MeganJoanne

↑ I don't think so. Many times games will just be rather generic, very basic in their gameplay, offering really nothing outside of the usual, not to say that is a bad thing, certainly not, but there are a lot more I think that just do what has already been done before with no unique twists. But I think that many times it is better that even if something has been done before, that how well something is implemented is more important, that whatever is used in the gameplay whether a completely new idea or something already done before is done well to offer an enjoyably challenging experience.

Low G Man, love this one. And also that they made limitations on it to keep up the tactical challenge, only being able to shoot forward left or right, while only being able to use the spear vertically up and down to attack. 8 Eyes with using the falcon Cutrus as it wasn't just there as an option but was just as necessary to fight certain enemies that could only be hurt by the bird, but also many times needed the falcon to pull levers to open a door to the next area. And what I loved also about this one is how once you release Cutrus into flight, it flies back and forth in an up and down wave motion automatically changing direction only once it touches the edge of the screen, thus careful timing is necessary when using its attacks to swoop down on enemies. Batman with the wall jump. Okay, so Ninja Gaiden has this too, but what is different is Batman can't hold into the wall, thus the challenge is greater and limited to rebounding from one wall to the next. Sometimes you may find yourself carefully lightly jumping back and forth within a confined space as you wait for the right time to attack or get past an enemy. And this wall jump is a necessary element as stages are set up with this game mechanic in mind. Bionic Commando with the grapple, and better that it didn't simply accompany a jump, there is no jumping thus the grapple is the only means to advance over gaps or to reach higher places, the whole game was set up around using this device. No other games have done it the same way, even later Bionic Commando games have removed it as the only means, giving him a jump as well. The lack of a jump is what made this game unique with the grapple and a challenge set apart from any other. Blaster Master with wall and ceiling climbing. I remember when I first got the wall 1 and wall 2 devices, I was in awe, and this together with the hover and dive adaptors, total freedom and the most awesome vehicle ever. And this tank thingy could jump too, right at the get go. Really kick ass. The most versatile character I played at the time. Bubble Bobble with well, all the bubbles. Encapsulate enemies and pop 'em. But there was more to it than just leaving it at that, you could gather them all together and pop them all at once for bigger points and even bounce on bubbles which was the only way to get up to higher places on the screen, thus offered a form of transportation, bouncing platforms. And what makes this even more challenging is they only last for a certain amount of time and also are affected by currents that blow them along invisible courses on each screen, thus you have to sometimes learn their floating path to succeed in clearing out each room. Ducktales with Scrooge McDuck being able to pogo off of enemies or over hazardous areas. It's like how Mario in SMB bounces off of enemies when stomping on them but even more extreme and can be done any time. Interesting how this is what they thought when they thought up what his hooked cane could do, pogo stick, not using the end to hook onto things, but that was implemented too, with Ducktales 2, yet somehow bouncing was the first thing they thought up for it, odd but it works. Gun.Smoke with how the character shoots at enemies I felt was different, as the A and B buttons have him shooting not left or right exactly but diagonally forward to either side and pressing them both at the same time allows him to shoot forward. Never played another game that did it like this and works great to give that feel of moving through a hostile enemy filled area and just taking out your pistols and doing a quick shot at a foe trying to sneak over on the side of you, then bam, another in the other direction, then aiming both guns forward, pump another bad guy full of lead who thought a direct approach was best, sorely mistaken. The game keeps him ever moving thus it feel more natural to have him only turn slightly to each direction while walking and gave you more forward coverage, always ever constantly the bullets are going towards the top of the screen be it straight or diagonal. Metal Storm as already mentioned, the gravity flip. The game was built around this. Love that upsidedown box art pic, was perfect, no words were even necessary for those who know the game. Great one fox. Metroid with the freeze beam which not only froze enemies but also allowed you to use them as stepping stones, small temporary platforms while they remained frozen. And the Maru Mari, which could be said is no different than a character ducking and crawling but there are strategic limitations and gameplay changes between running around on two legs and shooting at enemies and the only means of attacking in ball form which is laying bombs, which in themselves offers not only a means to blow up enemies and certain walls but can be used to propel Samus up slightly with each mini explosion. Smash TV when using two controllers to simultaneously using the D-pad of one controller to move the character around the screen and using the other D-pad on the other controller to freely fire in any direction no matter which way you are moving. If only more games used this, well thought out and implemented two fisted action due to the limitation on buttons on the NES controller. You can still play the game with one controller but it is so much more fun and fluid with two. Solar Jetman with the gravity. While other games also use the same sorta physics this one changes it up from planet to planet thus always keeping it challenging, unlike Cybernoid and Air Fortress which also had a gravity like feel to the games, though in those you simply drifted down, not much different than Mario or any other character underwater. The thing about the gravity in Solar Jetman is how it actually really feels light or heavy, especially noticeable if you have a weak engine on your jetpod when you reach a planet with heavy gravity and find yourself struggling to get the jetpod to lift off or navigate over simple terrain. Actually feels like I'm in the cockpit and pushing down on the pedal as hard as I can, come on ship, come on, you can make it! And the ship is like, I'm giving it the best I got! Shit, I'm going to need a better engine, or a better ship.

