Khromak | 769 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Beat conquest of the crystal palace. I think this was my second clear of all time, maybe third. It's quite a fun game for the most part, love the graphics and music, but damn if the final stage and penultimate boss aren't total crap. The collapsing ceiling section especially is total bull. Fortunately once i made it to the final boss i beat it in...2 tries? Ish. Glad to be done with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,889 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Battletoads & Double Dragon is done. I think this is definitely the most unforgiving Beat 'em up that I've ever played. It's also got to be one of the most inconsistent games I've ever played. The worst thing is that there'll be times when I'm tapping buttons and getting nothing, and it's hard to tell sometimes whether or not it's just that my hands are tired and messing up or not because there are particular times/spots/situations in this game where inputs just won't work. It often involves having an enemy on each side of Billy, double tapping left or right to running kick the first enemy and then double tapping the opposite direction too quickly to try and do the same to the other enemy and it just doesn't work, so I had to learn these spots and remember to wait a moment before attacking. Similar problem on some bosses and spots where enemies like to gang up. Most of the game can be mastered easily enough with a little practice, even the Dark Queen isn't too rough, just a little tricky to avoid sometimes when she's moving around in flame mode on the floor, but the penultimate boss is hands down the most brutal thing in this game. I'm kind of shocked that I only died 3 or 4 times while fighting him tonight. Most of the time he is just clobbering Billy relentlessly. It took me a good bit of playing to come up with anything like a good combination of tactics but he's still pretty hard to predict. Anyway, I'm hard pressed to remember a game I liked playing this much that was also this frustrating to get through. It both looks and sounds great and offers a lot of variety... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackVega | 583 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 1 hour ago, PII said: Battletoads & Double Dragon is done. I think this is definitely the most unforgiving Beat 'em up that I've ever played. It's also got to be one of the most inconsistent games I've ever played. The worst thing is that there'll be times when I'm tapping buttons and getting nothing, and it's hard to tell sometimes whether or not it's just that my hands are tired and messing up or not because there are particular times/spots/situations in this game where inputs just won't work. It often involves having an enemy on each side of Billy, double tapping left or right to running kick the first enemy and then double tapping the opposite direction too quickly to try and do the same to the other enemy and it just doesn't work, so I had to learn these spots and remember to wait a moment before attacking. Similar problem on some bosses and spots where enemies like to gang up. Most of the game can be mastered easily enough with a little practice, even the Dark Queen isn't too rough, just a little tricky to avoid sometimes when she's moving around in flame mode on the floor, but the penultimate boss is hands down the most brutal thing in this game. I'm kind of shocked that I only died 3 or 4 times while fighting him tonight. Most of the time he is just clobbering Billy relentlessly. It took me a good bit of playing to come up with anything like a good combination of tactics but he's still pretty hard to predict. Anyway, I'm hard pressed to remember a game I liked playing this much that was also this frustrating to get through. It both looks and sounds great and offers a lot of variety... If you thought that was bad play Battletoads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PII | 1,889 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 1 hour ago, BlackVega said: If you thought that was bad play Battletoads I've played a little of it. It's on the list anyway. I'm glad I played through this one first though since most people seem to think Battletoads is better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackVega | 583 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 28 minutes ago, PII said: I've played a little of it. It's on the list anyway. I'm glad I played through this one first though since most people seem to think Battletoads is better... Who says battletoads is better? People usually say Battletoads 2 is decently balanced and tolerable while Battletoads 1 is absolutely unforgiving... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Funny you say it because I have beaten Battletoads a bunch of times, but I was practicing levels in BT&DD and having a lot of trouble trying to get through them without getting slaughtered. It's definitely a very good game and has pretty much all the same things going for it as the original, but it seemed harder to me. Could just be a matter of familiarity, since I know so much about Battletoads, I don't get hung up on its bullshit but being unfamiliar with BT&DD I probably just die to nonsense & need to learn the enemy patterns better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted August 14, 2023 Share Posted August 14, 2023 (edited) Finished AD&D pool of radiance. Love this game, it's a ton of fun, even though most of the mechanics are broken as hell. This time I played with a fighter/ mage/ thief because a guide suggested thief was necessary, but I found that to be a total waste. In hindsight, I think a combination of fighters, fighter/cleric, and fighter/mage is probably best. The straight cleric and straight magic user just seem weak. They level faster, but offer no other advantages. My party consisted of: F, F, F/M/T, M, C. Felt like extra heals probably would've helped, though most of the Cleric spells are useless other than Hold Person (sometimes) and Cure Light Wounds. Highly recommend this one if you like tactical rpgs. Save often, and experiment with different dialog options, spells, etc. until you're satisfied. Edited August 14, 2023 by Khromak 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 Loop is done, this was a first time clear for me, I'd never played it before. Modes A and B seem like fun, though I didn't play for too long. C starts out fun, but gets really stressful at the end. Levels 41-50 are really brutal. There are a few gimmes in there, fortunately, but the hard ones are REALLY hard, at least for me. I probably should've come up with some kind of better system. All in all I appreciate what they were going for, but damn is it tough 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 1, 2023 Share Posted September 1, 2023 Rainbow islands was beaten, a first time clear for me! This one is fun, has great graphics and sound, and is really creative in the mechanics. I think I enjoy it significantly more than bubble bobble. If I had to complain about anything, walking on the rainbows can be frustrating at times because it tends to happen in segments which can get you killed. Some of the bosses and levels are quite difficult, this one took me the better part of a day, off and on. