Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Bloodreign]

Here's a 1-Credit clear from the Capcom arcade classic - Roosters (aka Midnight Wanderers)

I've wondered about Roosters! Was considering getting the Saturn port of Three Wonders but I hear rumblings it's got issues of some sort. Seems like you roll the dice where Arcade Gears is involved... I will enjoy that MosquitoPlay after I've slept off this accursed booze!

The issues I hear of mainly deal with missing animation frames, I've never really heard anything else negative about the 2 ports.

[BIL]

Actually, now that I think back the major criticism I saw towards the port (SS ver) was its missing frames. XING's PS1 Wolf Fang lacks a few visual effects but still plays great, so I guess I should look into it, thanks.

XING's PS1/SS porting standards seems to have been a bit patchy. Arcade Gears: Image Fight & X-Multiply (PS1 ver) has some slight visual cropping (severe, in IF's yoko mode) but otherwise plays fine. AG Gun Frontier (SS) on the other hand screws with the AC version's rank and ends up far easier, a shame. I still need to figure out what's up with their PuLiRuLa (either version).

I got back to 1CC form with Nemo quite quickly. It gives tons of 1UPs to the point it's easily possible to hit the max, once you know good routes through each stage. Still, excellent game design makes threading even well-rehearsed paths through their myriad dangers a pleasure every time. Death is never more than a couple mistakes away and tends to actively nip at your heels via the game's persistent, aggressively respawning enemies. I particularly like how even tameable animals will kill Nemo on contact before being pacified. It might seem a pointlessly sadistic touch, but there are several spots where Capcom clearly meant acquiring a crucial steed to feel like comandeering a getaway vehicle with a death squad dragnet closing in fast. Aggressively beaning a prospective ride with a well-aimed candy on approach lest they run into you is a good idea!



"Bucktooth motherfucker." "Gimme candy pajama bitch."

Only complaint I have is the lengthy, unskippable cutscene before Dream 8 but it's worth it for the marvelously alien atmosphere and tight squeezes of the nightmare world, particularly the genuinely riveting flame and spike traps of part 2. I just check my email or put the kettle on. It's also very satisfying to finally have a direct means of attack via sceptre bludgeoning and meaty charge blasts. Excellent move by Capcom to hold back on this until the game's climax, lovely contrast between Dreams 1-7's scurrying about and the more conventional sidescrolling action of 8.

[BIL]

2ND OPINON



starring TEH LORD OF KING (FC / Jaleco, 1989) aka ASTYANAX (unlike Metafight, the JP version unfortunately has the same shitty NES story! But STFU haters, my cart is glorious nippon ver)



Revisited this one recently, having previously been turned off by its strict one hit per attack policy. Where Dracula, Ryukenden and similar games let you smite a theoretically unlimited horde of foes with each measured strike, or blow away meddling pests while assailing a heavy target, Lordy nullifies your attack after the first hit. Coupled with the charge period for strong strikes, this can be awkward and frustrating! That popcorn pest wafting its way between you and the armoured skeleton you're counting on smacking into a pit with a mighty charged blow, before it does the same to you? IT'S GOING TO RUIN YOUR SHIT, ABORT ABORT ABORT. Instead you should expend power on the popcorn, back the big guy off with a weenie whap, then batter his fuck in on the rebound once recharged.

This system irritated the hell out of me the first time around, but with a bit of adjusting I started enjoying it as a distinct handling characteristic (and yes, I do now have to re-evaluate Legendary Axe!). It gives the game a nice rhythm between smacking away meddling pests and dealing heavy damage to big targets. The weapon selection is also more interesting than I realised. Instead of merely obsoleting each previous level, Dracula-style, the spear, axe and sword improve melee damage while steepening magic ammo cost. Creates a mild mage/cleric/warrior tactical dimension, and you can freely trade up or down provided an item box is nearby (and you know the sweet protip of exhausting MP to make fairy appear).

JUDGMENT: Solid, chunky and decently challenging action game with a few interesting ideas. Worth getting cheap, as it seems to go for even CIB.

