Kid Dracula | 126 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Finished Xevious in the meantime. This game was recommended by my uncle who used to play it in the arcades all the time. I was always pretty lukewarm about it growing up but I definitely appreciate it today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaia Gensouki | 1,076 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I just finished Dragon Quest aka Dragon Warrior. I played the Japanese version, which according to this site should be identical regarding the gameplay. https://dragon-quest.org/wiki/List_of_version_differences_in_Dragon_Quest_I#NES_Version I hope that this still counts? Initially I thought that this would be a quick and easy playthrough, but I previously only ever played the remakes and never knew just how grindy the original version was. At the end I spent almost four hours grinding until I got to level 20 and even then I barely beat the final boss. While walking through the final dungeon I ran away from most enemies and tried to preserve my magic as much as possible. Despite that I was on my final few hit points and I didn't have any useful healing spell left. Just one more hit by the boss would have killed me. This was quite nerve-racking. Not sure though whether I should attempt the other games as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, scaryice said: [1] I was just thinking that for some games, we don't require the best ending, like a silver medal for Snoopy. You could say that just finishing all the events is an ending, just like getting a silver medal is. Although, realistically, we probably should go the other way and require a gold medal for that game instead. Maybe next year. [2] And congrats to Crabmaster for his 500th NES clear! I checked recently and I'm around 200, likely over with Famicom included. Although that includes looping games that don't really feel beaten. Regarding [1]: Yeah, it's always been a hard line to draw on the ambiguous endings of certain games. I can appreciate demanding the best ending for a game like Pirates, no matter how hard that is, because you can technically end Pirates at any time for some kind of ending. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, letting games like Skate or Die be cleared with just a playthrough (any playthrough), since it's only for score and there's no built-in high scores on any event. I also try to buff my annual Skate or Die run by winning the Pool Joust event against the most aggressive computer opponent, but I like to feel some effort exerted and I did grow up with the game. But since there's no win/loss record or anything for the Joust, it still feels unnecessary to even win. Top difficulty is usually not required, even though some games taunt you on the ending to try again at a higher level. Warping isn't discouraged, even though you're not really playing the whole game. A few years ago, this challenge tried to live by AdamL's fanatical completion standards (which in several cases required looping arcade-style games many times over until the scoreboard was maxed out or there was some weird glitch or kill screen, etc.)... I'm glad we relaxed on that. As far as Snoopy goes, I found it a challenge (and an anger-inducing one at that) to practice enough just to get any kind of medal finish for that game. I think getting a gold medal may actual require some mastery of that game. And this is where we start to get back into the inherent gray area in the middle of the dozens of really ambiguous titles. Is it really worth it to loop KickMaster three times just for a slightly different bit of text before the game restarts at the third loop of difficulty again? (We said yes the first time we beat it; I'm glad that expectation was lessened.) Should a gold medal be expected of Shooting Range, when you're not guaranteed a medal of any color for simply completing the game (medals require a very high score only possible in-game by earning a large bonus for having very high accuracy with your shots)? This has been a bit of a ramble, but I guess I lean right now toward maintaining the status quo. A lot of thought and research has gone into the current list of conditions for exceptional completions. California Games should be added to the document with the same rules as similar games like World Games or Caveman Games. And I'm open for specific re-examination of a title's rules if there are new findings, but I'm reluctant to get too crazy about that when we already have good reasons for where most of the expectations are on the exceptions list. Regarding [2] : Congrats, Crabby on Conquest #500! Do you only count the licensed NTSC set, or if not, what else is in there? And scary, I'm surprised you're only around 200ish for as long as you've been doing this. I double-checked my personal list, and I just raised it to #338 a few days ago with WWF King of the Ring and Xenophobe. I personally count all 8-bit games I've cleared/conquered on my NES/Famicom: licensed, unlicensed, all regions, Chinese pirates, homebrew, and Mega Man ROM hacks alike. And like scary, I don't always add arcade games just because I can loop them... I don't feel like I can add Donkey Kong to that list just because I've beaten 7-8 stages of it before, but I do occasionally add games like Terra Cresta which were a pain to loop. Also, Qix is done. Just putting this in bold at the end so it doesn't get missed. Edited January 11, 2020 by nerdynebraskan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 2 hours ago, Gaia Gensouki said: I just finished Dragon Quest aka Dragon Warrior. I played the Japanese version, which according to this site should be identical regarding the gameplay. https://dragon-quest.org/wiki/List_of_version_differences_in_Dragon_Quest_I#NES_Version I hope that this still counts? Initially I thought that this would be a quick and easy playthrough, but I previously only ever played the remakes and never knew just how grindy the original version was. [...] Not sure though whether I should attempt the other games as well. I'm not aware of any reason why the Famicom version of that game would be disqualified, so you've probably earned your points. I'll always have a soft spot for the original Dragon Warrior, though I grew up with the "Olde English" localization of the North American version. Not just for being the pathfinder of the JRPG genre, but for