structure isn't going to work in an arcade. Alien Soldier is a "go straight through the levels" course like most arcade games, and doesn't have saves.

Considering there are many, many nonlinear arcade games across a range of genres, I'm going to ignore that and focus on saves. You do realise Alien Soldier has passwords, right? For every stage, even.

Make of that what you will - as I said, I judge games in their native context, on their own merits. It seems an utter waste of time to do otherwise.

---

(for those following along, this next section is THE TRIAL OF BIL, where I answer the charge of being a casual grafxsfag who'll always go for pretty pictures over good design. It's hilarious! and only fair, because I've already tried and convicted Obscura of two far worse charges: i) not knowing what the fuck he is talking about re: Alien Soldier and ii) being a bit of a poseur tbh )

Go back to our Contra III discussion from a few weeks ago.

Ah, yes, the discussion (several months back btw) where I upheld Hard Corps' immensely flashier, explodier first stage as superior to Contra III's relatively staid but infinitely more dangerous one. Oh wait, it was the other way around! Whoops!

Hang on, I'll go find the posts where I castigate CV1's Dracula for his lack of sweet grafix, while praising Rondo's swirly background. Oh crumbs! That was the direct opposite, too!

Wait, I know what'll get the charge of my loving visual flash over sound design to stick: NG1 Jaquio. I'm sure I can recall hating on his one piddly attack pattern! It looks so lame lmao! Oh fuck! You see where this is going, I'm sure.

Another example can be found in your Doom tastes -- Brutal Doom has all sorts of pretty explosions and blood splatters, but isn't as mechanically interesting of a way to make Doom harder as playing the more interesting user-made mapsets.

Yes, that's the conversation where I make painstakingly clear that my fondness for BDOOM is strictly in the context of the official id WADs, which have become boring as fuck, and immediately conceded that I'm sure its wacky changes spoil all sorts of things a competent mapper could make use of.

You even agreed with me on the former point, that the official maps are lame. This has gone from a trial to "help Obscura retrieve his lost memories," yawnnn!

EDIT: hey do you want links to each of these? Just ask, you know I'm always happy to help.

Court adjourned! Jury will now deliberate, then get back to us on whether I'm a complete fucking grafxwhore.

---

I think it's Xi-Tiger -- it's the one you fight on top of the train. Wow, so I have to hover in front of him to do optimal damage, before zero teleporting through every attack he does! Such an amazing game, wow!

More shitposting scrubbery. I'm glad you accepted you do in fact need to manually zone him, and manually aim your attacks, but now that the goalposts have again moved from outright falsehood to a more general "its still a bad game lmao," I'm going to charitably assume you can't/didn't see the GIF I posted. It demonstrates that you ideally don't want to teleport through "every attack he does," because it's only when he's attacking that you can get at his weak point and do real damage. You can see how even with a pair of maxed-out burners, I still need most of that plus a Phoenix to take him down swiftly. What you describe is shitplay, something to be moved beyond.

As far as I got (which was "dying in the level just after the dolphin boss"), there wasn't a single boss that couldn't be handled basically for free by standing in front of them, shooting, and then teleporting through them whenever they did an actual attack.

Funny you mention that! "Right after the dolphin boss" would be just into Act II out of IV, and coincidentally, the first boss that'll really fuck you up for bad teleporting! That'd be Gusthead, where every misplaced teleport dunks you in a pit. There's a ton of these. Sharpsteel doesn't give enough floor to freely teleport without another dunking, unless you manage the position of your platform. Viblack has to be taken down with manual dodging and careful shooting, if you teleport you're going straight off his wings into oblivion. Epsilon's random dives must be reacted to and dodged manually, his laser array is designed specifically to catch a teleporting player. Melon Bread, Medusa Force and Siren Force's mines likewise - have fun getting blown to pieces for a panicked dash. Teleporting through Shield Viper's aggressive charges will smack you into his tail if you're not careful. Z-Leo's lasers sometimes demand manual dodging, sometimes teleporting - if you hesistate or make the wrong move you're getting impaled.

Hang on, I'm getting a sense of deja v-

We're talking about a game it's been five years since I've played

Right on schedule, lmao!

If there are bosses later that prevent you from doing that, why wouldn't they design earlier bosses to also force you to play the game correctly? Letting the player get through half of the game on a dumb first-order optimal thing that stops working at some point is really fucking dumb!

