The Non-Shmup 1CC Thread - Share Your Triumphs Here!

[xxx1993]

1CC’d Charge’n Blast on Normal!

[velo]

And at last a 1cc of Ninja Gaiden AC, after a few runs soul-crushingly ended by either the last set of mask-claws or Bladedamus himself. (I take it the scoring strat is to milk mermen and/or bikers? Finishing the final boss doesn't gain you much) Game loses a little bit of its scare factor when you figure out that there are (at least?) 4 guaranteed 1-ups, then gets most of it back when you figure out the last 4 guys can easily kill you at least once a piece. I believe I'll be retiring to Ninja Ryukenden now. It's got the better Stage 4 music, whatever the deal with that is.

And what's up with the high score screen? Is that supposed to be Ryu's sawed-up corpse boxed up and ready for shipment? I won the game this time, why am I seeing that?

[BIL]

And what's up with the high score screen? Is that supposed to be Ryu's sawed-up corpse boxed up and ready for shipment? I won the game this time, why am I seeing that?

Ha, I wondered the same... it's a creepy image, redolent of a sound thrashing and scurrying retreat; yours or theirs. Congrats on the clear!



Such a charming game; both a knowing sendup and a celebration of 1980s ninja-mania. I like to think the FC project was a movie, and the AC one is what the lead actor's stuntmen (actual ninjas) did on their off days.



Speaking of, I used to wonder if FC Ryukenden II's Option shadows being that distinct shade of orange was a Gradius reference, but nowadays I suspect it was a nod to the arcade's Two P.



An all-around swaggering affair.

[xxx1993]

I finally 1CC’d Charge’N Blast on the hardest difficulty!

[velo]

Ha, I wondered the same... it's a creepy image, redolent of a sound thrashing and scurrying retreat; yours or theirs. Congrats on the clear!

Thanks, it was one of the first arcade games I ever played and I figured it was sure to be out of my reach, but then I noticed the AA version was using the US rom and made a go of it.

The guys doing the attract and post-game screens and the guys doing the interlevel ones didn't seem to agree on the tone. Or it was one dude with a nutty sense of humor. The in-game content could go either way.

Wikepedia has this to say about the plot:

Set in the retro-futuristic version on 1999, the player controls a ninja hired by the United States government[4] to defeat an evil cult led by Bladedamus, a descendant of Nostradamus who seeks to fulfill his end of the world prophecies. Flooding the streets of the United States with criminals released from Alcatraz, Bladedamus has kidnapped the President and acquired codes for launching the nation's ICBMs.[5][6]

OK, maybe. He also flooded the rivers with mermen for some reason. One thing's for sure: I truly have become the Ninja Gaiden (I question the wisdom of localizing the title into yet more Japanese).

I finally 1CC’d Charge’N Blast on the hardest difficulty!

I had to look that one up. Looks like you're superhuman by game journalist standards! Apologies if that's a left-handed compliment.

Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said of the game, "If you've got a lot of patience or superhuman hand-eye coordination, by all means give it a try.

[xxx1993]

I had to look that one up. Looks like you're superhuman by game journalist standards! Apologies if that's a left-handed compliment.

That game was a bit hard to get used to at first, but I got the hang of it.

[pegboy]

Not a 1cc per se, but i finally maxed out the score of nes tetris, which has been a dream of mine for the last decade

https://youtu.be/Q78hv4nx6QA?si=AU6Hqf8Yy_WkuzGX

[Kiken]

Miracle Adventure/Spin Master
Managed my first single credit clear of this game earlier today with a score of 615,000 pts. In the middle of the stage 4 boss battle I figured out that I didn't need to slide under the 256 tonne attack. Go figure. :/ Knowledge gained, I suppose.

https://youtu.be/2hkdEVCRMsc?si=3zLa0dUbz83IbAJ3

[xxx1993]

Did Charge'n Blast perfectly yesterday. I saved my comrades from dying (not that it affects the ending in any way) and I 1CC'd it. All on the hardest difficulty.

[mycophobia]

I got Gm in TGM2 death mode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIUKucP-MJA

[BIL]

Good to see this thread motoring along!

Not a 1cc per se, but i finally maxed out the score of nes tetris, which has been a dream of mine for the last decade

https://youtu.be/Q78hv4nx6QA?si=AU6Hqf8Yy_WkuzGX

I always feel like I missed out on this version, somehow never encountered it as a kid BITD despite ungodly hours on Dr. Mario. Appreciated the fine demonstration.

