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[Velinos]

A few more recent pickups. I remember a friend of mine in grade school had Life Force and I thought it looked cool, but with the powerups and upgrades was way too complicated. Hopefully I can handle it now. Dr. Mario is another classic. Kings of the Beach I have never played, but it was $2 CIB.

Stay tuned. I should have another update tonight that includes a game I have been waiting to find for nearly 20 years.

 

[Tain]

I keep getting stuck on level 3 in Journey to Silius. With only 3 continues, this game is hard as nails.

I always thought Journey to Silius had unlimited continues. The Japanese version, raf World, has unlimited, at least, and I'm 99% sure my US cart does, too. Unless this is a self-imposed rule!

Game always did sound like a fun one to 1cc.

 

[-KRS-]

I guess I'm not getting stuck per say but I'm having a tough time managing lives. I start a new level with only one life left yet, despite getting a checkpoint, if I die I lose a continue and start the level all over. So now whenever I get to a new level with a only life remaining I suicide knowing that the run would be in vain cause there's no way I'm beating it with just one life.

TL;DR I need to stop sucking and dying, then I think I'll be able to beat the game.

Ah I see. Yes it is a tough game. The only thing one can do is simply to learn the level layout and enemy placement. That way you can minimize the damage you take. There are some spots where it's pretty much impossible to not take damage though, but fortunately there's not a lot of them.

In level 3 in particular, the most dangerous enemy are those guys that look like they're riding bikes that come flying towards you. If they manage to get close to you it's really tough getting rid of them so they usually end up depleting most of your health or even killing you. So take care of those as soon as they get on screen. Sometimes I run backwards a bit when it starts coming towards me, jump up, turn around in midair, and shoot it. And when you get to the pre-boss at the end of the level use the homing missiles on it.

I always thought Journey to Silius had unlimited continues. The Japanese version, raf World, has unlimited, at least, and I'm 99% sure my US cart does, too. Unless this is a self-imposed rule!

Game always did sound like a fun one to 1cc.

Hmm, the PAL version definitely has limited continues. And I'm actually 99% sure that the Japanese version does as well since that's the one I'm usually playing, with my Powerpak in an NTSC NES. I don't usually get a game over in this game anymore however, so I'm not completely sure... But I think I have actually gotten a game over in the Japanese version.

And yeah it's like the perfect game to 1cc, like a lot of Sunsoft's games actually. I can rarely do it though since it's still pretty challenging even when you know it inside out, so it still feels really satisfying when you make it through the tough spots.

 

[Velinos]

And here it is, after nearly two decades I finally have what I consider the "holy grail" of my collection.

I remember renting this game several times when it came out, but never finished it. Unfortunately this was one of those games that you do not see at the local used game store or sitting at a thrift store or pawn shop, at least I have not. I paid a fair price for it, but it is in pretty damn good condition so I don't feel too bad about that. Now to finally finish this game.

 

[baphomet]

Just a heads up for anyone who ordered an NES RGB board and hasnt heard. Apparently a different chip was used in the manufacturing that is causing issues. From the looks of it 100% are affected. So if you have one you may want to hold off on actually installing it.

Now the rest is just from what i gather on shmups. Looks like Tim has ordered a bunch of usb jtag devices. Im under the impression he will be mailing these out to those who purchased the boards so we can flash it with an upgraded firmware which will correct the issue.

Its unfortunate that this happened, but i feel like this is a good solution because if you can install the board, you should be able to upgrade via jtag. At the very least it saves from having to ship the boards back to be upgraded and mailed back to you.

 

[RoryDropkick]

And here it is, after nearly two decades I finally have what I consider the "holy grail" of my collection.

I remember renting this game several times when it came out, but never finished it. Unfortunately this was one of those games that you do not see at the local used game store or sitting at a thrift store or pawn shop, at least I have not. I paid a fair price for it, but it is in pretty damn good condition so I don't feel too bad about that. Now to finally finish this game.

Nice That was one of the first games I got when I was starting my collection again back in the early 2000's. I picked it up for $5.99, I still have the sticker on it just to remember

 

[Guzim]

A few more recent pickups. I remember a friend of mine in grade school had Life Force and I thought it looked cool, but with the powerups and upgrades was way too complicated. Hopefully I can handle it now. Dr. Mario is another classic. Kings of the Beach I have never played, but it was $2 CIB.

