rdrunner

Pretty much what I had thought. If ActRaiser 2 had simply reused the exact same system as the first game's action scenes, that would have been fine even without the sim stuff. Other than the new divebomb mechanic, I failed to see any improvements.

Oddly enough, I had a friend come over once who brought Contra and Xenophobe on the same night. It was the first time I had played either game, but I could easily tell the difference even then. That said, I still let him trade me for two of my games (until our next visit of course), as only a good friend would.

ActRaiser 2 (SNES). I think it was about 5 minutes for me. I remember thinking "what have they done?" and shutting it off.

8/10 - Best thing I can say about the PS2 is the library is so diverse that there's something for everyone. Love the system for what I use it for, which is mostly backward compatible PS1 games, DDR, and compilations (ex: Mega Man). Someday I might rate this higher when I get around to actually playing the games that were made for it. So far the most I've done is complete the first 4 fights from Shadow of the Colossus.

"Ha HA ha ha-ha-ha-ha" - Kung Fu "Big money! Big prizes! Iiiiii love it!" - Smash TV "(your name here) has cholera" - Oregon Trail "What can I DO for you?" - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night "Then I must defeat you!" - Ninja Gaiden, Act 5. (A.k.a.: "Why oh why didn't I just turn left to Act 6?")

8/10 for me. Controls could use some tightening and the later levels have some serious Gradius syndrome (though not impossible should you die). Still, it's one of the best early platformers on the NES and one of my personal favorites. I actually played this first in the arcade as WonderBoy, so I'm one of those guys who looks cross-eyed at what happened to the series. Hudson did a great job with this port though.

I think that's the first time I've ever seen anyone compare the two games. Never thought about it, but I see where you're thinking.

CV3's falling blocks is a good one. Yes, Alucard can help, just don't screw it up or you're stuck with 5 hearts on your next life and have to either reset or do it the slow way.

So many choices I could go with, but I'll just pick some of my very first NES experiences. I love these games to death, but if I had to nitpick... Legend of Zelda, Level 7: "There's a secret in the tip of the nose". Sorry, but it's actually more like the top of the mouth. PS: Go through the eye first (not mapped). PPS: We were too lazy to invent a new boss monster for every level, so enjoy the repeat Level 1 boss with your overpowered gear. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, Don Flamenco 2: Every fight in this game is so wonderfully fast-paced and then this guy wrecks it with his empty taunts and tight guard. Bubble Bobble, Stage 57: So I have to bounce on bubbles up the middle of the screen? Without help from a wall?? And the bubbles don't rise on their own??? And the programmers deliberately ADDED this to the original set of arcade levels???? Double Dragon, Mission 4: That. Brick. Wall. Mega Man (1), Foot Holders: Ice Man and Wily 1 have these glitched floating platforms that don't always catch you. Bring your Magnet Beam. Thankfully not brought back. Love the topic!

Anyone who uses the term "Nintendo hard" hasn't played enough arcade games.

10/10 - When I think of the NES library, it almost always begins with the two gold carts. I love all the early Zelda games, and The Adventure of Link is no exception. This game has it all. Expansive world to explore (for it's time), epic musical score, origin of several mainstay Zelda concepts (towns, magic meter, "real" sword fights). And yet, funny how the internet messes with people's opinions. This game was almost universally liked when it first came out. Then we reach the 21st century and everyone's a critic. Some thoughts on common modern gripes: It's not "too hard". In fact I believe that the challenge is one of its stronger points. Okay, so what if we all got killed in Death Mountain the first few times? If 10-year-old me could beat this game with a little practice, it can't be that bad. It doesn't have to be like the other Zelda games. I actually like that it does some unique things. Honestly, I keep looking for more games that use the same ideas (closest NES games are Battle of Olympus and Faxanadu, but why not more?). The RPG elements are NOT a grind. It's possible to play the whole thing without farming for exp. Assuming you actually accept upgrades when available, each area can be beaten with whatever stats you may have. It helps to time upgrades around boss fights so you can maximize the palace statue bonuses. And no, I don't leave them for later. Too much hassle. Long story short, Zelda 2 is easily one of my favorite NES games. I can't imagine the Zelda series or the NES library without it!

