Rush'n Attack

I'm finishing the month of January with the Nintendo Entertainment System by playing the run and gun Rush'n Attack.  Developed and published by Konami, Rush'n Attack was released on the Nintendo in April 1987.  While the game is technically a run and gun game, you don't actually get to use a gun (there is a bazooka you can grab) as you use mostly your knife. 

The game is based in the Cold War (the name itself is a play on Russian Attack) and you take the spot of a green beret who is sent into enemy bases to destroy their secret weapon.  You start off each level by jumping out of a plane and parachuting to the base.  It's that simple, you just drop in and start running through with your knife. 

So the enemies themselves are not that different, there are three different types of enemies in the first level: the green soldier, the yellow soldier and the red soldier.  None are all too complicated, they just do their best to out number you and catch you off guard.  The green soldier just runs at you from either in front or behind you, straight at you without jumping or anything.  They just love to take your knife to the face.  The yellow soldiers are a bit smarter, they start lying down, then jump up as you get close and try and run into you.  They're specialty is dying and giving you the bazooka.  The red soldiers are the most dangerous as they jump kick at you as they approach, making them the most difficult to not be defeated by. 

So moving onto the actual level: it, as well, is very straight forwards.  You run across a section with some ladders to climb onto a higher platform and continue until the platform ends.  And then you continue running.  You jump over a few landmines and then get to a second section with an upper level.  The second upper level is a group of missile trucks and you race across the missiles up top until you get to the "boss". 

Now the boss of the first level isn't much of an actual boss, but more of a trap.  As you reach the final section, an alarm goes off and a bunch of red soldiers swarm the screen charging at you, about four at a time.  There are only four groups of them, so the optimum strategy is to use the bazooka and blast as they enter the screen and take them all down.  That being said, if you wasted bazooka shots before then or have a trigger finger then you can try to stab them all, it's not too difficult.  So after defeating them, you finish the level and climb the fence to escape to the second level. 

And so I've played another game and finished another day and finished my first month of games.  It's been 31 days and I'm sort of amazed I've kept it up this long, but it's been fun.  Tomorrow February starts, so I'll be playing another system, moving upwards and onwards.  I'll definently have to come back to the NES before the end of the year (I haven't even played some of my favorite games yet) but I'll start playing some more recent games soon.  Adios for today though.

Legendary Wings

So I'm continuing with the original Nintendo games with arcade roots with Legendary Wings.  Developed and published by Capcom, Legendary Wings was released in the arcade November 1986 and then on the Nintendo Entertainment System on July 1988.  The game runs much like Galaga or any top down flight shooter where you move across a self-scrollig level, collecting power-ups until... this sounds familiar. 

Why does it sound so familiar?  Because it's very much like a game I've played before: Dragon Spirit: The New Legend.  This game is in fact very much like Dragon Spirit, so much so that I had the exact same problem, by trying to use the bomb attack to begin before learning about the regular blaster.

So the easiest way to describe is to describe the differences from Dragon Spirit.  First and simplest, your an angel instead of a dragon.  Yeah, bit simple but it's one of the differences. 

Secondly, this game is harder.  I'm not sure if the game is actually more difficult or if it just seems that way because the enemies swarm so often.  Honestly I couldn't actually beat the first level because there are just some areas with so many enemies.  It wasn't the air enemies, but the ones on the ground because the power ups you obtain seem to boost your regular shot but not your grounds bombs.  So you are using your base weapon to try and defeat all of these enemies that you have to kill each alone that are all shooting at you and you're trying to survive and kill them so you don't have to deal with them when they're behind you and... yeah, it's the swarming that is more difficult. 

So, thirdly, a bit into the level there is this face in the ground and it started to spit smoke at me.  You can actually avoid it (I did in fact get past him when trying a second time), but getting hit by it causes you to fall into the mouth and get swallowed.  The screen at that point starts flashing and saying danger before the game becomes a sidescroller and you get to shoot at enemies.  But in fact I didn't last long before getting killed and getting another game over. 

And so another game has been played and I wasn't even able to get past the first level, but it isn't all that bad.  I am going to play something I'm good at tomorrow, or at least good enough to get through the first level.  Adios for today though. 

Gradius

I'm continuing on the Nintendo Entertainment System today with the very arcade styled Gradius.  Developed and published by Konami, Gradius was released on the NES in December 1986 (very good year).  It is an arcade style side scrolling space shooter (say that five times fast) where you move forwards gathering power until you face a boss at the end of each level.

Gradius is different from most space shooters (such as Galaga) because of it's power up meter.  The meter is six bars long and each time you get a power up, instead of just getting a boost, your option on the meter goes up.  At any time during the game, you can choose what is highlighted on the power up meter and get that bonus.  An example, if you get one power up, the meter goes to level one.  You can choose to get the level one boost, or wait for another power up and get the level two boost.  It gives a bit more strategy to the game, making you decide about better weapons or a faster ship.  The meter also gives a huge downside to losing a life, because you lose all of your power ups, making what may have been difficult to almost impossible. 

So, because the game is very straight forward, I'm just going to describe the power ups avaliable (I'm also quite bad at the game, so I never actually got to the first boss).  So the options are Speed Up, Missile, Double, Laser, Option, and ?. 

