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[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Double Dragon 2 (PC Engine) Vs. Double Dragon 2 (Nes)]

I like the PCE version, but there is something infinitely better about the aesthetics of the NES version.

That something is simply that the NES sprites are better-drawn.

I am surprised (though considering the forum, I probably shouldn't be) that for all the talk about how better the PCE version looks, no one mentions how the sprites just look... silly or worse than the arcade (or even NES) counterparts. Just compare how Burnov is drawn:





The spritework is inconsistent and in some cases (like above) a little amateurish. Bigger with more colors =/= better.

That being said, despite its looks (cutscenes aside) the PCE remake is still a very good game, though imo the NES port plays a little bit better and it is possible to chain more attacks together for combos (there's a little bit of downtime that makes all the difference in this version).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

My older bro knows me well, and got me a swell gift for Christmas:



Extra money for the USA version, but worth it for that heart-rending dialog.

It's shocking how much better this game is than Last Alert, and Bloody Wolf is essentially a Mercs clone itself! (Does that make Last Alert a clone of a clone?)

Data East has a number of respectable clones under its belt though (Midnight Resistance and Vapor Trail come to mind).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

I am now king of Cotton.

I was able to clear the first loop yesterday, but didn't make it too far into the second because the buffed health of enemies meant that a few strategies didn't carry over from the first loop.

Great game, but I was a little let down when the last three bosses of the game (that's almost half of them!) have safe-spots that let you avoid all of their attacks (or nearly all). It's an unwelcome blemish on an otherwise top-quality shooter.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest turbo/pce shooters? Shooters tier list?]

It feels harder than the arcade mode on PCE (which is probably the best pre-PS1 port of Xevious), though I haven't put serious effort into PCE's arcade mode.

Fardraut's worth it though for that wistful, teary-eyed ending:

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What PC-Engine Stuff did you get today?]

jackpot?



I do love the Engrish peppered inside the manual:



I know I've been IN TOO DEEP in LUST CITY before; let me tell you boys, there are consequences.

And something we all can enjoy, horrifically-drawn character art. This is junior-high level art here:



I've been playing the original on Ootake for a while to get to know it, and while the port is flawed, the sequel fixes just about every problem I have with the port (that being: the gigantic hitbox!). Image Fight II is a real treat. Despite its high difficulty, it is far more fair about its assholish behavior than the HuCard game. I've been told I need an avenue 3 pad to really get the most out of it, because the pod-firing button is mapped to select, which is less than ideal.

I guess that's an excuse to get an avenue 3 pad down the road, and Forgotten Worlds! (maybe; I really like the Genesis port).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Heavy Unit]

I can rightly declare esteban a liar, as I can attest with all certainty that there are only two loops.

I was able today to beat Heavy Unit without losing a single life:



All in all, as I said above, this game is actually very easy. Keep in mech form, don't grab too many speed-up icons (mostly for the huge S spam that happens before the final boss), and memorize where all the shield icons are. If you do those things, there is very little in this game that can kill you if you safely maneuver away from obstacles and avoid getting hit too many times while your shields are active. Seriously, your shields take so many hits that a boss can hit you 7 or 8 times in quick succession and you will still be good. It nullifies the challenge for a large portion of the game.

not that I will complain too hard! i love feeling like a superplayer by beating an easy game.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Heavy Unit]

but here how I take on Heavy Units:

This is how I felt about it, "Unbalanced." Once I got through the crazy opening area it seemed to ease up so much, then suddenly spike again. There did not seem to be a middle ground or any sort of ramp from difficulty to difficulty.

The only difficulty spike is if you die, because you have to work hard to get back to a reasonable level.

And even then, if you die in this game, it's going to be because you crashed into terrain, because the game is extraordinarily kind with the amount of hits a shield can take.

I managed to go through the last half of the game blind and could tank it out - including the tricky final boss - thanks to the shields. It really lessens the difficulty.

I am a little disappointed... The game finally came in today, and I 1CC'd it on my second attempt. The opening isn't even tough anymore, since I figured out through trial and error the exact positioning to survive easily every time. The hardest part of the game, imo, is probably the power-up spam that makes you risk transforming back into a ship during the final boss. Well that, and the opening to the final stage - lots of bullets.


Pic: Final boss before he gave up the cyber ghost

Still, lots of fun! I made it all the way near the end of the second loop (boss of 2-4) before a stupid death killed my excellent run.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / My first sealed game; need advice]

How do I balance the concomitant excitement of unsealing a game with the crushing knowledge of the mediocrity that awaits me? Need some help from some professional game unsealers here. Serious responses only.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Race is on B1tches! - How many have you cleared?]

Darm is rightly the toughest in the game. Even with game speed set to SLOW, a high level, Lair's ring, and Barrier magic, you will still only win by the skin of your teeth. Those orbs are so hard to dodge.



