Blazing Lazers Debug Mode

[Keranu]

Blinkers rule .

[elnino]

I'm still as vulnerable as always.

It was a rough time for me.

[elnino]

Blinkers rule .

Definitely! I always go down once I run out of them.

[esteban]

EDIT: I just got the trick to work. You're supposed to reset once the game crashes and then start a just game and you'll have invincibility. Select + Run wouldn't work, so I just used Magic Engine's reset feature to get it to work. Maybe on real hardware you need to quickly turn the power off and back on to do it.

I tested it on a CoreGrafx today and as I expected, it didn't work. After the game crashes I'm forced to power off the system but when I turn the power on again I'm still as vulnerable as always.

OK, do me a favor and try "Godhead" mode. It's awesome and maddening at the same time! Good fun

[elnino]

I tried the invincibility cheat on Gunhed again, this time with the 57 code and noticed that the system crashes differently. Instead of the green flickering screen you get an extremely loud beep while the screen remains black. The noise was so loud I nearly fell off the couch! Furthermore, it was already 12pm so I probably woke up all the people in my house
Didn't get the cheat to work though

[elnino]

OK, do me a favor and try "Godhead" mode. It's awesome and maddening at the same time! Good fun

Mkay, just tell me how to access the Godhead mode then.

[PhilBiker]

OK.... revisiting this thread on my single favorite game of all time and the main reason I bought a TG-16 oh so many years ago....

Here's what I remember.

* The pink gells are the "slow" power up for whatever number weapon you have.  And they make an extremely satisfying "clink" when you collect them.  I tend to get them when I don't even need them.  Powering up your roman numeral weapon is the only function they serve.

* The changing powerups "I-II-III-IV" "F-M-S-H" stop changing when you shoot them, but if you let them go they start changing again.  If you are low in power you can use this to your advantage to either get the weapon you want or power up your existing weapon.  They turn into blinking meganukes that obliterate everything on the screen and give you a "continue".  There are two ways to convert them to flashers, either shoot them many times or let them drift to the bottom of the playfield.  I try to let them drift, that way I can use more strategy in timing their use.  I have no idea how many you can have in "reserve".

* When you power up a Letter powerup with the same letter (like getting multiple multibodies) yuo get a nuke (button I).  That's the only way to get more nukes, you can have up to 16 I think.  Some of the letters power up a lot.  The "Homing Missile" is one of my favorite.  If you can power it up enough, the missiles get fast and furious and you can just fly doging shots letting them pretty much take out everything.  I love the shot eating green multibodies also.  Do Shields and Full Fire do anything interesting if you get multiple?  I've never noticed, but I'm not a big fan of those, except shields during very specific points in the game.

* The select button changes your ship's speed.

I love the intricacies of the power-ups in this game and the things they do.  This made me dissapointed with "Super Star Soldier" which has no nukes and the changing powerups just dissapear at the bottom of the screen.

I think I tried invincibility mode once and have never tried it again.  No fun just flying through the levels. This is one of very few shumps that I've completed.

Unfortunately for me, BL was the first shoot-em-up that I ever really played extensively.  Kind of like becoming a basketball fan watching Michael Jordan or becoming a football fan watching Joe Montanna.  No other shumps I've ever played have been as good, and it's not just nostalgia saying that (though admittadly I haven't played a zillion other ones).  Blazing Lazers really does rule.

[RuninRuder]

No other shumps I've ever played have been as good, and it's not just nostalgia saying that (though admittadly I haven't played a zillion other ones).  Blazing Lazers really does rule.

Yeah, Blazing Lazers definitely rules, and I've played at LEAST a zillion other shooters.      Have you played Spriggan, Phil?  I imagine you'd dig it if you love Lazers.

[esteban]

Still no one who has played on the Godhead difficulty level?

No other shumps I've ever played have been as good, and it's not just nostalgia saying that (though admittadly I haven't played a zillion other ones).  Blazing Lazers really does rule.

Yeah, Blazing Lazers definitely rules, and I've played at LEAST a zillion other shooters.      Have you played Spriggan, Phil?  I imagine you'd dig it if you love Lazers. 

Runin, surely you've played in BL's fantastic Godhead mode?

[PhilBiker]

I have not played Spriggan, but I just looked it up on YouTube and Ebay.  Bad news for my wallet....  Looks good.....

I just ordered Axelay for my SNES.  I got the SNES to play multiplayer bomberman when my second TurboTap crapped out on me, and because Duo Madden football wasn't nearly as good as the SNES '94 game.  I want to get Space Megaforce but it's pretty expensive.

[RuninRuder]

Runin, surely you've played in BL's fantastic Godhead mode?

Actually, I don't think I ever have, probably because I've always found BL's last three stages tough enough as they are.     I can crush lots of shooters that other folks consider difficult, but beating BL is never easy and always feels like an accomplishment.  That's one reason why I like it so much.   

But I'll give Godhead mode a try! 

I want to get Space Megaforce but it's pretty expensive.

Don't bother, man.  It's like a drawn-out Blazing Lazers pseudo-sequel that focuses more on goofy effects than on actual action.  Get Spriggan instead.

[esteban]

Runin, surely you've played in BL's fantastic Godhead mode?

Actually, I don't think I ever have, probably because I've always found BL's last three stages tough enough as they are.     I can crush lots of shooters that other folks consider difficult, but beating BL is never easy and always feels like an accomplishment.  That's one reason why I like it so much.   

But I'll give Godhead mode a try!

Well, start with one of the lesser modes first. They're fun, too.