The first option (Speed Up) is easily the most useful, you start off slow.  I mean really slow, so being able to boost your ship's speed is a huge benefit.  You can also boost it multiple times, so it it's still too slow after the first boost, you can keep boosting it.  I know there's a limit to how much you can boost it, but for the life of me I don't know what that limit is. 

The next options until ? are all offensive boosts.  Missile simply adds a downward angled missile to each shot you take, effectively covering the bottom of your ship.  If the missile hits the ground though, it actually starts to fly along it until it goes off screen or hits an enemy.  Double gives you an extra shot at an upward angle as well, much like the missile, except without the ground sliding.  The Lase boost transforms your regular shot into a powerful laser that smashes through enemies (I should note that the laser cannot be used with Double, only one or the other).  

The last two boosts are the interesting ones: the first being Option.  Option gives you an extra glowing sphere that flows you around, it shoots when you shoot and can destroy enemies.  They follow you in a snake-like manner and have all the power ups you have, giving you substantially more firepower.   The final boost (?) seems like it should be much cooler then it is, it's simply a shield that sits in front of your ship.  It absorbs a few enemy shots before disappearing and making you gain it again. 

And so I've played another game and tomorrow is the end of the weekend.  I'll continue with something else tomorrow, maybe jumping back up to another platform.  Adios for today though. 

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

As I said, I'm continuing with the Double Dragon series with its sequel: Double Dragon II: The Revenge.  Developed and published by Technos, Double Dragon II was released in December 1988 in the arcade and 1989 for the Nintendo version.  While they both have the same plot, the Nintendo version has significantly more missions and a difficulty to choose from. 

So the story picks up after the first Double Dragon and the game doesn't expect you to guess what's going on; it is very straight forward and let's you read it. So, violence rules the streets of New york after a nuclear war and crime syndicates are growing continuously.  But Billy and Jimmy Lee are brave enough to challenge the syndicates and they are now being called the Double Dragons. The Shadow Warriors, apparently displeased about getting their tails whooped before, attacked the city and Billy's girlfriend Marian (the girl who is kidnapped in the first game) is shot and killed.  And so the Double Dragons are off for revenge. 

So anyways, the game works much like the last one, moving through levels, defeating enemies and then facing a boss at the end.  The controls were changed from the generic punch and kick buttons to a directional format where one button attacks to the right and the other left (punch the direction you're facing and kick in the other).  The new controls are a bit strange to get used to, but not all too difficult.  The game also removes the experience feature it had in the first, meaning you also start off with all your moves, which is a nice change. 

The enemies are a bit smarter in this game, all having their AI increased and being given more moves and the ability to run.  Instead of just charging in like the last game, enemies will now try and flank you and will run to close the distance.  They also all have some strategies that are quite annoying, in the first fight of the level, one of the goons kept jump kicking me right as I was standing up.

Anyways, you keep moving and after a few fights you run into this game's version of Linda who has gone for the mohawk look now.  She isn't wielding her trademark whip immediantly, but the Lindas do make it easy by slowly climbing down a ladder so you can knock them off and almost defeat them with a single hit.  You get to climb the ladder after that fight, and at the very top you face off against more Lindas, this time with the whip (actually looks more like a flail).

Soon afterward you face the first boss: Abo-no... it's not Abobo.  Abobo, though he does appear in the game, is replaced as the first boss by this big guy with a helmet named Burnov.  So he isn't as agile as all the other enemies, but will duck when you try a jumpkick, but the game has a nice uppercut you can do right after landing a jumpkick that is Burnov's weakness.  After a few, Burnov vanishes (dropping his helmet) and then reappears and puts on his helmet to keep fighting.  At this point he doesn't actually change or get harder, so a few more hits and he retreats for good, leaving his helmet as your prize.  

And I've played another game and onto the weekend I go.  Adios for today though. 

Double Dragon

I'm staying on my Nintendo kick at this time with the arcade beat-em-up Double Dragon.  Developed by Techno and then published by Taito, Double Dragon was originally released in the arcade in 1987 before being released on the Nintendo in 1988.  While not one of the biggest franchises on Nintendo, it did spawn four direct sequels, a movie and cartoon before the 3D era of games came along.

The game follows the brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee (Billy is the only playable character in the NES) as they fight against the Black Warriors who have kidnapped Billy and Jimmy's love interest.  You go through different levels defeating the Black Warriors before finally reaching their boss at the end of the final stage: the evil machine gun wielding Willy.  On the original Nintendo, after defeating Wily you have another boss to defeat: you brother Jimmy Lee, who is in effect a clone of you, for the true final battle to see who is the better brother.

So you start off in the streets and fighting a few random goons.  They aren't too difficult to defeat, but with each one you beat another enters the screen until they are finally complete.  You move forwards from their to reach the first armed enemy: the whip lashing Linda.  Linda is the only female character in the game but isn't very kind to you, she tries just as hard as anyone else to beat the tar out of you, including bringing a whip to the fight.  To make things a bit simpler against her, you can climb the ladder next to the door she comes out of and just wait for her to climb up.  Hit her when she's close and she'll fall off the ladder but leave her whip, once you pick that up, you're in good condition because you can just wait for her to climb and use it to knock her off.  Unfortunately you don't get to keep the whip past beyond the fight, so once the last Linda is defeated, whip goes byes. 

