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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by prfsnl_gmr Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:53 pm

The dragon is slain, and I have beaten Legacy of the Wizard! It is both amazing and terrible.

First, the game is incredibly challenging with a walkthrough, and it is likely borderline impossible without one. There is almost no signposting, and to progress, you have to do things like press down on a random block near a ladder, hold left while you follow a very specific sequence of teleporters, face the bosses with different characters in a very certain order so that the game does not become unwinnable, exploit strange quirks in the block pushing mechanics, etc. The game relishes it’s challenge to the point of cruelty, and I would describe it as one of the meanest games on the NES. (After a particularly frustrating session, I described it to my wife as the NES port of getting tied up and punched in the face.)

Still, the game affords you a lot of freedom, and conquering its challenges is very rewarding. If this were your only game, and you stayed away from a walkthrough, I suspect it would take you months of consistent play to beat the game. Moreover, the background graphics are really varied, making the games immense dungeon memorable, and the music is really solid, almost like something from a Mega Man game. Accordingly, and despite the fact I wanted to throw my controller against the wall a few times, I can’t hate the game, and I can see why it is so well-respected. Still, it’s be a tough game for me to recommend to anyone except the most masochistic players (or those, like me, who are curious about it and willing to follow a walkthrough).
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by prfsnl_gmr Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:06 am

Started up RoboWarrior (a/k/a Bomber King). Loose copies of this game are typically only a few dollars, and graded, sealed copies can be had for an amount between $150 and $200 (compared to $878K for a sealed, graded copy of The Legend of Zelda…). As ubiquitous as this game was in the late 1980s, it isn’t discussed much today, and I’ve never really spent much time with it. I have now, though, and I think it’s actually pretty good!

RoboWarrior plays like a cross between Bomberman and the overhead sections of Blaster Master (which makes sense because the game, developed by Hudson, was intended to be a Bomberman spin-off and the GB sequel was localized as a Blaster Master Boy and Blaster Master Jr. in North America and Europe, respectively). The game is slow to warm up, and it took me many attempts to get through the first level. Moreover, and like Hudson’s Adventure Island, your health drains constantly, which is a bit off-putting. The secrets here, however, are: (1) get out of the way of your own bombs since they will wreck you; and (2) stockpile items, and especially healing items, like crazy. If you do that, the game becomes quite manageable, and I’m now at the third world (of eight, apparently). It also helps to know each item does so you can use them to your best advantage.

The game doles out items generously, which helps, but I feel that the game design would have benefitted from being focused more on accessibility and fun than on depth and difficulty. Once you get into it, though, it’s pretty OK, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else the game has in store for me.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Note Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:28 pm

Congrats on finishing Legacy of the Wizard, prfsnl! I wasn't familiar with the game prior to your posts about it. It looks interesting for sure. RoboWarrior looks fun too, I'm a fan of the Bomberman games, so I think I'd enjoy that title. Good luck with finishing it!

Another game I came across that I wasn't originally planning on playing this month is Eswat: City Under Siege for the Genesis. I came across a copy while visiting a retro store in my friend's area. It's an action platformer by Sega, very similar to the Shinobi games but with a modern, super cop theme. I really like the graphics and music for this title, the sound effects are really good too. I've been able to finish the first two levels without a problem, but the boss of the third level was giving me some issues. After multiple attempts, I finally got the hang of the boss battle in the third level. I'm now having a bit of a problem with the fourth level, but I'm hoping with more practice I can get through the stage.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by prfsnl_gmr Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:39 am

Looking forward to reading about E-SWAT. It’s a game I own several times over, but haven’t played…

I’ve got the hang of RoboWarrior, and while I haven’t beaten it yet, I have some initial thoughts on it. That is, I think it’s a good, but seriously flawed, game. The graphics are solid, and the bosses look great. (The overhead sections of Blaster Master are comparable.) Moreover, the soundtrack, and especially the main theme, is good. The game plays well, and the basic mechanics are solid. Finally, there are well-hidden secrets, and each level is worth exploring thoroughly.

In short, the mechanical foundation is really solid. The design, however, is lacking. First, the difficulty curve is basically flat. I’m over halfway through the game, and level 5-1 is no harder or easier than level 1-1. Second, there are three bad design decisions: (1) your health depletes constantly, Adventure Island-style; (2) certain levels are completely dark and almost unnavigable without a specific hard-to-find item; and (3) your own bombs hurt you way too much, draining almost 35% of your life and ending your game very quickly if you misplace only one of them. Finally…the game is just too long! There are unlimited continues, but no password system. Accordingly, the game has to be completed in a single sitting. It takes hours to play through the game, though, and the gameplay just isn’t compelling or varied enough to justify the game’s length.