Stay tuned. I should have another update tonight that includes a game I have been waiting to find for nearly 20 years.

I LOVED Kings of the Beach. It's a really fun game.

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

Great game. The other master, Swordmaster, seemed pretty cool too. That has also gone up in price though.

holy crap it is like crazy just picked up one for $36 while i can

 

[georgetheplushie]

And here it is, after nearly two decades I finally have what I consider the "holy grail" of my collection.

I remember renting this game several times when it came out, but never finished it. Unfortunately this was one of those games that you do not see at the local used game store or sitting at a thrift store or pawn shop, at least I have not. I paid a fair price for it, but it is in pretty damn good condition so I don't feel too bad about that. Now to finally finish this game.

Nice. My friend wouldn't stop talking about Fire 'n Ice one day when someone asked him what games he'd like to get. Lo and behold we run into it at a gaming bar that same day, and they let him buy it and a few other games for a pretty good price. I picked up a Famicom cart a little while later, which has battery backup for up to three files and custom stages. One of my favorite games on the system.

Picked up Cobra Triangle CIB today for $10. Was really only after a cart, but it was cheap. The cart is immaculate, but the box isn't in the best of shape. It's the first NES game other than Battle Kid 2 that I've bought boxed since I started collecting.

 

[Coreda]

Surely someone has posted about this, right?

Beaten-up NES Nintendo World Championship cart finished selling for just under $100,000 on eBay, with 328 bids. Unbelievable. Lol at all the low-feedback price bumps along the way.

BBC article here.

Edit: beaten, found the thread by chance just now (name them people! ) Twist: original cart previously owned by GAFer thomaser.

 

[SLX]

I wonder if Jaws on the NES is still as good as I remember as a kid...

 

[Delicious Waffles]

Jaws was a fantastic game. I worked so hard to get the submarine, only to lose it within a few seconds.

 

[abstract alien]

Crystalis? Battle of Olympus? Man, those games did things to me. Wonderful things. I rarely get that dirty of feeling nowadays. Maybe I can chalk it up to being young.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Surely someone has posted about this, right?

Beaten-up NES Nintendo World Championship cart finished selling for just under $100,000 on eBay, with 328 bids. Unbelievable. Lol at all the low-feedback price bumps along the way.



BBC article here.

Edit: beaten, found the thread by chance just now (name them people! ) Twist: original cart previously owned by GAFer thomaser.

I'd be so fucking afraid of selling something like that on eBay. Hope it works out fine for the person.

 

[djtiesto]

was going to wait for either a manual or a boxed version to show up but prices started to go up a little bit on it so bit the bullet and just got loose cart

Very underrated game... I never heard of it back in the day and was only recently tipped off. I have it CIB, the range of your attack is a bit small and there are some frustrating '8-bit design' type parts but overall it's one of the better NES games.

I went to a thrift store in Patchogue and picked up a bunch of interesting stuff the other day:

King's Knight - terrible game but the Nobuo soundtrack is decent. Funny enough I remember receiving this game from my uncle back when I was little... and I returned it to get FF1.

Section Z - I was expecting much more out of this. I love the oldskool Capcom NES packaging, that 80's cyberpunk style. And was expecting something along the line of Metroidvania + shmup, but it's extremely basic and repetitive. With lots of forks that will take you back to the beginning if you don't know where you're going.

Zanac - Compile shmup that's a technical marvel for the system, very little flicker. Though the graphics and weapons aren't nearly as interesting as in Compile's later games.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - now this one was pretty interesting... when you think of western RPGs on the NES, you will automatically assume the Ultima 3-5 ports. But here's one that (to my knowledge) is original for the platform. The game has that Ultima 7 slanted look to it, and it has a variety of different battle types - Zelda style top down, duels that play almost like a fighting game... music is good too. The big problems are there are limited continues and no real password/save system.

Hydlide - a horrible game that I got as a joke. It's like Ys with Indiana Jones music but horrible random game design. There seems to be no rule to tell whether or not you can make a successful hit (you run into enemies like Ys) and you start out PAINFULLY weak. Didn't make it far at all into it and am like "fuck this". It's as bad as they say...

Star Soldier - Haven't played yet but I love the Turbo Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade.

