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I just realized... Mike's a southpaw, a lefty, but all his attacks are with his right hand. Not even sprite-swapping, just straight up right hand attacks.
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Apr 25, 2013 22:02
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Alright, now it works. I don't see why you couldn't post that in here; seems good so far. Maybe when the difficulty starts ramping up you could reserve a little room to talk about individual difficult parts.
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Apr 25, 2013 22:30
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Hey it has been a little while but here I am with another N+ part!
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Apr 25, 2013 23:35
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Okay, this'll be my OP for Startropics II. Mike Jones' Radicola Adventure! Let's Play Startropics II, Zoda's Revenge!         
thevoiceofdog fucked around with this message at 00:57 on May 22, 2013 |
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Apr 26, 2013 05:52
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I guess Dongs.exe didn't feel too bad about straight up jacking Spelunker's song when StarTropics 2 proved that you could get away with it without any repercussions.
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Apr 26, 2013 08:13
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Man, that's what I'd call meta-difficulty: A section so boring and frustrating that it's difficult to not stop playing.
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Apr 26, 2013 08:41
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Bruceski posted:I just realized... Mike's a southpaw, a lefty, but all his attacks are with his right hand. Not even sprite-swapping, just straight up right hand attacks. Yeah, I noticed this too. Maybe the developers did it on purpose. They needed some kind of excuse as to why an ace pitcher can only throw things about 3 feet.
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Apr 26, 2013 10:02
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I suspect I'll find the plot to Startropics 2 much more tolerable if I think of it as Mike Jones' Excellent Adventure.
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Apr 26, 2013 11:11
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Discendo Vox posted:I suspect I'll find the plot to Startropics 2 much more tolerable if I think of it as Mike Jones' Excellent Adventure. I've played Startropics 2, and I can tell you that this is the wisest course of action.
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Apr 26, 2013 14:00
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What kind of horrible monster takes a Dromedary to the desert?
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Apr 26, 2013 14:05
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I am all for this guest commentary thing with Startropics 2. Countering how goddamned silly it is by having other people there to react to its silliness and laugh at it makes it infinitely more entertaining. Oh yeah, speaking of hard games! All the Contra madness from the other day inspired me to do a quick runthrough of the first one I ever played. Please enjoy yourselves as we take on
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Apr 26, 2013 14:34
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thevoiceofdog posted:Startropics II. This certainly is something else. Are you still looking for potential guest commentators?
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Apr 26, 2013 14:39
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Dectilon posted:Man, that's what I'd call meta-difficulty: A section so boring and frustrating that it's difficult to not stop playing. A good portion of the game is like that, as far as I can remember. Since we no longer have the relatively coherent story of traveling the world in a submarine searching for Dr. J, we now have a series of shorter, unrelated stories, so they put more emphasis on things like mazes in the overworld portions so they would feel less like filler between gameplay sections and more like... things that make you want to turn off the system and never play the game again. The ones in chapter 3 are admittedly pretty bad, but I don't think they're the worst that the game offers. (Of course, I think it's the fighting portion in chapter 4 that always makes me actually stop playing.) There's some great music, though - I think the tune from the overworld cave in the past, which we haven't heard the last of, is probably my second favorite only to the actual ending theme. The jumping is also highly problematic, because if you land halfway off a platform, you'll die. The hitboxes are stacked against you. It's possible to skip a lot of fighting if you have the confidence to make those chess knight-style jumps from platform to platform, but those are the ones where you DO have to switch directions in midair, and one misstep means death. There's absolutely no reason for the game to limit the number of lives you have, so the penalty for failure is even steeper. And the the game hides upgrades from you. It was Big Hearts in the first game, and those only made a difference during the chapter they were found in, since the game would automatically give you any extra hearts you were missing at the start of the next chapter. In this game, there are Big Hearts, but as you saw, the only clue that there's a weapon upgrade to be found is if you step down from the cave entrance and see the hut in the valley to the south - if you played the first game, you're familiar with walking through walls because they forced you to do it, but this is the first time Startropics 2 presents you with a fake wall in the overworld, and a new player is likely to think that's just something to worry about later. Good luck beating the chapter with just the axe, newbie. Speaking of which, one other thing you may have noticed in the video is that Mike's shots no longer travel along the ground, thanks to the introduction of raised platforms. It used to be that you could jump over projectiles while firing, and your shots would travel along the ground to hit enemies. Now you can only hit tall enemies while jumping. It's great for fighting enemies on higher levels... although their shots can still hit you in the head, because YOU are a tall figure, and the height difference makes it hard to judge where the shot actually is relative to you. I do like the ability to walk across tiles, though. Searching for that hidden switch in a room full of tiles is slightly faster when you only have to step on each one as you walk past. Naturally throwing my hat in the ring of guest commentators if you want someone who's actually beaten the game.
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Apr 26, 2013 14:44
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Since people are talking about Contra it seems like a good time to post Maxwell Adams' Double Contra.