Continuing on you start fighting more enemies and by this point you should start having enough experience to level up.  Every time you beat up on enemies, you gain a bit of experience and are able to level up and learn more moves.   The levels are displayed using hearts beneath your health bar, the move you have, the more moves you can do.  You start with only the ability to do a basic punch or kick, but quickly unlock the uppercut and spin-kick and then the all powerful jump kick and grab. 

So after being up on another group of enemies you get to the outside of the warehouse and the last section of the level.  There are a few more Lindas, but the first one has a whip, so one good kick gets you an effective free out of the fight.  You beat up the girls and then the warehouse door opens for the end of the level.  After entering it, you have to fight two more goons before the boss appears:  Abobo.

Abobo is a big guy who is all muscle and he just pounds on you most of the game.  He eventually becomes a normal enemy, but for the first level he's the boss.  I started by trying to jump at him to get in close, but being the terrifying enemy that he is, Abobo just punched me out of the air.  Ouch.  But at least the game is a bit kind here, it gives you a quick way to beat him, the pit.  By getting him on the conveyor belt, you can let him sit near the edge and knocking him down once beats him for the level.  That is in fact the way I defeated him, because I don't really want to get beat on by the big guy. 

So another game is played and I shall continue on tomorrow.  I will keep moving with the Double Dragon series and continue onto the first sequel on the Nintendo for the start of the weekend.  Adios for today though. 

Goal!

Still back in the past, I'm playing a game that shows it's age: Goal!.  Developed by TOSE and then published by Jaleco, Goal! was released in October 1989.  It is, very simply, a soccer game where you choose your team and play soccer. Simple.

So the game has a few different modes: World Cup, Tournament, and Shoot.  In World Cup mode, you choose from a few different international teams and do your best to advance through the world cup.  Tournament is similar except you use only teams in the United States.  The most different mode is Shoot which you choose from one of three players and participate in a shoot out. 

I started with World Cup and going through the teams it initially shows it's age.  Most of the teams bring no thought (Argentina, Italy, Japan, USA), but then you get two that make it obvious the game was released in the eighties: USSR and West Germany.  So you in fact can play the iron curtain.  But I decided to just choose USA, I figured why not.  First round is against Holland, so here I go. 

The field is diagonal in design, which while it looks strange, doesn't really effect the game play that much it seems.  You start off in the center of the field and can pass the ball or shoot to try and get a goal.  I started by just running around, trying to find a way past the slue of defenders, but ended up just kicking the ball out of bounds.  Holland gets the ball and advances on me, but my goalie is successful without me and blocks the shot.  Passing the ball forwards more, I try and make a mark, but once again I kick the ball out of bounds.  Holland presses the offense once more and it is rinse and repeat.  I'm not sure at this point I'd say the game is difficult, but perhaps the learning curve is a bit steep. 

I also played the shoot out mode to give myself something different.  You get five shots total, each from a different position.  One of your teammates passes you the ball and it's off for the shot.  There are two defenders to dribble around before trying to shoot it past the goalie, and he seems pretty reliable.  The first shot I wasn't able to get past the defenders, but after that they were just sort of there and no problem.  I did get a few good shots, but maybe the game just requires practice on all fronts, because I wasn't able to score. 

And so another game is played and this day is over.  The weeks seems to be dragging along now but it's half over and I'm on the downward slope now, I shall game once again tomorrow.  Adios for today though. 

Excitebike

I'll continue with on the original Nintendo with Excitebike.  Developed and published by Nintendo, Excitebike was released in November 1984.  The game is another one of Nintendo's franchises (though a true sequel didn't come out until the Nintendo 64).  The game, with it simple appearance, is a motocross racing game. 

The game has three different play choices: Selection A, Selection B, and Design.  Yup, the first two are just "selections".  The titles don't go into any great detail with what they are, but it isn't difficult: Selection A is a race where you have no one else on the track, Selection B is a race which includes other racers to fight against.  Design is easily the most enjoyable of the choices, you get to create your own track to race on. 

Anyways... I started off on Selection B (no reason to race if there is no one to race against).  You begin as the red racer as the race begins, you gun it and start the race.  The game's difficulty comes from mostly doing your best to stay atop your bike.  As I started the race, trying to catch up with the other racers, but at the first obstacle (some pot holes, they don't actually knock you down, just make you go slower) I swerved to avoid the pot hole and hit the back of another bike and fell.  So at that point it's a matter of waiting for my racer to get back to his bike before I can start again. 

So there are quite a few ways you can fall off the bike, of course running into the back of another racer is one (you can actually cut off other racers and clip them to make them fall too).  When you hit jumps, depending on whether you are holding forwards or back will change how you lean, and if you land wrong, you fall as well.  You also have a temperature gauge at the bottom of the screen which you have to keep an eye on.  As you hold down the gas, it builds, and if it gets full, you have to pull over and wait to cool down.  A nice benefit the game has is there are arrows on the track, that if you race over you get your head gauge near empty and can keep going. 

And so I've played another game and it was a nice trip to the past.  I'll continue on with the Nintendo again tomorrow (I really do have quite a few NES games left to play) and will keep on enjoying myself.  Adios for today though.

Kung-Fu Heroes

So I'm playing another short game today: Kung Fu Heroes.  Developed by Nihon and published by Culture Brain, Kung Fu Heroes was released in 1988.  The game is a simple top down beat-em-up that seems like it was likely ported straight from the arcade.

