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Sarge
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Sarge Sat May 13, 2017 11:36 pm

ExedExes wrote:Image
I'll tell you the easiest form. It's the blue/orange colored one, where it gets "legs" and moves back and forth across the screen. If you stay on either the left or the right edge of the screen, it won't be able to kill you. Just jump and shoot!

For me, I lock my eyes on that form and get it about 90% of the time on that one.

I've played this game for years and can beat Normal very comfortably and Hard when I get decent runs through to the end, not losing many lives and surviving stage 5. But watching the Cinemassacre playthrough showed me an easy way to defeat the boss.

I'm also enjoying all the Contra talk!

Yeah, that's a good one to aim for. However, the grey and red one right next to it scares the crap out of me, so I don't go for it. Seriously, I need to learn to dodge that in the rare case I get it. I really should start aiming for the spiky one that gives all the powerups, because to one side, you've got the one you mentioned, and on the other, it's the "surround you with junk" one. That's easy if you've got a bomb or a decent weapon.

Also, the brain lets you do the same thing, just go to the edge of the screen and blast away. You don't get in as many shots, though. I love the rock one, as mentioned before, just because of that programming quirk. Seriously, that should kill you! I actually discovered that watching Mike Matei's video that was posted earlier in one of these threads. So awesome. (The blue bubbles still suck, though.)

I still don't like it as much as the NES entries, but I can certainly appreciate the game. It's just that slide towards more bosses makes it less fun for me, and while the stage bits are fun on Normal, they're just not very fun on Hard. Still, I've got that Stage 6 run down pat. I may eventually go for a three-life only run, I figure the only real barrier with that will be the missile boss, which still gets me a few times. But I should have plenty of lives by that point, too. :D

I'm so looking forward to taking down Contra: Hard Corps. I think I'll have beaten all the good ones, anyway, except for Shattered Soldier. I don't know if I'll ever really go at that one seriously. It's the whole "wall content behind your hit rate" thing that I don't like.
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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Xeogred Sat May 13, 2017 11:43 pm

From what I've played of 3 so far, yeah it's a pretty different flavor honestly and I'd say I like the NES games more too. Contra 3 seems like a gauntlet of minibosses from start to finish. lol
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Sarge
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Sarge Sat May 13, 2017 11:54 pm

That's exactly what it is, and Hard Corps doubles down on that even further. You've also got Alien Soldier from Treasure, and it shows in that game, too, with it being practically just a boss rush. Spectacular looking and playing game, though.

You have to admit, though, those setpieces are wild. Seriously, there's just so much ridiculous stuff in the game. Also, I've mentioned it before, but Neo Contra, despite not being a sidescroller, is really good, and the guys over at My Life in Gaming covered it this week (along with the awesome Blaster Master: Blasting Again and Gunstar Super Heroes).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9LCBKPUwzw
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dunpeal2064
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by dunpeal2064 Sun May 14, 2017 1:13 am

Sarge wrote:That's exactly what it is, and Hard Corps doubles down on that even further. You've also got Alien Soldier from Treasure, and it shows in that game, too, with it being practically just a boss rush. Spectacular looking and playing game, though.


Phew, 3 of the greatest action games ever made in one post. I got hot just reading this.

The NES Contras are still fun, but Contra 3, Hard Corp, and Alien Soldier are S-Tier run 'n gunnin. Bigger explosions, better AI, more bosses (Never thought I'd see a dislike for more bosses!), better setpieces. For me they not only take their original content, but the entire genre, and crank it up in a way that hasn't been matched yet.
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Segata
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Segata Sun May 14, 2017 1:40 am

Forgotton Worlds on PSP.
PSP is the worst system to play this on to me. I don't have the money nor the room to have a nice mame arcade so PSP will have to do.
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by dunpeal2064 Sun May 14, 2017 1:43 am

Segata wrote:Forgotton Worlds on PSP.
PSP is the worst system to play this on to me. I don't have the money nor the room to have a nice mame arcade so PSP will have to do.