Tiny Toon Adventures 1 and 2 - Only played the first game so far, it's a decent sidescroller reminiscent of Mario 3. It sucks that if you get captured by Elmira in the second level, you have to go back to the beginning of the game.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I'd be so fucking afraid of selling something like that on eBay. Hope it works out fine for the person.

yeah that's gotta be $10k+ in seller's sees, right? Good luck.

 

[-KRS-]

Playing a bit of Star Force. I love that little tune that plays when you get the rapid-fire powerup. It's so out of place and upbeat but I love it haha. Makes me happy every time I get it.

And speaking of that game, it's actually still pretty decent for a shooter game of this vintage. I mean it's no Gradius or Life Force or whatever, but it's actually pretty fun to play. The bosses could be better though, they're basically all the same and are really easy. At least the boss music is pretty cool.

 

[DrLazy]

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - now this one was pretty interesting... when you think of western RPGs on the NES, you will automatically assume the Ultima 3-5 ports. But here's one that (to my knowledge) is original for the platform. The game has that Ultima 7 slanted look to it, and it has a variety of different battle types - Zelda style top down, duels that play almost like a fighting game... music is good too. The big problems are there are limited continues and no real password/save system.

This game is fantastic. I know too much about genres and conventions these days. Back then, it was like, "Oh no I have to rescue my friends from dying" -- The NPCs in battle. Fantastic game. Could of used a save system.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Hydlide - a horrible game that I got as a joke. It's like Ys with Indiana Jones music but horrible random game design. There seems to be no rule to tell whether or not you can make a successful hit (you run into enemies like Ys) and you start out PAINFULLY weak. Didn't make it far at all into it and am like "fuck this". It's as bad as they say...

Hydlide predates Ys and Zelda, you know. For a game originally from 1984, it's not that bad... and even in 1986, when the Famicom version released, Ys and Zelda still weren't out. By the time the game released in the US in '89 the game certainly was very badly dated though.

 

[-KRS-]

Yeah I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to release Hydlide in 89. It must have seemed hopelessly outdated by that point already. But yes, Hydlide is one of those games that Zelda and others probably took inspiration from so it is historically important. I think it might even be the first Japanese RPG that wasn't a dungeon crawler like Wizardry.

Speaking of Wizardry. Is it worth getting the Famicom versions of those CIB? Or is it simply too archaic at this point? I only buy games to play them, and I'm not sure I'd enjoy them nowadays, but those boxes look pretty neat and they're pretty cheap usually. I could get them for about $10 each.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to release Hydlide in 89. It must have seemed hopelessly outdated by that point already. But yes, Hydlide is one of those games that Zelda and others probably took inspiration from so it is historically important.

Yeah, the game is quite important historically... but later games made huge advances over it. By '89 it was pretty horribly dated, and localizing it was an odd choice. I'm sure by '89 better games could have been brought over instead!

I think it might even be the first Japanese RPG that wasn't a dungeon crawler like Wizardry.

Falcom's Dragon Slayer released a month before Hydlide, but that's more of a roguelike... so yeah, it's one of the first ones. Are there any from before those two?

 

[djtiesto]

Yeah, the game is quite important historically... but later games made huge advances over it. By '89 it was pretty horribly dated, and localizing it was an odd choice. I'm sure by '89 better games could have been brought over instead!


Falcom's Dragon Slayer released a month before Hydlide, but that's more of a roguelike... so yeah, it's one of the first ones. Are there any from before those two?

Yup, the HG101 blog has some interesting articles on the "dark age of RPGs". And here I go thinking Aspic and The Black Onyx were the first...

http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/search/label/JRPGs

 

[Teknoman]

You know whats actually kinda fun (and sort of like posting impressions anyway)? Keeping a gaming journal/log of sorts with on the spot thoughts, impressions, passwords, codes or whatever.

 

[IrishNinja]

^haha that's awesome, i just bought a notebook for passwords & hints like that! i nearly filled up my old one in the day with stuff from Sherlock Holmes & crazy Rolling Thunder II passwords.

 

[Cody_D165]

NESGAF, I just started playing Crystalis for the first time.

I think I'm in love.

 

[Teknoman]

^haha that's awesome, i just bought a notebook for passwords & hints like that! i nearly filled up my old one in the day with stuff from Sherlock Holmes & crazy Rolling Thunder II passwords.