The game itself is very simple, run around a single screen while enemies appear, beat them up, and then exit through the doors at the top.  You play as either Jacky or Lee and have two abilities, punching and doing forward flips to stomp on the enemies.  It's not all too difficult to get used to, but it does only use two buttons.

The first level is just two types of enemies that endlessly appear until you unlock the doors: one is a guy who punches and another is a guy who does the flip.  Both spawn and walk onto the screen, awaiting you to defeat them.  The punch is the better of the attacks in this level, because while the flip keeps you moving, the enemies who use the flip themselves in fact cannot be jumped on.  The only other thing to watch for is the small sections of water that you can walk into because you apparently cannot swim.  After defeating an arbitrary number of enemies, you get to move onto the second level.

In the second level, much like the first, is another stream of endless enemies to defeat.  New ones are introduced with more annoyances.  There is first the spearman who walks forwards, thrusting his spear every once in a while.  He's easy enough to dodge and hit, he doesn't turn or anything, just goes in a straight line.  The other new enemy is this spring thing that wanders around; you can try punching it, but it'll chomp your feet so you have to jump on it. 


And that is Kung Fu Heroes, incredibly simple to understand and even easier to pick up.  So another game is played and I shall continue on tomorrow, nothing complicated to say today.  Adios for today though.

Star Fox

I continue on with big Nintendo franchises today with Star Fox.  Developed by Argonaut Software and Nintendo and published by Nintendo, Star Fox was released in March 1993 for the Super Nintendo.  The original is a straight forwards rail shooter, you fly alone a predetermined path with the ability to fly around to dodge shots and aim at enemies. 

As you begin the game, you first get to choose your control type, and then the game begins.  At first you get to choose between the first three levels, for simplicity I've decided on level 1: Venom.  At the beginning of the level, General Pepper informs you that you are counter attacking Venom as a last resort... and that's level one? 

So as you fly forwards across the level, the controls are very simple: move and shoot at enemies.  Being my first rail shooter in a while, I am quite horrible at hitting enemies, but dodging their shots I'm not bad at.  You allies (Slippy, Peppy, and Falco) make appearances every once in a while to talk about the battle.  Slippy kept asking if I saw him at one point, making me think that perhaps I had hit him at one point as he flew in front of me.  They also complain a bit if you shoot the enemies they are chasing, which is sort of funny. 


So the level is built on polygons, so its pseudo-3D has everything looking a bit blocky, but it is still discernible.  There is one section with a few arches before you enter what is obviously suppose to be a city.  The enemies keep coming as you go through, at one point Peppy flew in front of me with an enemy on his tail; he starts asking for assistance before the enemy kills him, an interesting addition. 

And a bit after that I was under the assumption I was about the be facing the boss, mostly because a health bar titled "Enemy" appeared in the top right hand corner of the screen (a real detective am I).  So the boss of the first level is a large ship with a hanger bay to my right that releases fighters to attack me and a missile bay on my left that shoots a few missiles at me.  I have to shoot each of them as they attack to do damage to the boss and lower his health.  Once you destroy one of the two sections, they explode and fall off, and after destroying both, it's just me and the main ship.  But I wasn't paying all too much attention and didn't see all the shots the main ship shot and I'm down quick. 

So the level starts again and I'm back at the beginning, slightly obnoxious, but the level wasn't too long so it's not too much of a bother.  The level moves quick and I'm back at the boss once more and am much more comfortable controlling the ship and hitting things, so the hanger and missile bay both fall off quick.  The ship starts to shoot it's bolts at me, but I'm quicker and stronger (and it's the first level) so he goes down as quickly as I did the first time. 

And another game is played and the work week will be starting again soon.  I think I'll move off Nintendo now, since I've gone through almost a full month of their games, or perhaps I'll just stay on them for the rest of the month... I'll figure that out tomorrow I guess.  Adios for today though.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

I continue on the Super Nintendo today with a game that came out near it's release: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.  Developed and published by Nintendo, Link to the Past was released in November 1991, just a few months after the Super Nintendo release.  It takes the next step with one of Nintendo's franchises and introduces many of the items that have become staples to the series. 

So the game and story begin with Link asleep in his uncle's cabin.  The mysterious voice of Zelda makes you aware that she is captured in the castle dungeon and needs rescuing.  So your uncle wakes you to let you know that he's going out and will be back in the morning, leaving with sword and shield in hand.  Of course, being the hero, you chase after him, but not before opening the chest and grabbing a lamp that you can't use at the moment (you need magic power, and you don't get any for a bit). 

And out into the pouring rain you go, heading north towards the castle, but there is a guard protecting the front gate, and with no weapon, you are a bit out of luck against him.  Continuing on along the wall, you move up a path until you find some bushes that you can pick up and throw, and beneath one is the secret entrance to the castle. 

So of course, I drop in. 


Once entering the castle you find your uncle, he lies against the wall, having been defeated by someone in a sword fight.  With his last breath, he mumbles something about how you must save Zelda and gives you his sword and shield before explaining how to do the spin attack (useful).  So you quickly leave the basement and are within the walls of the castle and must enter the castle to reach Zelda.  Entering the castle itself is just a matter of getting by the three guards and walking in the front door (death by plants is the easiest way to do it).  So once inside the castle, you must run to the back and go down the stairs to get into the basement where the princess is being held. 