I achieved one of Super Darius II's many moving endings. What a matter. Hey, it's a 1CC though!

I will play more of the game explore more levels/routes/bosses, but my initial impressions are problematic. Graphics are nice, but sprites are too big. You run the risk of accidentally colliding with an off-screen enemy approaching from above or below. Sprite flicker can turn boss attacks invisible - high-speed bullets + invisibility is a lethal combo. If you can manage to not die from these programming/design oversights, the game is easy. If not, well, you are in for an incredibly frustrating time. In these respects I enjoyed the MegaDrive port more, since the game was balanced around an enclosed 4:3 aspect ratio.

Super Darius I doesn't suffer from these problems, because the sprites and play-field are much smaller and are accommodating to a single screen.

Also, T's Music is worthy of a great deal of praise, and I dig the remixed soundtrack for Super Darius II. However, it just doesn't compare to the memorable strangeness of the arcade original (the Boss 2 track and Say Papa suffer the most). It's a little too "poppy" and "fluffy" if that makes sense. Maybe "indulgent." It's nice listening but I just wanted to voice my absolutely-true-opinions. 

[High Score Records / Re: "Spriggan" High Scores]

Ultra bump.

I cleared the game earlier today with this score:



EmperorIng - 11,930,260

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

1CC'd Gate of Thunder. Felt pretty good, though the game on the whole is very easy - at least on Normal difficulty. Devil is pretty chaotic; I don't know if I have the patience for it.

This game is good. Not Thunder Force III "easy but excellent" good, but close. It sometimes is a little self-indulgent showing off its graphics at the expense of slow, uneventful sections where you stand still (sometimes without having to shoot anything!). Bosses look great but have pretty pitiful attack patterns (usually 1, sometimes 2 easy-to-dodge salvos). All in all though it's a very likable game.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Fiend Hunter?]

Finally beat the game. The final 15 or so fiends, not counting the final boss, went down quickly with a full-powered sword. However, as this highlights the lackluster combat in the game, in many fights I just pushed the boss into the corner the screen and mashed the attack button until they were dead. My favorite fights were where I didn't even have to move because it meant I had to do less to end the fight as quickly as possible.

The final area, this big spooky castle (in the middle of the wild west???) had one extremely frustrating segment that I considered giving up on - moving platforms that no matter what were out of your reach. I saw a longplay on youtube where the player somehow tanked falling from an impossible height and revived immediately afterward. Since I didn't know how to trigger that, I died over and over again. Eventually, I learned how to get through by what I can't tell is intentional or a glitchy exploit:

Using your fiend, Exy, and placing him underneath the moving platform right before it is about to change directions forces it, somehow, to collide against Exy and change its intended path. That way, by tediously switching back and forth between Exy you can glitch-move the platform into a safe jumping distance. You will need to do this again to push the platform down in order to land on the ground without killing yourself. Either I completely misunderstood the puzzle or it's just a final fuck you from the devs. Best of all is that you can't save on this segment, meaning it's all or nothing.

The final fight is not very climactic if the boss hugs the corner of the screen, half-visible, for a majority of the fight. Then again, a fight with a stupid-looking worm with a giant cartoon mouth is probably not going to be climactic no matter how you slice it. At least there's a happy ending for those two comic-relief goons at the end.

Props to the game for letting me sit through a pregnant 60 seconds of this riveting dialog box while a VA gurgles his water bottle in the background:


Well that's the end of Fiend Hunter. It has an ok Jpop credits song (and hilarious sequel hook to a game that could have never sold well enough to warrant it) and it's telling to note that like, 3 people programmed the game. The platforming is... ok I guess, the fighting overstays its welcome by around fiend #8 / 41, and the story is dumb.

I don't think I have ever given less of a shit about a game's story on the Turbo before. Hell, Lepus's journey to save hisloved ones in Rabio Lepus felt more endearing because at least I could see that that little rabbit went through some fucked up shit. Hell the Valis series has a more emotionally-engaging plot, maybe because all of its cutscenes are ~1 minute or less.

Expect to see this one in the sales forum or ebay shortly  O:)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

1ALL'd/cleared Kyuukyoku Tiger. I wish this game didn't take so long to get challenging. At least I was able to teach Taito/Toaplan something about courage, at least according to the credits screen. Good game, though I think Raiden is better.

[Off-Topic / Re: Can we take a moment to appreciate terrible game covers/art/ads/etc.]

This one always mystified me.

Why include such a face of horror and disgust? Can the plumbing problems be that bad?

[Off-Topic / Re: Can we take a moment to appreciate terrible game covers/art/ads/etc.]

There sure are a lot of posts and not enough images.



Keanu's early career put him in some very out there roles.