+Nice style & tunes, medieval battle fury makes boners rage and bub-bubs bounce
+Big chunky sprite FC action done right, fuck a Dynamite Batman
+Interesting melee/magic weapon balancing
+Jaleco cart & box look so goddamn wrong all your friends will think you're a badass pirate
+Fundamentally solid: controls sharp, scrolling locked down, collisions tight

-One hit per swing setup takes adjusting to
-Dumbass story puts slight ding on medieval funnins

edit: ok, I'm really loving this rollicking good time once you learn to work around the one-hit system...
edit2: ...and embrace the YGW-worthy WEAPONISED BOMB. Seriously, bomb like a motherfucker. Get all the kills. Fairy will fuel you back up before long but not until the tank's dry!

[evil_ash_xero]

I had a great time with Nemo. I wasn't that crazy about it a first, because I was wanting more fast paced action. But after a while, I got into it, and realized how good it was.

Nemo's house will drive you nuts, if you die. So much you have to go over.

[CStarFlare]

Went to the mall today to try to find a copy of GTA San Andreas - got it on a Steam sale but not digging keyboard+mouse controls. No luck, shockingly - it's the highest selling PS2 game of all time, for Christ's sake.

I did run across a copy of Gargoyle's Quest II for $10, and a copy of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts for $14. What the fuck, I said - I've always regretted selling GQ2 before finishing it, and SGnG is fun to throw myself against. A lot of fun, actually - I did OK and made my way to stage 4. What do I think of stage 4? It's hard to say.



It actually started happening at the stage 3 boss, which I had to magicspam to kill. Not sure if it's my cart or my famiclone - it doesn't like some games, but it's usually apparent from the get go. Either way, I'm very disappointed.

They have a "buy 2, get one of our beat up stock for free" deal, so I also grabbed Aero the Acrobat. I saw this a long time ago in Nintendo Power. Youtube doesn't have me feeling very hopeful about this one.

[BIL]

I had a great time with Nemo. I wasn't that crazy about it a first, because I was wanting more fast paced action. But after a while, I got into it, and realized how good it was.

Nemo's house will drive you nuts, if you die. So much you have to go over.

Yes - quite the Brutal Animal Swap Chain going on in Nemo's pad! Basement to attic and in between with plenty of ways to die or fall off the route. I like how the game does that a few times later on (see also the start of Nightmare World pt3).

Probably the toughest stage (edit: Nemo's House) to learn for that reason, though I'd say the absolute hardest bit is Nightmare World pt2's flametraps. Game's got a really nice difficulty level, I think. Very satisfying to run through on repeat, it keeps you busy.

I did run across a copy of Gargoyle's Quest II for $10, and a copy of Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts for $14. What the fuck, I said - I've always regretted selling GQ2 before finishing it, and SGnG is fun to throw myself against.

I'm midway through GQII myself - really liking it. Easily as good as Demon's Crest with more of a focus on hardcore action/platforming.

[CStarFlare]

A quick google indicates that my SGnG issues are a result of my famiclone and not the cart. I guess that's good because the cart wouldn't be worthless to other people at least.

[BIL]

Speaking of Aero, I've wondered about Sunsoft lately. Where they always more of a publishing house with some exceptional clientele ala Naxat? Tokai Engineering isn't always credited but they seem to have been behind virtually all of their celebrated FC action titles, and unfortunately seemed to retire from such games after that generation. I will always regard it as a goddamn shame that Meta Fight didn't get a post Gremlins 2 FC sequel, once the devs had learned how to do overhead shooting.

Brief dispatches of consternation and disapproval (may be printed out and eaten at later date)

DYNAMITE BATMAN [FC, Sunsoft 1990] Tried giving this one another fair shake after rediscovering the superficially similar Lord of King. Rockman-esque precision platform shooting shackled to oversized unwieldy sprites and face-slappingly brazen cheap shots. Made it to stage 5 before deciding it was more trouble than it's worth. Far more tech demo than quality sidescroller, unfortunately. No artistic triumph either - besides being the vastly superior game, the 1989 original's inky shadows and caked-on grime leave this one standing.

CHOUJIN OOKAMI SENKI WARWOLF [FC, DECO 1990] Overpoweringly bland stage design and nondescript action, vexingly dusted with a neat idea or two. Artistically personable and there's a hint of talent in Mr. Werewolf's i-frame backflip, but two consecutive sewer stages bludgeoned me into indifference, so I spent an hour improving my Dragon Fighter run to wash out the bad taste of Dynamite's overinflated sprites and Warwolf's inability to get to the fucking point.



Laser turrets so fast they defy emulator capture!