I’m over halfway now, and I think I’ll beat it soon. I may follow it up immediately with its (unfortunately expensive) sequel, Blaster Master Boy.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Note Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:10 am

prfsnl_gmr wrote:Looking forward to reading about E-SWAT. It’s a game I own several times over, but haven’t played…


I really like the atmosphere of ESWAT -- the purple skies to start off the first level and the music for each stage and boss music is pretty awesome. I was getting a bit frustrated last night with the fourth level, so I took a break from it this evening. Hopefully with practice I can get past that area.

Tonight I fired up Mick and Mack: Global Gladiators on the Genesis. I had this game when I was a kid, so it was fun to revisit it. The graphics, animation, and sound effects are all pretty impressive. I got to fifth level, which would be the second stage in the Forest area.

I noticed a few issues with the game -- each area has three levels, which are visually similar and have the same background music. I found it a bit too repetitive to be listening to the same exact tune for three levels in a row. Especially since I believe the game is only 12 levels. Another issue I had is, it's a bit tough to see what's coming in front of you, sometimes I was getting hit by enemies before I saw them on screen.

Even with these issues, I still had fun playing Mick and Mack tonight. I'm going to give it another go later in the week, as I would like to try to finish the game.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Nemoide Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:03 pm

I feel a little bad for not even participating in my own month so far, but the summer heat and humidity absolutely destroys my will to play games. But this past weekend I went on a little adventure with a friend to visit 4 retro game stores in northern New Jersey (of which I had only been to one previously). It was an interesting experience: the selection of the more classic retro games (ie NES - Dreamcast era) was lacking, presumably due to the explosion of demand for those games over the past year and a half. I knew prices had gone up but it was still a little shocking to see certain games priced at several hundred dollars. Even little-known Game Boy games like Tail Gator have become unusually pricey. There are still some good quality games that can be found at reasonable prices though! The qualifying games I picked up The Lion King and Warlock for Genesis, Sega Bass Fishing and Sega Marine Fishing for Dreamcast, Batman Returns and Super Columns for Game Gear, and Penguin Wars for Game Boy!

I'm hoping I can actually get some time to PLAY some of these games before the month ends but that won't happen until the weather gets less miserable.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Note Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:17 pm

Nemoide wrote:I feel a little bad for not even participating in my own month so far, but the summer heat and humidity absolutely destroys my will to play games. But this past weekend I went on a little adventure with a friend to visit 4 retro game stores in northern New Jersey (of which I had only been to one previously). It was an interesting experience: the selection of the more classic retro games (ie NES - Dreamcast era) was lacking, presumably due to the explosion of demand for those games over the past year and a half. I knew prices had gone up but it was still a little shocking to see certain games priced at several hundred dollars. Even little-known Game Boy games like Tail Gator have become unusually pricey. There are still some good quality games that can be found at reasonable prices though! The qualifying games I picked up The Lion King and Warlock for Genesis, Sega Bass Fishing and Sega Marine Fishing for Dreamcast, Batman Returns and Super Columns for Game Gear, and Penguin Wars for Game Boy!

I'm hoping I can actually get some time to PLAY some of these games before the month ends but that won't happen until the weather gets less miserable.


Just curious, which was game stores in Northern New Jersey did you check out? I'm not in Jersey often, but I enjoy checking out different stores when I'm passing through. Glad you were able to find some things that fit this month's theme, but I hope you get a chance to play them!

Definitely interested in hearing your thoughts on The Lion King and Warlock. I've heard Lion King can be a tough game but I haven't played it much as I never owned it. I can't say I've come across Warlock before, it looks interesting though. The Genesis box art looks kinda badass.

It's also cool you picked up some of those fishing titles on the Dreamcast. Do you have that fish reel controller by any chance? That's an oddity I wanted to try back in the day but I still haven't. Lol.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by prfsnl_gmr Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:41 pm

prfsnl_gmr wrote:I’ve got the hang of RoboWarrior, and while I haven’t beaten it yet, I have some initial thoughts on it. That is, I think it’s a good, but seriously flawed, game. The graphics are solid, and the bosses look great. (The overhead sections of Blaster Master are comparable.) Moreover, the soundtrack, and especially the main theme, is good. The game plays well, and the basic mechanics are solid. Finally, there are well-hidden secrets, and each level is worth exploring thoroughly.

