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NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread

M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
OnPoint said:
Anyone else playing Conquest of the Crystal Palace yet? I finished it today but I'd like to hear what other people have to say too!
Click to expand...

Ive been playing Quackshot for the Genesis-club, but going to fire this up when Ive finished it!
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
I played the first two levels of Conquest yesterday, and i think the game is interesting, but not very balanced. The main problems is that 1) Enemy movement is really unpredictable which makes it very hard to avoid damage (especially bosses) and 2) to balance this, you have a ton of health. As a consequence, it seems you can play very casually and still progress at most times. I also thought the scrolling was slightly bugged which was annoying, but this might be my setup. The level design also seemed kinda random for the first two levels, and the controls seemed more complicated than needed.

On the good side, the game does look and sound good, and i like the rpg-lite stuff with the dog and the shop. Definitely falls into that B-level of Nes-plattformers along with games we already played, like Rygar and Monster Party.
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Played some more, and i think i now hate this game. So many cheap deaths, that incredibly annoying stopping in mid air when using a weapon, enemies with ridiculous placement and appearances and patterns, tons of one hit deaths. And that final boss lol. I can take difficulty when its done good, like in Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, but this game, while not that difficult, is just constantly cheap and pisses me off lol. And that final level was just the worst. Also, i had to check up how to switch weapon, and i still cant do it regularly. Terrible controls on that.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Morfeo said:
Played some more, and i think i now hate this game. So many cheap deaths, that incredibly annoying stopping in mid air when using a weapon, enemies with ridiculous placement and appearances and patterns, tons of one hit deaths. And that final boss lol. I can take difficulty when its done good, like in Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, but this game, while not that difficult, is just constantly cheap and pisses me off lol. And that final level was just the worst. Also, i had to check up how to switch weapon, and i still cant do it regularly. Terrible controls on that.
Click to expand...

I felt the exact same way once I got to the final area and into the final boss. It's funny, my frustration was at fever pitch, I died on the final boss for like the 5th or 6th time. I took a shower, came back, sat down, and beat it first try. Ultimately I found the final boss wasn't too bad once I
started picking my hits then jumping away to avoid damage. The real problem with him is how he knocks you off the platform and into the pit so easily -- I always tried to leave myself a platform behind me or under me in case that happened. The second form wasn't too bad once I realized that A) It drops cherries and B) the ceiling blocks eventually stop dropping if you just stay alive. It's your typical stay patient and fight smart boss... it just comes at you so suddenly and is so unlike anything else in the game that it's super jarring. Plus, talk about a lame-sauce ending. It's practically "Happy End"
.

The game's flow really falls apart in the last stage, and it's a shame, because it's otherwise still a pretty cool area. It just does so many little things to annoy you over and over even the first time through, and you're likely to have to play it a few times after dying.

Glad I pushed through it. I think I could do it with much less frustration if I did it again. I was definitely pretty angry at some points though and it certainly affected my enjoyment.
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
OnPoint said:
I felt the exact same way once I got to the final area and into the final boss. It's funny, my frustration was at fever pitch, I died on the final boss for like the 5th or 6th time. I took a shower, came back, sat down, and beat it first try. Ultimately I found the final boss wasn't too bad once I
started picking my hits then jumping away to avoid damage. The real problem with him is how he knocks you off the platform and into the pit so easily -- I always tried to leave myself a platform behind me or under me in case that happened. The second form wasn't too bad once I realized that A) It drops cherries and B) the ceiling blocks eventually stop dropping if you just stay alive. It's your typical stay patient and fight smart boss... it just comes at you so suddenly and is so unlike anything else in the game that it's super jarring. Plus, talk about a lame-sauce ending. It's practically "Happy End"
.

The game's flow really falls apart in the last stage, and it's a shame, because it's otherwise still a pretty cool area. It just does so many little things to annoy you over and over even the first time through, and you're likely to have to play it a few times after dying.