[BrianC]

Speaking of Aero, I've wondered about Sunsoft lately. Where they always more of a publishing house with some exceptional clientele ala Naxat? Tokai Engineering isn't always credited but they seem to have been behind virtually all of their celebrated FC action titles, and unfortunately seemed to retire from such games after that generation. I will always regard it as a goddamn shame that Meta Fight didn't get a post Gremlins 2 FC sequel, once the devs had learned how to do overhead shooting.

yeah, early Sunsoft FC games seem to be a bit unpolished, though they did so some solid arcade games like Kangaroo before NES. I'm not sure about the Tokai Engineering thing since the same programmers did other games for Sunsoft. I heard the first game with Tokai Engineering was a FDS adventure game. I think their Fantasy Zone port was slightly after that and was one of the first times Sunsoft really got to show their stuff on FC. Well done port with nice graphics and music.

[BIL]

I wonder if the same team worked on Super Fantasy Zone (MD)? Helluva good original sequel, that. Shame the Sunsoft MD Batman is so utterly unremarkable next to the FC classic, though having its own (still not as good as FC!) Naoki Kodaka soundtrack is some consolation.

My FC sidescroller library is all but complete but if there's something I enjoy, it's revisiting stuff I've written off. Sometimes it's great! Sometimes, it just blows! Either more games or more cash, how can you lose.

NINJA COP SAIZOU [FC, Kyugo 1990]



Middling Rolling Thunder-alike soundly ruined by relentless, hideous and unskippable cutscenes. Will make you yearn for the comedic stylings of its NES release Black Manta, before the infinitely superior RT ripoff Dead Fox makes you LOL heartily at the notion of playing either! If you're smart The understatedly turbulent main stage BGM is memorable, and deserved a game worthy of its haunting presence.

NINJA CRUSADERS: RYUUGA [FC, NMK 1990] Where GUN-DEC is an excellent, inspired NG-alike, this is a deflatingly subpar one. Superficially resembles Tecmo's benchmark with speedy close-combat platforming, memo/twitch balance and the golden screen to sprite size ratio. Diverges with instant kills and multiple weapons tied to animal transformations. Both decisions ultimately work against it. While there are plenty of jumps to nail, there's no chasm-skirting tension when everything kills at a touch. This is compounded by the weak weapons and their total lack of feedback or impact. Though handling is responsive, it's a "cheap" feeling game in the literal sense (its CIB price does not reflect this). Transformations are dominated by the laughably overpowered, programmer cheat-esque Dragon and nearly as abusive Falcon; huge swathes of the game can be simply flown through or over. Artistically it's numbingly bland, no boosts there.

I've rejected, reconsidered and rejected this one again several times in the past year, and now I understand why. It's an inferior though certainly playable NG1esque with the interesting but ultimately reductive change of instant death. Not outright bad, and for a diehard fan of this particular style there's undeniably some fun to have, but it's never better than a flawed imitation of a dear favourite. Still haven't quite dispensed of it!

[Ed Oscuro]

SUPER SECRET INSIDER SLIPPERIES incoming about ASTYANAX:

There is a beta ROMz (of at least the US release) preserving Medusa boobiez.



Is there any such whiff of censorship from the glorious nippon ver.?

[BIL]

Japan ver = DRACULA IV style. Boobs sans nipples so junior won't put an eye out. But TBH the Gorgon boss looks like a gross stringy dude to me, so in nippon ver it's like he's got manboobs. D:

[Ed Oscuro]

Oh, the things BETA BIGTYMER BUYERZ pay for

Probably only sold for like $50 back in the day though.

[BIL]

I half-wish there were betas like "Holy Diver - Good Controls Label" and "Ninja Ryukenden III - Between SUPEREASY And SUPERHARD" floating about. I'd pay many of the king's good pounds! But pixelboobs without pixelnips are no boobs at all! Just play SQOON you wankers!

Did Paradigm ever reincarnate here? I finally realise why I just can't feel them FC Rockmans. SO MUCH FUCKING DEAD SPACE BETWEEN COOL SPIKEY STUFF However! I realise now Bucky O'Hare FC is basically Rokkuman with all the boring crap chopped out! I've been playing the hell out of it this week. Pure Konami quality with only a couple of veerings into kusomemo territory, and given the sheer spread of variety and creativity that's no bad thing.