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Apr 26, 2013 17:43
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thevoiceofdog posted:Okay, this'll be my OP for Startropics II. If you're still looking for guests, I was a big fan of the first game and rented the second a couple of times without ever finishing it.
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Apr 26, 2013 17:50
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Well, I've decided to delay Hotline Miami until the update drops, but, in the meantime, I've decided to come and ask the thread to give a verdict on the "eligibility" of a different game I'm considering for this thread. That game is Journey To Silius. What do you other goons think of Journey To Silius? It's a short game (five stages) but I'm unsure as to whether it could be classified as particularly difficult game or not.
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Apr 26, 2013 18:54
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I've dabbled with Journey To Silius and I'd call it pretty difficult. I believe I made it to stage 3 before running out of continues. If you can rock it, then by all means fire away with it.
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Apr 26, 2013 19:09
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Only if you don't talk at all, because the music is boss in this game.
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Apr 26, 2013 19:41
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SnakemanMn posted:That game is Journey To Silius. What do you other goons think of Journey To Silius? It's a short game (five stages) but I'm unsure as to whether it could be classified as particularly difficult game or not. Journey to Silius is really quite hard, not a lot of health to go around, tricky level layouts and a fairly unconventional movement and physics system contribute to it being pretty rock hard. I've not progressed much further than Stage 3. Kick-rear end game though, it's something I'd like to see done.
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Apr 26, 2013 19:50
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Pizzatime posted:Only if you don't talk at all, because the music is boss in this game. SuccinctAndPunchy posted:Journey to Silius is really quite hard, not a lot of health to go around, tricky level layouts and a fairly unconventional movement and physics system contribute to it being pretty rock hard. I've not progressed much further than Stage 3.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:02
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Phiggle posted:
Something you didn't mention is that the room titles are now located on the top screen. It's one small thing that you might not realize, but is a really nice touch. If you haven't played the game a bunch, then tried flip mode, you really don't understand how, almost disorienting it can be. In the video it may look like plain clumsiness, but it really does mess with how well you're able to play. The only thing is that the worse you are at the game, the less it affects you.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:29
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unpronounceable posted:If you haven't played the game a bunch, then tried flip mode, you really don't understand how, almost disorienting it can be. In the video it may look like plain clumsiness, but it really does mess with how well you're able to play. The only thing is that the worse you are at the game, the less it affects you. Yeah it didn't seem all that hard for me, but there was about a 6 month gap between finishing the game and replaying it on flip mode, without playing it in between. If you tried to turn it around in a single session I can imagine how disorienting it must be.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:32
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unpronounceable posted:The deathskip trick as you rescue Violet is actually pretty easy if you know how the timing works. You just have to press V and R on the same frame when you clear the message box. I didn't mention the flipped titles in the video, but it was reflected in the banner for the playthrough at least. 
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Apr 26, 2013 20:36
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Regarding the VVVVVV sequence break, what happens if you wait to grab Violet until last? Does it still just null out the other characters, stopping your game flat? Also, for the record, I heartily approve of The Hard Games Thread! All Contra, All The Time With Dectilon's Contra 1 run, he's not joking about having a very fast trigger finger. I've played Contra 1 so many times I practically have the level layouts memorized from when I was a kid. I'm not going to insult anyone's intelligence by saying it's harder than he makes it out to be, but drat does he make those bosses look trivial strictly due to his speed. Some of them don't even get a chance to become hard at all. Level 5's boss gets crazy real quick if you let him start firing his little pods out. When they hit the ground they dart straight at your guy quickly. I think it was the Super C video that had a similar boss in it? In 2 player mode, it's usually best to have one player focus on him, and the other focus on the pods. That door boss can be tough if you're not fast too. The past bosses trick you into a pattern of thinking that you need to take down the guns first. I'm pretty sure they have more health than the door itself, plus intermittently the door opens and a rush of soldiers run out. Again, having player 2 lay down cover fire helps a lot. The giant guy boss also has a missed gimmick of occasionally throwing out these fast moving disc things that slide across the ground. He's actually also a lot harder to successfully clear with a jump than he looks. Someone needs to make a good 2-player video of the Contra games. It really is the "correct" way to play them, after all.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:51
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I want to give props to A Raving Loon and KillerMC (or however you spell your name, sorry) for being really good guests on star tropics.
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Apr 26, 2013 21:00
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Choco1980 posted:Regarding the VVVVVV sequence break, what happens if you wait to grab Violet until last? Does it still just null out the other characters, stopping your game flat?
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Apr 26, 2013 21:02
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Choco1980 posted:Regarding the VVVVVV sequence break, what happens if you wait to grab Violet until last? Does it still just null out the other characters, stopping your game flat? Contra Hard Corps for Genesis. It even has multiple paths and multiple characters!
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Apr 26, 2013 21:38
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I've started recording some Contra Hard Corps. The unfortunate thing is that finding another person willing to learn and indeed master that game is unlikely, so I'm going at it alone. I do think it'd be interesting if other people would like to deal with the alternate paths!