The 16-bit ports are pretty solid! If you want the arcade version though, the ps2 port should suit you well, since it lets you use the analog sticks for authentic spinner action
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Segata
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Segata Sun May 14, 2017 1:57 am

Yeah I should some day. Be nice next to my version 2 on Xbox.
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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Xeogred Sun May 14, 2017 8:12 am

I don't recall liking Alien Solider too much, but I'll give it another shot soon. I really want to tackle all of Treasure's old Sega stuff.
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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by PartridgeSenpai Sun May 14, 2017 8:43 am

Partridge Senpai's 2017 Beaten Games:

1. Tales of Hearts R (Vita)
2. UPPERS (Vita)
3. Volume (Vita)
4. Overlord: Minions (DS)
5. Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
6. Overlord II (PS3)
7. Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii)
8. La-Mulana (Remake) (PC)
9. Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
10. htol#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (Vita)
11. Blood Bowl (360)
12. Dead to Rights: Retribution (360)
13. Bioshock Infinite (360)
14. Bioshock Infinite: Burial At Sea Part 1 (360)
15. Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Part 2 (360)
16. Singularity (360)
17. Seifuku Densetsu Pretty Fighter X (Saturn)
18. Ultraman: Hikari No Kyojin Densetsu (Saturn)
19. Donkey Kong 64 (N64) (repeat)
20. Song of the Deep (PS4)
21. Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 (GCN)
22. Banjo-Tooie (N64) (repeat)
23. Wario Land (VB)
24. Yakuza HD Edition (PS3)
25. Yakuza 2 HD Edition (PS3)
26. Vanquish (PS3)
27. Watchdogs 2 (PS4)

28. Pikmin (Wii)

While I have technically completed Pikmin before, I've never actually gotten all 30 parts, nor have I ever beaten it on the Wii before, so I'm not counting this as a repeat. The Wii version isn't the best way to play these games, but they're still really fun regardless. I imagine it's a LOT harder to do a deathless run on the Wii version though :P (mostly because you can't direct the troop's direction and the way you wanna throw them in different directions (the L-analog stick and the C-stick are both bound to your pointer)). It took me 17 days to beat it, and one of those days was literally carrying the piggy bank another couple inches to the rocket because I just baaaarely couldn't do The Final Trial all in one day.

It's been longer than I thought since I last played Pikmin, because I honestly didn't remember it being so short! I beat it in just 4 or 5 hours, as each day is like 15 minutes. I think I'm getting a little better at the multitasking parts of the game. I would let half of the troop start building a bridge or knocking down a wall while I let the other half come with me to fight some stuff or whatnot (and usually die horribly to bulbears).

Commenting a bit more on the Wii port, it's pretty good. There was only one time where I noticed any significant dip in framerate. It also seems like the Pikmin don't group up together nearly as much as they do when you used the C-stick on the Gamecube version, but maybe that's just me remembering 2 more than 1. The one good thing about the Wii port that you literally can't do in the Gamecube one is call Pikmin from veeeery far away, since you can only throw Pikmin so far, but you can whistle to them from anywhere you can reach the pointer with, so that's nice.

Verdict: Recommended. I'd still recommend the Gamecube version over this purely for ease-of-control reasons, but it's still a fun, short game. It's a nice stepping stone to the better 2 and 3, which feel more like fully fleshed out games than this, in retrospect.
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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2017

by Xeogred Sun May 14, 2017 11:47 am

1. Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (PC)
2. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter* (PC)
3. Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter (PC)
4. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (PC)
5. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (PC)
6. Deadcore (PC)
7. Yakuza 4 (PS3)
8. Hyper Light Drifter (PC)
9. Doom 2: Valiant (PC)
10. Resident Evil 7 (PS4)
10. Doom 2: Ancient Aliens (PC)
11. Doom 2: Vanguard (PC)
12. Doom 2: Doom 2 The Way id Did (PC)
13. Doom 2: Community Chest Pack 4 (PC)
14. Doom: Doom The Way id Did (PC)
15. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (PC)
16. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 (PC)
17. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (WiiU)
18. Dishonored 2 (PC)
19. Kirby's Dream Land (GB)
20. Kirby's Dream Land 2 (GB)
21. Super Mario Land (GB)
22. Super Mario Land 2 (GB)
23. Mighty Final Fight (NES)
24. Kirby's Dream Land 3 (SNES)
25. Trip World (GB)
26. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Genesis)
27. Aladdin (Genesis)
28. Streets of Rage (SMS)
29. Bare Knuckle (Genesis)
30. Bare Knuckle 2* (Genesis)
31. Bare Knuckle 3* (Genesis)
32. Marchen Adventure Cotton 100% (SNES)
33. Earthworm Jim* (Sega CD)
34. Ghouls'n Ghosts (Genesis)
35. Contra (NES)
36. Super C (NES)
37. Final Fight 2* (SNES)
38. Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)

* replay

I did it boys!