In the dungeon, first you must defeat a guard to grab the key he was holding and then can grab the map out of the chest he was guarding.  You continue through, dodging or defeating guards as you go (you can actually knock the guards off the platforms and see them panic before falling to their doom).  You finally get to another room where you are forced to face a guard to receive his key and you can open the chest for his boomerang. 

As you continue on, you finally reach the prison where Zelda is being held and face the first "boss" of the game.  He's not a true boss, but the closest thing to one this early in the game: an armored guard who has a flail.  There are two tactics that work well against him: the first is to enter the first cell and grab the pots to throw at him, the second is to toss your boomerang at him to stun him before beating on him with your sword.  Either way he goes down relatively quickly and without a problem.  So once you defeat him, he drops the big key and you open the next cell to rescue Princess Zelda!  Yes, you in fact rescue the princess almost immediately in the game. 

But from there I will continue playing but not writing, and another game is played and another day is done.  I'll continue with more games tomorrow and on from there.  Adios for today though.

Spiderman & Venom: Separation Anxiety

So after a depressingly bad Nintendo 64 game, I'm moving back onto the Super Nintendo for games I know won't depress me with Spiderman & Venom: Separation Anxiety.  Developed by Software Creations and published by Acclaim, Separation Anxiety was released in June 1995, just a year after Maximum Carnage, which it is very like.   Separation Anxiety is your general Beat 'Em Up action game were you move across the levels fighting enemies until you face the boss at the end.

The game's story is much like the Venom: Lethal Protector comic, it follows Venom after being captured by the Life Foundation, who have spawned five symbiotes from Venom.  Venom teams up with his foe Spiderman in order to stop the Life Foundation and their symbiotes.

So as the game starts, you get to choose either to play with Spiderman or Venom (if it's two player, player one is Spiderman and player two is Venom).  So the game starts in the city streets, you move forwards and start fighting enemies. The first level's enemies are simply street thugs (most taken from from Maximum Carnage), from the simple trench coat to the thugs wearing bulls-eyes on their shirts. None of them are difficult and they all go down quite simply to being beaten on. The most dangerous part is when they begin to surround you and get on either side, so when you start to beat on one, the other hits you.

So I continue moving forwards, beating on random thugs, when I remembered that each that each of the enemies does something different.  While the trench coat is straight forward, the bulls-eye has a jump kick, which he heavily telegraphs so that you know it's coming.  As I continue forwards more, a girl with a pony tail appears as another type of villain. Unlike the other enemies, the girl is smart: she blocks.

Anyways, I decide to be a true wall crawler, jump onto the wall and begin to climb up it. After hanging around up there for a bit, I just jump down and kick someone on the way... mostly just because I can.  But continuing on, after beating on the enemies for a bit more, the music fades and then a new tune starts and it's boss time. So moving backwards a bit towards a large alley, I meet the first boss a giant robot that is called the Digger. It's pretty bulky but incredibly easy, move towards it, beat on it for a bit, then move away; it goes down quite easily and quickly.

And so another game is played and I'm significantly more entertained then I was for the last one.  I shall continue into the weekend for the next one.  Adios for today though.

WCW Backstage Assault

Today I'm moving up the technological line, back to the Nintendo 64 with WCW Backstage Assault.  Developed by Kodiak Interactive and published by Electronic Arts, Backstage Assault was released on the Nintendo 64 and the original PlayStation in December 2001.  It was WCW's final video game before being bought out by Vince McMahon and the WWE (then WWF) and attempts to differentiate itself by being entirely based on backstage matches (hence the name). 

So Backstage Assault doesn't have a true story mode (much like many wrestling games), the closest thing being Hardcore Challenge, where you face random opponents until you face the champion to win their title.  Of course, I'm not really in the mood to face a couple matches, so I'm just going to do the basic Exhibition.  When starting the match, you can choose a few options, from difficulty to ways to win and time limit.  I left it on default, which seemed good enough for all options. 

So glancing down the available roster (there are quite a few characters that have to be unlocked), there are a number of older wrestlers who have no reason in this point (2000, when the game was being developed) to wrestle in backstage matches.  From Kevin Nash to Hulk Hogan to Ric Flair to Bam Bam Bigelow to the Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart, the game has much of WCW's older roster.  There are a few younger names you start with initially (David Flair and Captain Cajun to name two), but the incredibly limited roster before unlocks is disappointing.  So finally deciding on a match, I'm placing myself in the shoes of Sting against his longest rival, Ric Flair. 

Now I'll be honest, I don't know any of the controls for this game, so the first match will more then likely just be me messing around and getting beaten on until I figure out the buttons... but that's how it works.  It shouldn't take too long, the Nintendo 64 controller doesn't have that many to fiddle with. 

So the first thing that strikes me as the game starts is how horrible the graphics are.  I mean, they are terrible, not even as good as the graphics on the Super Nintendo games I've been playing.  I understand that there is a lot of unlockable content, but that doesn't mean it has to look this bad.  This is at the end of the Nintendo 64 life, it actually was released after the GameCube, there is absolutely no reason for the graphics to be this bad. 

So the match starts and, much like I said, I'm getting the pulp kicked out of me by Flair as I try and figure the controls.  The movement is simple enough, but the buttons just seem unresponsive.  It didn't take long to figure out how to strike, I've drop kicked Flair about six times in a row now, but using different moves is still baffling me.  Grappling also seems much more difficult then it should; I've actually grappled Flair about five times, but I always just seem to let go, no matter what I hit.  I guess this is a good reason to read the manual before playing. 

