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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by prfsnl_gmr Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:02 pm

alienjesus wrote:At least we can all agree that Donkey Kong 94 is fantabuloso though, right?


+1

I love, love, love that game. So good. As I wrote in this thread, the sequel (Mario vs. Donkey Kong) is a bit wonky, but I still ended up really liking it. Recommended if you are a fan of DK 94.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:10 am

Started up Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 yesterday. As marurun noted, it has some good ideas, and I’ve enjoyed the levels I’ve played so far.
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Sload Soap
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by Sload Soap Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:23 pm

Started up King Kong 2: Ikari No Megaton Punch for the Famicom. It's by Konami so the game looks and sounds great, even if it only has the one overworld tune. It's a sort of Zelda style top down adventure except there isn't one continuous overworld with dungeons shooting off. Rather you move between worlds by finding doors hidden under scenery (that Kong can smash with impunity) in the worlds that move you to the next world. Or sometimes three worlds ahead. Or sometimes to another part of the world you're in now. Or sometimes it's just an item...look it's a bit of a mess and very confusing at first. Thankfully the worlds are all pretty distinctive so that helps it feel less maze like.

Kong has some good heft to him shaking the screen when he jumps but his punch doesn't have much reach and you can only punch up,down,left or right so you will take damage. KK can also chuck rocks which are a bit hit and miss because of their arc. I save them for bosses.

I will admit to using the continue "cheat" to get through as 3 lives is and no continues is very harsh considering the numerous dodgy pitfalls there are in certain levels.

I like it enough, it is unique and daft even if it does suffer from dodgy hit detection.
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Gunstar Green
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by Gunstar Green Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:26 pm

King Kong 2 is an imperfect game but it's a really fun game. I feel like it would have done well in the west but I'm sure there were plenty of licensing hurdles.
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BoneSnapDeez
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by BoneSnapDeez Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:22 pm

Hope to be joining you soon, Sload Soap.

Found an eBay seller with King Kong 2, Crazy Climber, and Saiyuuki World in his wares. Now I just wait for their arrival.

In the meantime, prfsnl_gmr needs to play King Kong 1.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:19 pm

BoneSnapDeez wrote:Hope to be joining you soon, Sload Soap.

Found an eBay seller with King Kong 2, Crazy Climber, and Saiyuuki World in his wares. Now I just wait for their arrival.

In the meantime, prfsnl_gmr needs to play King Kong 1.


You mean the Atari 2600 prequel to King Kong 2? The first in the epic series? The one later reimagined by auteur video game designer Michel Ancel? :lol: No.
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by Sload Soap Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:30 pm

I beat King Kong 2. I do feel better about the game than I thought I would especially after spending what seemed an eternity searching for the mythical 8th World. Was also not best pleased to then discover a warp room from the final 9th world back to the first screen of the first world. Top quality trolling, Konami.

It's sort of weird though as I feel that the milling around smashing the piss out of all and sundry searching for hidden doorways kind of is the point of the game and what makes it unique. You learn the worlds, few screens are totally worthless and it also means, like Mega Man, you can try out other areas if you get stuck on a certain part. It's a pretty decent kaiju game as well with a nice sense of weight to Kong and some cool use of scale for its locales. It doesn't have a lot to do with the film it's based on but it's my understanding that film sucked anyway.

Solid recommend, would not begrudge someone using a faq though.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by prfsnl_gmr Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:30 pm

Making good progress on Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2. It is a unique puzzle game - completely different from its GBA predecessor - and while there are some superficial similarities to Lemmings, I think it actually plays more like a RTS game. That is, to solve a puzzle efficiently, you have to manage the actions and movements of multiple moving parts simultaneously, and you typically can’t view all of them at the same time.

It’s fun and engaging, and the levels are generally pretty short. Each can be completed in a minute or two, and since the “par” scores aren’t too high, I can usually get a gold star in each level with only a few attempts (again, in contrast to the game’s GBA predecessor).

Finally, the in game graphics are nice, clean sprites, and the animated cutscenes look great. There is, however, an occasional drawing of Mario or Donkey Kong that looks distinctively off-brand. (It’s like something you’d see on a piece of Mario furniture from the ‘80s.) That can be kind of jarring. Also, some of the stock sound effects sound a bit cheap. (Mega Man Powered Up has the same issue.) The music is solid, though.

I am about 3/4 of the way through the third of nine worlds. I am hopeful I will be able to finish the game before the end of the month.
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by marurun Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:06 pm

Sounds like this title is a lot like Mini-Land Mayhem. I haven't been able to make any more progress, but I'm going to this weekend.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: March Together Retro: Arthur, Monkeys!

by prfsnl_gmr Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:19 pm

marurun wrote:Sounds like this title is a lot like Mini-Land Mayhem. I haven't been able to make any more progress, but I'm going to this weekend.


Despite being Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2, I think it’s really the first game in the mini-Mario series, which now (somewhat amazingly) spans five or six games. I bought all of them before I played any of them, and this month’s TR gave me a good reason to dive into the series.
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