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameDisplay | 55 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) On 8/14/2023 at 12:51 PM, Khromak said: Finished AD&D pool of radiance. Love this game, it's a ton of fun, even though most of the mechanics are broken as hell. This time I played with a fighter/ mage/ thief because a guide suggested thief was necessary, but I found that to be a total waste. In hindsight, I think a combination of fighters, fighter/cleric, and fighter/mage is probably best. The straight cleric and straight magic user just seem weak. They level faster, but offer no other advantages. My party consisted of: F, F, F/M/T, M, C. Felt like extra heals probably would've helped, though most of the Cleric spells are useless other than Hold Person (sometimes) and Cure Light Wounds. Highly recommend this one if you like tactical rpgs. Save often, and experiment with different dialog options, spells, etc. until you're satisfied. I beat Pool of Radiance a couple of weeks ago as well! It was the first time for me. I loved The Bard's Tale, and this game definitely had a similar vibe, albeit a different battle system. Overall I loved this one too! My party consisted of F,F,C,M,T. This worked pretty well for me, having the two fighters in front with the cleric positioned to heal them when necessary. Then the Cleric and Magic User in behind firing projectiles. Unlike The Bard's Tale and some other first person RPGs, this game is really nice when it comes to providing you with maps of where you are. The pencil and graph paper were really only required for a portion near the end. And I'm not much of a tactical RPG person, but the battle system was simple enough that I didn't have any trouble. Here are a few victories that I have to add to the list: Peter Pan & the Pirates This one is really rough. Definitely one of the worst games the NES has to offer. It wasn't very hard, but I got to the end a couple of times and died. The magic meter refill items that you need to fly over large gaps in the final levels don't respawn, so one death is really all that's required to have to start the whole game over again. Thankfully it's less than a half an hour romp once you know what you're doing. Power Punch II If you've beat Mike Tyson's Punch-Out this game will be laughably easy for you. Go for the KO, or just knock your opponent down a few times and then dodge for the rest for the match and the victory will usually go to you. The only kind of challenging part is the final battle which works a bit differently than the rest of the game, but it's no where near as tough as Tyson is. The final password that you get also takes you immediately back to the final battle, so practicing and figuring things out is easy. Unlike in Punch-Out where you have to refight Super Macho Man every time before you can fight Tyson again. Edited September 7, 2023 by TheGameDisplay 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 Kiwi Kraze is done. The first few stages are relatively challenging action platforming. Stage 4 can go to hell. The swimming is boring, there are no checkpoints (except 4-4), and the challenge is ridiculous. Stage 5, oddly enough, is easier than stage 4, but still quite challenging. All in all, a fun game but not one I'm looking forward to playing again soon. Maybe another game to add to the "once a year" list 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameDisplay | 55 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 (edited) On 9/10/2023 at 2:48 PM, Khromak said: Kiwi Kraze is done. The first few stages are relatively challenging action platforming. Stage 4 can go to hell. The swimming is boring, there are no checkpoints (except 4-4), and the challenge is ridiculous. Stage 5, oddly enough, is easier than stage 4, but still quite challenging. All in all, a fun game but not one I'm looking forward to playing again soon. Maybe another game to add to the "once a year" list Very nicely done! My two biggest gripes with this game: 1. The extremely tight time limits that aren't displayed anywhere on screen. The levels force you to explore and try different paths, but then all of a sudden out of no where you'll be given the indication that time's almost up. At least let the player know how much leeway they have to look around! 2. The eye bleedingly bad color palettes. The walls, the blocks, the background, the spikes. More often than not they will all be exactly the same color. You will strain your eyes and brain trying to discern what the heck it is that you're even looking at half the time. Enjoy constantly running into 8x8 pixel spikes that you didn't even see because they look nearly the same as everything else. Even once a year would be too often for me when it comes to the NES version, haha. Once was enough. However, I've since had the chance to try the arcade version (The NewZealand Story) and actually enjoyed it WAY more. Definitely give it a shot if you get the chance! Edited September 13, 2023 by TheGameDisplay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Yeah, Kiwi Kraze is one of those deceptively brutal NES games. With the cutesy graphics, I was expecting one of those kid-friendly platformers with forgiving difficulty. Instead, we got one-hit deaths, mediocre power-ups, sadistic level design, and strict time limits coupled with no checkpoints in the second half of the game (forcing you to race frantically through a meat grinder just waiting to make kiwi nuggets out of you). I haven't been around here because I'm on a Fire Emblem kick. Has anyone here ever played the "Famicom Merciless" ROM hack? I'm about 2/3s of the way through it. I'm a little confused and irritated that I just got Marth's Miracle