Miracle Adventure/Spin Master
Managed my first single credit clear of this game earlier today with a score of 615,000 pts. In the middle of the stage 4 boss battle I figured out that I didn't need to slide under the 256 tonne attack. Go figure. :/ Knowledge gained, I suppose.

https://youtu.be/2hkdEVCRMsc?si=3zLa0dUbz83IbAJ3

I wish the ACA NeoGeo version had a dedicated slide input, it's the one thing I don't like about this otherwise brilliant game. Easily forgiven with such quality on offer though. Looks cute, but is in fact exactly the tech-violent slash n' stomp Rygar fans crave!

Did Charge'n Blast perfectly yesterday. I saved my comrades from dying (not that it affects the ending in any way) and I 1CC'd it. All on the hardest difficulty.

I remember briefly trying this one out, not appreciating at the time that it was a member of the elusive Carnival Shooter subgenre. I should get back to it.

I got Gm in TGM2 death mode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIUKucP-MJA

Jesus Balls Congrats! Sometimes I wonder why I bother buying any more games with this beast around.

[mycophobia]

thanks. and yeah that's more or less how I felt and acted back in '08 when I first started playing TGM, scarcely played anything else for like 2 years

[Kiken]

Miracle Adventure/Spin Master
Managed my first single credit clear of this game earlier today with a score of 615,000 pts. In the middle of the stage 4 boss battle I figured out that I didn't need to slide under the 256 tonne attack. Go figure. :/ Knowledge gained, I suppose.

https://youtu.be/2hkdEVCRMsc?si=3zLa0dUbz83IbAJ3

I wish the ACA NeoGeo version had a dedicated slide input, it's the one thing I don't like about this otherwise brilliant game. Easily forgiven with such quality on offer though. Looks cute, but is in fact exactly the tech-violent slash n' stomp Rygar fans crave!

Yeah, the slide is incredibly finicky and should have just been assigned to the D button by default. With other games that require an A + B simultaneous press on the Neo Geo there's far greater leeway in when both buttons need to make contact. With Miracle Adventure it feels like that window is 0 frames.

[The_Fix]

Réquiem æternam dona ei, Dómine.
Et lux perpétua lúceat ei.
Requiéscat in pace.
Amen.
Anima ejus, et ánimæ ómnium fidélium defunctórum, per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace.
Amen.

Spoiler

[To Far Away Times]

Got a 1CC of Bust-A-Move 4!! Been working on this one for a while. Definitely the hardest of the Neo Geo bunch due to the pully system. RNGesus was mostly favorable in the first half of the game but level 28 was stacked against my favor. Final level had a "make or break" shot to clear the board. Make it and claim the 1CC, or miss it and lose everything. Had a number of close calls but got through it in the end. My route was A,C,G,K,W.

Now I've completed my goal of 1CC'ing every Neo Geo Bust-A-Move game.

The first game is my favorite mostly due to nostalgia, the second is really great sequel (as long as you play one of the versions with Bub and Bob and not the butchered localized version), three and four add complexity where none was needed and are a bit of a drop off.

[To Far Away Times]

Been playing some more Bust-A-Move and got a 1CC of Bust-A-Move Live! for 360.

Definitely not up to the standard of the Neo Geo games, this game is let down big time by its level design.

It's way too easy until the last set of stages, where it becomes very gimmicky. The presentation is also a bit lame with bad fonts and low production values. Still fun in the moment, but yeah, there are way better games in this series.

[To Far Away Times]

Been on a Puzzle Bobble kick recently and I was looking at the many games in the series and found out there was a Puzzle Bobble arcade game not released on the Neo Geo. Super Puzzle Bobble runs on Taito's G-Net hardware. This game shares the same name with PS2's Super Puzzle Bobble, but the two games are completely different.

The Arcade Super Puzzle Bobble is quite a good game, and this one has some of the best levels and gimmicks in the series like the tiny bubbles and arrow blocks. Still very much feels like a pure Puzzle Bobble game, with the gimmicks never distracting but adding to the variety. Dare I say this is the best game in the series since Puzzle Bobble 2?

I took the ACFKQ? Route, but this one wasn't too tough. With a number of big games coming out in the coming days I think this is probably a good spot to put a pause on all the bobblin'.

