The Super Famicom / Super NES Thread

[Mortificator]

I'd played a few minutes of one of the NES Castlevania, but the second SNES game was the first I really tried, and FUCK ME was it a bad introduction. I'd actually been hesitant to pick it up... "Dracula X" made it sound like a spin-off. Should have went with that instinct.

I didn't touch another game in the series for close to a decade after. I played a little of Super Castlevania IV and Harmony of Dissonance once I got into emulation, without enthusiasm, but when I loaded up the stupefyingly good original Castlevania I was set straight.

[Ed Oscuro]

"Dracula X" made it sound like a spin-off. Should have went with that instinct.

If you had the same insight about a certain CD-ROM title, that insight would have been wrong. They just reused the title because they knew American Turbo Duo owners weren't getting anything nice from them...

I find myself wondering which Castlevania you played. II perhaps?

[BIL]

Oh hell no. In Dracula XX stage 4', when Richter is knee-deep in sludge... he doesn't move any slower than normal.

I'd almost think it was a programmer error. Maybe he's stuck in "struggle walk" mode the whole game? To wash out the bad taste I spent my afternoon playing AKUMAJO DENSETSU (stfu haters! my cart is glorious nippon ver :[ ) where everyone zips along as usual. Unless they're knee-deep in sludge!

Robert Duvall wanted too much money for the sequel, so Marlon Brando came back to play Shaft. Unfortunately despite promising he'd drop 50lbs and learn all his lines, the old rogue did neither. :/ Enjoy your suddenly portly, mute necromancer in chief!



"Raaagh! Why am I in this shitty game?!" "That's my line Mr. Brando."

[blackoak]

wouldn't the walking speed in dracula xx be a fairly easy thing to mod? I checked romhacking.net but they didn't have anything...

[Necronopticous]

So as a kid I used to play the Super Nintendo port of AD&D Eye of the Beholder.



I picked it up again recently and have been going through it. I have already made it far further than I ever got as a youngster. Ugly and clunky as sin, but it is hitting all of the right buttons for me right now.

[undamned]

I still have yet to play through Rondo
-ud

[kamiboy]

I'll take a "bad" 16-bit Castlevania over a modern God of War clone any day.

I dont care what anyone says, and I dont care how much a CIB cart costs, I am buying XX one day to complete my proper Castevania collection. And by deuce, I'll play it to completion.

[BIL]

I've been in the same boat from time to time, but this last run-in with XX has just about killed my enthusiasm for it even as a huge Dracula fan. It's a bland-looking, shoddy-feeling game with mediocre design down to the core - the total antithesis of not only the classic Draculas but literally dozens of other first-rate action games of the 8/16-bit era.

Luckily it doesn't command anything like Rondo / Vampire Killer prices, so the damage it may end up doing to one's wallet is relatively limited. ;]

[Mortificator]

I find myself wondering which Castlevania you played. II perhaps?

I'm not sure myself. I was just passed a controller with the words, "dude, try CASTLEVANIA." It wouldn't be unusual to shorten any of the three games to just that word. And I remember there were Medusa Heads (that sure narrows it down) and the area was in a castle or mansion. I only played for a couple of minutes, so more precise memories than that, I don't trust as really being from decades ago instead of being inserted from the many times I've played the games in the 21st century.

So as a kid I used to play the Super Nintendo port of AD&D Eye of the Beholder.

Same here! Never made it past the second floor of the dungeon, back then.

If you want to try the PC version, someone created an automapper just recently. There's also a fan-made AGA conversion with an automap built in, which that page links to, though it involves setting up and installing to a (virtual) hard drive on an Amiga (emulator).

[Necronopticous]

Same here! Never made it past the second floor of the dungeon, back then.

If you want to try the PC version, someone created an automapper just recently. There's also a fan-made AGA conversion with an automap built in, which that page links to, though it involves setting up and installing to a (virtual) hard drive on an Amiga (emulator).

Hey thanks for the info. I actually really enjoy drawing the maps myself in these types of games, but if I end up getting curious about the second game I may check it out. It would definitely save time.

Anyway, you should go back and check this game out man. I also got stuck on the second floor as a kid (probably in the same place you did) but I passed that pretty quickly this time around. I believe I am nearing the endgame now, and it has been an absolute blast.

[MX7]

It may be clunky without a mouse, but the Mega CD version of Eye Of The Beholder is awesome simply because of Yuzo Koshiro's wonderfully contrapuntal score.

Sorry for getting Sega in a Nintendo thread...