Glad I pushed through it. I think I could do it with much less frustration if I did it again. I was definitely pretty angry at some points though and it certainly affected my enjoyment.
Click to expand...

Glad to see I am not alone in my feelings on it!

Did anybody else check it out?
 
T

TeaJay

Member
I played "Conquest" back last year when people in this thread were warning me to pick it up now before the price goes up, since it's kind of "hidden gem" (term's getting a bit overused nowadays). I will confess that it was quite hard for me, and I didn't return to it since. It's a fun game with a great soundtrack but could use a slightly less bullshit difficulty.
 
C

Cogwheels

Neo Member
I'm not sure any emulation is perfect yet? NES is pretty damn close though. Are there any benefits? I guess if you want to go down the Famicom route then that opens up the disc system games + if you have a CRT then you can get the zapper games. Personally I think emulation always feels off, and having an entire library of games at my fingertips is distracting. You can't knock the convenience though!

I guess it comes down to whether you have the space and budget. If you just want to play then emulate or get a flash cart. If you want the physical things...well it's a fun but expensive yet rewarding hobby!
 
D

dancrane212

Member
Any opinion on what's the best Famicom -> NES converter out there? Ended up ordering an AV Famicom on-line to mod with the usual RGB board now that it's confirmed it can (in that I've only heard successful tests so far) work with the Retrovision SNES component cables and was looking into the best way to get my existing games running on that machine.
 
Cindi Mayweather

Cindi Mayweather

Member
Cogwheels said:
I'm not sure any emulation is perfect yet? NES is pretty damn close though. Are there any benefits? I guess if you want to go down the Famicom route then that opens up the disc system games + if you have a CRT then you can get the zapper games. Personally I think emulation always feels off, and having an entire library of games at my fingertips is distracting. You can't knock the convenience though!

I guess it comes down to whether you have the space and budget. If you just want to play then emulate or get a flash cart. If you want the physical things...well it's a fun but expensive yet rewarding hobby!
Click to expand...

Alternatively emulate Famicom. Buy Famicom and buy favorite games.

Is there a good third party system that plays Famicom, Super Famicom, and Genesis?
 
T

Tain

Member
Cindi Mayweather said:
I am in the mind of collecting NES/Famicom titles (mostly Famicom) but what are the benefits over emulation? Is emulation NES perfect yet?
Click to expand...

To boil it down a whole lot, I'd say that if you have a CRT SDTV (or the space and willingness to get one) and don't mind spending some cash, go for the real hardware. You'll get to own cool physical things, you'll get a decent picture (CRT blur+scanlines are a plus, even with old composite), and you won't have to worry about your monitor or HDTV or software stack making lag.

If you don't have an older TV lying around, your best bet is either buying an expensive dedicated upscaler or emulating. Most will opt for emulation, in this case. And if you happen to have a gsync monitor, emulation loses its biggest downsides (screen tearing/stuttering/input lag are much bigger deals to me than 100.000% accurate low-level behavior) and becomes practically perfect.

edit: Third-party systems have their own set of tangible issues, jacked up audio being the biggest thing that's jumped out at me. I'd avoid them.
 
T

TeaJay

Member
dancrane212 said:
Any opinion on what's the best Famicom -> NES converter out there? Ended up ordering an AV Famicom on-line to mod with the usual RGB board now that it's confirmed it can (in that I've only heard successful tests so far) work with the Retrovision SNES component cables and was looking into the best way to get my existing games running on that machine.
Click to expand...

I've used this for a while now and it's worked wonderfully.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shielded-72...256884?hash=item33a65a21f4:g:lWgAAOSwrklU7spq

It's sturdier than the ones you see that are basically just the connector. This one connects to the cart very tightly and sits neatly on top of my RGB AV Famicom.

Qw2JU3r.jpg
Click to expand...
 
M

Mega

Banned
dancrane212 said:
Any opinion on what's the best Famicom -> NES converter out there? Ended up ordering an AV Famicom on-line to mod with the usual RGB board now that it's confirmed it can (in that I've only heard successful tests so far) work with the Retrovision SNES component cables and was looking into the best way to get my existing games running on that machine.
Click to expand...