Also, "HARD!" password turns the game into an instant killer. WTF, that's awesome and terrifying. It actually feels pretty good, if sadistically unforgiving, since the relatively irrelevant damage done by common enemies can feel heavily upstaged by all the instant-deathing environmental hazards.

[trap15]

I half-wish there were betas like "Holy Diver - Good Controls Label"

I was somewhat messing with this a while back. Basically, I made it so neutral pad stopped horizontal movement, and that made it feel way better. No fixes for "jump and move at same time" because I didn't know that was a thing when I was messing around :X

Did Paradigm ever reincarnate here?

iirc he got banned for being a total asshole :v

I finally realise why I just can't feel them FC Rockmans. SO MUCH FUCKING DEAD SPACE BETWEEN COOL SPIKEY STUFF However! I realise now Bucky O'Hare FC is basically Rokkuman with all the boring crap chopped out!

Here's where we must split ways on our FC paths I hate stupid spike trap shit, I'm glad Rockman only has rare fits of that.

[BIL]

I actually was thinking of asking you about the possibility of a Holy Diver Trap Label, but tbh I'm so used to HD's shoddy controls they've become part of the game. Like FIFA's crummy match authenticating practices.

[Squire Grooktook]

I decided to give Gunstar Heroes another go, and try out Alien Soldier (bought the Steam version so I could officially own it).

I never really was a big fan of Gunstar. I've had the cartridge since I was a kid, but always felt it was a bit over-rated and tiny bit clunky compared to games like Contra 3 or Ghouls and Ghosts. Returning to it now with a bit more arcade game experience, I'm definitely warming up to it a bit. I still don't think it's the best 16 bit run and gun shooter, but I definitely can appreciate certain aspects of it a bit more now, particularly the boss fights. Jump physics still feel a bit clunky to me though, and the harder difficulties seem to have some (?) luck elements (seems like you get walled by bullets in some fights and just have to tank damage).

Really enjoying Alien Soldier though. Might be one of my favorite Treasure games now. Felt a bit clunky and frustrating for the first five minutes or so when I was still getting the hang of the controls and weapon and movement mechanics, but once it clicked I really enjoyed the boss designs, constant weapon switching, and fast paced zippy movement techniques. I also like the inhuman character designs and surreal progression in the environments a lot too. Already spent like 4-5 hours on it lol.

[BIL]

I've always liked Gunstar's easy-operating blend of fisticuffs and Contra blasting, but Alien Soldier is weapons-grade hardcore. Probably the one MD game I'd keep if forced to choose. It's so tough, varied and fast-paced, with a towering skill ceiling and a classic signature move in the Zero Teleport.

It's also a technical juggernaut and a style behemoth. The midpoint sequence where you kill the evil sunflower then get abducted by the monster fly and blow his face off causing him to crash into and get eaten the fuck up by the monster spider, who you kill as well, before decapitating the cybernetic eagle on the orbital elevator and reaching space just as

Spoiler

bionic werewolf makes the fucking planet explode

sets the 68000 heart on fire and makes me bawl like a little girl at a Beatles concert.

[BrianC]

I have the JP Bionic Commando (found a loose cart for 40 dollars), Fudou Moyouou Den, and that Tokidou firework bomb game now. I like how one stage of BC has you pushing rocks with the arm in that version. I also like how rearmed has elements from the FC and GB versions, as well as the US NES version.

[BIL]

Fudoh Myouou Den / Demon Sword [NIPPON VER] is a very interesting one, and not just for being one of those nice plastic snapcase FC titles that make collector life easier in 2014 (RESPECT 2 Wanpaku Graffiti + Batman). One of the harder yet lesser-mentioned FC sidescrollers for sure. It is mercurially accomodating with its random powerup drops, but even if you luck out (or farm up) a batch of invaluable Straw Dummies early on, it's always shockingly easy to lose them for the slightest lapse of concentration or technique. The Kage no Densetsu action is done really well, fortunately given the rather long duration. I never feel like I get hit when I shouldn't despite the often floaty aerial combat. Good balance of lunar gravity to mortally precise killing, complemented by an excellent sense of momentum, as in the similar Ninja Spirit. Irem's game is the apotheosis of this style but I still really like this closer adaptation of Taito's forerunner.

