Philosoraptor

Thanks! You too! Congrats on beating The Amazing Spider Man! I'm honestly not a big traditional RPG guy either, at least not until the PS1 era. For various reasons, even the touted and praised classics like Chrono Trigger and FF3/6 haven't been able to hold my attention long enough to see them to completion, despite multiple attempts. I haven't played any of the FF Legends games, but I do know that they're actually games in the SaGa series, not Final Fantasy. The only one of those I've played was Unlimited Saga on the PS2, and...let's just say it wasn't for me. I'm not sure who it was for. Yeah. I would have really liked to see more variety, too. Funny enough, I initially bought Sports Collection because it has a dodge ball game on it. I know of at least two others: Battle Dodge Ball and the mediocre Kunio Dodge Ball game I played earlier this year. A Kunio Volleyball game exists as well. I get why licensing issues or imagined disinterest prevented Banpresto from releasing basically none of their games in the USA, but I wonder why we didn't get certain Kunio games. We got River City Ransom, Nintendo World Cup soccer, and Crash 'n' the Boys, but why did we not get stuff like the multitude of other Game Boy games, the SFC games, or the hockey or basketball game for the FC? Did they really think the hockey and basketball game wouldn't find an audience in the same part of the globe where the sports were invented? This is one of my childhood games, but I've never beaten it, or any Mega Man game, for that matter. I need to fix that. Good luck, and congratulations on your milestone!

Heavyweight Championship Boxing is KO'd. I played the Japanese version, Boxing (DMG-BXA) included in the Sports Collection (DMG-ASCJ). I'm sensing a pattern here, Tonkin House. Boxing is entirely in English. Gameplay-wise, changes were again minimal from Japan to the States. In Heavyweight Championship Boxing, there is square to the center of the screen to indicate when your punches will hit or miss. Aside from that, it's the same, at least to my untrained eye. Most of the changes were made in the "translation." Heavyweight Championship Boxing added the text "The new, undisputed, heavyweight champion of the world!" to the ending instead of just rolling the credits like Boxing. Also, the boxers got worse names and sometimes completely different nationalities (thanks Activision!): Mai Taison -> "The Champ" Rocky Star -> "Lightning Lou" Joe Ibuki -> "Tokyo Thunder" Eiwa Akai (Japan Champ) -> "Johnny Jab" (Australian Champ) John Wild -> "Lefty O'Hook" Aporo Food -> "Mike Mauler" Mister Tonkin -> "The Hitman" So, is the game good? It's fun enough, and once again nothing was unbalanced or broken. It's got some depth and neat mechanics, too. The game wants you to try to sell out for your K.O. punches to knock down opponents, but because of how difficult it is to block anything, I just ended up throwing punches in bunches to down everyone. On a side note, I beat this game fast enough to be considered third on the Speedrun.com leaderboard... ...Because there are only two scores submitted. PODIUM, BABY!!!

Malibu Beach Volleyball is done. I played the Japanese version, Seaside Volley (DMG-SVJ) included in the Sports Collection (DMG-ASCJ). Seaside Volley is almost entirely in English, aside from the name of the game on the title screen. The text on the ending screen text is a bit different, too. Gameplay-wise, the only difference I noticed was that Malibu Beach Volleyball shows an "X" where the ball will land, whereas Seaside Volley doesn't. I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing, since I saw some people in gameplay videos being misled by the X in Malibu Beach Volleyball. I ended up just watching the shadow of the ball. I think this is a pretty well-executed, no-frills volleyball game. It's fun, and no element or strategy seemed broken, which seems rarer than it should be in old sports games. The computer difficulty is also fair, if not a tad easy. The only gripes I have are very minor. There were some situations where the game selected the player I wasn't expecting when trying to return spikes, and there were also times where the game interpreted my player as too close to the ball to dive, but not close enough to hit it. I also never figured out how to jump and block opposing spikes, but that's fine. I won a lot of points because the computer struggled to block spikes, so I don't think that's a winning strategy in this game. Good times

Glad to see another On the Ball fan! Such an underrated game. After going back and playing Super Mario Kart and F-Zero and without owning either as a kid, I actually prefer F-Zero. I know I'm in the minority, but the smooth controls of F-Zero are what do it for me. However, I also agree with there being a lot less content. No complaints on the placement. This new batch of reviews is making me really want to play some of the SNES games that have been sitting on my shelf unplayed, like Brandish, Dragon View, and Pilotwings. I just beat Final Fantasy Adventure, so I'd like to give Secret of Mana another try, too. Great writing as usual! My favorite review in this batch was your Harvest Moon one. The story you told was both heart wrenching and heart warming. I'm so sorry for your loss, and thanks for doing what you do.