I have this one and it works well:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PNVOBTC/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
D

dancrane212

Member
O

OnPoint

Member
Definitely wanna hear more thoughts on Conquest of the Crystal Palace.

Also nominations are open. I think there are three a few pages back? I'll compile those in a post later tonight when I'm at work. I think we need two more...
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
OnPoint said:
Definitely wanna hear more thoughts on Conquest of the Crystal Palace.

Also nominations are open. I think there are three a few pages back? I'll compile those in a post later tonight when I'm at work. I think we need two more...
Click to expand...

I played it again today, and my opinion didnt change much. Once again came to the final boss, and this time i did have some progress on him before i had to go to sleep. Definitely wants to try to beat it, even though the game isnt that great. Would also love to hear more thoughts!
 
B

bearbytes

Member
RadarScope1 said:
If you're going to emulate, I'd go for real hardware and a CRT with an Everdrive for your emulated games.
Click to expand...

Is that even emulation at that point? ROMS loaded onto an Everdrive should be identical to what is on the original carts, being played by the original hardware. But yeah, I agree. If you're not into the idea of collecting carts, Everdrive + CRT is the way to go.

OnPoint said:
Definitely wanna hear more thoughts on Conquest of the Crystal Palace.
Click to expand...

I'll probably play it some more tonight and give it a more serious shot. I played it a bit a few months ago and while I liked the graphics and music (and loved that dog!) I had similar feelings to others here about the enemy placement sometimes feeling pretty cheap.
 
M

Mega

Banned
OnPoint said:
Definitely wanna hear more thoughts on Conquest of the Crystal Palace.

Also nominations are open. I think there are three a few pages back? I'll compile those in a post later tonight when I'm at work. I think we need two more...
Click to expand...

I'll give it a try this weekend. My NES gameplaying has been sporadic and all over the place lately. Last I played was this past weekend: NES Galaga and Pac-Man with my 9yo nephew. It's nice that a little kid growing up these days (with tons of mobile and modern console games) would willing ask me to play Galaga with him! Really likes Duck Hunt too.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
I feel bad because I don't want to discourage anyone from playing it. Our impressions haven't been exactly stellar haha

As for nominations for the month so far: Darkwing Duck is too expensive. Here's the chart for it. Sorry guys, I just can't list that one based on the club rules. Here's a reminder post of them.

NES Game Club Guidelines
The nominated title should be readily available via standard
channels such as eBay, for a reasonable price (Maximum $30,
preferably less to give the majority of people a chance to join
in). The title should be a licensed NES/Famicom title (No hacks,
homebrew, multicarts). Only exception is unlicensed, but readily available titles.
The title should be available in English, and if not, it should at the very least be
playable without knowledge of Japanese.

Due to the nature of the Club, excessively long or grind-heavy
games such as RPGs will be excluded.
Click to expand...

I'm open to a discussion about raising the price limit to $50, but we're already walking a fine line on participation. I don't think raising the price limit would encourage even more people to participate and would in fact harm how many people partake.

Excitebike is fine as it's averaging like $7.50 a copy. Rambo (really?) is averaging $5 so that's in. I'll throw in a suggestion right now: Wolverine by LJN. I liked it and beat it as a kid, but haven't revisited it since. It's LJN, so that worries me, but the OST is awesome Folin magic.

So right now our list is:

  1. Excitebike
  2. Rambo
  3. Wolverine
  4. ???
  5. ???

Let's get more on this list before we only have three to vote on.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Well, that was fast.

  1. Excitebike
  2. Rambo
  3. Wolverine
  4. Zanac
  5. Solstice

Here's our list for voting. I'll get the form up and post ready by (probably) Monday so we can kick this sucker off.
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Morfeo said:
I kinda hate Solstice, but Rambo and Zanac should be fun to check out.
Click to expand...