I've not gone back to Bionic Commando (NES) since getting Top Secret, the ramped-up enemy presence is so damn good. Plays very close to the original arcade game at its busier points. Feels so naughty getting the full-fat NAZIRIFFIC story and imagery too, bahaha. Check that blood-drenched logo!



I KILL DER NAZI SCHWEINHUNDZ

[BrianC]

Speaking of the BC arcade game, I found some interesting info on it here. Differences aren't as huge as the NES game, but it sounds like the International version has more polish than the JP version.

[Pretas]

I also like how rearmed has elements from the FC and GB versions, as well as the US NES version.

Some of the music was also taken from the C64 version.

[BrianC]

Some of the music was also taken from the C64 version.

I'm guessing you mean the EU C64 version, and not the different and inferior US version?

[BIL]

Finished Bucky O'Hare for the first time in twenty years or so this week. As with Nemo, holds up admirably. Was interested but not surprised to see Masato Maegawa and Nobuya Nakazato's names in the staff roll - the pace and variety totally prefigure Treasure & Konami's mutual love of scene-hopping sidescrolling action blitzkrieg in the MD/SFC years. I've enjoyed getting down to a ~45 mins clear with a handful of deaths - it's a fairly long single sitting game, but besides my liking those occasionally, the furious pace absolutely flies it past. The harshly punishing memorisation aspect matures nicely; you need to take your lumps learning what to do, but once mastered there's very little Simon Says and even less sitting around. Mostly you can tear through even the most hazardous of areas as fast as you're willing to push the monofilament razor wire-sharp controls (like in NG! I LIKE THAT A LOT).

Special mention to the BGM - pure Konami magic, cooking along with boundless energy, melody and heart. "SALVAGE CHUTE" <-- nice guitar arrangement! Visually the garish license hampers things a bit, but it's at least got some ultra-smooth parallax going for it.

I do think regular enemies should've done a bit more damage; at times it's only pride stopping a player from just tanking through with impunity before the next XTREEM DANGER setpiece arrives. "HARD!" mode turns the game into a Metal Storm lament configuration instant killer puzzlebox, haha... might be fun someday, but not exactly a happy medium. You can totally finish the game without taking a single hit, though! Despite what Yellow Planet Act 1 might seem to suggest.

Finally got around to trying out some GB stuff this weekend. Natsume's GB Ninja Gaiden is really good! Not quite "imma get a copy and an SGB" good but I'm definitely tempted. Plays more like a hybrid of Kage's midtempo melee action and meatier enemies with NG1's less fussy weapons system. Impeccable on basics, as to be expected from Natsume. Stage design is solid at bare minimum, sometimes genuinely outstanding. The tense lava race is what NGIII's should've been. Taking refuge from shearing lasers in pitch darkness is an infiltrator setpiece that'd do Kage's late game proud. Stage 5's opening suspension bridge must be grappled intelligently to outrange flametrooper death. The slow elevator ride up to the last boss curbstomps Super Shinobi II's stage 2-2 autoscroller fatigue with its pincering turret fire. Bosses are, in a marked improvement on NG1, varied and fun. The SMB Boo-esque shield enemies stand out as boring when not paired with other offense - luckily they usually are, as in the last stage's excellent laser array.

It's not an especially difficult game, but it's quality through and through. Easily deserving of mention alongside its parent companies' FC highlights. Should've played it way sooner. Though after being nonplussed, displeased and mortally affronted by the SMS, PCE and SFC iterations, respectively, I may have been subconsciously anticipating further disaster. Figures the first non-FC NG I like is by another accredited sidescrolling action master. I wonder if the "Shun" in the credits is Shunichi Taniguchi? His name is on a lot of great games. Dragon Fighter, Kage, Solbrain, both SFC Kiki Kaikais, The Ninja Warriors Again, Wild Guns, Endless Duel...

edit: Also! AWW HELL NAWWW! After bypassing the fiendish Jaleco FC box security grid with my cast iron grip and impeccably honed thumb/forefinger control (THE LADIES LOVE IT ;3 ;3 ;3), I leaf to the back of Teh Lord of King's manual. And you guessed it! The illustrated Medusa boobs.



Thanks Japanese blogger-san. "I wish I had more hands. So I could give that Jaleco box flap four thumbs down." Still looks like a pre-op meth fiend. Quality 2D boobage reaction certainly will not occur!