Yeah, figured if I was going to go back, i'm going to do it the right way!

That and it just seemed like a cool thing to do at the time lol. That being said...I think im gonna tackle Power Blade or Dracula Kun next.

 

[utero2001]

Wondering if Bionic Commando has aged well, is it still good to go back to after "Re Armed"?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Wondering if Bionic Commando has aged well, is it still good to go back to after "Re Armed"?

I think so. Rearmed actually stuck to the formula pretty hard, so you should feel right at home.

 

[Roddslayer]

NESGAF, I just started playing Crystalis for the first time.

I think I'm in love.

Yep it's quite good.

Also I wanted to check in and say that I beat Journey to Silius this morning. My heart was pumping by the end of the boss fight. A special shout out to Kevin on the Back in my Play podcast for talking about the 9 continues cheat code. I had no clue it existed and It's the only way I could've beat the game.

 

[Teknoman]

So if I got a repro copy of Ufouria, it wouldnt have the rushed music timing ala the VC release (PAL conversion I believe) right?

 

[A Black Falcon]

^haha that's awesome, i just bought a notebook for passwords & hints like that! i nearly filled up my old one in the day with stuff from Sherlock Holmes & crazy Rolling Thunder II passwords.

Yeah,. some kind of small notebook is really highly advised for passwords. If you keep them on separate sheets of paper you will probably lose some, but all together in a book they stay together. The only issue is paging through it to find the one I'm looking for, but that's better than stacks of paper for sure. I use these small-pages notebooks, so I now have two for passwords because the first one mostly filled up.

 

[-KRS-]

So we all know that Konami was pretty much gods back in the NES era. But what are some of the WORST Konami NES games? Did they even make any bad games? I have a hard time thinking of any. For some reason I keep thinking of Hi no Tori, but that game isn't really a bad game. Only a bit on the simple side. And the graphics aren't as appealing as some other Konami games, but still looks decent.

With other companies it's much easier. Capcom? Well 1942 is a pretty damn shitty port, as is SonSon. Sunsoft? They were like the inventors of shovelware if you look at their releases up to 87-88 or so. Namco? Plenty of licensed crap. I don't think I even have to mention Bandai. But Konami though... there must be some shitty game they made that I'm forgetting.

Also I wanted to check in and say that I beat Journey to Silius this morning. My heart was pumping by the end of the boss fight. A special shout out to Kevin on the Back in my Play podcast for talking about the 9 continues cheat code. I had no clue it existed and It's the only way I could've beat the game.

Congrats! Huh I didn't know about that code either, but it's definitely fair to use such a code in this game lol. Did you have trouble with level 4?

The final boss is actually kind of disappointing. Not because of how it looks or anything, but because of how easy it is relative to some of the other bosses. And then after you beat it you get an outside view of the space colony you're in, and it almost seems like the whole base will explode like in a Konami game ending, but nope it just goes on to the credits. Oh well.

Oh and a big missed opportunity in that game which I've mentioned on this forum before is that after the credits end and you press start, you get to start the game over again. But you don't get to keep all the weapons you got throughout the game. You only start out with the regular gun and the shotgun. I would've guessed that it's because of a technical issue or something, but they actually start you out with the amount of health and ammo that you finished the last boss with. So they obviously have information carrying over into the second playthrough. Would've been cool to play through the earlier stages with all the guns.

 

[7DollarHagane]

Somehow I just won an auction for a complete in box maniac mansion for $20 shipped?

Other listings were going for $50-70..

Feel pretty lucky, one of my favorite new games.

 

[Rygar 8 Bit]

aye thats a good deal have a loose cart but would be all over a complete maniac mansion if i can get it cheap enough

 

[Tempy]

So we all know that Konami was pretty much gods back in the NES era. But what are some of the WORST Konami NES games? Did they even make any bad games? I have a hard time thinking of any. For some reason I keep thinking of Hi no Tori, but that game isn't really a bad game. Only a bit on the simple side. And the graphics aren't as appealing as some other Konami games, but still looks decent.

Maybe some of the games sold under the Ultra label. Though I can't think of a really bad one off the top of my head.

 

[Lambtron]

I won Rockman 1-6 and Solbrain tonight on eBay. So juiced.