10/10 - This "debate" I'm sure a lot of us were waiting for doesn't disappoint. Not much I can add to what's been said. The results speak for themselves: As of this post, we have 40/45 votes of at least a nine or a ten, with 24 tens. In case it matters I'll point out that I'm in the camp that plans on only giving out one ten, so here I go. NES, greatest console of all time.

Day 31: Favorite Selections from Every Participant (trying it the other way this time!) @AverageOliver98 Day 1: Zero Wing, Introduction (Part 1) - Ignoring the infamous content of this scene, the music is good too! Day 15: Naval Ops: Commander, Wirbelwind Theme - Totally was not expecting this. Not much into war sims but suddenly interested. Day 16: Earthbound, Pokey Means Business - His fight is nothing compared to Giygas, but Pokey's song kicks some serious behind! Day 24: Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Wily Tower 1 - Really wanted this game and still annoyed that we never got it stateside. Day 29: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Zero Two - Never played much Kirby, but his music is always great. *And a huge thanks for putting together this challenge together again. Loved reading all the comics as well! fox Day 1: Soul Blade, Intro Day 3: 3rd Strike, Character Select Day 17: Sega Genesis Mini, Menu Day 19: Curse of the Moon 2, Chains of Fire Day 24: Guardian Heroes, Jazzy Sabotage *Never knew the rap from 3rd Strike actually had verses. Only the refrain plays during the actual game menu. Sumez Day 6: Pink Sweets, Tiger Bianca Day 7: Thunder Cross 2, Heavy Metal Bomber (Stage 3) *Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the mechanics in Pink Sweets? I checked a video and saw a bunch of ways to cancel bullets, which I still find odd whenever I see them in such games. Aguy Day 1: Batman, Prologue Day 4: WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap, The Last Dungeon Day 7: John Madden Football, Title Day 10: Spanky's Quest, Tower 5 Day 15: No Straight Roads, Sayu *Terribly sorry for your loss. Hope everything is ok. For what it's worth, I was really impressed by No Straight Roads. ZeldaFreak Day 6: Haunted Castle, Cross Your Heart Day 7: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Ebony Wings Day 10: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Hail from the Past Day 13: Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth, Battle of the Holy Day 24: Castlevania Bloodlines, Beginning *When someone puts 5 Castlevania tunes in one of these lists, it was bound to happen. I like other stuff from the list as well (DKC2 rocks!), but just had to do it. nesmaster14 Day 4: Castlevania Bloodlines, Iron Blue Intention Day 5: Sword Master, Stage 1, Forest Day 12: The Sword of Lxsor Day 17: Super Spy Hunter, by Harmsing Day 29: Doki! Doki! Yuuenchi, Final Boss *Really loved that band playing Super Spy Hunter. Nice pick! sp1nz Day 2: Donald in Maui Mallard, Title Day 4: Gauntlet 4, Sortie Day 22: Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Ice Cap Zone Day 25: Kirby Super Star, Float Islands Remix Day 27: Super R-Type, Solo Sortie *Super R-Type is one of my favorite tracks and I think you picked the best tune from it! AstralSoul Day 4: Sword of Mana, Seeking the Holy Sword Day 17: Banjo-Kazooie, Medley Day 21: Plok, Akrillic Day 23: Extreme-G, Track 1 Day 27: Star Fox, Meteor *Never heard of Extreme-G before this challenge. Sounds intense! acromite53 Day 2: Turrican 2, Title Day 12: Superman, Stage 5 Day 16: Adventures of Batman and Robin Day 21: Target: Renegade, Level 1 Day 23: Sega Touring Car Championship, Don't Drop Me *Loved seeing a Superman game make the list. I still only really like the arcade game, but the Genesis one has the better music. tigerwolf Day 7: Romancing Saga, Beat Them Up! Day 10: Paperboy, Main Theme Day 15: Actraiser, The Beast Appears Day 19: Shovel Knight, Strike the Earth Day 29: Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, In the Final DX *Had to give props to arcade Paperboy. Every fan of the NES version needs to hear this. 0xDEAFC0DE Day 3: Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Menu Day 5: The Messenger, Bamboo Boogaloo Day 10: Rygar, Mt. Primeval Cave Day 12: Supremacy Day 15: Undertale, Dummy! *Probably goes without saying, but pretty sure the Smash series has the best menu selection music of all time (among its other many accolades). PII Day 1: Castlevania Bloodlines, A Vision of Dark Secrets Day 3: Cool World, Stage Select Day 6: Mission Impossible, Moscow Day 10: Back to the Future, The Power of Love x4 Day 17: 16-Bit Wave *Don't give up on Mission Impossible. It really is a fun game once you figure out how to play it. Killer soundtrack too! koi fish Day 4: Meteos, Main Theme Day 23: Sound Voltex 2, Brain Power Day 24: Gain Ground, Dark Ages Day 27: Mario Party 2, Space Land Day 29: Elite Beat Agents, Jumpin' Jack Flash *Love the ending of Elite Beat Agents. Way more dramatic than you'd expect from a game this light-hearted. BONUS: Popular Picks! Cave Story, Title Cyber Shadow, Mekacity Ruins Final Fantasy 6, Intro Hero Quest, Title Puyo Puyo, Final of Puyo Puyo *Always fun when multiple people list the same tunes! Really looking forward to playing Cyber Shadow. Hero Quest sounds fun too...oh wait.

