Beat Every Game Boy Game - 2024 - 117/566

[Matt 4120 | 240]

 

Solar Strike is a pretty boring and mundane shooter, very similar to Star Force on the NES. Took a few attempts but I got it eventually. Meh.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I had relatively low expectations going into it, but I found a fun but short game. And that's it's only downfall: with six scenes to get through, I felt a little disappointed once I reached the end of the game. Very fun otherwise.

[Gaia Gensouki | 1,075]

Parodius is done.

[Matt 4120 | 240]

Super R. C. Pro-Am is done. This game gets difficult in the later stages especially with the AI that suddenly gets a speed boost. But it's still fun.

Kwirk is also done. This is a fun puzzle game that took me a while to beat.

[Matt 4120 | 240]

Game and Watch Gallery is done. This is a series I have had a lot history with, mostly with 4 but I did play and now own the others. I'm pretty good at Fire and Oil Panic, but I suck at Octopus and Manhole which is weird considering they are also both in 4 and I'm not that bad there, oh well. It plays great and I love the music, I even listen to it and the other games when I'm not playing. 

In terms of progress on other games, I'm currently finishing up the kinoko course in Mario's Picross (I played through easy picross which took a little more time but I like the game so it's fine), and I just finished the world 2 boss for Wario Blast. After that, I'll be looking at Pocket Bomberman. I did mention Atomic Punk, but that seems like kind of a time sink at the moment, so that may get punted down closer to the summer.

[Splain | 2,571]

I've been playing Side Pocket, I have some gripes about the weird physics and some seemingly-impossible shots because they can't be fine-tuned accurately enough using that interface. I can get to the highest tier but haven't nailed the last trick shot yet.

Meanwhile I finished the Missions mode of Minesweeper.

[Matt 4120 | 240]

Mario's Picross is done. Fun game that I have a lot of nostalgia for.

By the way @Splain, I don't remember who beat it but I didn't clear Pac-In Time.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

1 hour ago, Matt 4120 said:

I didn't clear Pac-In Time.

That was me.  I am still working on World Bowling, but no new progress this week. Will give it a few more days before another break

[Splain | 2,571]

Lol whoops. Thanks for noticing that.

[Splain | 2,571]

Finished Side Pocket. It was interesting enough that I kept coming back to it, but I definitely have complaints about this game. Sometimes the inertia and physics are out of whack, and it's common to be unable to fine-tune your shot enough to even sink certain shots. Like, if your target ball is too far away from the cue, then one click in either direction turns into a huge difference, and the exact angle you need simply isn't available. And I swear the power meter isn't consistent.

You can become the World Champion but you don't see the ending unless you sink all the balls in the last trick shot. And you can only try it once each time you get enough points to become world champion. So it's a bit frustrating, but all the issues are mitigated by All The Continues You Can Eat. So even if you need a little luck to progress through the game, you'll eventually get it.

The Game Gear version is a little easier because the pockets are bigger.

I'm already checking out Championship Pool to see how it compares.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

Good luck with Championship Pool.  I save stated my way through a couple tournaments a few years back and it was...interesting.  Still not sure how to fully tackle that one and definitely don't want to try it the same year I'm slogging through Bowling.

Speaking of, last night was wild. Most of the time, I couldn't get past the second round. I probably made it to Canada (round 4 of 6) twice? in the 3.5 hrs I played.  But on the flipside, I got a new score PB of 278 from 11 strikes - nearly perfect. I had another near perfect game later for a score of 277 and tied my previous high of 268.

So, why can't I beat this? Well, because there seems to be a lot of chance involved and I cannot figure out how to manipulate things.  When I'm doing well, it's from trying to hit the same strike zone range.  However, that doesn't always work. Sometimes, the range is very forgiving and other times it feels super specific. Sometimes, I think it's constantly shifting or moving along the power meter.  So it's not like I can hit the first level and perform really well each time because the strike zone is different every time, and likely has one of multiple different attributes tied to it. Then, multiply that by 6 with growing point requirements and different reactions for the different countries (Canada is absolutely brutal and one mistake is a run killer).  That's where the luck comes in.

It sucks, because anything beyond the first ball has no randomization at all. I know how to pick up 7-10 splits easily and it will never fail if I hit my spot, but if you bowl the initial ball in the exact same spot twice in a row, there's a high chance it does something different. After 40+ hours in trying I have not found one specific location that will always work for a strike on any of the levels.

My current theory is that with each attempt, the strike zone difficulties and locations are randomized along the 6 courses. I'm thinking that if I get a more difficult loadout and can barely squeak by on the first two levels, that will hopefully mean that the remaining four stages will be more forgiving which is necessary for those high point requirements.

The game's not frustrating to play because of the controls, but I'm frustrated at myself that I cannot seem to learn anything new that will give me a better chance at winning. There's not enough feedback visually or auditory to help with adjustments (or maybe I'm not picking up on it).