Anyways, I figured out how to pick up a chair that is just laying around and start getting back into the match, bashing Ric with it when he stands up (can't figure out how to hit him when he's on the ground, I'd figure it would be the same, but nothing is happening).  But then the great thing happens, after a certain number of shots, the chair breaks.  And it just doesn't break, it shatters into pixellated blocks.... really? 

And I'm actually too bored to want to continue this game, I didn't expect to do this, but I'm not continuing this game.  It's just too bad, I can't play it.  So tomorrow I'll look for something else, something enjoyable, something playable.  Adios for today though.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble

I'm continuing the Donkey Kong Country series with the third and final game on the Super Nintendo: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble.   Developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country 3 was released in late November of 1996, just a few months after the Nintendo 64 which significantly hurt its sales.  In this game you play as Dixie from the last game and you are introduced to her baby cousin: Kiddy Kong. 

The game starts off with both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong being captured by the evil robot KAOS, who is actually controlled by K. Rool from the first two Donkey Kong Countrys (he is now known as Bare K. Roolenstien).  The good Baron is controlling an area that Donkey and Diddy had gone to on a fishing trip. 

So since I hate the first world of this game (the levels are a bit of a bore), so I'm skipping forwards a few worlds to one I find more interesting.  I shall start on the fourth world of Mekanos, an island that had multiple factories built on it and has been heavily polluted by KAOS and K. Rool.  The first level in the world goes by the name of Fire-Ball Frenzy, it introduces a new enemy: this stupid little owl that flaps around in the background of the level, shooting fireballs at you from a cannon it holds up. 

So as you run through the level, you are mostly dodging fireballs as you move forwards.  The other enemies are minimal, there are a few porcupines that you have to worry about, but the biggest danger is simply the level (including the owls since you can't actually get rid of them).  So you run past the owl's fireballs and avoid the lava pits, climbing across ropes to move forwards.  There are actually a few points where you actually run past a few of the owls, having to time yourself so you don't get hit, then you climb up onto a platform and have to pass the same owls while hanging from a rope, going in the opposite direction.  One of the more repetitive parts is a point where you actually pass in front of one owl eight times before finally leaving him behind, darting back and forth on different rope lines and dodging his fireballs. 

But of course one level won't do it, I moved on from there to the bonus world of Krematoa.  In Krematoa you use the bonus coins you've collected within the game to pay this crazy Bear named Boomer to blow up some rocks between each of the levels.  The first of these levels goes by the name of Stampede Sprint.  In the level, Dixie and Kiddy are transformed into Ellie the Elephant, and as you start the level, Ellie becomes terrified by a few rats and she's off to the races. 

Yup, the entire level is Ellie running scared from the rats, she doesn't slow down to the very end, having to jump with some pretty good timing to avoid porcupines, some chomping kremlings, a few charging kremlings and then buzzers.  So you try and jump early enough to dodge the first enemy, but late enough to be able to land and jump again to dodge the second, but then still early enough to land and go under a flying enemy.  The running continues for the rest of the level, jumping up and down to avoid it until finally get to the end and can stop racing. 

And so I've completed the Donkey Kong Country series on the SNES and will be moving onto another game tomorrow.  Perhaps back to the original Nintendo (I have quite a few games to go on it) or maybe onto another system... maybe not even one made by Nintendo.  Adios for today though.

Donkey Kong Country

I'm moving back to the first of the series I began yesterday, to Donkey Kong Country.  Developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country was released on the Super Nintendo in November of 1994.  It reintroduces Donkey Kong in his first lead role since the original Donkey Kong. 

The game begins with Donkey Kong bursting out of his jungle tree house at the base of Donkey Kong Island.  You can enter Kong's Banana Horde through the entrance beneath the tree house and see the horde is empty and the bananas have been stolen.  So Donkey Kong, together with his friend Diddy Kong, must trek up the island to defeat King K. Rool and retrieve the stolen bananas.

The first level consists of a straight forward run through the jungle, grab bananas, stomp on the gnawtys and kremlings.  A bit into it, you get your first chance to meet an animal buddy: Rambi the Rhinoceros.  Rambi allows you to charge through the level pretty much unimpeded, he even unlocks a few secret areas by running into the walls.  Unlike the sequel, the secret areas aren't mini-games but simply hidden areas to grab extra bananas and extra lives.  As you get to the end of the first level, the sky slowly begins to darken before you go into the exit cave. 

The second level begins much like the last one ended, dark and stormy as you exit the cave.  Donkey Kong Country is pretty good about having each level transition into the next.  It keeps the generalized jungle throughout the entirety of the game, so the transitions are relatively easy.  The second level is mostly rope swings from treetop to treetop.  The game gives a bit more of a challenge then the first level by allowing the life loss if you miss a jump and fall into one of the pits and there are some jumps near the end where you have to jump over some ziggers (hornets). 


After the second level ends, you meet your first "helpful" Kong: Cranky Kong.  Cranky takes his time to ramble on to you about how much is wasted in this game and complain to you about everything while bashing you on the head with his cane.  He is nice by randomly throwing in a hint to you between the complaints and rambling though. 