In short, the mechanical foundation is really solid. The design, however, is lacking. First, the difficulty curve is basically flat. I’m over halfway through the game, and level 5-1 is no harder or easier than level 1-1. Second, there are three bad design decisions: (1) your health depletes constantly, Adventure Island-style; (2) certain levels are completely dark and almost unnavigable without a specific hard-to-find item; and (3) your own bombs hurt you way too much, draining almost 35% of your life and ending your game very quickly if you misplace only one of them. Finally…the game is just too long! There are unlimited continues, but no password system. Accordingly, the game has to be completed in a single sitting. It takes hours to play through the game, though, and the gameplay just isn’t compelling or varied enough to justify the game’s length.

I’m over halfway now, and I think I’ll beat it soon. I may follow it up immediately with its (unfortunately expensive) sequel, Blaster Master Boy.


I beat Robo Warrior. My initial impression was correct. Decent mechanics, but the game’s design is lacking. Moreover, it gets really, really tedious by the end. Interestingly, the game has seven really good boss fights, but only one of them happens in the first part of the game. Four of them happen in the last two levels! It is such an odd design decision, locking many of the game’s best moments behind a couple hours of really tedious gameplay.

I did start up Blaster Master Boy, which fixes just about everything wrong with Robo Warrior. It’s pretty great, and I’ll probably beat it tonight. I’ll write a more detailed review of that game in the “games beaten” thread once I finish it up.
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Nemoide Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:41 pm

Note wrote:Just curious, which was game stores in Northern New Jersey did you check out? I'm not in Jersey often, but I enjoy checking out different stores when I'm passing through. Glad you were able to find some things that fit this month's theme, but I hope you get a chance to play them!

Definitely interested in hearing your thoughts on The Lion King and Warlock. I've heard Lion King can be a tough game but I haven't played it much as I never owned it. I can't say I've come across Warlock before, it looks interesting though. The Genesis box art looks kinda badass.

It's also cool you picked up some of those fishing titles on the Dreamcast. Do you have that fish reel controller by any chance? That's an oddity I wanted to try back in the day but I still haven't. Lol.


I'll just copy and paste the store names/addresses in this spoiler tag, they're all worth checking out!
The Game Zone
106 Broadway,
Hillsdale NJ, 07642
(201) 358-6800

Digital Press Videogames
387 Piaget Ave
Clifton, NJ 07011

Digital Press Springfield
765 Mountain Ave
Springfield, NJ 07081

Level 1 Games
615 Rte 23 S
Pompton Plains, NJ


I remember playing the heck out of Lion King for Game Gear, I know the Genesis version was way more popular and way prettier looking, and I'm hoping it's similar enough so that I can remember how to beat certain stages without dying a million times. All I know about Warlock is that the title screen apparently has a very cool visual effect when you use composite video (like the Waterfall in Sonic 1) and I'm curious about that! Plus it's based on an obscure bad horror movie, so that's also kind of interesting!

I don't have the fishing controller but I think now that I have the games, I might have to bite the bullet and shell out for one. But I remember playing a lot of the demo for Sega Bass Fishing back in the day and had a lot of fun with the normal controller; so it should still be a good time!
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Re: Together Retro July 2021 - Alms for the Poor

by Note Fri Jul 16, 2021 10:30 am

Nemoide wrote:I'll just copy and paste the store names/addresses in this spoiler tag, they're all worth checking out!

I remember playing the heck out of Lion King for Game Gear, I know the Genesis version was way more popular and way prettier looking, and I'm hoping it's similar enough so that I can remember how to beat certain stages without dying a million times. All I know about Warlock is that the title screen apparently has a very cool visual effect when you use composite video (like the Waterfall in Sonic 1) and I'm curious about that! Plus it's based on an obscure bad horror movie, so that's also kind of interesting!

I don't have the fishing controller but I think now that I have the games, I might have to bite the bullet and shell out for one. But I remember playing a lot of the demo for Sega Bass Fishing back in the day and had a lot of fun with the normal controller; so it should still be a good time!


Appreciate the info on the stores! I'm familiar with Digital Press, as I follow them on social media but haven't heard of the others. DP seems to get a lot of good stuff in. I saw they got a haul of Saturn stuff recently, I gotta reach out to them to see if anything is available for shipping. Lol. I digress ...

I didn't realize Warlock was a licensed title based on a movie. I gotta watch a review or some gameplay footage of that game, I'm definitely curious now. My partner loves horror movies, so maybe that'll be an obscure contender for us.

I might have to get one of those fishing reel controllers too. I remember playing the hell out of that Sega Bass Fishing demo with a regular controller as well, good old Sega arcade action. Tough to beat Sega when it comes to pick up and play arcade games.

The next cheap game I'd like to revisit is Sonic 2. Hopefully I can find time to play it this weekend, but if not, it'll be next week.
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