It was a good game, but I only ever played and beaten twice, and that was prior to me keeping records thus don't even know when, but somewhere between March 11th 2001 (when I bought it back then) and December 8th 2002 (when I starting keeping detailed records on game accomplishments back then). I can't believe I never played and beaten it again in all those years. I think if I had grew up with it it could have been a favorite. It just sorta got forgotten, even though it plays well and I found it enjoyable. But I had more a preference for Burai Fighter which is sorta like it but more kick ass and no maze, even though the maze made Section Z more interesting, but I guess not for repeated plays. Odd that I didn't give Section Z any more plays than I had, I did with ones like Gun.Smoke and Trojan which were other early Capcom titles, so it is hard for me now looking back to get why I ignored Section Z all those years after the initial games of it. But Section Z gave me that little something extra to do during my map making days.

Robowarrior was great. I never owned Ninja Gaiden until I started getting used games, before that played the first over some neighborhood kid's apartment, beat that then, and rented the second and beat that then. And then actually owned them later down the road. Still Robowarrior, while not one of the greats there was a time it was one of my favorites long ago. I had a tendancy to go after some of the more odd titles then, also because they tended to be cheaper, stuff usually $20 and under sitting on endcap of Toys R Us just begging to be bought and given a chance. As such was the case with most of those games on my list there.

I dunno if any are obscure, but of the games I owned back then, some of the games I had that were not high profile (my brother and I were the only ones of others that we knew that had these games): 8 Eyes Amagon Astyanax Battle of Olympus, The Blaster Master Conquest of the Crystal Palace (perhaps the most unusual and least known of those I owned) Dynowarz: Destruction of Spondylus Guardian Legend, The Legacy of the Wizard Low G Man RoboWarrior Snake, Rattle 'N Roll Werewolf: The Last Warrior As for ones we didn't have: Mystery Quest (a friend had this, and it always struck me as something odd, that if I had known much about the famicom back then I would think it more appropriate on that than something for the US market, not sure really why, because it sorta reminded me a little of Milon's Secret Castle yet felt even more obscure and I never recall ever seeing Mystery Quest for rental back then) Prior to the NES we had the 2600, but nothing out of the ordinary. Anything after NES and I was already an adult, I was a teen during the NES era, so sorta still a kid.

I like the new logo and mascot design, very nice, perfect actually. Dude definitely looks like he should star in his own game.

Super Mario Bros is the best, that is the game that got me into Nintendo to begin with. But decided since that was too obvious and well outclassed everything else to give another game my vote, Kung Fu. If there weren't a SMB that would be my favorite, it wouldn't have gotten me into wanting an NES back in the day but if it came bundled with it instead of SMB I would have enjoyed it and it would have become a favorite over time.