On the original version of StarFox (SNES), it is impossible to get a score of 100% on Fortuna (Route 3, Stage 3). On v1.0, the highest possible score is 87%. Went through a bit of trouble a couple of decades ago searching for a cart with v1.1. Can't tell the version just by looking at the cartridge shell. My local game retailer looked at me funny as I kept exchanging my copy and explaining that it wasn't broken but it was.

I recently posted a 5th place score on "Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition" for Xbox 360. Not really saying much, as the game is clearly not very popular (not sure why, I think it's fun!). I'm sure many people on this site could beat my score with minimal effort. I quit at about 500,000 after playing for about 2 hours. Points come much faster than the original arcade game and you get plenty of bonus lives. Just don't let the timer run out even once or the game ends (very odd). My real best Xbox 360 game is "Splosion Man", where I think I'm still in the top 40 or so for combined points/time across every stage. Sank many (quite enjoyable) hours into that one! Otherwise I'm usually #1 when I filter a leaderboard by my friends list.

Is this scene from a specific game? I saw the text before the pic loaded and half expected the hot spring from Kid Icarus.

Lol, my wife once put "weast" on some test back in school and was given credit for the right answer.

5/10 - My first ever console, fun while it lasted, but ultimately discarded and forgotten when I got my NES. One of the few consoles I've ever owned and decided to get rid of. Caveat: I have PS2 discs with Atari/Activision games in case I change my mind (which I have yet to actually play).

On another note, I still can't get the BravoMan song out of my head!

