Game Debate #167: Little Samson

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[Gloves | 11,777]

Never played it.

[DefaultGen | 5,405]

9, I dunno what more you'd want from an NES platformer. You can walk on the ceiling. Only 4 (??) NES games let you do that? Metal Storm, MC Kids, Battle of Olympus, and Little Samson, the four ideal video games.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

I'd say it's above average, but not in the top tier of NES platformers for me so I'll go with a 6/10.

[Khromak | 768]

I also voted 9 on this one, it's an absolute banger. All the characters are fun, unique, and powerful. The level design is great, the bosses are all tough but fair. Graphics, music, animations, cutscenes are all great. It's almost a 10, but I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite games of all time.

[Code Monkey | 2,009]

Great game but it'd be better without the costume changes.

[Link | 2,710]

5 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

9, I dunno what more you'd want from an NES platformer. You can walk on the ceiling. Only 4 (??) NES games let you do that? Metal Storm, MC Kids, Battle of Olympus, and Little Samson, the four ideal video games.

Mega Man 5 (Gravity Man stage)

[Webhead123 | 675]

I hesitate to give it a "proper" rating, as I don't feel I've spent enough time with it to make a full judgement. From the time I have spent, I will say it's probably worth at least a 7. It's an enjoyable platformer with some novel ideas, seemingly solid controls and nice graphics. Like many others, I am kind of at odds with the way the game handles the music but it is what it is. I'm not sure that I like it more than Bucky O'Hare or, say, the later Mega Man games, which is maybe what it's most comparable to but you can tell that some love and attention went into it.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Webhead123

[DefaultGen | 5,405]

21 minutes ago, Link said:

Mega Man 5 (Gravity Man stage)

This post was just a trick to get people to think of more walking on ceiling NES games, thanks. 

[LHCGreg | 111]

7 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

This post was just a trick to get people to think of more walking on ceiling NES games, thanks. 

Also Shatterhand.

[Ankos | 439]

9 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

This post was just a trick to get people to think of more walking on ceiling NES games, thanks. 

In Blaster Master you can drive on the ceiling

[Sumez | 2,950]

Apparently no one here heard about Castlevania 3

 

 

 

Or Rad Gravity

[rdrunner | 422]

Will probably never play it without an affordable re-release, but if that ever happens sure, of course I'm interested.

Oh, and Strider (another ceiling-walker game).

 

 

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

I had it and played it for 10 minutes once. It sat on my shelf for a few years. Sold it last November.

[Mega Tank | 960]

2 minutes ago, docile tapeworm said:

Sold it last November.

On VGS? If so, I missed the FS post 

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

2 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

On VGS? If so, I missed the FS post 

Local. Cash.

[Link | 2,710]

Out of games I discovered through emulation, this one impressed me the most. I enjoyed it for years without knowing it was a big rarez before I restarted NES collecting. There's no way in hell I'm paying the price, even when I first noticed it at ~$700. And I harbor no illusions of finding it for a dollar somewhere. But I give it an 8. 

[G-type | 2,481]

I've only played it briefly, but not enough to rate it but it is obviously a well made game.

[Link | 2,710]

[Link | 2,710]

Here's a review I wrote in 2012. Before I was buying any carts. 

Spoiler

The Best Game I Never Played

Little Samson is a really unique NES game which I sadly never saw in the days of the NES.  It came out in 1992.  I did not discover it until years later, when trying out emulation.  A fantasy platformer with very catchy music, cool sound effects, and pretty good graphics, I am surprised it wasn't more popular.  Must be the name, which doesn't sound cool at all.
The picture on the box also kind of sucks, but that didn't stop Mega Man

There are four characters, and you can switch between them at any time. It's true this was seen earlier, in the first Ninja Turtles game for Nintendo.  But that game is considered terrible by some.  Little Samson has very tight and responsive controls, and no levels are difficult to the point of frustration.  The other thing that makes it better than TMNT 1 is these characters do not merely have different speed and range of attack.  They are drastically different from each other in appearance, attack style, and movement.

The map that shows progress through the world gives the impression of a vast world, with many different terrains and areas.  It truly adds to the sense of adventure.

So great sound, good graphics, excellent control, full world, nice mechanic...what else could be needed in a superb video game?  Enemies!

They fly, run, turn into huge metal spheres, shoot, split, swoop, transform, and more.  Some are cute, and some are horrific.  They all look interesting, and there is a ton of variety.

Level design is very solid in this game.  Besides terrain, there are many different styles of pathways.  The confines of two dimensions did not limit the designers at all. 

Some levels are short passages, and some are long stages with boss fights.  There are horizontal and vertical areas.  Some require caution, some move, some are lined with spikes or monsters.  Everything has a healthy dose of challenge that gets progressively harder throughout, with no huge jumps in difficulty.  Dying in this game never feels cheap.  It always feels like the next try will be successful.

So this game earns very high marks.  It has it all.  Look for it in thrift stores, garage sales, eBay, or ROM collections until you get your hands on it!

 

[Tulpa | 3,494]

4 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

I had it and played it for 10 minutes once. It sat on my shelf for a few years. Sold it last November.

You gave it ten whole minutes? Color me impressed.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

4 hours ago, Tulpa said:

You gave it ten whole minutes? Color me impressed.

Ya it didn’t take me long to realize it was one of those games with the switch your character for different abilities gimmick….somehow it works for me in mega man I think because it’s a robot transformation new weapon cannon idea. Didn’t care for it playing Bucky o’hare.

 
hey I’m this little samson guy, cool. well shit now I have to become a mouse…..

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

3 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

Ya it didn’t take me long to realize it was one of those games with the switch your character for different abilities gimmick….somehow it works for me in mega man I think because it’s a robot transformation new weapon cannon idea. Didn’t care for it playing Bucky o’hare.

 
hey I’m this little samson guy, cool. well shit now I have to become a mouse…..

I'm kinda in the same boat.  That plus no nostalgia, plus all the overhype pretty much evens out to a solid "meh."  It's probably "technically" better than a 4, but I got no real love for it.  

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I never quite got the hype, but I also never got lured in by the fanboy orgy over the rarity of it and the puffed up values it has got even before the nerd boner set in on price gouging a decade ago too.  I've come across it, largely not legit copies, but never owned it.  Access to the ROM from emulation and other means I've played it, not super deep, but that's because I just can't get into it enough to keep playing for long.  I've done the initial stages to learn the characters, into that castle, to then go into the game proper but I don't go too much beyond there.  It's not that it's hard, cheapo, overly easy either, but I just don't like it much.  I can see the concepts of a great game, but it just isn't great.  A lot of good ideas but something I can't explain with execution just lacks enough I can't keep with it.  -- 7/10

[CMR | 519]

8/10 It's a cool little game.  Load it to your flash cart and go play it.