Final Fantasy Adventure is done. I don't play many RPGs, especially old ones, so this was a nice change of pace. Of the four FF games on the GB, this is the one I was most looking forward to playing. The combat is really, surprisingly great. I was expecting the Secret of Mana hit detection, but it's much better here. If you have the map that originally came with the game or if you Google what the original map it looks like, getting places is pretty straightforward and there's little moon logic (outside of some palm tree shenanigans) for an RPG of that time. Weapons double as tools to use outside of battle, like using your axe to cut down trees. There are lots of bosses and dungeons, and most dungeons have a Zelda-lite feel to them. It's fun, and relatively short. It took me about 15 hours to beat. But, on the negative side, it also has: So, yeah. Kinda torn on this one. I think it's (probably) better than the average RPG on the console, but not quite amazing. But I can't complain too much, because through it all, it remained fun.

R-Type is done. There were only 6 stages, even on the second loop. This is the screen you get for clearing loop 1. This is the first R-Type game I've played extensively, but the hardest stage by far is the fourth one, followed distantly by the first and the fifth. Sadly, a lot of the bosses just amount to shooting the Force detachable ship part at a specific location, moving out of harm's way, and pressing A a bunch. I'll be excited to try other entries in the series, but this one gets a solid "meh" from me for the uneven difficulty curve and the one-note bosses, despite how cool the laser that bounces off of walls is. Edit: Just popped in R-Type for the Sega Master System, and it's a night and day difference (duh). The third boss has a LOT more variety and substance to it, and the cut stages are also interesting. The stages present in both games are mostly the same with larger or more enemies. Lots more bullets coming at you, too. Based off what I see in the SMS version, I think they did the best they could do considering the hardware limitations. The larger sprites and fewer bullets on the GB version make for a smooth, easy-to-see gameplay experience without a lot of flicker or slowdown, but also make for easier gameplay. It also has a lot less Gradius syndrome than the SMS version. I take back my initial "meh;" it's pretty good.

Kirby's Star Stacker is done. I really, really enjoyed this game. More than I expected after I got the gimmick, actually. It's rare for new ideas to come up in the "falling block" puzzle genre, but they managed to do it. You get a picture of a companion after each difficulty is cleared, so here's all 5 and the select screen showing all 106 rounds done. I also felt like completing Round Clear mode didn't require elite chain building skills to beat, which I appreciated. It strikes a good balance of thought-provoking puzzles and having to make smart plays whenever possible.

Kirby's Block Ball is done. I'm a bit biased on this one. I've owned this game since I was a kid, and pre-Pokemon, it vied for my favorite game alongside Donkey Kong. I still think it's just as great today as it was way back then. Side note, I'm experimenting with propping my screen name up against the TV instead of frantically trying to grab it like a doofus, hold it up to the TV, and quickly take a picture before the end credits disappear. So far, so good. I am, however, afraid the amateurish, portrait-style pictures with poor lighting are here to stay. @Splain, I hate to keep bothering you with questions, but what's the scoring policy on playing Japanese versions of games we got NTSC versions of? For example, I have Dragon Tail (Nail 'n' Scale). If I were to beat it, would that be worth 6 points like the NTSC version, 3 points because it's a Japanese game, 0 points because it's not a Japanese exclusive and not the NTSC version of "Nail 'n Scale," or some number of points in between?

Marble Madness is done. There is no end screen, so I looped the game twice and got to the fifth stage before running out of time. My thumb just started betraying me by the end of it all. It's alright. Stage 5 is janky, and the stage 4 start jump can be absolute trash. This version is definitely easier than the NES version, since it only has 5 stages. It's missing the final race from the NES version, which is the one I struggle with the most.

I wasn't expecting to get lost in gaming this month, but I've felt like a kid again playing games for the NES and Game Boy beat every game threads. Big-time thanks to @Splain and @scaryice for hosting and updating those threads, and to @Reed Rothchild for this one. My initial goal this year was to beat 20 games total, but I ended up beating 36 this month. I don't think I've ever beaten 30 in a year...or if I have, it was before high school. Certainly not since I've been keeping track as an adult. I think this might have been the best month of the last two years for me. Admittedly, some of the clear conditions for the NES games were relatively easy, like play a game of Golf, Double Dribble, Bandai Golf, or Soccer, but the rest were more than that. I'm going to be using the clear conditions outlined in those threads for most of my "beats" this year. I still have 5 more SHMUPS to beat to knock out the "genres" portion of my backlog list, and I want to beat games for a bunch of other consoles and threads this year, too. January completions: NES Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach Baseball Stars Blades of Steel Bomberman Contra Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr. Double Dribble Golf Kirby's Adventure Kyatto Ninden Teyandee Metal Storm Pin Bot Pinball Pinball Quest River City Ransom Soccer Super Dodge Ball Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 3 Tecmo Bowl Tetris GB Blades of Steel Bubble Bobble Part 2 Daedalian Opus Fortified Zone Goal Mario's Picross Mole Mania Nekketsu Koukou Dodge Ball-Bu: Kyōteki! Dodge Senshi no Maki Nemesis Pac-Man Pokemon Blue Revenge of the Gator GBA Super Dodge Ball Advance