[BIL]

Oh lawd, HG101. As ever, handy for getting a grip on sprawling Japan-based game series, not so much for informed criticisms of.

The platforming levels can be devilishly hard if you don't have enough armor or healing items. Plus, getting hit will degrade your speed as well, so getting whacked several times will slow down your character tremendously.

Actually, your character always moves at the same speed in the platforming stages, zipping along quite quickly in fact - somewhere between SMB1's walk and run. You can get hit / die as much you like, won't make any difference. It's the overhead areas where you lose the speed upgrades for getting hit, but shoes are cheap and you can stack excess pairs beyond the max upgrade of three, so you won't lose any when hit.

Been enjoying this first SFC Goemon - some quality platforming stages in here that won't shy away from killing you, and even the town stuff has a simplistic Downtown Nekketsu charm with the constant bopping goofy enemies on the head and grabbing their change. Even a bit where you need to grind enough cash for a gate pass isn't too bad as a result, enemies swarm at that point and many of them take some caution to deal with. Some of the more developed overhead bits are actually outright good, like the boar-infested mountain area before the excellent ninja fortress stage. By no means a first-rate action/platformer, but it's a fundamentally solid and very attractively-produced one.

edit: oh hey, got to the locked gate on a credit and had more than enough cash to buy the pass outright - wasn't even saving up, either. Maybe it's there to regulate the player's cash reserve, heh.

[BrianC]

Oh lawd, HG101. As ever, handy for getting a grip on sprawling Japan-based game series, not so much for informed criticisms of.

The platforming levels can be devilishly hard if you don't have enough armor or healing items. Plus, getting hit will degrade your speed as well, so getting whacked several times will slow down your character tremendously.

Actually, your character always moves at the same speed in the platforming stages, zipping along quite quickly in fact - somewhere between SMB1's walk and run. You can get hit / die as much you like, won't make any difference. It's the overhead areas where you lose the speed upgrades for getting hit, but shoes are cheap and you can stack excess pairs beyond the max upgrade of three, so you won't lose any when hit.

Been enjoying this first SFC Goemon - some quality platforming stages in here that won't shy away from killing you, and even the town stuff has a simplistic Downtown Nekketsu charm with the constant bopping goofy enemies on the head and grabbing their change. Even a bit where you need to grind enough cash for a gate pass isn't too bad as a result, enemies swarm at that point and many of them take some caution to deal with. Some of the more developed overhead bits are actually outright good, like the boar-infested mountain area before the excellent ninja fortress stage. By no means a first-rate action/platformer, but it's a fundamentally solid and very attractively-produced one.

edit: oh hey, got to the locked gate on a credit and had more than enough cash to buy the pass outright - wasn't even saving up, either. Maybe it's there to regulate the player's cash reserve, heh.

Yeah, I still need to pick up Legend of the Mystical Ninja so I can play it in English. I have the JP GBA Goemon 1 and 2. It's not bad, but it's somewhat glitchy, especially with Goemon 2. I did get through both games with the JP GBA versions, though the hell level was a pain to get due to a glitch that can keep the bonus rounds needed to unlock it from ending.

I've been in the same boat from time to time, but this last run-in with XX has just about killed my enthusiasm for it even as a huge Dracula fan. It's a bland-looking, shoddy-feeling game with mediocre design down to the core - the total antithesis of not only the classic Draculas but literally dozens of other first-rate action games of the 8/16-bit era.

Luckily it doesn't command anything like Rondo / Vampire Killer prices, so the damage it may end up doing to one's wallet is relatively limited. ;]

I'm actually more interested in Castlevania Legends than I am in XX, and that one sounds mediocre as well.

[Skykid]

Actually XX value is starting to surpass Rondo in some places (in line with escalating SFC in general.) But you guys are still overplaying its badness. It's definitely got issues that can't be let slide, but it's a decent enough platformer if you commit to it, and challenging if you try to access the secret stages and save the maidens.

Goemon 1 is just all round class. Not perfect but a really beautiful production.

[BIL]

About the secret stages... did you notice that the key's comic relief item crash is effectively a free invincible dodge that kills enemies on contact? There's a bit in the first "good end" stage where you have to fight a red axe knight between a spike pit and a crusher trap, with bats constantly flying by. Would be an excellent challenge, except you can just item crash the key (which you have to keep) to dodge the knight's charges and smack the bats. :/ Ruins the Dullahan boss too.

Ill thought-out stuff like that really turned me off this time around... "wouldn't it bite to hold onto that stupid key for a whole 1.5 stages?!" No, not really! It's great for ascending the ghost-choked vertical shaft Maria's in too.