I've never played Solstice, but looking at a video for it... I worry about this one haha It just looks painful to play due to the isometric angle. Still, if it wins, I'll give it a fair go. Rambo is honestly not great, in my opinion, and Zanac I've never played... so I dunno what I'm really rooting for this month.
 
T

Teknoman

Member
OnPoint said:
I've never played Solstice, but looking at a video for it... I worry about this one haha It just looks painful to play due to the isometric angle. Still, if it wins, I'll give it a fair go. Rambo is honestly not great, in my opinion, and Zanac I've never played... so I dunno what I'm really rooting for this month.
Click to expand...

Zanac of course.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
Month of suffering. If you don't like it you can complain to me in person at Classic Game Fest in July for picking Solstice. :p

Speaking of, anyone in Texas going to Classic Game Fest this year?
 
O

OnPoint

Member
Shadow Hog said:
This has to be the most unappealing batch of games we've had yet.

Solstice has awesome music, but actually playing it... ehhhh.
Click to expand...

I actually don't disagree haha I'll make a post on Monday and I'll include some Youtube links so people can try to make educated choices.
 
B

b3b0p

Member
RoryDropkick said:
Month of suffering. If you don't like it you can complain to me in person at Classic Game Fest in July for picking Solstice. :p

Speaking of, anyone in Texas going to Classic Game Fest this year?
Click to expand...

Yes. I live 600 meters from events center (and I work for a festival company).

Would love to know who else is going? Can we get a tally going?

Anyone going to the Zelda concert coming up? I have a front row seat.
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
RoryDropkick said:
Month of suffering. If you don't like it you can complain to me in person at Classic Game Fest in July for picking Solstice. :p
Click to expand...

Month of suffering indeed.

OnPoint said:
I've never played Solstice, but looking at a video for it... I worry about this one haha It just looks painful to play due to the isometric angle. Still, if it wins, I'll give it a fair go. Rambo is honestly not great, in my opinion, and Zanac I've never played... so I dunno what I'm really rooting for this month.
Click to expand...
D.Lo said:
Why? I love it.
Click to expand...

I think the gameplay is interesting, and I can deal with the isometric view. I also like the graphics and sound. What i really dislike is the terribly obtuse puzzles based around doing a random jump at a specific place in a room to make a hidden block disappear. I dont know, I like my games to be about thinking and precision - not about luck or just randomness. The sequel was much better imo.
 
R

RoryDropkick

Member
b3b0p said:
Yes. I live 600 meters from events center (and I work for a festival company).

Would love to know who else is going? Can we get a tally going?

Anyone going to the Zelda concert coming up? I have a front row seat.
Click to expand...


Ill be at CGF on Saturday. Will probably do my usual day of hitting there, some of the Game Over stores, Conan's Pizza and then Pinballz later that night. I will more than likely be wearing a 1cc shirt, so look out for me, ill let people know which one as it gets closer.
 
M

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Cow Mengde said:
Rambo? Wasn't there an AVGN episode on the game? I'm not familiar with the other games except Excitebike. So I vote for that.
Click to expand...

It was, but even though he did his best to shit on it, i still found the game pretty interesting and picked it up soon afterwards. But I love Zelda 2, so i guess that is part of it :)
 
M

Mega

Banned
Zanac is amazing. I played through this game at least two dozen times as a kid and I swear it was different every single time.

The distinguishing aspect of Zanac's gameplay is its unique enemy artificial intelligence, called the "Automatic Level of Difficulty Control" or ALC.[6] The ALC measures the System's aggressiveness and the game's difficulty depending on the actions of the player, such as attack pattern and skill level.[12] The ALC increases for experts but decreases for inexperienced players.[6] For instance, shooting the main cannon frequently, collecting power-ups, and failing to destroy bosses within the specified time limit increases the ALC, resulting in a greater number of tougher enemies appearing on screen. However, actions such as losing lives, starting a new level, or destroying reconnaissance planes reduces the ALC, resulting in fewer on-screen enemies.
Click to expand...
 
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