sword but he's seemingly ineligible to use it. Hopefully the same isn't true for the Falcion sword at the end, because that'll probably make the game unbeatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Stage 4-4 in Kiwi Kraze made me want to punch my TV. The mazes of spikes are insane and a lot of the platforming you have to do is so tight, and if you hit anything once you're dead. The enemies aren't even a problem in most of the game, I think I beat the final boss on my second try and after a little practice I rarely if ever died on any of the other bosses. The platforming though, damn. Some parts of world 5 were pretty tricky too. As far as the timer goes, I died to the "you're out of time" devil a few times, but for the most part once I had memorized the levels it wasn't too bad. It's more of a first-timer's trap. The first time you get to a few of the later levels, you're just gonna die while trying to figure out where to go. Once you've beaten each level once though, it's not too bad. It's an alright game, the levels are unique and all, but damn if the difficulty doesn't spike up at the end. Very short too, which I guess is part of the reason they felt the need to make it so damn hard. I had heard of but not played the arcade version, but I'm not surprised to hear it was better, as that was the case most of the time back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Working on The Bard's Tale right now, though not very deep into it yet. I have a few more on my list and then we'll see where I'm at/we're at. With all the tough stuff still on there, I don't think we'll finish the list this year, but I'll be doing what I can. Best to get as far as we can, so we don't look like slackers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strikezone1 | 155 Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 I'll fourth that Kiwi Kraze is quite a tough game to beat. I recall 4-4 was a total mf'er to get through at the ship part with all the intricate jumps required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strikezone1 | 155 Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 Conan is beaten. What an abysmal game. The controls are atrocious, graphics are bad, and hit detection is wack…. But above all that, the worst part of the game is all the cryptic nonsense you gotta figure out to progress. One of the worst games in the NES library IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Has anyone started Roger Clemens MVP Baseball, or is anyone about to? I can start it in the next week if no one else speaks up for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBryce | 375 Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I forgot to submit this one. I completed Crash n the Boys on 8/9. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 23, 2023 Share Posted September 23, 2023 The bard's tale is done! I've beaten this one before, once, actually at a lower level. I must've gotten lucky that time because I had a real hard time with the final boss this time around. He's not really threatening at all, but he has access to the full health spell with infinite mp... so it's very much up to luck. I eventually figured out something like a strategy, by using the song that interrupts spells, but it only has a percent chance to work, and on my winning fight it didn't proc at any time that mattered. Regardless, this is still a fun, but grindy, rpg. Recommended, it's fun right up until the last fight 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Just finished rad gravity for the first time ever! This game has a lot of charm, great sound and graphics, especially the animations, and I love the metroidvania style, it was definitely ahead of its time with some of the puzzles and interactions with the environment. Unfortunately, the platforming is quite slippery and I absolutely hated the "floating around in space" mechanics... the last boss was once again very frustrating 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khromak | 769 Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 Robocop 2 is done, another first time clear for me! It's commonly known to be a shitty game and while it's not great, I don't think it's a total bomb. The hidden areas, sometimes required to beat the levels, are kinda bullshit. The controls are bad, but you mostly get used to them, and with infinite lives, it's pretty forgiving. Can't say I recommend it, but it's not so bad, there's fun to be had here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 (edited) @Khromak, you are well on your way to a Top 3 finish. Keep it up! RoboCop 2 will always rank high on my personal list of biggest NES disappointments. I loved those movies as a kid, although as an adult I only enjoy the original. And the game for the first movie is one of the best movie adaptations on the NES; it's a quick, smooth action game that is actually true to its source material. But RoboCop 2's game is really aggravating. Being forced to replay a short level over and over because you didn't meet your production quotas is just not fun. Also, I'm now 12 games into my Roger Clemens MVP Baseball season. I'll endeavor to play through the season in 6-game chunks until it is done. Edited September 25, 2023 by nerdynebraskan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzeshield | 293 Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 5 hours ago, Khromak said: Robocop 2 is done, another first time clear for me! It's commonly known to be a shitty game and while it's not great, I don't think it's a total bomb. The hidden areas, sometimes required to beat the levels, are kinda bullshit. The controls are bad, but you mostly get used to them, and with infinite lives, it's pretty forgiving. Can't say I recommend it, but it's not so bad, there's fun to be had here I had similar feelings about the game: frustrating, but with no penalty for failure, you can slog through it. And there are occasional moments that make you feel clever for getting past them. Also, that makes 100 games left in the regular list, right? That's always a nice milestone. I don't have a lot of bandwidth to contribute right now but if things continue to progress, I'll try to get back on Sky Kid or Castelian (hard mode) or something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackVega | 583 Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Beat Captain Hamburgerica. Probably for the 1st time ever if I remember correctly 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now