How I first started to learn, all my focus was just on writing at the beginning. I had a kana workbook and it showed the steps on how to write them and I wrote each one over and over again, committing them to memory. Had it all down in memory in 3 weeks. And then started to learn various words, mostly easy stuff, nouns, animals, nature, stuff like that. Writing helps a lot of remembering, thus is my suggestion if you want to be able to recognize kana to read it, write and read each of them outloud to yourself over and over until you have it and each day review and you should have it soon after in memory. Oh, and don't try to tackle too many in one day, vowels first day or however many days you need : あ、い、う、え、お (a, i, u, e, o), and then next time go with the first group of consonant + vowel with : か、き、く、け、こ (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko), and then next time with the S + vowel, and so on with t, n, h, m, y, r, w, and then the final consonant only ん (n). And that would be for hirigana. Once you mastered those, then do the same with katakana same way. Giving yourself small groups to work with in each for as long as you feel you need to remember then and move on to the next once you got them. That is what worked for me anyway. Found a site that shows the stroke order, click on each kana to see it drawn out (certainly a lot easier than trying to follow just a diagram : http://www.easyjapanese.org/write_hiragana.html

Vizzini : Have you ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Westley : Yes. Vizzini : Morons. - The Princess Bride

Life is hard, and can totally suck, and as bad as it seems at the time sometimes I think we need to be broken first, sometimes many times, and if we can last through that, then we can come back stronger against it. Also, it really helps a lot that one doesn't feel alone through it all, that is about the worst thing, and thus I went some years isolated, just sitting in this dark deep hole I felt into and it was hard just to reach up and climb out of, and actually found myself digging deeper and deeper, I wanted to die, but I didn't, and now I don't want to. So lifts my glass of water, here's to clear bright hopeful futures!

Go in for my first day of work tomorrow, training several days before moving over to overnights. Will be my first time back to working in over 3 and a half years. I'm really excited and also very nervous about that, but also feel confident that I can do it. Thus for the new year look to get even more comfortable with my job and continue to always do good at it. Open of bank account of my own and start saving money for future. But have to wait until I get updated ID in, hopefully will get soon. Continue to cross-stitch. Sad note, I destroyed nearly all of my cross-stitches last year during a mental breakdown which was going to end in suicide, but never got to that point. I totally given up on life and was super deep in depression. Thought I would never even stitch again after that ordeal and the damage I had done, but now I am. Not heavily, but enough to help me realize that I should have kept doing them all along, instead of trying to destroy myself and everything I liked. And even my sister, the one whom tossed my mom and I to the curb many years ago asked me to make one for one of her sons for his birthday so come sometime after the start of the new year once I have a chance will start stitching that. And who knows, maybe someday things can be patched up with family, don't know for sure about that, but one can hope. I topic on here some time ago regarding trying to read some Japanese words in a memorial album somehow sorta rekindled my interest to get back into studying it, but my interest was strengthen even more once I got to becoming friends with ookii_risu so while still also studying french, japanese has sorta take to the front again on language learning. So I will continue to improve and learn more into next year. Get eyes tested and new glasses, one of my old ones the arms broke off of it and I had to come up with something as a temporary fix (paper clips, no shit, and it works) so that when I start working I will be able to see. So yeah, once I get enough money going to get some new glasses. My eyes have gotten worst in that also have trouble seeing super close up so I'm sure the prescription will be slightly different. Continue to build my relationship with my girlfriend and then meet her in person (I can't wait, but thou must). I smile every time I talk to her and think of her when I'm not, she's the best thing that has happened to me since ever so no way I'm letting that one go. I actually for once feel hopeful about my life. Thus why I even got to get up the ambition to stitch again, to get a job again and really pushed for it. I dunno what else, could be lots of different things, but mostly, just to make life great again!