 

[Seven Force]

You know whats actually kinda fun (and sort of like posting impressions anyway)? Keeping a gaming journal/log of sorts with on the spot thoughts, impressions, passwords, codes or whatever.

I actually started doing that in '09, just finished filling up a fifth notebook.

Always thought I was weird for doing that, heh.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I won Rockman 1-6 and Solbrain tonight on eBay. So juiced.

If you've played Shatterhand, let us know whether or not you like Solbrain better!

 

[RoryDropkick]

If you've played Shatterhand, let us know whether or not you like Solbrain better!

I've always been biased towards Solbrain just because I watched the show when I was young.

 

[baphomet]

If anyone ordered an nesrgb board from this second batch and needs someone to update it to work correctly, just hit me up via pm. Ill have the equipment hopefully within a week, and will gladly do it for free aside from return shipping. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

 

[7DollarHagane]

I just can't see nes benefiting from rgb the same way SNES and genesis do. Ive been playing nes on my CRT on composite and there's some noise to it but I just don't see the color depth in most titles to really benefit from rgb.

Id love to see it in person and be proved wrong though.

 

[baphomet]

I just can't see nes benefiting from rgb the same way SNES and genesis do. Ive been playing nes on my CRT on composite and there's some noise to it but I just don't see the color depth in most titles to really benefit from rgb.

Id love to see it in person and be proved wrong though.

Nes benefits from rgb more than any other console. Even off screen pictures will show you that.

 

[7DollarHagane]

I have my Genesis and SNES connected to a rgb to yuv converter and agree completely about those.

 

[Teknoman]

Ok NES GAF, thoughts on Strider?

 

[Shining]

I've always been biased towards Solbrain just because I watched the show when I was young.

I prefer Solbrain mostly because of the gun powerup. I also like the circus stage hella lot more than the submarine stage in Shatterhand.

 

[wondermega]

So we all know that Konami was pretty much gods back in the NES era. But what are some of the WORST Konami NES games? Did they even make any bad games? I have a hard time thinking of any. For some reason I keep thinking of Hi no Tori, but that game isn't really a bad game. Only a bit on the simple side. And the graphics aren't as appealing as some other Konami games, but still looks decent.

Bad Konami games.. hnnnngh.. difficult. I'll of course say Castlevania II, although it still has it's fans (and looks cool and sounds great etc) but ultimately just not a very good game - although I'd never rank it up there with genuinely "bad" NES games.

Bayou Billy was alright, I guess it would rank as middling at best. I'm sure some people enjoyed it and it was impressive how they tried to fit multiple game-styles into one, but really just felt like a pretty half-assed Double Dragon with a cool soundtrack.

Contra Force was actually not a "real" Contra game, got renamed stateside to take advantage of the brand. Also not very fun, I'd actually say it's probably a fair bit worse than the 2 games mentioned above. Just felt sloppy and crappy. I'm 100% sure I'd never have even tried it had they not slapped the Contra monicker on there.

..and that's about all I can think of! A pretty impressive track record overall. Konami was pretty top-tier in their heyday. I should go back and play some of their lesser-mentioned NES games that I never checked out (Zen, Monster in My Pocket, Bucky O'Hare)

 

[Teknoman]

I wonder why they changed up Mad City so much when bringing it over as Bayou Billy?

 

[wondermega]

Ok NES GAF, thoughts on Strider?

People seem to have some fond memories of this game - back in the day I had some expectations of it (graphics looked great in Nintendo Power) but man - the control - so glitchy. It honestly felt like the game was fighting you every step of the way, well at least half of the time. Those triangle wall-jumps were nearly impossible to pull off (compared to Batman, which was smooth as hell)

The game itself wasn't bad, I did play the entire way through it. If the controls weren't so bobo I would say it was probably an above-average NES game. Instead I say pass on this one and go for Street Fighter 2010 instead. The control on that game is, um, a little difficult to grasp but ultimately quite fun and a lot more worth your time than this game.

 

[Teknoman]

I've had my eye on 2010 since...well since I saw it in a rental store as a kid lol. Not sure why i've never played it though. Is the timer really as brutal as AVGN made it out to be?

 

[sixteen-bit]

I actually have Capcom Mini-Mix on GBA. It has NES Strider on it so I should give it a try. I really only got it for cheap Mighty Final Fight