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Apr 26, 2013 21:52
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Nidoking posted:And the the game hides upgrades from you. It was Big Hearts in the first game, and those only made a difference during the chapter they were found in, since the game would automatically give you any extra hearts you were missing at the start of the next chapter. In this game, there are Big Hearts, but as you saw, the only clue that there's a weapon upgrade to be found is if you step down from the cave entrance and see the hut in the valley to the south - if you played the first game, you're familiar with walking through walls because they forced you to do it, but this is the first time Startropics 2 presents you with a fake wall in the overworld, and a new player is likely to think that's just something to worry about later. Good luck beating the chapter with just the axe, newbie. I agree with your other points, but you can't lose out on weapon upgrades entirely; Cleopatra automatically replaces your ax with the dagger if you still have it when you deliver the pizza.
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Apr 26, 2013 22:15
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Dectilon posted:I want to give props to A Raving Loon and KillerMC (or however you spell your name, sorry) for being really good guests on star tropics. Thanks. I will keep up a token effort to stay informative when the game puts up food for thought. PS - Make Phiggle Gradius.
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Apr 26, 2013 22:20
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A_Raving_Loon posted:PS - Make Phiggle Gradius. I would, but honestly it's a bit too hard for our usual shtick.
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Apr 26, 2013 22:34
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Dectilon posted:I would, but honestly it's a bit too hard for our usual shtick. Gradius isn't that hard! Just...never die. (Kinda like how Contra is easy so long as you always have the spread gun, I guess, but moreso)
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Apr 26, 2013 22:45
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We have recorded something else that you will enjoy that will be ready soon. There is not going to be Gradius from me. But you will like what's coming. Hint/spoiler: There is Gradius music in it at least. 
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Apr 26, 2013 22:56
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Dectilon posted:I've started recording some Contra Hard Corps. The unfortunate thing is that finding another person willing to learn and indeed master that game is unlikely, so I'm going at it alone. I do think it'd be interesting if other people would like to deal with the alternate paths! I've been attempting the C Path. Problem has been how drat nervewracking it's been cuz of the length (along with tons of fluke deaths). But if that's the path you're going for I could do some of the others.
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Apr 26, 2013 23:13
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Uh, I think I'll leave it to you then actually. I can't get this stupid codec to cooperate. The best I can get is a lovely-looking video with a bunch of squares appearing in it randomly.
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Apr 27, 2013 00:22
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I'm pretty sure he's just using Kega Fusion's avi output then transcoding it to something a little level oversized.
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Apr 27, 2013 00:52
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Dectilon posted:I want to give props to A Raving Loon and KillerMC (or however you spell your name, sorry) for being really good guests on star tropics. Close enough  and thanks. Dectilon posted:I've started recording some Contra Hard Corps. The unfortunate thing is that finding another person willing to learn and indeed master that game is unlikely, so I'm going at it alone. I do think it'd be interesting if other people would like to deal with the alternate paths! I'd be down for attempting to get co-op working on that since the thought of doing solo commentary baffles and frightens me.
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Apr 27, 2013 01:48
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Good guests, yes, too bad they won't survive the PYRAMID OF DESPAIR!!! note: pyramid may not actually contain despair
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Apr 27, 2013 04:04
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Wow so many videos so quickly! I've fallen behind so badly now. So slowbeef's Contra 3 playthrough? Amazing. The top down parts seem rather obnoxious though, mostly because they seem to lack the energy and dynamics of the side scrolling sections. I don't doubt their difficulty though. For a casual observer, it's really hard to differentiate between when you're standing and laying down in those sections, so I thought you had actually died several times in the first top-down section before I caught on. The final VVVVVV video was also great. Thanks for showing it off Phiggle! It would have been cool to see you conquer the Super Gravitron for a decent amount of time at the end, but I can only imagine how long that would have taken N+ is as cool as always! The difficulty ramp is somewhat inconsistent, but overall it's doing a good job of slowly incrementing the difficulty. Seeing those two sniper turrets work together in conjunction in one of the later stages was really cool actually. Makes me wonder how a section with the rotating laser, rocket, and sniper turret would look like. CyanideMonkey posted:I watched this video and in the recommended videos I found Whatever the hell this madness is Fun fact: Cave actually removed the two safespots in the True Final Boss's first two attacks for the 1.5 version release, but put them back in (or forgot about them) for the Black Label release. On the other hand, they added in a True True Final Boss in the Black Label release along with a bunch of other mechanics, which you can see here. And before you ask, that is actually intentional slowdown. Still a monstrosity of an attack though, because it's just plain impossible without sufficient resources.
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Apr 27, 2013 08:41
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Totally looking forward to watching Dectilon tear Hard Corps a new one, it's so fast, fluid and frantic it makes Contra 3 look like an adventure game or something. If you want an easier time, just play the Japanese version. 
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Apr 27, 2013 10:39
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