Rant over...I'm trying one more night and then taking a break with the next games on my list (which are already done here): TMNT 2 & Frogger. I have Super Off-Road after that. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze that in next week too.

[Splain | 2,571]

3 hours ago, Floating Platforms said:

Good luck with Championship Pool.  I save stated my way through a couple tournaments a few years back and it was...interesting.  Still not sure how to fully tackle that one and definitely don't want to try it the same year I'm slogging through Bowling.

Speaking of, last night was wild. Most of the time, I couldn't get past the second round. I probably made it to Canada (round 4 of 6) twice? in the 3.5 hrs I played.  But on the flipside, I got a new score PB of 278 from 11 strikes - nearly perfect. I had another near perfect game later for a score of 277 and tied my previous high of 268.

So, why can't I beat this? Well, because there seems to be a lot of chance involved and I cannot figure out how to manipulate things.  When I'm doing well, it's from trying to hit the same strike zone range.  However, that doesn't always work. Sometimes, the range is very forgiving and other times it feels super specific. Sometimes, I think it's constantly shifting or moving along the power meter.  So it's not like I can hit the first level and perform really well each time because the strike zone is different every time, and likely has one of multiple different attributes tied to it. Then, multiply that by 6 with growing point requirements and different reactions for the different countries (Canada is absolutely brutal and one mistake is a run killer).  That's where the luck comes in.

It sucks, because anything beyond the first ball has no randomization at all. I know how to pick up 7-10 splits easily and it will never fail if I hit my spot, but if you bowl the initial ball in the exact same spot twice in a row, there's a high chance it does something different. After 40+ hours in trying I have not found one specific location that will always work for a strike on any of the levels.

My current theory is that with each attempt, the strike zone difficulties and locations are randomized along the 6 courses. I'm thinking that if I get a more difficult loadout and can barely squeak by on the first two levels, that will hopefully mean that the remaining four stages will be more forgiving which is necessary for those high point requirements.

The game's not frustrating to play because of the controls, but I'm frustrated at myself that I cannot seem to learn anything new that will give me a better chance at winning. There's not enough feedback visually or auditory to help with adjustments (or maybe I'm not picking up on it).

Rant over...I'm trying one more night and then taking a break with the next games on my list (which are already done here): TMNT 2 & Frogger. I have Super Off-Road after that. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze that in next week too.

Props for sticking with it for so long!

Championship Pool is definitely the more detailed/fleshed-out pool game. It has lots of game modes and you can zoom into the pool table and move the aiming cursor anywhere on the board, meaning if you move it farther away, you can get more detailed with the exact angle you want, in contrast with Side Pocket. Then you get a ghost-ball preview shot to show what will happen with the angle, power, and english you've specified. No moving power meter, you just press A when everything looks the way you want it.

But the preview shots keep playing over and over, with slight angle variations each time. Close, easy shots can be guaranteed to go in, but the longer/trickier the shot, the more chance there is that you'll get an outlier angle that doesn't go in. The best you can do is watch the previews, tweaking the angle as best you can, until most of the previews go in, and then cross your fingers for the real shot. It's a cool mechanic, I guess, but it makes shots take a long time, so games, matches, and tournaments take forever.

You also have to call every shot. The game will automatically call the ball and pocket for you, based on the preview shots, which is nice 90% of the time. You have to adjust it if you want to hit a ball with another ball or something, and there's absolutely no "hit it really hard and see what goes in" which is a necessary strategy in Side Pocket. Lol.

Complaints so far are that the preview shots don't always clearly indicate that a shot is going to land in the pocket, so I'll line up a shot that looks great, and the ball might bounce between the pads and not actually sink. Also, your opponents don't actually DO their shots, it's just kinda "ok, your opponent got some balls in and then missed, so it's your turn again" and some random balls are removed from the table. That means safeties basically don't exist, you can tuck the cue ball right behind the 8 ball to force a foul, but the game will just say "your opponent ran the table and won the game." So that sucks. I've played for a few hours now and the early opponents have never fouled.

There's other tiny annoying things that make everything take longer, like counting the balls to see if it was a stripe or a solid that went in on the break. (I could do 9-ball instead to make the games shorter, but 8-ball is more fun) And it doesn't look like there are passwords or continues or anything. To win more games you have to... take longer on each shot to try and improve your odds. So I'll keep playing but I'm definitely gonna take breaks (heh) with other games in the meantime.

[koifish | 556]

looking at finally clearing some long wait games. In Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball I'm currently up 1-0 in the first round of the ALDS over the damned Yankees. I'm a terrible hitter, or my team sucks at hitting (coincidentally I'm playing as Cleveland who lost the world series in the season this game simulates). Luckily most opponent hits here are pop flies or weak infield hits. The hardest part is that the game just takes a long time, and if you quit mid-game it counts as a loss. I think I can do it this time however.

