RFGen 2019 NES Challenge

[Silent Scythe]

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/4VY19NW.jpg[/img]
It took me close to 5 hours between cooking/eating dinner but I managed to run through both play throughs to see the true ending last night. I love the Ghosts 'N Goblin games but this one has got to be at the bottom of the list. A side from graphics and sound that isn't really enjoyable the game can be really glitchy. There were several times where the dragon boss at the end of the fire bridge stage didn't spawn and I had to run back to kill myself and try again. Thankfully I've played this one enough to remember some of the tricks to help me get by and not get too frustrated.


I can do another short game Saturday, put me down for Jaws.

[Fokakis79]

Ultima Exodus has been taken down. The game is a bit too much of a grind with regards to money. I really enjoyed the first person view of the dungeons. Wish there were more and I realized there were a couple dungeons that were pointless to go in because other dungeons already had the marks I needed. I went in them anyways because they were the more fun parts of the game to me. The ending of the game is quite anticlimactic for the amount of time I put into it. I think it was you Crabby who said the other Ultima game on NES is way better. Would like to give it a try sometime but for now, I am going to claim Dungeon Magic. Its a first person dungeon crawler hopefully it has what I am looking for in a RPG.

Regarding Roger Clemens MVP Baseball. I am going to dump it, and claim 720. [img width=700 height=525]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190208/3201fb1089a837c8354de97dd756b13a.jpg[/img]

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[singlebanana]

Guys, those are two HUGE games!  Congrats.

Well, I have now finished 3 of the 5 tournaments in Kings of the Beach.  I also started Times of Lore... Not the most spectacular of games, but I will get into that after my review.

My next sports claim is Goal!

Updated finished games and claims.

[BuriedOnMars]

Rad Racer is done.  I'll take Rad Racer II next.

[Fokakis79]

Wrapped up Metal Gear tonight. I know Mr. Kojima doesn't like this version of his game and I can understand since a bunch of stuff was cut from the NES version. I would be interested in trying out the MSX version just to see the difference. The game by itself is pretty fun, though. The action, the items are fun to use, especially the remote guided missle. I have played around with this game a lot so its not a new experience but I did enjoy playing it again for old time  sakes.

Now onto Dungeon Magic and 720[img width=700 height=525]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190208/a690ae440d7e5cd8801515e44f827b27.jpg[/img]

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[ApolloBoy]

I tried to take down Life Force last night, but I was super tired and kept messing up so I tried again tonight. This time I succeeded



Even though I first played this as a kid, I actually prefer its Japanese version, Salamander, since you can have more Options and hence more firepower. The ending is also much better since it has a staff roll and a little animation of your pilot taking their helmet off. Never understood why the US version just ends with a Konami logo.

I'm now going to claim Blaster Master next, I love that game to pieces and I should be able to blast through it (pun intended).

[Duke.Togo]

I'd guess that Lifeforce was changed because Konami used their own custom mapper chips on the Famicom, but were forced to use Nintendo mappers and reprogram for the NES. You guys are really knocking these out!

[ApolloBoy]

I'd guess that Lifeforce was changed because Konami used their own custom mapper chips on the Famicom, but were forced to use Nintendo mappers and reprogram for the NES. You guys are really knocking these out!

I know that explains the missing two Options, but the plain logo just mystifies me regardless, especially since the ROM size is the same between the two.

[singlebanana]

[img width=700 height=552]http://i.imgur.com/hleZYgi.jpg[/img]

Times of Lore complete!

Like I said before, Times of Lore was the last NES game I purchased at retail as a kid.  I was totally sold by the awesome game box. However, while playing it as a kid, I could not figure out why I kept dying, since it wasn't enemies who were killing me. It turns out that you have to keep your character stocked up on food (you can hold six at a time) or he will die of starvation... The character automatically eats the food as you adventure and each time, one piece is consumed. You start off with a few pieces and they drop fairly  uncommonly throughout the game off enemies.  What I did not realize as a young chap is that you can buy "provisions" at the inns. No idea why they call it food in your inventory and as drops you pick up, but then use the word provisions with the innkeeper. Of course, I probably didn't understand this word at a young age and of course, didn't care for this game because I die inexplicably so much. This go round, I figured it out and had a better experience.