Considering the first quarter (not half) of the game apparently beat you into a half-decade state of submission, I don't think you needed it to demand any more technique? It's not like teleporting is totally invincible even there, you can totally smash into Honeyviper's myriad projectiles or get crabbed and subsequently decapitated by Babar.

oh, if only i were playing this now and could make more than superficial observations or half-assed recollections :O

You don't say! :3

boy, these gifs remind me of one of the big reasons i often have a disdain for treasure stuff - ambiguous hitboxing on those multi-segmented, almost marionette animated bodies. that, and they're so animated and moving around with those big ol' chunks that my brain can't read what's an attack and what's an awkward swerve or lunge. it ain't nearly as bad as a later igavania about that kind of trashy weirdo visual design, but it does get to me and is a big reason i've never, ever enjoyed gunstar heroes. AGAIN THOUGH, distinct memories i did have significantly more fun with this than gunstar heroes on my ancient playthrough.

The hitboxes and i-frames in this game are very forgiving; it's honestly not an issue.

the only thing brutal doom is good at doing is ruining the game for people, imho i'm actually with you on this one, obscura - it destroys many wads not specifically made for it and ruins doom's finer nuances for some stupid, gory thrills. i love senseless violence, but bil, i am very disappointed in you for advocating this, if that's true >;(

Gee thanks Obscura, you libelling scrub! See you in court asshole!

[Obscura]

Define "manually zone". There's nothing remotely resembling zoning in "hover in front of XI Tiger, teleport when he moves his arm to telegraph an attack".

The reason I haven't played Alien Soldier in half a decade has nothing to do with it being "too hard" -- there's plenty of games that I'll probably never beat that I love dearly. There's a big difference between "hard" and "shit". And who are "Honeyviper" and "Babar"? I don't know the boss names.

(Also, a lot of the stock IWAD maps are great, even if they're a bit on the easy side aside from E4M2, E4M6, and Plutonia. However, they are designed to be played from a pistol start, something that you never did.)

And yes, Kitten, BIL is a Brutal Doom heretic. He even started an entire thread about how great it is!

And, since you seem to be a Doomer, you should totally go play my two wads. Both are designed for prboom-plus -complevel 9; both are designed to be played from pistol-start with no saves (in other words, play them as if you were recording a demo on them).

Golachab (plays in map 1 slot, no external files required): https://legacy.doomworld.com/idgames/le ... i/golachab
Impure Offering (plays in map 20 slot, requires cc4-tex.wad): https://legacy.doomworld.com/idgames/le ... i/impoffer

[BIL]

Define "manually zone". There's nothing remotely resembling zoning in "hover in front of XI Tiger, teleport when he moves his arm to telegraph an attack".

Can you see the GIFs I posted? Both of them? Notice how in the first one, I position myself so that when Xi-Tiger attacks, he whiffs and I blast his exposed body? That is what I'm referring to. The active management of attack range for maximum advantage, or "zoning" as the elderly call it.

You do this a lot in competent Alien Soldier play, since boss weakpoints are often hard to hit without getting dangerously close, and your teleport will put you far outside attack range (and possibly send you into a pit or other hazard). That's why the whole "teleport lmao" thing jars anyone who's familiar with the game. Like me, muhfucka! 3:<

Teleporting will get you out of the corner, but it'll also make it impossible to punish his whiffs, which wastes ammo, and time, and can easily get you killed at intermediate level (where you're likely to be reaching him at sub-optimal HP/ammo).

The second GIF shows the comically fast speedkill it's possible to execute when i) you are skilled enough to reach him with a Phoenix and lots of Burner (it's not hard!) and ii) you are experienced enough to know that if you connect with both, he'll be dead before he can possibly kill you. (neither's that!)

It's not to be taken seriously - just making the point that none of Act I's bosses will hold up to a decently competent player who wants them dead.

The reason I haven't played Alien Soldier in half a decade has nothing to do with it being "too hard" -- there's plenty of games that I'll probably never beat that I love dearly. There's a big difference between "hard" and "shit". And who are "Honeyviper" and "Babar"? I don't know the boss names.

As above, I'm not saying it's too hard for you. You obviously gave up at the bottom of the admittedly harsh learning curve, that's all. Where most games would accommodate, this one kills newbies dead. It happens, I put the game off for years.

Honeyviper's the big slug thing guarding the airport entrance, he throws out tons of shit you can use to kill him quickly, but if you're not careful you'll smack into a bee or a suicide bullet or a falling grenade.

Baber is the big fucken crab immediately after, who actually has the game's single deadliest attack (direct contact with her body), and whose zako can easily trap a mindlessly dashing player for her to claw. Again, neither's rocket science, but they're certainly not harmless to flailers.

(Also, a lot of the stock IWAD maps are great, even if they're a bit on the easy side aside from E4M2, E4M6, and Plutonia. However, they are designed to be played from a pistol start, something that you never did.)