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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haha. Not going to lie here though, I did boost up those lives to 7 after all... still took a few attempts for the final level though and I still wouldn't say I have that one down very well. The weird alien crawler head thing that can ram into you, it was hard to get through that one without taking a hit sometimes. All the vertical spam would be raining down and I'd be in his face blasting away, but then he'd shoot that beam at you. After that, the Ridley-esque boss pissed me off a lot, but was pretty easy to handle if you had the Cluster. That's IF. Still wasn't hard to take down after you figure out the patterns, but it took awhile and drains out my patience making me anxious. The level just kept going throwing everything and the kitchen sink at you, I had no clue what the final boss was. The huge alien head after that was a tough one because of that stupid snake that would twirl around and ram into you, I could never figure out a safe spot or any patterns. Seemed like sheer luck. Then there's Krang! Some of the forms were quite easy while others, again that stupid twirling snake like form really pissed me off. You could duck and take cover, but that didn't mean you were safe in that one spot the entire time that thing would slither back and forth. It was chaos. The blue orbs one was pretty tough as well, along with that weird grey boulder rock form or something, the hit detection on that part was insanely weird and hard to figure out. Finally... got through it though, only to see the game pull a Ghouls n' Ghosts on me and that I didn't see the true final boss. Then I rewatched Mike Matei's video (I have been off and on, I'd get through a level a few times then see how he would, but didn't watch ahead while playing this so I could experience it myself) and so I did see the final boss...doesn't look too tricky based off his video, if you have Homing at least.

The final boss on the 4th level is probably one of the most anxious battles I've ever played and of course, I had to replay this level a dozen times over. Good lord I'm having a hard timing thinking of another boss that makes me sweat that much. It's not even that hard either... but you're in the damn air, riding freaking missiles, having to constantly jump and maneuver between missiles, while this carrier is constantly shooting crap at you and explosions cover the screen. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen.

I actually don't think the 5th level is that hard at all. Especially when I realized the spinning maneuver with the shoulder buttons helps a lot. But the boss was a royal pain and I can't say this idea was cool or fun at all, so it's the stinker part of the game for sure. Cluster, Fire, and Laser seemed to help the most, but it felt like pure luck and was a lives sink sometimes. You can at least get some bombs and good weapons on the worms before going in, but still.

It seemed like level 3 was the real roadblock. Probably played it like 20 times haha. But once I got a grasp on that level and a good feel for the game in general, it felt like I handled the next stuff ahead a little better. Again, kind of like Contra and Super C, the final level itself seemed quite easy to me... but then there's 10 some bosses that are the game changer.

Overall it's hard to say which I like more between this and the NES games. They're definitely a different flavor. This is basically Bayonetta 2 decades before Bayonetta 2, every single inch of the game is an insane over the top spectacle with traditional ideas and normality thrown out the window. Personally for me, making it a bit scarier than the NES games, because there are so many boss battles with intricate patterns and gimmicks you have to master, your life feels far more delicate. It's crazy.

S rank on the music, controls, graphics, etc again for sure. This holds up perfectly. In a lot of ways, I absolutely love how this is basically the Konami answer to Capcom's Super Ghoul's n Ghosts, another one with the one hit deaths (though sometimes two if you've got armor). So it seems like the kind of have some of the same philosophies. I grew up loving Ghouls and wish I spent more time with Contra. But better late than never.

Recently though, I talked about how I generally don't like one hit death games. But I want to revise that thought a bit. In Contra's case, or Thunder Force for another random example, I don't mind it at all when you instantly respawn. You at least get a few chances to instantly learn and adapt to your mistakes. So I didn't use save states at all for the Contra games. On the flip side, when I ran through Ghoul's n Ghosts for the Genesis earlier this week, I definitely used them at times. When you die and are slowly thrown back to a checkpoint, it's those types that I really have to be in the mood for and don't always love. Of course there will be exceptions, nostalgia tied to some old favorites, and I won't turn those games down, but yeah. Super Ghouls being a nostalgic case here that I'd give the pass too. But anyways, games with instant respawns like Contra I have no issues with.

Damn good stuff I'll have to keep plugging away at and might be able to master on Hard someday to see the real ending myself.

Next up, Operation C and Hard Corps.

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