The clock tower is a thoroughly excellent stage, though, demanding absolute concentration and flawless timing. If I ever get XX it'll be almost entirely for that.

[Skykid]

About the secret stages... did you notice that the key's comic relief item crash is effectively a free invincible dodge that kills enemies on contact? There's a bit in the first "good end" stage where you have to fight a red axe knight between a spike pit and a crusher trap, with bats constantly flying by. Would be an excellent challenge, except you can just item crash the key (which you have to keep) to dodge the knight's charges and smack the bats. :/ Ruins the Dullahan boss too.

Ill thought-out stuff like that really turned me off this time around... "wouldn't it bite to hold onto that stupid key for a whole 1.5 stages?!" No, not really! It's great for ascending the ghost-choked vertical shaft Maria's in too.

The clock tower is a thoroughly excellent stage, though, demanding absolute concentration and flawless timing. If I ever get XX it'll be almost entirely for that.

Uh... haha, I thought it was just that, comic relief, and summarily ignored it. Since I never look at guides or YT vids, I struggled through those damn sections without a clue.

Clock tower is probably the best stage in both balance and hair tearing, but even though there's a lot of questionable design decisions and some downright frustrating sections elsewhere, it's not the worst adventure platform game to crack through.

[Ed Oscuro]

Lol, I remember fooling around with the key, although I don't think I tried it on enemies, figures!

At least they don't have you grinding rupees to power the damn thing (Wand of Gamelon grumble mumble)

[Marble]

SFC Goemon's graphics give me a mega boner. Hate the protagonist's sprite but some of the backgrounds are incredible. This kind of style isn't to everyone's taste but I would pick the first platformer stage as my favourite 16-bit bamboo forest. The music too, amazing.

BIL's post has got me thinking that maybe I don't hate the overhead stages as much as I thought. Most of them are really cool visually and I now remember how much fun I had discovering them for the first time. I still hate how the yo-yo won't hit enemies that are really close to you and the aforementioned grinding later on in the game (Since I tried to play it with one-life clearance, arcade style) but right now I really feel like playing it.

[BIL]

That first sidescroller stage is a beauty. I particularly like the weird visual effect of a piercing full moon in a dusk sky, the way every bit of foliage is rustling in the wind, and the general sense of ruin and overgrowth. Combined with the BGM it feels like something big is going down, even if it's just the opening area. The taiko drums that introduce the boss are actually borderline creepy in spite of the game's goofiness, heh.

[EmperorIng]

So recently I discovered this [somewhat] obscure SNES Mode7 pseudo-3D game called Vortex. Made by the same team that made the chip to begin with, as well as had a hand in the development of the original Star Fox.

It looks pretty cool, actually. Like an SNES version of Bulk Slash for the Saturn.

Fantastic use of the SNES soundchip. Sounds almost Amiga esque.

[null1024]

So recently I discovered this [somewhat] obscure SNES Mode7 pseudo-3D game called Vortex. Made by the same team that made the chip to begin with, as well as had a hand in the development of the original Star Fox.

It looks pretty cool, actually. Like an SNES version of Bulk Slash for the Saturn.

Fantastic use of the SNES soundchip. Sounds almost Amiga esque.

I remember playing Vortex once ages ago and being really confused.
Also, dat's some SuperFX power, with real 3D and real polygons.


On another note, I've been playing the Star Fox 2 beta [w/ english+bugfix patch], that game is great. Play it on hard or above, normal is depressing and you could probably clear it without trying. It's a shame it wasn't released, it's really damn good, and the strategic element is pretty interesting.

[BrianC]

On another note, I've been playing the Star Fox 2 beta [w/ english+bugfix patch], that game is great. Play it on hard or above, normal is depressing and you could probably clear it without trying. It's a shame it wasn't released, it's really damn good, and the strategic element is pretty interesting.

I played a bit of it and liked it. I know Star Fox Command used some of the elements, but seems to be mostly battles against enemies, rather than places with corridor and free roam stages like in Star Fox 2? I like that one of the designers behind the Star Fox games, Dylan Cuthbert, has his own Japan based company now, Q-Games (not to be confused with Q Entertainment). They seem to have a solid track record and I'm loving X-Scape so far.

[null1024]

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6241 ... lish21.png
On another note, I've been playing the Star Fox 2 beta [w/ english+bugfix patch], that game is great. Play it on hard or above, normal is depressing and you could probably clear it without trying. It's a shame it wasn't released, it's really damn good, and the strategic element is pretty interesting.