Also going through Altered Space. Got a map going though I'm going to transfer it to orthographic paper soon for better clarity.

Been playing Qix since yesterday and I'm hooked. Why didn't anybody tell me the GB version was so good?! Looks like Nintendo did it in-house if I understand the title screen. 500k gonna be tough but I'll try. It's really fun to trap the evil squiggle.

Lastly, gonna try for Racing Days. Does anyone know if dirty racing has a save feature? Thought it would but I didn't see any way to save or continue. Overall a fun game though, so far anyway. Not sure why I hadn't seen it mentioned on GB lists before. Too easy?

[Floating Platforms | 720]

20 hours ago, Splain said:

So I'll keep playing but I'm definitely gonna take breaks (heh) with other games in the meantime.

My experience with it was interesting. I noticed some things that I'll keep in spoiler tag in case you don't want hints just yet, but they might help the process go faster?

Spoiler

--Not sure if you've won a tournament yet, but after the first one the game tells you that you can play speed pool to unlock the second tournament. You need to beat a specific time but I don't recall what that is. 70 seconds? Then as long as the system is on, you'll be on the second tournament

--Not 100% sure on this, but I think that the longer the tracking line appears, the chances of your shot being accurate is lower. Faster shooting tends to hit the mark more often from my limited play.

--When it's the CPU's turn and they miss, the ball configuration seems to always be the same, so like you said, you can't set up a bad shot.  But that should mean that their results are pre-programmed and static based on what's still on the table. There's probably a way to manipulate that in your favor and miss on purpose to a point and save time that way?

 

[Splain | 2,571]

Ok I read the spoilers

Yes, the CPU's turn just removes some of their balls from the table, that's it. I've also noticed that when the CPU breaks, there's a small handful of configurations that appear on the table when it's your turn. So I've learned a couple of sequences for some of those configurations. I'll try some of those other tips, including playing on an Analogue Pocket, so I can sleep it and keep the game running indefinitely. Infinite continues was the only way I could get through Side Pocket.

What it comes down to is being able to run the entire table when it's your turn, because even within the first tournament, not even at the end of it, I've had games where I had one turn only. The CPU broke and missed once, then when I missed, the CPU won on their turn. So I just have to practice the game of positioning the cue ball on each shot, to set up the next shot, and don't ever miss lol.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

I'm on a break from World Bowling and beat TMNT 2 for my personal list and also trying to get through Frogger. After that, I can contribute new stuff again. Here's a quick update on my soft dibs of what's coming up:

Super Off Road
Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise
Brain Drain
Hunchback of Notre Dame, The

I think I will probably get through Super Off Road this week. If I'm really lucky, I might also get Adventure Island 2 done as well but that might have to wait for my next bowling break

[Floating Platforms | 720]

Finished up Frogger as it was a viewer vote backlog, then thought I'd try Super Off Road and was surprised to finish that off quickly.

There's the 99 nitro

Here's the top of the points standings after that race. It was a close call. I actually was on my last continue when I eked it out.  This is an absolutely terrible port of a great game. The frame rate chugs like hardly anything I've seen. The turning is rough and unresponsive, which is a problem when that's the core mechanic of the game. There's a lot of collision physics with you and the cars which made using turbo less than ideal as I usually ended up pushing them forward with me. The tracks had really strange reaction spots too. Some points would pull me upwards, others off to the side. Other parts acted like a brick wall and I didn't know why. I never fully felt comfortable playing it, but at least it was easy enough to beat on my first try despite all its flaws.

Most likely I'll be going back to World Bowling on Monday and won't have a chance to start Adventure Island II until my next break from that.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

World Bowling has bested me another week. I'm going to try to get some emulation practice in and test theories. I feel like I'm getting better, but I can still barely break 200 on level 5 France if I'm lucky (need 240 to move on). I have no idea what's going on in that level that's so different. I feel like the strike zone is totally randomized, or there's a different pattern I haven't encountered or???? I need to save state and try things in order to properly learn.

Anyway, Monday I'll jump on Adventure Island 2 then start Brain Drain.

Next two to add to my soft dibs - Ninja Boy & Madden 95

[koifish | 556]

7 minutes ago, Floating Platforms said:

Anyway, Monday I'll jump on Adventure Island 2 then start Brain Drain.

Next two to add to my soft dibs - Ninja Boy & Madden 95

Adventure Island 2 is fun! Good luck with Brain Drain, that game is a killer.

Can offer Ninja Boy help if requested.

[Splain | 2,571]

Taking a break from Championship Pool. I'm doing better, but you still have to get lucky even when the shot looks solid. I can watch the preview shots, seeing them land in the pocket over and over, and then it just doesn't go in. And one miss can cost the game. And that's frustrating and I've been playing Rampart instead. Which is another game where you have to get a bit lucky lol.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

11 hours ago, koifish said:

Good luck with Brain Drain, that game is a killer.

