(no subject)
So I picked up Dracula X Chronicles recently, so I now officially own the Turbo Duo version of Dracula X, and I didn't have to fork over $100 dollars to some ebay guy. Its also time for a confession. Are you ready? Well here goes...
I actually had not yet played Dracula X prior to this point.
....
Yeah I know what the hell is wrong with me? Its my secret shame. I guess when it comes down to it, I was a bit too lazy to try tracking down a working ISO of the game and admittedly I was a cheapskate and didn't really feel like shelling cash for Magic Engine. (The only decent TG16 emu at the time.) So yeah, hope none of you think less of me. Or any lower I dunno. :P
Regardless of why and how, the fact is I have access to Rondo of Blood now so I can finally try it out. So far my impressions are pretty good, though damn have I gotten sloppy at old school Castlevanias. You see what happens IGA, when you keep babying us with the Metroidvanias, or Castleroids, or whatever the hell people are calling them these days?
I'll make a more in depth opinion in a later entry. (Really I swear this time.) But first there is something I really need to get on right now, something I've said I would do but keep holding off. I'm talking about that early Nintendo project I have going. I think its about time I get off my ass and do another entry don't you think? I actually have been writing the next one off and on for the past couple of weeks, but I never seemed able to get it quite like how I wanted. I figure I should just post what I have cause otherwise I don't think I'll ever get this finished.
Since I did Donkey Kong last time, I figured I might as well deal with his son's game next. As with Donkey Kong, I experienced this game on the Donkey Kong Classics cart. I seem to remember being a little warmer towards DKJR than I was to his old man's game. Didn't seem to be as intimidating, and was a little easier.
I don't really need to go into detail about this game as I'm sure anybody who is reading this has certainly played it. I will say that I think its story may have been well ahead of its time. Mario the character we were controlling and trying to make succeed in the previous game, was now our enemy who was actively trying to kill us. And Donkey Kong who had tried to do the latter to us before, was now the one we were trying to save. We were saving the very ape that was trying to destroy us before. Was a very odd position to find yourself in, even if the characters weren't real.
Since DKJR is a baby ape, the emphasis on the game is on climbing more than jumping. Hence the first level is a vine filled jungle. It does a decent enough job of giving you the basics. You learn the mechanics of climbing pretty quickly. You also learn that fruit is not something you eat for points this time, but something with which you kill your foes.
It isn't quite as memorable as DK's barrel stage, which immediately let the player know the game meant business. To be honest this level is pretty damn easy, and doesn't really get difficult until around the 4th loop of the game or so. Still it is fun luring those unsuspecting beartraps under the fruits and kill them.
The second level is a little tougher. There's quite a bit going on here, with the birds dropping eggs on you, the floating platforms, that weird pulley thing, and the trampoline jack. Its a fun level for those reasons, though it doesn't really drastically increase in difficulty that much each time you finish the game. The first three or so times you play through the game, you can even skip half the stage by holding down jump when you land on the jack and shoot high up. Eventually the programmers set it up so that the little floating platform you can bounce up to, is moved further back.
Now this is more like it. I love the laboratory level.. I have no idea where the hell Mario got a lab, but its the most frenzied of the stages, at least on the higher difficulties it is. Here you really have to use your jumping ability to its best, watching carefully the movements of the blue and orange sparks, and making sure you don't bump your head onto any of them. In fact it does feel fairly similar to the barrel level, though not quite as hard.
And now the last level. Like its predecessor the objective changes here. Instead of just trying to reach the top, you now have to push all the keys into the holes in order to release Donkey Kong from his cage. Unfortunately this is probably the weakest level. Its even more simplified than the rest, and while the game tries to compensate on the higher difficulties, it isn't really all that tough to avoid the purple birds. Still it makes a nice little breather level anyway.
And the ending. You know when I first played this game, I was a very young child. And when I first saw this ending, I was actually terrified, because I thought Mario had been "killed". I mean in Donkey Kong he died from far smaller falls than that huge plunge you see up there. My dad had to ensure me that Mario survived to be in Super Mario Bros. Why the hell did I just mention that? I have no friggin clue, though I probably shouldn't have. Oh well. On a similar note I do wonder what happened after that scene faded out anyway. Think DK and his son beat the crap out of the unconscious Mario? We may never know.
You know maybe starting with the Donkey Kong games wasn't all that great. I mean who could hate these games? If you hate the original Donkey Kong, you may need to reassess yourself when it comes to video games. I figured I had to start somewhere, and kind of wanted to get these over with. In any case I'm just glad I finally posted something. Good night. :P
I actually had not yet played Dracula X prior to this point.