Have you got my apartment/PC staked out? No, I actually tried the vanilla pistol start you recommended. I wasn't impressed tbh. Keep in mind I can withstand things as twisted as a Holy Diver 1LC, so having to work moderately harder to kill the same boring monsters isn't going to wow me.

And yes, Kitten, BIL is a Brutal Doom heretic. He even started an entire thread about how great it is!

Unlike your previous statement, this is actually true! It's due for a bump as well. :3

[Obscura]

I can definitely prove you wrong about Honeyviper and Baber (or Babar, whichever it is). Behold, one of my first few credits of the game ever, when I had been playing it for less than an evening, and recorded something to demonstrate this exact point on another forum ("Alien Soldier is overhyped shit" has been one of my greatest hits for about five years now!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCNh6NIDL1c&t=631s

Watch and be amazed, as I Zero Teleport my way right through both of those bosses, in a display of literally no skill! Be amazed at how I can display a complete lack of knowledge on how to play the game, or ability at doing so, but can still faceroll my way through bosses whose tells I know, simply by dashing!

AS is shit.

[kitten]

(for those following along, this next section is THE TRIAL OF BIL, where I answer the charge of being a casual grafxsfag

bil, language >:I i'm all for abrasiveness in vocabulary, but this one is a little bit too channer

Court adjourned! Jury will now deliberate, then get back to us on whether I'm a complete fucking grafxwhore

much better

oh, if only i were playing this now and could make more than superficial observations or half-assed recollections :O

You don't say! :3

my pride deflated and flew out the window when i admitted this, bil, i am but a defeated husk

(just kidding! it was really easy to say!!!! hint hint, obscura)

And, since you seem to be a Doomer, you should totally go play my two wads. Both are designed for prboom-plus -complevel 9; both are designed to be played from pistol-start with no saves (in other words, play them as if you were recording a demo on them).

Golachab (plays in map 1 slot, no external files required): https://legacy.doomworld.com/idgames/le ... i/golachab
Impure Offering (plays in map 20 slot, requires cc4-tex.wad): https://legacy.doomworld.com/idgames/le ... i/impoffer

going to admit, i am but a wee baby doomer. i say this in contrast to my two roommates, one of whom i would consider a more serious but still relatively casual doomer (ol robot joe, the famous doom pornsmaker), and the other who i would consider a pretty big doomer. heck, it is most of what she plays, honestly! i love doom, but i'm mostly a big fan of the official id stuff and don't frequently step far outside of it. without a doubt, still my favorite fps of all time, though!

my plate is too full to gain a wide wad experience, but i am sternly of the opinion of dislike toward brutal doom, which they have instilled in me. i have recommended your wads to both, and will get back to you with impressions on what they have to say, if you'd like me to.

[BIL]

AS is shit.

Thirteen minutes to get killed by Flying Neo, of all things. No, your playing is shit. At least you brought video proof this time around! edit: holy fuck I can feel myself dying just watching this. Appreciate the accurate title though.

Again, Act I is a joke. You might get away with shitty play (not that you did!), or you might get bonked on the head by a particularly unlucky falling grenade, or step on a particularly unlucky random crab. When someone's been vanquished by the game's beginner course, I'm not exactly going to be breaking out the best stuff.

Learn to play, or keep getting shot down, either's fine by me! Or keep it to GameFAQs or wherever, I guess. I don't read other forums, they tend to be full of shit. >:[

edit 2: Wait a minute... is this the PAL version? It seems to be running slowly. I'm getting that gross 50hz feeling.

[Obscura]

Both of those early-game bosses that you're claiming bop the shit out of someone who just sits and shoots with a zero teleport on any enemy tell were beaten in that video using exactly that tactic. Thus, your statement is wrong. QED.

Kitten -- I'd definitely be interested in knowing what your roommates think of those wads. Golachab is a bit rough in a couple of spots, but Impure Offering I'm genuinely pretty proud of -- it came out really well, IMO.

EDIT: BIL, I don't know which version it is. It's whatever the version on Steam is (I foolishly bought it on Steam when I saw it on sale for $2, not knowing that the "SEGA Classics" were just packaged ROMS and emulators).

[BIL]

Both of those early-game bosses that you're claiming bop the shit out of someone who just sits and shoots with a zero teleport on any enemy tell were beaten in that video using exactly that tactic. Thus, your statement is wrong. QED.

Fuck GIFs, now I'm wondering if you're even able to read my posts. As I said, if you zip about with abandon, you're liable to eventually land on something bad. You got lucky, although friggin Flying Neo owned you later on, so not that lucky.