As long as it's not another 50+ hour game, I'll be happy! Right now I'm worried that World Bowling will end in the 100 hr range

[Floating Platforms | 720]

Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise is done!

This felt like more of the same in many ways. There's no new power ups (except for the invincibility crystals, which I tried once and didn't work against a boulder so I forgot about them), the level designs are very similar with the same graphics. The levels are short and the dinosaurs you can find are the same (I think - maybe there's one more new one?). Still, I enjoyed this a bit more than the first.  I really liked that certain levels had secrets that let you go a shorter, alternate path. I used that most of the time, but in a couple instances, I found those levels to be harder and I decided to take the long way around. Regardless, after you beat the boss, all of the unplayed levels from the other path get unlocked. Great idea. It's also good that you can backtrack to other worlds at anytime. It's sad that it's basically necessary as many of the later worlds give you no eggs or weapons at all, so you have to go back and farm powerups and weapon drops from secret rooms over and over to build up the ammo.  A couple of the bosses took me several tries to learn, but none were overwhelmingly difficult.

I'm not sure if I'm going to try World Bowling a bit more or jump into Brain Drain.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

I have a question about Brain Drain for anyone who's gotten pretty far or beaten it.

Last night, I beat Rookie mode. Then I went to Student and it started me on level 20. I got to level 110 and was ready to stop for the night since this game is BS.  However, I decided to try Genius to see how obnoxious it would be and it started me on level 50.

I'm pretty sure that level 50 through 70 (the first password) were the same as Student. So, do I really need to play Student at all? Does the game really have you backtracking for no good reason? Also, does anyone know how many levels in Student? I thought it would stop at 100. My guess now is 150, but that would mean Genius forces you to play 100 levels again if you're doing them all.

Edited April 18 by Floating Platforms

[koifish | 556]

I'm giving myself one more chance to see how it goes, but I suspect there is no way I end up beating Big Hurt Baseball. The games just run too long and I don't have enough long, uninterrupted stretches of time. I think I will stick with the others though.

Qix is humbling me; 500k might be the toughest challenge I've yet attempted for a GB contest. It really shows me how good this game is, that you can do so many different things in it and challenge it in so many ways. I really really really hate the qix though, that little string bastard is a PITA!!!!

Altered Space going well now that I have ortho paper, though I am noticing not every screen is the same size, and i think they use that, because on the first level you find two rooms that, if graphing where every room is equal size, would be right on top of each other. I doubt they intentionally built non-euclidean maps, and so I figure the sizes are such that they would fit. Either way, it hasn't been a big issue yet; I will see on later maps if it gets worse. Pretty fun to play a brit isometric platformer on GB. Makes a lot of sense given the shared Z80 heritage of the GB and the Speccy.

Dirty Racing is really fun but I haven't had time yet. Still want to get back to it when I can.

[koifish | 556]

On 4/18/2024 at 7:41 AM, Floating Platforms said:

I have a question about Brain Drain for anyone who's gotten pretty far or beaten it.

Last night, I beat Rookie mode. Then I went to Student and it started me on level 20. I got to level 110 and was ready to stop for the night since this game is BS.  However, I decided to try Genius to see how obnoxious it would be and it started me on level 50.

I'm pretty sure that level 50 through 70 (the first password) were the same as Student. So, do I really need to play Student at all? Does the game really have you backtracking for no good reason? Also, does anyone know how many levels in Student? I thought it would stop at 100. My guess now is 150, but that would mean Genius forces you to play 100 levels again if you're doing them all.

IIRC the different levels determine where you start in the sequence. Pretty sure genius starts after 50, but you go until 250; Student IIRC ends earlier than that. And yes, Brain Drain IS indeed BS.

[Floating Platforms | 720]

3 hours ago, koifish said:

IIRC the different levels determine where you start in the sequence. Pretty sure genius starts after 50, but you go until 250; Student IIRC ends earlier than that. And yes, Brain Drain IS indeed BS.

Okay, that's what I thought. I'll continue with just Genius and then if my chat thinks I should also finish up Student, then I will, but it sounds like I'll see all the content through Genius.  The game was fun for a bit, but then it took the puzzle aspect away from the puzzle game with all the gimmicky crap. Now it's me fighting the game rather than trying to solve a puzzle. Fun.

3 hours ago, koifish said:

Qix is humbling me; 500k might be the toughest challenge I've yet attempted for a GB contest. It really shows me how good this game is, that you can do so many different things in it and challenge it in so many ways. I really really really hate the qix though, that little string bastard is a PITA!!!!

Qix was a great time but yeah, one of my longest games so far. I wish I could offer tips, but other than going for riskier moves in the early levels to max points with 99%s, I don't know if there's much to say. Good luck!