My love to somebody. That's about the most and most important thing I can give.

Ugh, Ghostbusters, had to be a crappy game. Now would be a good time to wash dishes.

What the fuck is this... Stapleman?! Been enjoying watching this.

So when battle first form of Dracula, jump over fireballs, straight up if he is close, or jumping forward over then to get in closer with the whip n jump attack. If you chose to have the boomerang you can also jump and launch one of those to hit him as well. But second form, holy water is awesome, if you have enough to work with. But if not Drac can be manipulated depending on how close you are to him, if really close he'll do a high jump, if slightly further or far away he's do a small forward jump or attack with fireballs.

Yes!

Yep, those stairs!

Wait for Drac to fire first, and then jump over Drac's fireballs when he launches them and whip him in the face once each time during that jump. Also, prior to that fight, get some hearts, going up and down the stairs, be it you chose boomerang or holy water, it will help to have some extra hearts to work with.

Maybe you already have 30 games picked out, but if not I am suggesting one, called Grand Master, it's top down action, a bit of maze and monster fighting with some standard RPG leveling up, basic typical gameplay, nothing unique or extraordinary but does everything well enough. It's not too hard but still challenging, but still can be beaten pretty much first day played at least within a few hours first time, maybe less. You can also play stages in in order. The character also dresses different depending on the area, and can use various different weapons once obtained. And depending on your knowledge of japanese, is only necessary for the cut scenes otherwise not needed during the gameplay. I played this one some years ago and rather enjoyed the game. Anyway if you don't have it already on your list of Famicom games to try to beat, it could be.

Never been so addicted to so few games as I have in recent years which was a good and bad thing. Skyrim State of Decay Fallout 3 Just Cause 2 Resident Evil Revelations 2

Listened to the rest of the Wild Arms series OSTs, all were excellent, beautiful soundtracks. This morning Zero Divide 1 and 2, and now one of my favorites game soundtracks still to this day, Battle Arena Toushinden.

I like my platformers challenging but not torturous. Super Mario Lost Levels, beat that once ever and will never ever play it again, I hated it right from the start and forced myself to stick it out and beat it, and it was a good decision they gave us the Doki Doki hack Super Mario 2 because the original SMB2 would killed Mario for me. Actraiser 2, beat that a long time ago on easy and normal, but I did it, but hard mode... was normal not hard enough? And what I hate is they force you to play on a higher difficulty other than easy in order to fight Tanzra (same shit that Double Dragon 2 does on the NES, why even have selectable difficulties if they are going to screw you out of part of the game?). Actraiser 2 on easy mode was hard but fair, but beyond that, fuck this game! The Super Star Wars games I don't remember the difficulty I played on, probably easy, let me look, see if I have notes on that... ... okay, beat Super Star Wars and Super Empire Strikes Back each on "Brave" difficulty, but as for Super Return of the Jedi, gave up on the game early, wasn't worth the frustration. Now I did beat Contra III on all difficulties and what I hated most in that was the overhead areas, otherwise even on the higher level it was fair, never felt cheap other than the one overhead boss with the moving sand. I could play most games on the default normal difficulty, but aside from just doing it so that I can get that true ending or whatever, I mostly play on easy so long as I can play the whole game, because it's more enjoyable. There are more but my memory on many of the games for the SNES is not as clear as with NES, and I've found that most SNES platformers in general are tougher than NES ones, especially so when it comes to ones with selectable difficulties, because most of the time it is artificially increased by more damage done and enemies taking a ridiculous amounts of hits, no balance, not fun, hard for the sake of being hard and nothing more.

Wild Arms 2 and 3. Only briefly ever played the 2nd game, never played the 3rd, but just in listening to the soundtracks, just like the first game sure makes me want to play them.

Alundra. Exceptional soundtrack. Mylène Farmer (thank you ookii_risu for suggesting her).