Last Retro Game You Played? What Retro Game Are You Currently Playing?

ZeroJones wrote:

As for Lost Levels, a combination of save states, perseverance and a cheeky warp from 5-1 to 6-1 has put me in 6-4. Keeping Fire Mario for as long as possible is a recommended tactic - ruddy Hammer Brothers and Red Piranha Plants!

Would now be a good time to admit that I can't legitimately beat Super Mario Bros., unless it's in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe form?

Gunstar Heroes was my second VC purchase after Super Mario 64 which I got after reading about it in NGamer only to realise I'd forgot I played it when I was younger either way it still holds up incredibly well today, more so than any Mega Drive game I've replayed recently and it's still a huge challenge even after multiple playthroughs.

Stu_the_great wrote:

ZeroJones wrote:

As for Lost Levels, a combination of save states, perseverance and a cheeky warp from 5-1 to 6-1 has put me in 6-4. Keeping Fire Mario for as long as possible is a recommended tactic - ruddy Hammer Brothers and Red Piranha Plants!

Would now be a good time to admit that I can't legitimately beat Super Mario Bros., unless it's in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe form?

Gasp! And, no, as I reckon Deluxe makes it harder by limiting the screen so much (that's a viewpoint that may have been mentioned before ). Also, I beat Lost Levels last night - it's a bit sad how small the game can be made by (ab)using save states.

ZeroJones wrote:

Gasp! And, no, as I reckon Deluxe makes it harder by limiting the screen so much (that's a viewpoint that may have been mentioned before ). Also, I beat Lost Levels last night - it's a bit sad how small the game can be made by (ab)using save states.

I find Mario's jump incredibly stiff in the original game. I also find him quite heavy in SMB3. Ironically, I think the characters control best in SMB2, which, as we all know, isn't a Mario game at all.

Stu_the_great wrote:

I find Mario's jump incredibly stiff in the original game. I also find him quite heavy in SMB3. Ironically, I think the characters control best in SMB2, which, as we all know, isn't a Mario game at all.

It is stiff in the original game (oo-er missus ), as in so many of the games of the time. Having played it so much as a kid, though, it's second nature to me. The heaviness of SMB3 that you mention is something I've not considered before: as I played SMB3 alongside SMB1, the former always felt much smoother. SMB2's Mario felt a little too slippy to me.

These days it's the turn of Kid Icarus on the NES to see some playtime. Now there's an awkward character - it's a struggle to finish the first level!

ZeroJones wrote:

These days it's the turn of Kid Icarus on the NES to see some playtime. Now there's an awkward character - it's a struggle to finish the first level!

I found that game pretty hard from what I played of it, but beating a level after a zillion fails definitely felt satisfying. Bleddy reapers!

Also: I find this game interesting because it harks back to Nintendo's odd foray into wraparound levels (alongside Super Mario Bros. 2).

Stu_the_great wrote:

Also: I find this game interesting because it harks back to Nintendo's odd foray into wraparound levels (alongside Super Mario Bros. 2).

Yeah, I have a soft spot for wraparound. Such a simple design idea, and one I'm sure you could get more mileage out of today.

You've made me want to try Kid Icarus again, now. I have the 3D Classics version on my 3DS.

I got about three levels further into Gremlins 2: The New Batch last night; the password system is a godsend. I'm having quite a lot of fun with this one.

ZeroJones wrote:

These days it's the turn of Kid Icarus on the NES to see some playtime. Now there's an awkward character - it's a struggle to finish the first level!

Kid Icarus has a backwards difficulty curve, in that it gets easier as you progress. Really odd design choice.

JayMoyles wrote:

ZeroJones wrote:

These days it's the turn of Kid Icarus on the NES to see some playtime. Now there's an awkward character - it's a struggle to finish the first level!

Kid Icarus has a backwards difficulty curve, in that it gets easier as you progress. Really odd design choice.

That's what it felt like when I made a bit of progress on the Wii VC version. The horizontally scrolling levels are a gentle breeze compared to the foul blackness of the vertically scrolling levels.

That reminds me - really must pick up Axelay at some point.

Ecco the Dolphin, as part of my "make peace with Sega" plans. I still don't get what the appeal of some of the games are, but Ecco is timelessly beautiful. I actually give a shit about rescuing the dolphins, and actually it's structured so you can learn how things behave as you traverse. It's a bit of a pain to control sometimes though.