[wiNteR]

There seem to be many games in the series. I have only played (for 1CC) the arcade ones. I played them for a while. Though haven't played any non-STG arcade games in 5 or 6 years now. I hadn't heard of the particular game you mentioned before. Looks interesting.

I have a 1CC on the first one (easiest route only). And also a 1CC on the versus mode for the second one (on hard difficulty).

One thing that has been on my mind for a while is that how does randomization works (meaning what colour you get next) in these games? Anyone has looked over it in some detail (or any resource or link which describes it)?

[To Far Away Times]

The first one only has one route that I know of, so I think you also cleared the hardest route as well.

Wow, the CPU is pretty difficult. I've never been very good at the vs. CPU mode because it seems like you have to play very fast.

I'd be curious to see how the randomization works across the series as well. It does feel like things get manipulated depending on the level. Certain stages might always start with 1 of 2 colors. Or there may be only one blue bubble on the whole stage high up on the screen that you can't hit for a while and it seems like the game will fudge things to make sure you don't get a bunch of blue's you can't use right away. Other times I've seen ridiculous stuff. I've gotten five reds to open a round when there were many different colors on the board. Probably game dependent as well.

[Jeneki]

Got the clear in Junk Yard pinball (Williams 1996). Playing in Pinball FX3 arcade mode (full speed ball and dlsables all the addons). Similar to Tales of the Arabian Nights, this one ends in a final boss fight multiball. You combine all the junk into a spaceship, and battle the junk yard owner in space lol. After which it forces a ball drain and restarts the game. Unlike Arabian Nights, this one doesn't play credits when you beat the table.

This table has a wrecking ball gimmick, where you smack a hanging ball and get it to bump into targets. However this deflects the ball who-knows-where and usually leads to death. I found it better to stick to the side lanes and ramps, which gets you the junk parts and advances the game modes. Only go for the middle when a specific mode requires it. This is annoying because you have to hit the middle to get multiball and jackpots, or perhaps the designer knew what they were doing by making these the riskiest shots haha.

[BrianC]

Been on a Puzzle Bobble kick recently and I was looking at the many games in the series and found out there was a Puzzle Bobble arcade game not released on the Neo Geo. Super Puzzle Bobble runs on Taito's G-Net hardware.

Only Puzzle Bobble and Puzzle Bobble 2 have Neo Geo versions. Both games also have versions on different Hardware (the former on B-System and the latter on F3). Puzzle Bobble 3 and 4 don't have NeoGeo versions.

[velo]

Knocked out Wild Fang/Tecmo Knight and Vs. Castlevania.

Wild Fang isn't nearly as brutal as Ninja Gaiden AC, with the enemies being much more safely approachable and even power ups hanging around longer. It's a more intuitive game to play, other than the initial weirdness of using a character switch to buy i-frames. Although, I notice the default setting is marked "easy", and I haven't tangled with the higher settings. I also don't know what's up with the end boss, if there's even a real way of fighting that thing. I just tanked the hits and mashed on the monster-changer button. Top scores on the Arcade Archives are stratospheric despite the game not having anything to milk, as far as I can tell, so I'm curious how that's doable. I don't know how the end-of-stage bonus points are calculated either, might be a time bonus? Really fun and one-of-a-kind belter.

Vs. Castlevania seems a lot closer to the NES version than other Vs. titles I've spent any time with. The only difference I noticed was the very, very short timer for the first 3 levels... is there anything else? It took a little more effort to clear than I expected. Already being familiar with the home version, relearning the first half of the game to avoid timeouts was the toughest part for me, easily.

[BIL]

Knocked out Wild Fang/Tecmo Knight and Vs. Castlevania.

Nicely done! I did think Wild Fang seemed kinder than Ninja Gaiden, but I never let my guard down with arcade titles. Never know when a brutal endgame spike is coming.

I notice the default setting is marked "easy", and I haven't tangled with the higher settings.

This seems like a trademark of Tecmo's 80s arcade games. ACA Rygar, and IIRC Ninja Gaiden and Star Force, are exactly the same. It's worth noting that while ACA calls the four settings Easy/Normal/Hard/Very Hard, the Japanese operator's manuals read Normal/Special 1/Special 2/Special 3.