In a "wut" moment, Nemesis is done. I added 30 lives in spirit of the Konami code, but only needed 4. Maybe I'm finally getting better at these things. I play a lot of top-down bullet hells (Dodonpachi Saidaioujou was sitting in front of my TV in my Pokemon Blue clear pictures), but rarely side-scrollers. Nemesis ended up being a really enjoyable and impressive GB SHMUP. I'll have to come back to it and try B mode in the future. I have a question about this; I own R-Type DX (GBC), which has Game Boy and Game Boy Color versions of R-Type I and II on it as well as DX. Out of curiosity, if I beat (or attempt to beat) the original GB ports of R-Type I and II on that cart, would it count towards this thread, the GBC thread, or both?

I find it more consistent to hold the direction you want Pac-Man to turn until he turns that way. It's sadly pretty spotty if you just press the direction before the turn. Yup! It's after 9.

Pokemon Blue is done. I didn't beat Red because I'd like to see @Foochie776 get those points and knock one off his backlog. This was a Nuzlocke run, my first ever. I've done other fun runs, but not one like this. The rules I used were on the easier side because I didn't know what to expect: Any Pokémon that faints is considered dead and must be released. The player may only catch the first wild Pokémon encountered in each area, and none else. If the first wild Pokémon encountered faints or flees, there are no second chances. A black out/white out is considered to be a "game over," even if there are usable Pokémon left in the PC, and the player must start over. Master Balls may not be used. The Day Care may not be used. This was intermittently challenging with long stretches of being easy. Red, Blue, and Green have balance issues. Brock and Misty, the first and second gym leaders, can be monsters depending on who you choose for your starter. I chose Squirtle, which makes Brock's rock Pokemon easy but doesn't make Misty's water Pokemon any easier. They're hard because there really aren't any Pokemon with super effective moves that you can catch before Brock, and only Bellsprout before Misty. The other balance issue is that there are precious few trainers with Pokemon over level 40, making grinding a bit of a requirement for the second rival battle in front of the indigo plateau and the Elite Four. Their Pokemon tend to be in the 50s and later the 60s. Overall, I only lost two Pokemon. Stupidly, I lost the Geodude I caught in Rock Tunnel to an accidental self-destruct and one of my two Snorlaxes ate a crit Psychic from my rival's Alakazam in the aforementioned rival fight before the Elite Four. I forgot about that fight and my rival caught me with a team full of low 40s Pokemon to his 50s. I'm lucky to have only lost one. I also had one close call in Mt. Moon where all six of my Pokemon were in yellow or red thanks to a trainer's Bellsprout that kept immediately paralyzing or putting my Pokemon to sleep and then spamming wrap. I had to keep switching back and forth to my paralyzed Pigeotto to wait for a Wrap miss and a successful attacking turn. Anyway, on to the screenshots! heheheheheheheh. Gyarados was the carry; it cannot be overstated how broken certain Pokemon are in gen 1 due to how EVs work and the combined special stat. Gyarados is one, and a guy sells you a level 5 Magikarp for $500 right after the first gym. Aside from Snorlax's revenge on my rival's Alakazam, I beat the entire Elite Four and my rival with just Jolteon and Gyarados. 34 hours is longer than I expected it to take, but most of that was me being really careful before Brock, Misty, and the Elite Four. If I play another Pokemon game this year, I'd like to try to get through in closer to 20 hours, which is usually about how long my runs take. I'd also probably level up fewer Pokemon, as I found myself grinding to drag up Raticate and Pigeot's levels to the rest of the team, and impose some more stringent Nuzlocke rules on my next run. Fun times!

Sadly, I don't have any tips because I've never played Wave Race, but kudos for how hard you're going at it and how close you're getting. You'll get it soon! I'm rootin' for ya!

Mole Mania is done! And it's what a puzzle game should be: FUN! Everything is just right about this one. Length, challenge, controls, concept. All stellar. Each world has a new gimmick, too, so nothing gets stale. Now back to playing the last of three puzzle games I started last weekend. I hope to have it done sometime next week, but I might pop in something else in the meantime to stave off puzzle fatigue.

Daedalian Opus is done. I hate this game. I think maybe half of the pentamino puzzles had thought put into them, either by being interesting shapes or by only using some of the pentaminos you are given. The other half were nothing but rectangular-shaped, trial- and error-filled frustrations. And the game gloats about it. "Oh man, this next puzzle has 2,339 different configurations (and have fun putting a bunch of pieces in the puzzle only to find out the last one doesn't fit...tee hee)." Speaking of which, you can rotate and flip the pieces, making for even more trial and error (and an actual total of 18 different shapes.) Several of the crap puzzles were just me spending well over an hour putting pieces in and taking them all back out again only to eventually luck out with the right configuration. The only bright side is that, even though the manual says in several places that there are 42 puzzles, the NA version only has 36. It may be one of the only times I've been happy we got less content in a game than Japan. So, no, Dr. P, it hasn't been "radical." You bastard. Or maybe I'm an idiot. ...but you're still a bastard.