The game continues much like the first two levels, and while each level is a different design, it seems a lot quicker then the sequel.  Each of the levels seems a lot shorter and, at least in the first world, gives you an easy route to finish the levels.  An example, near the beginning of the first water level, you get Enguarde the Swordfish and the level is just a matter of time from there.  The game is also a bit quicker because without the bonus stages, the secret areas are just extra areas and there is no feeling to go search for them beyond just completing the levels. 

So the first world completes with a boss fight, and the first boss is a cake-walk as you face the Giant Gnawty (beaver).  The Gnawty hops towards you sorta menacingly, and then you jump on it's head, it coughs, laughs a bit, then goes after you again.  After a few bounces, the Gnawty coughs a few times then collapses and the boss is defeated.  And you get your prize: a giant Nintendo banana.  And so another game is played and another day is done.  I'll finish the Donkey Kong Country games on the SNES tomorrow.  Adios for today though.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest

So today I move on from the NES and up onto the Super Nintendo with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest.  Developed by Rare and then published by Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country 2 was released in November of 1995.  It carries on after the original Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and continues with the platforming and kremling-stomping of the first. 

The game begins with Diddy Kong on a pirate ship.  Once entering the cabin, Diddy finds a note from Kaptain K. Rool stating that he has captured Donkey Kong and he is demanding the banana horde that he failed to obtain in the last game as ransom.  Why a crocodile wants bananas I honestly don't know, but he wants them.  So Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie Kong must travel across Crocodile Island to save Donkey from K. Rool.  Each of the worlds has a few different levels until the end where each world has a boss to fight. 

So I began the first level, rolling over rats and grabbing the first DK barrel to free Dixie and continue on through the level.  So as you move forwards, the game is very kind at the beginning, at one point the game builds an A in the shape of bananas to teach you how to piggyback on one another to reach the first bonus stage.  The bonus stages are new to from Donkey Kong Country, they allow you to play a quick mini-game to grab bonus coins, which are in turn used to unlock the Lost World levels, which enable you to complete more of the game.  The first bonus stage gives you 20 seconds to "Find the Coin", which in this case simply consists of climbing a few barrels and reaching it. 

After coming out of the bonus stage, you are placed near a crate with a Rhino image on it.  Break the box and you meet the first of your animal buddies: Rambi the Rhinoceros.  Each of the animal buddies do different things that the Kongs themselves cannot, such as Rambi's super charge that lets him bust through doors.  This charge gives you access to the second bonus stage.  After exiting that one, you're near the end of the level, running past the No-Rhino sign (Rambi turns into a green balloon that gives you two extra lives) and jump on the target and watch Diddy pull out his boombox to party before the end. 

And the levels continue mostly like that, getting more difficult the further you get into the game.  The first two worlds actually give you a bit of kindness, each level having a warp near the beginning to complete it immediately... useful for speed runs or if there is a level you just don't like (me and the swimming levels). But besides the levels, there are the other Kongs who are around to give hints and help out.  There is Wrinkly Kong at Kong Kollege who can give you guidance and save your game.  There is also Swanky Kong who runs a game show where you can win extra lives.  Then there is Funky Kong who runs a flying service that can reach any world that you've already visited. 

And the final Kong, back by popular demand, Cranky Kong.  Cranky runs the Monkey Museum and is in the game mostly for comic relief.  He rambles on for a bit the first time you meet him, asking about Expresso the Ostrich (one of the animal buddies from the first Donkey Kong Country) and mentions about him being replaced by a spider.  Cranky does offer some hints about the levels in the game, giving a bit of info, but nothing all too useful. 

And another day is done and I shall move on to another tomorrow, more then likely continuing on the Donkey Kong Country line.  Adios for today though.

Ghosts N' Goblins

I'm continuing on with the Nintendo games today with one that is arguably the most difficult game on the original system: Ghosts N' Goblins.  Developed and published by Capcom, Ghosts N' Goblins was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986.

The game begins with Sir Arthur and the princess sitting having a nice moment together before a demon (Satan) appears and kidnaps the princess.  Arthur grabs his armor and runs after them to save the day.  You must race through six side scrolling action levels before facing Satan to save the princess... but it doesn't end there.  The game reveals it was a "trap devised by Satan" and you must restart the game from the beginning on a higher difficulty and do it again. 

So I began in the first level, running forwards through the graveyard with my armor and my lance in hand, zombies ahead of me my first targets.  I was doing well enough stopping zombies that appeared in front and behind me, but then I ran into a problem, I forgot that the tombstones are actually part of the level, got stuck against one before being hit by a zombie.  And now I'm just running around in my boxers.

I'm serious, you get hit and Arthur loses his armor and runs around with only his boxers on. 

I can't make this stuff up. 

So I'm now killing zombies in only my boxers, have to make sure not to get hit again because the next one would make me lose a life.  So I reach a section where you have a choice of two paths (high ground or low ground) and I decide to grab the low because it's flat, but that may be a mistake.  There is a plant above me that may give me some problems, it's spitting fireballs at me... the dirty herb.  I keep moving forwards and unlock a new weapon: the torch.  It's pretty cool, you throw it forwards and it doesn't go the full length like the lance but when (if) it lands it creates a pillar of fire that kills anything that runs into it. 

As I keep moving, this ghost thing appeared and my torch doesn't seem to be hurting it and.... I'm a frog!  The ghost thing turned me into a frog.  Oh dear, this doesn't bode well.  And with absolutely no defense, the zombies get me quite quickly. 