....
Yeah I know what the hell is wrong with me? Its my secret shame. I guess when it comes down to it, I was a bit too lazy to try tracking down a working ISO of the game and admittedly I was a cheapskate and didn't really feel like shelling cash for Magic Engine. (The only decent TG16 emu at the time.) So yeah, hope none of you think less of me. Or any lower I dunno. :P
Regardless of why and how, the fact is I have access to Rondo of Blood now so I can finally try it out. So far my impressions are pretty good, though damn have I gotten sloppy at old school Castlevanias. You see what happens IGA, when you keep babying us with the Metroidvanias, or Castleroids, or whatever the hell people are calling them these days?
I'll make a more in depth opinion in a later entry. (Really I swear this time.) But first there is something I really need to get on right now, something I've said I would do but keep holding off. I'm talking about that early Nintendo project I have going. I think its about time I get off my ass and do another entry don't you think? I actually have been writing the next one off and on for the past couple of weeks, but I never seemed able to get it quite like how I wanted. I figure I should just post what I have cause otherwise I don't think I'll ever get this finished.
Since I did Donkey Kong last time, I figured I might as well deal with his son's game next. As with Donkey Kong, I experienced this game on the Donkey Kong Classics cart. I seem to remember being a little warmer towards DKJR than I was to his old man's game. Didn't seem to be as intimidating, and was a little easier.
I don't really need to go into detail about this game as I'm sure anybody who is reading this has certainly played it. I will say that I think its story may have been well ahead of its time. Mario the character we were controlling and trying to make succeed in the previous game, was now our enemy who was actively trying to kill us. And Donkey Kong who had tried to do the latter to us before, was now the one we were trying to save. We were saving the very ape that was trying to destroy us before. Was a very odd position to find yourself in, even if the characters weren't real.
Since DKJR is a baby ape, the emphasis on the game is on climbing more than jumping. Hence the first level is a vine filled jungle. It does a decent enough job of giving you the basics. You learn the mechanics of climbing pretty quickly. You also learn that fruit is not something you eat for points this time, but something with which you kill your foes.
It isn't quite as memorable as DK's barrel stage, which immediately let the player know the game meant business. To be honest this level is pretty damn easy, and doesn't really get difficult until around the 4th loop of the game or so. Still it is fun luring those unsuspecting beartraps under the fruits and kill them.
The second level is a little tougher. There's quite a bit going on here, with the birds dropping eggs on you, the floating platforms, that weird pulley thing, and the trampoline jack. Its a fun level for those reasons, though it doesn't really drastically increase in difficulty that much each time you finish the game. The first three or so times you play through the game, you can even skip half the stage by holding down jump when you land on the jack and shoot high up. Eventually the programmers set it up so that the little floating platform you can bounce up to, is moved further back.
Now this is more like it. I love the laboratory level.. I have no idea where the hell Mario got a lab, but its the most frenzied of the stages, at least on the higher difficulties it is. Here you really have to use your jumping ability to its best, watching carefully the movements of the blue and orange sparks, and making sure you don't bump your head onto any of them. In fact it does feel fairly similar to the barrel level, though not quite as hard.
And now the last level. Like its predecessor the objective changes here. Instead of just trying to reach the top, you now have to push all the keys into the holes in order to release Donkey Kong from his cage. Unfortunately this is probably the weakest level. Its even more simplified than the rest, and while the game tries to compensate on the higher difficulties, it isn't really all that tough to avoid the purple birds. Still it makes a nice little breather level anyway.
And the ending. You know when I first played this game, I was a very young child. And when I first saw this ending, I was actually terrified, because I thought Mario had been "killed". I mean in Donkey Kong he died from far smaller falls than that huge plunge you see up there. My dad had to ensure me that Mario survived to be in Super Mario Bros. Why the hell did I just mention that? I have no friggin clue, though I probably shouldn't have. Oh well. On a similar note I do wonder what happened after that scene faded out anyway. Think DK and his son beat the crap out of the unconscious Mario? We may never know.
You know maybe starting with the Donkey Kong games wasn't all that great. I mean who could hate these games? If you hate the original Donkey Kong, you may need to reassess yourself when it comes to video games. I figured I had to start somewhere, and kind of wanted to get these over with. In any case I'm just glad I finally posted something. Good night. :P