"Make peace with Sega" is a great way of putting it. I'm a survivor of the 90's Console Wars too, and I had a Mega Drive platformer spree on the Wii VC. The enemy had some really great games: the Sonics, natch, but I also have a real soft spot for Pulseman and Ristar. Dynamite Headdy remains unbeaten - ruddy hard, so it is - but it feels fun too.

ZeroJones wrote:

the Sonics, natch

...uhhhh... hnnnnn... I did try...
The sequels do improve though. And I do like Mr. Headdy a lot.

Jimbob wrote:

ZeroJones wrote:

the Sonics, natch

...uhhhh... hnnnnn... I did try...
The sequels do improve though. And I do like Mr. Headdy a lot.

The only issue I have with Sonic 1 is that boss that you have to chase versus the rising water - Labyrinth Zone's, is it? If that hadn't been in the game, I might even love it.

~~~

Kid Icarus is still my retro game of choice and I am going to become a champion of it, I reckon. The variety and depth of the gameplay is crazy and I wish it had taken off a bit more, because it's a blast.

I think if the game had a normal difficulty curve, it would have taken off more than it did. Too many people would have been turned off by the pretty brutal beginning of the game.

You are totally right, Jay - the game has issues, which are not really fixed by the Game Boy follow-up. But if it had a strong SNES sequel, with some of the mechanics fixed up good... I can only dream.

ZeroJones wrote:

You are totally right, Jay - the game has issues, which are not really fixed by the Game Boy follow-up. But if it had a strong SNES sequel, with some of the mechanics fixed up good... I can only dream.

I enjoyed what I played of Kid Icarus, but I must've died a zillion times on that first level alone. Does it ease up further in? Didn't give it much time, but the Game Boy follow-up left me a bit cold.

In other news, I picked up an actual SNES copy of Axelay the other day. For a 1992 SNES game, it sure does some amazing things with Mode 7.

This week I've been playing:

Axelay (SNES)
The Lion King (Game Gear)
Sonic Chaos (Game Gear)
Batman Returns (Game Gear)

Quite enjoying the simplicity of Batman Returns. The reviews aren't to favourable for it, but the Batarang and grappling hook-orientated gameplay is solidly constructed. Reminds me of an early prototype of Ninja Cop. The Catwoman boss can piss right off, though.

The Lion King's surprisingly well animated, too. If a bit over-reliant on level design involving being flung up into the air/leaps of faith. Not too difficult to memories with a teeny bit of trial and error, though.

Batman Returns on the SNES was one of my favourite games of the era. The combat was so satisfying, and the moment I discovered you could smash baddies into the background scenery remains one of my favourite in gaming. I know nothing of the Game Gear version, though - you may stand down.

~~~

Still on Kid Icarus. It's 2-4's turn to befuddle and a-maze.

ZeroJones wrote:

Still on Kid Icarus. It's 2-4's turn to befuddle and a-maze.

I had a go on the 3D Classics version of that the other day. I died loads of times and gave up.

Pit is a slippery soul with just enough knockback (is that the right term, EDGE readers?) and not enough power early on. As Jay has mentioned, once you've racked up more hit points and arrow power, it's a breeze: the difficulty curve fails to keep up with your strength. I'm at that stage at the mo: health bar maxed out and one more arrow upgrade. Then Medusa - *slams right fist into open left palm* - will fall.

Are you playing a version that has save states in your favour, though?

I keep dying against those bloody thing that pop up beneath you and lob a fireball in your face.

Stu_the_great wrote:

Are you playing a version that has save states in your favour, though?

I keep dying against those bloody thing that pop up beneath you and lob a fireball in your face.

N-No... Those floor monsters are annoying, right enough. My hunch is that they appear when you're stationary for too long in certain places.

ZeroJones wrote:

N-No... Those floor monsters are annoying, right enough. My hunch is that they appear when you're stationary for too long in certain places.

Aye, I've found that you can avoid them completely if you hop up and down on the spot. That doesn't help you one jot against those strings of cyclops octopus gits that descend continually down the screen while you're doing so, though.

Those spawning things can be quite useful to farm for hearts if you manage to find a spot where you're alone with one. Might have to give the game another go at some point. Can never afford to buy anything of worth in the shops, though.

I couldn't get on with id Icarus; I don't know if I did the first few stages wrong, but by the time I got to the first "maze" (n-4) I just stopped. I kept carking it all the time; I don't know what I was supposed to do. #casualgamer