So I continue on with my next life and I have my armor back and am not a frog, so I am definitely better off then I was.  I quickly switch weapons again (they just sort of appear randomly) and I have a knife; it seems to work just like the lance except throws faster.  So I run past where I was turned into a frog with no sight of the ghost and run into an enemy I know I don't want to deal with: the red demon.  It rises into the air and hovers in one end of the screen before spitting a fireball at me and diving down before going back to hover on the other side of the screen.  He follows me until I defeat him, so I continue on, hitting him when I can. 

As I continue, I reach the most dreaded thing I can face: water.  Yes, there are water and platforming with a floating platform that I have to cross and I still have to worry about the demon.  So I drop to the platform, and as I'm jumping out, the demon swoops down and squeaks by me.  I mean, I'm pretty sure the sprites touched it was so close.  So I continued and found a new enemy, some armored floating ghosts that I cannot hurt.  This game doesn't have a learning curve, it just gets harder...

But I'm getting better, with a dagger to the face I kill the demon!  Woohoo!  And the next floating ghost wipes me out.  On to the next life.  I start my next life about where I died, go past the water and enter some wooded area and find another new enemy: flying red spirits.  They appear from the mists and float across the screen, lower and do it again before vanishing.  And I don't get very far before one actually appears on me... and I'm done for.  Ouch.

So another day and game is complete and I shall move onto something else tomorrow.  I didn't actually play something I was good at today, but it was at least enjoyable, and isn't that the purpose of games (hey, it's why I'm doing this).  Adios for today though.

Dragon Spirit: The New Legend

I move away from the sports game this weekend and move into the arcade territory, playing Dragon Spirit: The New Legend.  Developed by Namco and published by a combination of Namco and Atari, Dragon Spirit was released in 1989.  The game runs much like Galaga or any top down flight shooter where you move across a self-scrolling level collecting power-ups until you reach and defeat the level boss.  Then you start a new level and do it again.

So the game begins with you as the hero Armu, disguised as a Blue Dragon, finally about to fight the serpent demon Zawel.  You begin flying through the castle with a few simple enemies: a few fliers and some plant looking things on the ground.  The two buttons actually do different things, with one shooting a blast straight ahead and the other shooting a bomb shot a bit forwards, so you actually must use both to take out the enemies whether they are on the ground or in the air. 

So you continue on a bit and get to face Zawel, and he's simple.  He flies around with a staff to block your shots and a crescent flying off his head every once in a while.  You simply fly around and dodge the crescent and then shoot him when he moves his staff, very simple and straight forwards.  He really isn't difficult, and since he's basically the tutorial boss, he's not suppose to be.

Since it doesn't take too long to beat him, you do that and then get some nice story.  Armu saves the princess Zawel had captured, gets married and has twins... that was quick.  But it continues.  Armu becomes ill from the fight with Zawel and dies... that was quick too.  They apparently don't want you to be the same hero, but you in fact are the original hero's son: Lace.  So a new villan, Galda, appears and begins to conquer, before capturing Iris (Lace's sister).  As Lace, you take your father's sword (which enables you to turn into a new blue dragon) to take on Galda. 


So you start from the title screen and begin once more.

The new first level is the Paleozoic Era, where the ground is frozen and the water flows... for no apparent reason.  The game is like most scrolling shooters, like it was in the tutorial level, with just shooting, except now you can get some nifty power ups (you could actually get them in the first part, but they actually appear more often now).  You get the power ups either from killing the flashing enemies or shooting the egg looking things on the ground.  One of the cooler ones lets you get extra heads and have more shots.  Of course if you get hit, you lose your head as your life goes down. 

So as I went through the level I came to the realization that I'm not very good at scrolling shooters.  I tend to simple get overwhelmed quickly, stop paying attention and get hit a few times really quick.  One of the more annoying deaths was against a new enemy that appeared, they crawl on the ground for a short time before leaping up and flying towards you.  The first couple are just on one side, so I would just fly towards them and shoot them before they left the ground, but I didn't pay attention to them appearing on the other side and was taken out pretty quickly. 


But there is another game I'll call done, as I'm not quite good at everything, but I'll move onto something else tomorrow.  Perhaps something I'm good at.  Adios for today though.

Golf

Today I'm playing a short game with very little I can actually right about.  I knew this would happen eventually, all the games can't give me a lot of good stuff to write about, but there are just some games that I won't be able to write about... this will be one of them.  Today I am playing Golf.  Developed and published by Nintendo, Golf was released in October of 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

In Golf, you play with a guy who looks a lot like Mario and play golf.  There isn't that much more then that, you either play it alone or with a friend.  The controls are simple, you choose your club and your direction, press the button to start your swing, press a second time for power, and a third for accuracy.  And now you know the game, let's play some Golf.

So with my first swing, I hit the ball left and straight out of bounds.  I'm about as good at this game as I am at real golf apparently.  Second swing, I hit it right and barely keep it in bounds.  Try again and criss cross it to the other side of the course, but at least closer to the hole.  The next swing puts me closer to the hole, but also straight into the bunker.  I'm slowly learning this game, sort of.  My next swing takes me out of bounds... bah-humbug.  I finally get out of the bunker and onto the green and then finally finish the first hole (nine swings, horrid). 

So there isn't that much to say about this game, I'm not sure there is much more to describe it.  It's Golf... it's golf... and that's about it.  So I finish this game and shall move onto one with a bit more... substance tomorrow.  Adios for today though.