I wanna be one of the cool kids! One awesome Famicom cart icon for 100+ imports, pretty please!

Fortified Zone is done. A fun, but short game. Definitely one of those "shoot first, ask questions later" types of games. I also dig how massive the sprites were in this game, yet the bullets on screen still were avoidable. Nothing seems cheap.

I just played the first round of the tournament with Toronto and got the same opponent, Chicago, on Pro difficulty. The difference is staggering. I was beating teams by double digits on College difficulty, but I only managed to win 5-4 on Pro. Here's what I noticed: The computer tries to shoot 90% of the time or more from almost anywhere on the ice. They were using it as a way to make super long passes. Manning a CPU ahead of the shooter and intercepting those "shots" was a great way to get more possession of the puck. Because of this shot-first mentality, selling out and putting someone between you and the goalie prevented a LOT of shots. I only got one goal scored on me as a result of a heady pass, and that was only after the AI was swarming my goalie and had already shot twice. Similarly, I don't like passing much. If I don't get bumped a bunch before I get in the offensive zone, I skate in front of the goal, shoot, and let the computer bump me during my windup. That seems like a decently reliable way to score or get a juicy rebound. Quick passes from the goalie help a lot with goalie camping, but it still sometimes happened. If it did happen, quick passes usually were intercepted by an opponent that's further away, which gave me time to react. If they successfully set up camp in front of my goalie, I tried to take out players directly in front of the goalie with the goalie himself as much as possible. Try to man someone between the opponent's goalie and his teammates. I got a goal or two by giving them a taste of their own medicine. Make sure your goalie sticks close to the pipes. I let a couple of bad-angle goals in because I wasn't thinking.

Bubble Bobble Part 2 is done. For whatever reason, only one stage and one boss of the eight gave me significant trouble (as in, cost me three lives), and neither were in the last world. Thank you unlimited continues. I don't know how I feel about this one. I like the ability to bubble instead of having to jump on bubbles, which I always struggled with. But for whatever reason, I think I like the original NES Bubble Bobble more. Maybe it's the long waits after you've killed all the enemies, or maybe it's just not as magical. I've heard similar things of the NES version of Bubble Bobble Part 2 as well, but that's one I'll probably never own. On my "to play" list this year is the European SMS version of Bubble Bobble, which has twice the stages the NES one has. I have high hopes for that one. I got glimpses of that on College difficulty. Goalie camping is real. I found out later that I had more luck just passing quickly instead of holding on to the puck. I also noticed that the AI will periodically swarm the front of your net when it thinks it's time to score a goal, and there's not much you can do about it. I'll have to play it on Pro later and report back.

I just played this game for the beat every NES game contest, and it surprised me. I was expecting it to be a watered down version of Kirby with only a few powerups, but there were actually tons. The levels were bright and colorful, and all of the rockin' music was there, too. I figured it would be a solid game, but I came away thinking it was one of the best games on the console. I got my CIB off of eBay in January of 2014 for a whole $19. Times have certainly changed.

Uhhh...Nintendo... . . . ...OK. Sure. Whatever. Not sure if that's much better (it's supposed to be a scale). Anyway, Mario's Picross is done. I wasn't expecting to spend 20 hours playing picross this weekend, but here we are. Fair!

Goal! is done. Goal was one of the few games I owned for Game Boy as a kid. Why Goal? I have no idea. I don't know what possessed me to fork over whatever portion of my meager allowance or birthday cash it cost. I hated soccer as a kid. ...But when there's nothing else to play, Hell hath no fury like a bored kid on a road trip. Group stage: Super Cup:

Blades of Steel is done. I won on the tournament on College difficulty with Toronto. Yet another game that's way better than it should be. I played Blades of Steel for the beat all the NES games thread earlier this year, and it's a surprisingly solid port. The AI seems more competent, both on your side and the opponent's, and it's not as hard stopping shots from the blue line when you can't see where your goalie is. I only felt robbed once or twice when my goalie decided to pass it to the opposing player right in front of him instead of to someone on my team, but I'll absolutely take that for this era of games.

I thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink Pac-Man is done. This is the third intermission, but I couldn't find any other videos of someone getting the intermission after this one, if there is one. BTW, I got to the third intermission on an abysmal score: about 30,000. I don't think it can get much lower, honestly. I've always been decent at staying alive at Pac-Man, but not at actually getting points.