ToL can best be described as a fetch quest game. It requires you to talk to the right people, ask them about the right subject, and search the map for your next objective.  The gameplay here is terrible and there are really no boss "battles" to speak of. Yes, you do encounter bosses, but many of them only require using a single item to defeat them. I would compare this game to Shadowgate in terms of its menu and how you dispatch major foes, but add in loads of walking around and completing fetch quests. At the end of the game, you get a final score though there is no scoring in the game; this reminds me of the old Sierra games like Kings Quest and Space Quest. The game has a great story and good ideas for gameplay, but lacks enough action to make it fun.  Not the worst game on the NES, but not one I would seek out if you're not going for a complete set.  

Next claim: Milon's Secret Castle

[Crabmaster2000]

I'm super impressed. You guys knocked out some impressive titles over the last couple days!

@Silent Scythe - I have some kind of Stockholm syndrome with the NES version of Ghosts n Goblins and it's my favorite game in the whole series. I really love it, jank and all.

@Fokakis79 - Couldn't agree more with your thoughts on Ultima Exodus. Super grindy and very poor payoff for all the work that goes into beating the game. And yes it was me talking up the next one in the series, Quest of the Avatar. I think it's one of the best RPGs on the system and still to this day a super unique take on the genre that impressed the hell out of me when I played through it a few years ago. As for Warriors of Destiny I've only played the NES version, but it seems like a game that HAS to be played on a PC. It just wasn't very easy to play on the NES and I'm sure would have been better on it's native platform. Luckily it was the shortest of the 3 by far though. I'll be curious to know your thoughts on Dungeon Magic as I havn't touched that one yet.

@BuriedOnMars - Rad Racer 1/2 are super fun. Love the tunes.

@Apolloboy - I'm not a huge Life Force fan. There are so many shooters on the system I'd rather play. Very much disliked the fire level and the final stage when you have to dodge all the walls to escape and a few other slightly less annoying areas also.

@singlebanana - Wow that was fast. I just assumed Times of Lore was going to be a massive time commitment. Very eager to hear your thoughts on it after you've had your beauty sleep.

I had one of those rare work days where I actually had to do some work so I didn't get to advance my Bases Loaded 4 season at all today unfortunately which sucks a lot. Was hoping to at least get to the halfway point by today, but this game is kicking my ass.

[singlebanana]

[img width=700 height=537]http://i.imgur.com/lAzD83y.jpg[/img]

At home with a sick kid. Early morning run to polish off Karnov. Karnov was one of those games that my local convenience store had a cabinet of, so I was very familiar with it.  Little did I know, but the arcade is fairly hard to come by these days.  My neighbor actually had a very nice one that he sold locally.

Anyway, while the arcade cab is brutal, the NES port is a great experience. I love the variety of the stages and enjoy the underwater and flying parts; I just wish that the boss battles were underwater and in the sky as well. Karnov has a nice variety of sub-weapons and items to choose from and I always feel well-prepared for boss battles, even if I die mid-stage and have to power up beforehand. It's a quick game and not overly difficult once you learn how to navigate the stages. I was shocked as to how all the little tricks I knew came right back to me after so many years.

The biggest negative...probably the shittiest end screen in history. Way to mail it in guys! Now to dive into some editing.

**Be sure to check out my Times of Lore review above**

[BuriedOnMars]

Ended up finishing Rad Racer II last night before bed.  Was way more familiar with this game and it all came back as I started playing it.  I swear, the first course if the toughest in the game.  Not sure what my next game will be yet.

[Duke.Togo]

Abadox is done. The game gets just nuts on level 6, and has one of those escape sequences at the end where you have to dodge everything. Not my favorite shooter for the NES, but some of the artwork was pretty good.

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/RLURkka.jpg[/img]

[Fokakis79]

Started diving into Dungeon Magic. So far I am liking it. Game is pretty challenging so far. Its not frustrating hard so it is a pleasure getting to know the game and get better at.

Played some 720, its been awhile since I played this one. Probably only played it a couple times in my life. Pretty fun so far

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[shane]

I started The Magic of Scheherazade if you want to mark it as claimed. Never played it before, and as soon as I started it I knew that it heavily influenced the demo I played of Mystic Searches.