For the really hardcore folks: IIRC, when you beat BL, there is a second, third, etc. loop -- but you have to wait through the ending credits and start a new game on the title screen.

I wonder if someone has been insane enough to finish all ???? loops (I forget how many difficulty levels there are, maybe 4-5?). It would take a LOT of time to accomplish this and require a liquid-cooled TG-16 .

[RuninRuder]

Well, start with one of the lesser modes first. They're fun, too.

My foolish pride would never let me do that.

GODHEAD OR BUST!   

[Kaminari]

Flashing powerups just turn one of your existing lives into a continue. You need to reach some high score checkpoints in order to gain new lives.

Steve: I'm not sure what Godhead is. I'm not familiar with Blazing Lazers. In Gunhed, the fourth difficulty level is God of Game, which I completed -- a long time ago, in a galaxy far... Right. What I remember is that the game was actually rendered more difficult because enemies were essentially much tougher to destroy.

[esteban]

Flashing powerups just turn one of your existing lives into a continue. You need to reach some high score checkpoints in order to gain new lives.

Steve: I'm not sure what Godhead is. I'm not familiar with Blazing Lazers. In Gunhed, the fourth difficulty level is God of Game, which I completed -- a long time ago, in a galaxy far... Right. What I remember is that the game was actually rendered more difficult because enemies were essentially much tougher to destroy.

Well, "Godhead" sounds so much better -- that's why I've been calling it that . Plus, I'm trying to pique everyone's interest in it! That's why I've been mysterious about it.

For folks who are interested: expect TONS of extra bullets on screen, all enemies projectiles much faster and, well, you get the idea... pretty standard stuff.

Kaminari, or anyone, it would be nice if you could list the name for each mode. IIRC, they were pretty amusing: "Human dog" or something like that. Then again, this is testing my memory. I could be confusing it with another game (because I have definitely played a game where the default or default + 1 mode was "Human dog" ! ).

Have I mentioned to you folks that when I was in high school, probably around 1991, I used my favorite track from BL in an incredibly silly short "film" (I'm being generous with the term)?

[nat]

What's your favorite track?

[esteban]

What's your favorite track?

The music for the Boss Rush or Boss Parade at the end of the game. It sounds like double-bass drums and it is frenetic. It has always PUMPED ME UP and got my adrenaline going for that part of the game!

In other words, the music perfectly fits the stage and sets the mood brilliantly.

I think that's the music I used in the film, anyway. I don't actually remember .

[Kaminari]

> Human Dog

You're not far from it

The four difficulty levels are Normal Dog, Hard Human, Super Mania and God of Game.

[esteban]

> Human Dog

You're not far from it

The four difficulty levels are Normal Dog, Hard Human, Super Mania and God of Game.

Aha! Thanks Kaminari, I knew I wasn't too far from the mark. I will still refer to the hardest mode as "Godhead" or, better yet, "GodHed" because that's what it should have been called.

Tangent: Oh yeah, I am visiting my parents this weekend and my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop! Yes, my dad controls the stereo these days .

[Kaminari]

my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop!

Talk about setting the right mood! I love Brel... but only when I'm depressed

I'm listening to Pat O'May these days. He's a French-Irish indie folk-rock composer from Brittany. Some of his tunes are quite in the vein of Steve Vai. Very cool and atmospheric, although his albums are hard to find. He should have made soundtracks for PCE shooters

[PhilBiker]

What's your favorite track?

The music is one of the things that makes the game so great!  All the music is brilliant.  I kind of like the crazy music for the last level (which BTW is completely INSANE - I completed the games multiple times years ago but can't get through it now!), but I think my favorite is the music on the bubbles level.  The main title music is pretty great, too.

[esteban]

What's your favorite track?

The music is one of the things that makes the game so great!  All the music is brilliant.  I kind of like the crazy music for the last level (which BTW is completely INSANE - I completed the games multiple times years ago but can't get through it now!), but I think my favorite is the music on the bubbles level.  The main title music is pretty great, too.

I like the bubble stage music as well. Wait, who am I kidding? Nearly all the tracks are great!

[esteban]

my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop!

Talk about setting the right mood! I love Brel... but only when I'm depressed

I'm listening to Pat O'May these days. He's a French-Irish indie folk-rock composer from Brittany. Some of his tunes are quite in the vein of Steve Vai. Very cool and atmospheric, although his albums are hard to find. He should have made soundtracks for PCE shooters

Ha! My dad tends to like music with somber lyrics / themes. Of course, I don't understand the lyrics . Needless to say, I've never heard of Pat O'May. After Telephone and Edith Piaf, my knowledge of French music plummets (though I have seen a lot of forgettable late 80's - early 90's french pop videos that aired daily on public t.v. in the States).

[Kaminari]

Musically-wise, I can't quite remember anything from the '90s :p

Pat O'May is produced by Ron Thal, maybe that does ring a bell... The funny thing is, he often writes music for a French documentary channel called Thalassa. Many of their programs are dedicated to the safeguard of coastal and oceanic environments. There has been a long-running program called "La France vue du ciel" ("France seen from above") where long travelling shots are taken from an helicopter, pretty much like those fancy aerial effects in The Lord of the Rings. There was a recurrent joke here about Peter Jackson stealing those so-called "Thalassa shots"

100 Candles

[esteban]

Musically-wise, I can't quite remember anything from the '90s :p

Shame on you!

There was a recurrent joke here about Peter Jackson stealing those so-called "Thalassa shots"

100 Candles

I haven't listened to it yet (I gotta find a decent .ogg player for mac osx) -- but I will be able to listen to it at work on monday . Thanks .