Custom Mode: No NES games (balancing out from last time's ultra all-NES list). Otherwise anything goes! Day 1 Intro: Flashback: The Quest for Identity (SNES) Day 2 Title: BallBlazer (Atari 800) Day 3 Menu: Super Monkey Ball (GameCube), Alternate Main Menu Day 4 Heroic: Final Fantasy Legend 2 (Gameboy), Heroic Tune - Literally! Day 5 Jungle: Contra 4 (DS), Stage 1 Day 6 Dislike: Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES), Boss - Star Wars: Good. 15-minute fight with swamp monster: Bad. Day 7 Rock: Advance Wars (GBA), Sami's Theme Day 8 Educational: M.U.L.E. (Atari 800) - Realistic economics, unrealistic gambling. Day 9 2010+: Half Minute Hero (X360, 2011), Victory Theme Day 10 Underrated: Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge (Gameboy), Wily Castle - Mega Man collections are rampant these days and yet we still don't have one for this? Seriously, why? Day 11 Sea/Air: Raskulls (X360), Pirats 'Til We Die (Credits) - Song about pirates to conclude a game that isn't about sailing or even water. Day 12 Never Played: Chrono Cross (PS1), Dreamwatch of Time Day 13 Unreleased: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis), Hidden Palace Zone Day 14 Calming: Castlevania (N64), Credits Day 15 Boss: Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES) Day 16 Evil: WarioWare Gold (3DS), Sneaky Gamer Challenge - Every gamer child's nightmare right here. Keep watching for about a minute for the full scene. Day 17 Medley: Rhythm Heaven (DS), Remix 10 - All 25 minigames in one well-arranged package! Day 18 Pumped: Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (Arcade), Crash Man's Theme Remixed - My favorite version of an already great tune. Oddly used for Plant Man's stage in this game. Day 19 Modern Retro: Horace (Switch, PC), Robot's Theme - Seriously the best random $2 eShop sale purchase ever. Day 20 Ice (ish): Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge (Gameboy), Crystal Castle - @ZeldaFreak beat me to this game. Gameboy Castlevania soundtracks hold their own with the rest of the series! Day 21 Follinses: Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge (SNES), Cyclops Day 22 Sampler: Double Dragon Neon (X360), Mission 8 Boss "Marian II" - Heavily inspired by Little Shop of Horrors, right down to the plant named after the girl (Audrey II). The song itself isn't a perfect match, but it has the same fun, upbeat, '50s style. Day 23 High Energy: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (X360), Pac Rainbow Day 24 Sega: Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master (Genesis), Shinobi Walk Day 25 SilvaGunner: DK Rap, Unused Version - aka "COCONUT GUN" Day 26 Classical: Catherine (X360/PS3/Other) - Almost every nightmare stage uses classical music and it's all great, so I just linked to the whole set. Day 27 Space: Gradius 5 (PS2), Stage 2&8 Day 28 Final Stage: BattleBlock Theater (X360) - Epic modern retro finale! Day 29 Final Boss: Final Fantasy 4 (SNES, Various), Zeromus - My personal favorite Final Fantasy needed some love, though you can't go wrong with any finale from this series. Day 30 Ending: Mario Party 3 (N64) - Best iteration of the series has a story mode that ends with a BANG. Goosebumps every time.

Totally agree that MULE on Atari 800 is best version. My computer only has two controller ports, so never played it with four humans. Still, even the solo or 2P experience is awesome. NES version tried some new things that didn't work and ruined the awesome theme song in the process.

8/10 - Another top heavy library, but it gets a pass when the best games rank among the best of all time! The two Zelda games alone were system sellers for me. That and pretty much every RareWare game. I love more than just the "classics" as well. For example, I'm part of the camp that considers Castlevania 64 a great game. And there isn't another puzzle game in existence quite like Tetrisphere! The Mario games were hit and miss for me, as I made the mistake of playing Mario 64 after first completing other games that improved upon the formula. He made up for it with the three Mario Party games, which remain the best of the whole series. I also think this system has the best version of Mario Tennis. Now if only I can figure out what people see in Mario Kart 64. The only things holding me back from giving it a 9 are the problems I've had with replacing joysticks (lots of broken ones out there). Oh, and did people mention carts without side labels? I have no idea what they mean...

As a former drummer, I like a good drum solo. For this reason, the simple loop for Knuckles' theme (and even Act 1 Boss) from Sonic 3 just stood out for me. Then I played S3&K for the first time and immediately went "huh?". The S&K music is great too though. Almost every stage is memorable (except Mushroom Hill). I especially like the Death Egg and the Lava Reef stages. One other thing: That video forgot to compare end credits themes. Sonic 3 has an entire song, while S&K mostly just remixes the stage music. This is well done, but I wish they would have come up with something special for S3&K here that included both games (at least a bigger, more inclusive remix?). Simply reusing the S&K credits song was disappointing.

Did that. To be fair, it wasn't an accident. It was a video rental. Honestly, I like the locked on S3&K, but prefer some of the music from Sonic 3 that gets swapped out (ex: title screen, Knuckles' theme). Not sure why the first half of the combined game couldn't use the Sonic 3 music. Great game(s) though!

Yup, mostly the key collection and decision making process. Ex: You have one yellow key and two yellow doors. Which one should you open first? Then multiply that by a few hundred keys and even more doors. There's usually more than one right answer, though there are times that a wrong choice or two will end your game (unless you know where to find the Undo option). If you're into this sort of thing, it can be a lot of fun to map out a good route through Castlequest, both for speed running and max score. It's actually possible to collect all the little trinkets throughout the game though with a couple of exceptions: 1. There's one item that is out of reach due to bad jump controls. 2. You end up unable to reach the princess and beat the game after using up too many red keys.