I one-lifed Rygar on Difficulty 2 out of 4, just because of that instinctive aversion we all share to playing on Easy. Couldn't tell the difference, tbh. I'm sure the default difficulty is slightly more forgiving, in some ways; but it'll more than prepare you for the next tiers.

Even playing Very Hard / Special 3 nowadays, it's noticeably trickier, but still entirely reasonable; no coin-eater. Rygar's English OP manual suggests raising the difficulty over time, as players start to get higher Ranks; making me think they actually balanced it properly, instead of just maxing the parameters. Wouldn't surprise me if that ethos held true for their other games.

What a stellar team and catalogue, Tecmo's AC division. STRONG TEAM

SNK's 80s titles seem similar, EG the Ikari/Dogosoken/Guevara trilogy. I've been playing Guevara on Normal, again not noticing much difference from default. I know Ikari's Normal zako have a slightly shorter attack delay, but again, it's nothing an Easy clearer won't quickly adjust to.

Vs. Castlevania seems a lot closer to the NES version than other Vs. titles I've spent any time with. The only difference I noticed was the very, very short timer for the first 3 levels... is there anything else?

Yeah, the chopped timer is the biggie. The first time I heard the countdown warning, just before Medusa, I genuinely thought it was my alarm clock. I can't remember the last time I heard the NES one.

Amusingly, not only do the later stages not chop the timer - Stage 5's Red Skelten Extend-O-Matic remains open for business. Just as easy to farm up an army of reserve Berumondos.

The only other notable change is the damage scale; you can survive maybe three hits by the end of the first loop, on defaults (it's one of those games that features only EASY/HARD, nothing in-between). On Hard, IIRC, your lifebar is good for two hits; nothing can one-shot you, but even a couple zako will take you out. VSC Hard 2ALL is good for players who've decisively nailed down the console rev, and want a final quasi-1HKO trial. Call it DORAKYURA MUST DIE mode

I was revisiting VSC recently, to rinse out an encounter with Haunted Castle; you couldn't find better examples of how to (VS) and how not to (HC) design an arcade action/platformer. A real testament to the quality of Akamatsu and co's work, that it could be airdropped into arcades with such minimal tweaks.

I still consider the FC/NES rev its overall strongest suit. The AC's brutal damage scale is great for truly proofing your strats, but it makes cheesier boss shutdowns more imperative. There's a thrilling back/forth in taking on Creature or Death with sub-optimal weapons, battling back from a hard smack for the win. In VSC you'd better not get smacked. Then again, even on console, I nuke the second loop's Creature with Holy Water. After those bullshit catacombs, it's total war bro!

[velo]

This seems like a trademark of Tecmo's 80s arcade games. ACA Rygar, and IIRC Ninja Gaiden and Star Force, are exactly the same. It's worth noting that while ACA calls the four settings Easy/Normal/Hard/Very Hard, the Japanese operator's manuals read Normal/Special 1/Special 2/Special 3.

I picked up Rygar a while go. The product placement in Ninja Gaiden must have worked. Is there significant difference between the US/JP versions there? The manual has a vague warning that some enemy timings may be different, or something to that effect. The NG manual doesn't say anything about regional differences, I don't think, even though they're pretty big. I wonder what the logic was behind using the US rom for Ninja Gaiden's high score mode. Every other AA game I've checked uses the JP rom. As US versions with jacked up difficulty go, it is pretty reasonable.

[BIL]

This seems like a trademark of Tecmo's 80s arcade games. ACA Rygar, and IIRC Ninja Gaiden and Star Force, are exactly the same. It's worth noting that while ACA calls the four settings Easy/Normal/Hard/Very Hard, the Japanese operator's manuals read Normal/Special 1/Special 2/Special 3.

I picked up Rygar a while go. The product placement in Ninja Gaiden must have worked. Is there significant difference between the US/JP versions there? The manual has a vague warning that some enemy timings may be different, or something to that effect.

IIRC, Rygar removes some of Argus no Senshi's buried items (the ones you unearth by standing on their spot and jumping). I also remember emphatic mentioning its "?" blocks are rarer ( = fewer opportunities to spawn the Cross).

Otherwise, they seem very close; I practiced on US before getting the JP clear, no probs. Interested to hear the manual mentions subtler differences, though.