being a pretty decent game in its own right. But yes, it is objectively a minimal game for its genre that attempts to hide that behind being very, very grindy. Even at max level, I don't think I've ever had a run at the Dragonlord that wasn't a nail-biter. And yeah, you have to run from lots of monsters in the final castle (especially on the latter floors) so as not to waste your limited healing items/mana. I also liked Dragon Warrior II quite a bit, and I've always meant to go deep on III and IV also. Someday... But maybe you do want to do them for this thread and maybe you don't. There's definitely plenty of stuff on this list that's objectively worse. Also, Roundball 2-on-2 Challenge is done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Terminator 2 is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Where's Waldo is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Wrath of the Black Manta is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Batman Returns is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strikezone1 | 155 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Xexyz is beaten. Fun and unique game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dracula | 126 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Knocked off a big one tonight guys! Put the time in and was able to overcome Castlequest! It's not a very hard game just takes a bit of dedication to learn the route. I did it so nobody else would have to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tablew/chairs | 250 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 power punch ii done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaia Gensouki | 1,076 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 I just beat Kid Icarus. I can now understand why it usually plays second fiddle compared to other classic Nintendo games. With the extreme difficulty, the constant grinding for points and hearts as well as annoying enemies like the thieves or the eggplant wizards this often felt more like a drag/chore than an actually fun gameplay experience. I can't believe that a company known for being kids-friendly would include such mean-spirited elements into their game. I played the GB version last year and thought that one was a bit more streamlined, but maybe I'm remembering it wrong. Anyway, a well-deserved pain point. Ha ha! @nerdynebraskan I actually like the simplicity of Dragon Warrior/Quest I as well and it's sort of the comfort food of JRPGs. Maybe people back in the day didn't even mind the grinding and probably enjoyed that since you are constantly rewarded with something, whereas in many other games you would just end up hitting a brick wall and either had to get good or give up. But the Super Famicom and GBC versions both improved so much over the original game, that this one feels a little outdated. But anyway, if it counts I might try to complete some of the other Dragon Quest games as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Mario is Missing is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NESfiend | 1,515 Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Glad this is back up and running on the new site. Working on rocketeer this afternoon and should be able to getrc pro am 2 tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabmaster2000 | 501 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 On 1/10/2020 at 2:57 PM, nerdynebraskan said: . Congrats, Crabby on Conquest #500! Do you only count the licensed NTSC set, or if not, what else is in there? That 500 number is licensed NTSC-U only. Got it to 504 now too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NESfiend | 1,515 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 The Rocketeer is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 (edited) Dr. Chaos is done. @Crabmaster2000 What were your last four? Edited January 12, 2020 by nerdynebraskan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Power Blade is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NESfiend | 1,515 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 1 hour ago, nerdynebraskan said: Power Blade is done. Damn - I was planning on playing that one in the next couple days. RC Pro Am 2 is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dracula | 126 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Played through Shadow of the Ninja earlier today and just finished off Shatterhand. Both very solid titles. I do love some old school Natsume! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Uninvited is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NESfiend | 1,515 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 American Gladiators is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dracula | 126 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 After my Arkanoid run I knew I had to tackle the other ball and paddle game. Not nearly as insane as Arkanoid but very challenging in itself! I stocked up on a few lives on level 3 with the triple ball and finished it. Working on those pain points! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabmaster2000 | 501 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, nerdynebraskan said: Dr. Chaos is done. @Crabmaster2000 What were your last four? Kid Klown, Gun*Nac, Wayne Gretzky Hockey and Championship Bowling Edited January 12, 2020 by Crabmaster2000 Spelling error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdynebraskan | 356 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 10 hours ago, Kid Dracula said: After my Arkanoid run I knew I had to tackle the other ball and paddle game. Not nearly as insane as Arkanoid but very challenging in itself! I stocked up on a few lives on level 3 with the triple ball and finished it. Working on those pain points! Bro, how are you going to clear Thunder & Lightning and then be so nonchalant about it as to not even name the game in your follow-up post? That one is harder than hell! I couldn't do it years ago when I was playing it for weeks on end. I started some Tecmo NBA, but I had to turn it off in the 4th Quarter with the Blazers (probably the best team in the league) trailing by 30. Obviously, I need to practice and remember how this is played because I've done it a couple of times before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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