Also, see above edit, this is the fucking PAL version and I'm actually a bit annoyed with you. I have an almost visceral reaction to beautiful 60hz masterpieces run though 50hz slop. >:[ I'm not surprised you did okay with the grenades and crabs, neither's suited to plowing through treacle.

[Obscura]

I suspect that some of what you think is fucked up framerates might be an artifact of it being captured with FRAPS in low-ish quality. I don't recall it looking that slideshow-y when I was playing it.

[BIL]

It's definitely running a bit slow, for a sec I thought you were on SUPEREASY with the speed adjust enabled. 3: Anyway never mind! At least you didn't shell out for the PAL cartridge! I'd hate the game too if you did.

imho, it would be wonderful to have a sub-forum on here specifically for all sorts of non-shmup, classic genre games. i feel like jamming this thread in "off topic" is a bit weird, and i hate seeing stupid political threads or w/e while i'm browsing, looking to just talk about games. would anyone else want to get behind this? just below off-topic, a "non-shmup, ruff n' tumble fun game" forum? shumps dot com is three thousand years old and i'm afraid of stepping on toes just bringing this up, but damn it, there's enough enthusiasts on here, for sure.

It's been proposed many times over the years, but I don't think system11's at all in favour of it.

Personally I'm ok with our ramshackle current state, I find it kinda charming in a tatty ol' couch kind of way. Apologies for the shittier threads, I've launched many a folding chair shot from the GG one. Always with the best of intentions though! :O Brianna Wu is my schadenwaifu!

[kitten]

It's definitely running a bit slow, for a sec I thought you were on SUPEREASY with the speed adjust enabled. 3: Anyway never mind! At least you didn't shell out for the PAL cartridge! I'd hate the game too if you did.

i just briefly fired the game back up - what ARE the differences between supereasy and superhard? i didn't even notice when fumbling around.

It's been proposed many times over the years, but I don't think system11's at all in favour of it.

tch :<

Personally I'm ok with our ramshackle current state, I find it kinda charming in a tatty ol' couch kind of way. Apologies for the shittier threads, I've launched many a folding chair shot from the GG one. Always with the best of intentions though! :O Brianna Wu is my schadenwaifu!

i will say a few words and then ask not to continue this discussion (seriously) - briannu wu is technically on my "side" if you're looking at these things as a binary, but i think she's a useless and rather stupid laugh riot. people were quick to champion her and then and refused to listen on all the glaring warning alarms and rampant self-serving she was up to. she's since been outcast by all but the most moronic, but some people still fucking listen to her, anyway. i'm typically deeply uncomfortable with the other "side" and its tendency to to dig into people's personal lives (and feel this is what has left my side so painfully insulated! they refuse to listen to even INTERNAL criticism, now, and it is infuriating. not all of it is poor intentioned), but i have no problem with sniping at extremely public dipshits like wu or arthur chu, who openly and in literal words invite people to.

[Obscura]

But, that doesn't even make sense. Why would SEGA package a 50Hz version up for a platform whose userbase is famous for screaming "60 FPS OR IT SUX!"

[BIL]

i just briefly fired the game back up - what ARE the differences between supereasy and superhard? i didn't even notice when fumbling around.

Other than a pause menu letting you chop the speed by 25% increments, and the typical "enemies do less damage, you do more" (which frees up ammo), it seems fairly subtle. I gave SE my first playthrough in living memory, and all that really stood out were:

i) helpful platforms in Act II's watery areas
ii) er... that's about it rofl

Also, you get a password on Game Over. I could see this being extremely useful for learners, but since SH is technically the "default," I just went with that.

i will say a few words and then ask not to continue this discussion (seriously) - briannu wu is technically on my "side" if you're looking at these things as a binary, but i think she's a useless and rather stupid laugh riot.

Understood, and understood. I like to think of Wu as that one soldier in the war movie who dies at his stationary gun, then drifts about in the wind spraying everyone present. I wish I could remember the exact film, would make a crackin' GIF.

But, that doesn't even make sense. Why would SEGA package a 50Hz version up for a platform whose userbase is famous for screaming "60 FPS OR IT SUX!"

From what I understand, the PAL version was optimised for 50hz, so it'll run too quickly on NTSC machines, and in emulators set to 60hz. On a PAL system/50hz emulation, it apparently runs a tick slower than the NTSCJ original. That's what I've always heard, anyway. At least one other game is the same way, Thunder Force IV. (you can tell if you're seeing PAL Alien Soldier by the absence of the famous "68000 Heart On Fire" line on the title screen)

I'd guess Steam's emulator of choice does something that results in you getting the authentic PAL speed. And yeah, with how little text this game has (even the Japan version's intro has Engrish subtitles), they'd have been better off just going with the JP ROM.