[Obiwanshinobi]

Glad to read kind words about the GB NG. I don't think there's anything quite like it among those wee carts of mine yet. (Star Saver's too underperforming to count.)
Apparently it was originally meant to be a Shadow of the Ninja GB port.

[BIL]

Apparently it was originally meant to be a Shadow of the Ninja GB port.

Interesting - it's certainly easy to see. I think the last boss BGM might actually be the same as SOTN/Kage's, have to check. The last fight itself and its prelude are totally nudge/winks to fans of that game, I love it. A better fight than Kage's too, harder to lock down.

edit: haha, yep - same final boss BGM in both games. Those same lovely title screen popup + press start button sound effects that Natsume FC games favour, too.

[BIL]

Got a bit more Tokai Engineering in my life this month with RAFU WARUDO or Rough World or Journey to Silius glorious nippon ver. It's identical to the NES game with the aesthetically pleasing exception of its player sprite, who to borrow Obi's terminology is possibly the most stone-cold professional action protagonist on the console. No big-headed animu prettyboy here! You're on the battlefield? You wear full body armour, soldier! "But helmet flatten muh poofy hair" STFU! >:[ (doubtlessly Jay nippon ver is sporting an efficient buzzcut under that helm)

A distinctive, brisk and enjoyably challenging sidescrolling shooter (it's not quite "run and gun"), with a solid cyber-industrial aesthetic and an utterly stellar OST. It's easy to compare its gunplay to FC Rockman, with the virtually identical peashooter and similarly meaty enemy HP and distribution. However in pacing, duration and level design it's far more of a committed action game. Platforming and environmental hazards are kept auxiliary to the relentlessly forward-driven blasting, streamlined into the trail of destruction much as in FC Contra.

What keeps this from feeling like either of those games is the air handling, which technically isn't as strict as Dracula's but in the more bullet-laden context may as well be. It works really well with the environmental hazards; those garden-variety crushers, conveyor belts and crumbling bridges are tremendously more demanding here than in Rockman or Contra, without the luxury of unlimited jump adjustment. The final stage's autoscrolling factory might've been a snoozer elsewhere but here it's absolutely splendid. At its best, the game achieves a gripping balance of nervy platforming and relentless blasting.

Unfortunately, unlike Dracula the level and enemy design don't quite always respect the control's limitations. There are a couple (literally: two) spots in stage 3 where you're going to take damage en route, and one in stage 4 that requires a specific, tightly executed jump and rehearsed air control to pass unscathed. In all of these spots, the damage is absolutely minimal, but it does jar me on principle slightly. The handling is also a tad unhelpful; you'll learn to always jump direct from lying prone or standing to avoid shots, lest the rising or turning animations foil you. Could've been a bit tighter and a bit more sparingly animated (read: Dracula) without sacrificing its distinct handling. As with other significantly flawed yet worthwhile games like Holy Diver, Kenseiden and Alisia Dragoon, though, its general quality easily earned it a pass from me.

Very good overall; it's a tense and engaging single sitting blaster with the considerable bonus of an incredibly rich and dramatic OST. I am not regret.

Little Things~Hell Outta You OMAKE: Indecipherable Japanese staff roll pseudonyms. All respect to the talent themselves, of course, but unmasking or even distinguishing ZAKO-KUN, JIJI-SAN and BOMBOÑE'S BUMBOCLAAT can feel quite the wild goose chase. In Sunsoft/Tokai Engineering's case, I'd like to know how much overlap there was between TE's credited action games (Metafight, Raf World, Battle Formula) and the sidescrolling action legend FAMICOM BATTOMAN. And also the excellent Gremlins 2 and the much inferior FC Bat-sequel. Naoki Kodaka is a common thread and seal of musical excellence but I pick up all sorts of other smaller mechanical and artistic details in common between these games. From a quick google it seems others are a bit unsure of the SS/TE overlap too.

[BrianC]

Naohisa Morota is credited for the sound in the NES Fantasy Zone. It looks like he did sound for other games like Blaster Master (though Naoki Kodaka did the music for that one) and later worked for Konami. It looks like Naoki Kodaka was involved with Atlantis no Nazo, though it's hard to tell the extent since the game only has a generic "staff" listing.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Is Atlantis no Nazo the one where you can get shat on by the birds flying by?

[BrianC]

Is Atlantis no Nazo the one where you can get shat on by the birds flying by?

No, that's Hebereke.