Speaking of ACA, this was before I learned to circumvent the single savestate limit with dummy accounts; hence stalwart Save01/02/03 joining my JP/NA/EU ones. Normally I make do with practicing in Original Mode, and attempting full runs in Hi Score mode; but besides it being a tricky, relatively long game, ACA Argus no Senshi is one of those early releases that lacks Hi Score mode (or English manual/menus) altogether. Albeit, I gather it's come a long way since its 2014 debut.

[BEAMLORD]

Bagged an ugly, really, really awful Cyber-Lip 1CC earlier this evening, and then a tidier clear straight after. Was so nearly a no-death run, but took a bullet (in the foot ) during the final boss. Took my eye off the ball whilst trying to switch to Bazooka after rinsing my grenades. Ah, well. I skipped the sewer stages. I just got sick of them chasing the clear.

It's no free-wheeler like a Slug or a Contra, but it's decent and there's fun to be had once you adapt to the stricter movement, slower pace and its' few minor quirks.

[BIL]

I like Cyber Lip a lot; got some silly dings for sure, like the "speed limit" on scrolling the screen, and especially the way aiming up can make you totter forward a few fatal steps (I was revisiting recently, and recall there's a way to disarm the latter issue).

But it's got some marvelously likeable zako out animations; counts for a lot in a run/gunner. The third stage's autoscrolling factory isn't all that exciting, technically - but letting rip on killbot squads, sending them wheeling around madly exploding, just feels expensive, you know? Very launch era. And that alien biodrome stage is absolutely gorgeous, with its contrast of arid plateaus and sun-weathered concrete against pale blue sky. As is stage 1's decrepit CYBER CITY, looking chibi-beyond saving. Stage 2's monster tank boss is an unheralded classic, so fuckin chunky!

And of course the voiceovers. Not just mission control, or the non-insain mainman; the angry holler the first boss makes upon defeat always cracks me up. As does his cod-experimental BGM, now I think about it. Rawr rawr rawrrr! ♫

...speaking of autoscrolling factories, it reminds me of Sunsoft's Raf World (FC); another ostensible run/gunner that controls a little too cinematically for its own good, powering through more on sheer style.

I wonder if it might've been an early pioneer of the "hanging over pit firing at boss monstrosity below" setup?

I never did figure out how the final boss roulette worked. None of them are true frighteners, imo - but I was glad to get an instant Cyber Lip fight, and not face that goddamn caterpillar assemblage, who love to go for parting trap-shots. Again, I seem to recall machining a way around those... it's the kind of game I play now and then, go "Hey this is better than I remembered!" then forget and repeat.

[BEAMLORD]

I never did figure out how the final boss roulette worked.

Now, this is completely anecdotal, but I've had a few more clears, and found that by holding hard [right] when you enter the boss room with the 8 doors and walking right up against the right side of the screen until entering the last door at the bottom (as I did on my first couple of clears), I've had a very high success rate of getting Cyber-Lip straight up. Hasn't worked every time, but it was certainly the majority of runs. I'm not convinced of anything, but it has got me wondering.

Could be blind luck, of course. Consensus suggests it's completely random, but can't find anything definitive on the webs.

[BIL]

I never did figure out how the final boss roulette worked.

Now, this is completely anecdotal, but I've had a few more clears, and found that by holding hard [right] when you enter the boss room with the 8 doors and walking right up against the right side of the screen until entering the last door at the bottom (as I did on my first couple of clears), I've had a very high success rate of getting Cyber-Lip straight up. Hasn't worked every time, but it was certainly the majority of runs. I'm not convinced of anything, but it has got me wondering.

Could be blind luck, of course. Consensus suggests it's completely random, but can't find anything definitive on the webs.

Interesting - I checked my replay, and while I was pogoing all over the place initially, I was definitely R2Ring as the bottom-right door scrolled in. With holding [up+A] skipping the sewer stages each time, it wouldn't surprise me if there's something to that!

I totally forgot to mention the outstanding Staff Roll BGM, from stalwart Tate Norio! I always associate it with Metal Slug 4's. Stunning signoffs for lesser-feted run/runs.

[velo]

IIRC, Rygar removes some of Argus no Senshi's buried items (the ones you unearth by standing on their spot and jumping). I also remember emphatic mentioning its "?" blocks are rarer ( = fewer opportunities to spawn the Cross).

The exact words in the manual: "Some enemy speeds and appearances are different". Classic Hamster manual text.