Moot_Geeza wrote:

For the purposes of quick fix retro gaming I'd suggest a) an online guide to tell you which order is best to approach the levels, and b) leave any save state pride at the door. Edit: If 'a' sounds daunting, it's really not, but the trial and error progression would mean you'd see far less of the game.

I always really enjoyed the initial stages of trying the different levels and slowly working towards that first breakthrough.

But, yes, it depends how much time you want to spend on it.

It's a good challenge, for sure.

I find it best to keep trying different levels until you find one or two that you can make progress in easier (and then find a boss that seems beatable with the basic weapon). It's kind of a different mindset to the usual thing of finishing one level then doing another.

Struggling with Skool Daze, for different reasons.  The usb pad works fine for other emulators, but I can't work it out for the C64 one I've downloaded.  I can move left and right, use the slingshot and jump, but can't lie down or punch like I could in the browser version of the ZX Spectrum version.  However, in that one I couldn't go up stairs.  I've watched a playthrough on Youtube, but I want to play the flippin' thing.

Batman & Robin is excellent with save states, but a glittery turd without.

Moot, nice write up! You basically did what I used to do as a kid, walk round the school and mess around (sandboxtastic!)

I always thought it was quite cleverly programmed for such an old game. One of the teachers (the old one) can't remember his safe code and so to jig his memory he asks you historical questions which you have to write the answer to on the board. If you get the right date he spurts out his code and you can access the exam safe! The lines sound effect is forever ingrained into my memory. Deeeee-derrrrrrrr.

Next choice will have a little more depth! I've written a list of potential corkers.

When should we be looking at posting our thoughts? I've spent about 4hrs playing Ninja Gaiden but would ideally like to complete it (using save states) first.

I played some Biohazard Battle earlier, as I honestly don't think I can get on with Home Alone.

Seems like a solid shooter so far (up to level 3). Pretty tough going - I switched to 5 lives after my first go - but using save states after each stage I should get through it.

The graphics could do with being a bit sharper, and some sprite flicker means you can lose your position sometimes, but other than that it does the job.

Just completed Ninja Gaiden, that last boss is an absolute joke. Without save states I got to level 4 which I was pretty pleased with because I found this super difficult! Review incoming over the weekend.

Watched bits of a playthrough.  It wasn't the last boss that brought back memories of annoyance, it was the one that chucks his mask around (end of chapter 7).  And the birds early on.  THE BIRDS.

Oh and that boss who throws his mask is a piece of piss if you have the huge shurukens (sp) I just stood back and let rip. I think picking the correct weapon is key to the boss battles. Having had to consult a walk-through for the last boss, it would seem homing missles turns him into a bunny rabbit!

Where do we stand on this, is everyone ready for another round?

I want to play a bit more Pinbot. Will get that done tomorrow as Wifey is out and about.

Ninja Gaiden SEGA Mastersystem
Firstly, hack n slash are not my usual type of gaming fodder, I've played a few Shinobi's over the years but have always been put off by the enemy pattern recognition cycle that I always seemed to forget.

So straight into Ninja Gaiden, I thought I'd be in for a bit of a slog and it didn't dissapoint.

First impressions were mixed, graphically the game was well presented, especially coming from an 8 bit console and the animation of Ryu's sprite was impressively done. However the collision detection seemed off from the start (note, this could be an issue with the emulation) which I found quite frustrating. Early on I used this to excuse my poor platforming technique which forced a many a restart.

This is a tough game and I got used to restarting a lot. I didn't use any save states to start with as I wanted to get to grips with the games mechanics which after a lot of trial and error I managed (although I only worked out you could duck and walk on level 7) Ryu can actually do quite a lot with two buttons!

With so many restarts the one thing that really starts setting in, is how good the music is. It is fantastic. I played this in the lounge whilst my wife watched her shows so I had my headphones plugged in most of the time which really hammered home the quality of these tunes. Here are a few that I found myself humming at work:

Level 1 Escape In a Forest:

Level 2 Pursuit in Tokyo
 
Level 5 Land of the Enemy



Once I got a handle on the controls (holding up whilst jumping to ledge hang took me a while to work out), enemy patterns memorised and took account of the collision detection I started to really enjoy the game. Maybe enjoy is the wrong word, the game is very intense and when you are ploughing into a new level you have new enemies and new level physics to learn which can take a while, but that in itself is a credit to the game. The enemies are really varied (the flying ones, especially the triple flame attacks can do one though) and level physics like Ice (Level 5) and flowing water (Level 6) are really well implemented and add another layer of complexity.

Bosses are acomplished and once you understand their patterns are beat-able with the exception of the last boss (his second phase is top difficult to deal with). Level 4's end boss gave me some trouble and I had to resort to a youtube video to beat!

The key to this game is your power up management. Power ups are hidden in scrolls dotted accross the levels which have to be hit to expose their contents. The problem is that many of these have to be hit mid jump which means that you don't know what power up you are collecting. The key is, get the power up you want and ignore those floating scrolls! Most bosses can't deal with the homing rocket power up which can make them very easy to defeat (even the last boss apparently) but they are not as useful during the main levels.

If I had bought this as a kid, this would have lasted me ages, I would have got my monies worth and with some cheat codes I may have been able to complete it! Without I reckon I would have got to level 3 at best!

Nine shurikens out of Ten

Fantastic stuff Eric.  Collision detection isn't completely bang on iirc, so it probably wasn't the emulation.  You've done me proud there, I feel even more sheepish about my minimal effort Skool Daze attempt.

This is the last boss by the way if anyone was interested:



I can email the save state if anyone fancies a shot at him! 

Moot, did you emulate this or did you have it as a young man on your MS?

To be fair Moot, I try to forget painful memories too which may explain the gap. 

I'm now assessing my next game line up for you...