I played a bit of it and liked it. I know Star Fox Command used some of the elements, but seems to be mostly battles against enemies, rather than places with corridor and free roam stages like in Star Fox 2?

Star Fox 2 is pretty much what Command should have been. Star Fox 2 is mostly fighting inside the battleships and on the planet surfaces, less so doing individual space fights [although you'll still do a fair bit of them, owing to the fact that on higher difficulties, more missiles and stuff are fired at Corneria, so you have to chase them down].

[Mortificator]

Vortex has a great soundtrack and so-so gameplay. The stages tend to be pretty long and exploration-based, so the lack of checkpoints makes losing a life disproportionately aggravating. The shorter and linear stages are usually more fun, like the race on the highway in the clouds. Of course, for that level to work, the developers had to handwave away some of the game mechanics.

Player: "I'll turn into a jet and FLY to the finish line!"
Dev: "No the planet has high gravity your jet will run out of fuel in like 5 seconds."

[Skykid]

In my absence I went through a few 16bitters in the queue, the most recent being Majyuuou:



I thought it was fine material for a 1cc and was planning to go for it, but the last boss is giving me second thoughts. Has anyone played it through? The little imp that jumps out of the big thing's head: I can't see any way to combat the pattern reliably, it's too random. I thought if you get close, she jumps and does an easily avoidable overhead kick that can be punished, but it's not guaranteed. Her energy takes ages to whittle down and charge attacks are too slow, and when she busts you with that stupid multi-directional shot, there's not really any get-out time.

Anyone else have any experience with the game?

[BIL]

I've made it up to that point, but put it down afterward - may go for a clear this weekend. Can't be any worse than dealing with Igor's infernal random hyper-hopping in loop 2 of FC Akumajou Dracula, last weekend's adventure. ;]

I love how, out of nowhere, the fire dungeon stage busts out a feelgood synthrock anthem that'd make Falcom JDK Band proud. I've got that song in my head now. And I'll reiterate - champion miniboss theme.

[Skykid]

I've made it up to that point, but put it down afterward - may go for a clear this weekend. Can't be any worse than dealing with Igor's infernal random hyper-hopping in loop 2 of FC Akumajou Dracula, last weekend's adventure. ;]

I love how, out of nowhere, the fire dungeon stage busts out a feelgood synthrock anthem that'd make Falcom's JDK band proud. I've got that song in my head now. And I'll reiterate - champion miniboss theme.

Ah, I see he's using the blue dragon thing. I'm not. Sucks, because I need to start over to get it back.

However, I think I see what she's doing, the little so and so. I won't say b/c spoilers, and I won't watch the YT vid thru because I don't want to be shown how. Just had another two attempts and got her down to half energy, so making some progress. All about stupidly precise timing and a bit of luck.

Some of the music in the game is crazy funky, especially that mid-boss theme. Kind of makes me laugh it's so cheesy.

What's this about good/bad endings though? Is it to do with that chick who gets slaughtered by centaurs on the train stage?

EDIT: Hoy, what's all this!

You get it after cycling all the other stones, as in take a different colored stone each time you can. The last stone you can acquire will be the black one.
Inversely, taking the same stone three times in a row will give you a powered up version of whatever form that stone gives you. Taking the fourth stone changes nothing if I remember right in that situation.

The guy's question has disappeared so I'm not 100% sure what happens after cycling the stones (that means you need to play as the shit green thing). What does the black one do?

Shed any light on this BIL?

[BIL]

Oh right - I'd assumed you were using the dragon from the screenshot. I've been using that form myself, although by the game's end it should be a black dragon with much-improved capabilities.

No idea about good/bad endings, I've been playing it by ear myself.

EDIT: Hoy, what's all this!

You get it after cycling all the other stones, as in take a different colored stone each time you can. The last stone you can acquire will be the black one.
Inversely, taking the same stone three times in a row will give you a powered up version of whatever form that stone gives you. Taking the fourth stone changes nothing if I remember right in that situation.

The guy's question has disappeared so I'm not 100% sure what happens after cycling the stones (that means you need to play as the shit green thing). What does the black one do?

Shed any light on this BIL?

Heh, that's news to me too. I've just gone with straight blue for the upgraded dragon form. I've pretty much only played Majuu Ou up to the boss we're discussing on a "try before buy" ROM run, so there's probably tons of stuff I don't know yet.

[Skykid]

Oh right - I'd assumed you were using the dragon from the screenshot. I've been using that form myself, although by the game's end it should be a black dragon with much-improved capabilities.

I edited the above. Explain in detail please!

[BIL]

Now I really want to try this game out again.