This blog entry sees me at a very significant milestone with my NES playing. It marks my 300th victory!! Since my NES collection is just a few games shy of 600 that also means I am finally at a point where I've beaten more than half of my NES collection! Even if I don't make my goal of 100 games beaten over 100 days this time I can at least take some solace in the number 300. The range of games played for this update is also pretty diverse. Its got everything from Non-games to Strategy to Racing.
The first game I played this time was possibly my shortest video so far. Spy vs Spy has the same ending on every difficulty level so I figured "why bust my ass playing on hard if its just the same?" and opted for the default level which is the lowest setting. The game is meant for quick multiplayer matches so it was pretty painless. Hard to judge the game based on playing against the computer, but it does seem like it would be kind of lame even against your buddies
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/SpyvsSpy-Ending_zps05c90fc8.jpeg[/img]I also played everyone's favorite non-game (no it wasn't Color A Dinosaur again, sorry), Taboo: The Sixth Sense. If you are not familiar with this cart it isn't a game at all, but a Tarot Card simulator. So you ask the game a question and it draws out the cards and reads from the Arcana provided in order to give you some insight into your question........ and then provides you with lucky lotto numbers at the end
. I asked it the most profound question I could think of.......
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Taboo-Ending_zps15598145.jpeg[/img]Gemfire is a game I've been wanting to get to for quite some time now and with my new recording setback this seemed like a great time to finally tackle it. Gemfire is a KOEI strategy game set in a mythological world. Your goal is to conquer every province on an island in order to unite the land under one leader. Much of the game is spent in menus developing your territories and building your army. The battles take you to another screen and involve moving your units around in a turn based fashion in order to capture your opponents base or defeat their army. Your army always consists of 4 units (1 Cavalry unit, 2 Knight units, 1 Archer unit) divided evenly between the number of troops you have available and you have the option of recruiting a 5th separate unit by either hiring them, meeting certain conditions (such as having a high morality level) or obtaining one of the 6 Gems scattered across the island in the hands of rival leaders.
Unlike many of the other KOEI games I've tried Gemfire is pretty user friendly. If you are looking for a game to introduce you to strategy games on the NES this is probably the best one. All the menus are simplified and the battles are extremely easy to grasp right from the start. There is still quite a lot going on each month, but its much easier to manage than on some of the other KOEI games. The scope of the game isn't quite as intimidating either. While Romance of the Three Kingdoms took me a whopping 40+ hours to beat, Gemfire only stole a mere 6+ hours of my life. Unfortunately the price of Gemfire hasn't been immune to the recent sky-rocketing NES prices, but if you are interested in strategy games its a really fantastic game for people like myself who are largely inexperienced with the genre.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Gemfire-Ending_zps5f30834b.jpeg[/img]Digging through my library for any more game show style games I stumbed across Monopoly which I've been neglecting. It might seem boring to most, but I have a pretty big soft spot for Monopoly. My cousin and I used to play the board game like crazy when we were kids and always argued about the rules. As a result I became pretty familiar with the rule book. I have a hard time playing with most people in real life because basically no one play the game properly. Wether its free parking paydays, not auctioning property or double the cash for landing on Go I get seriously irked when playing with most people. Luckily for people like me there are video game versions that allow me to play against computer opponents who must obey the rules!! I had a lot of fun with this as I haven't had a good game of Monopoly in quite a while now (no one wants to play with me and my rules
).
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Monopoly-Ending_zps511df2fe.jpeg[/img]Legend of the Ghost Lion is a game that I didn't know much about gameplay wise. I knew it was some kind of RPG and that was about it. It started off pretty decent. Very little for story and the directions where often pretty vague, but those are both things I expect from NES era RPGs. You play as a relatively weak young girl, who fortunately can summon various creatures to help out in battle. As you find enchanted items throughout the game you can summon things like Giants, Dwarfs or Centaurs to do most of your fighting for you. Grinding is almost non-existent because of how the level up system it set-up. Instead of gaining experience from battles you only gain currency. To make your character stronger you have to find Fragments of Hope which are found in treasure chests scattered in dungeons around the map. Another nice thing about the game is that pretty much all the dungeons are relatively short and straightforward.
Unfortunately once you enter the 3rd area of the game the difficulty really spikes. Because you only level up from obtaining Fragments of Hope there is a maximum level you'll be at for each area (assuming you found all the Fragments up to that point). So if you are struggling as I was at some points you can't grind your way out of it. Luckily dying only causes you to return to the last save area and lose half your cash. Money is pretty easy to obtain again so that isn't a big deal and the map is small enough that getting back to where you were isn't to bad as well. Its just kind of frustrating. The game is pretty short compared to many other RPGs too, so its not to big of a time sink either. What started off ok got a bit tiresome after a while.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/LegendoftheGhostLion-Ending_zps1db78d3f.jpeg[/img]When I'm at home I can still play some of the faster paced games and I've heard Jackal is decent and short so I popped it in. Most of the game isn't too bad, but I found one thing very annoying from start to end. That was that your jeep could only shoot its bullets directly upwards. This meant that to fire in any other direction you needed to rely on your secondary missile/grenades. These are your big explosive weapons so they fire understandably slow. Its pretty bothersome when you've got several enemies coming at you in an action game like this the last thing you want is to suffer through sluggish weapons and that problem persisted through the entire game. I feel like Jackal could have been amazing with that one little problem fixed.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Jackal-Ending_zps2b540dfb.jpeg[/img]If you've browsed my list of finished game you may have noticed several "classic" or "essential" games missing from it. One of those has finally been rectified. After far too long I've finally played through Rad Racer! It was actually quite a bit of fun for something so simplistic. Really had a good time on almost all the tracks. Track 5 was a bit frustrating, but otherwise it was pretty solid straight through.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RadRacer-Ending_zpsbdc0bb6b.jpeg[/img]Game number 300 was none other than Rad Racer II. Unfortunately Rad Racer II suffers from what a lot of NES sequels also suffer from. It somehow is very similar to the first game, but almost inexplicably loses some of its initial charm. I felt that way when playing other games like Chip n Dale 2, Duck Tales 2, Power Blade 2, Bubble Bobble 2, StarTropics 2, etc. Its a decent game, but for reasons I have trouble verbalizing I liked the first one a lot more.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RadRacerII-Ending_zps0dc99530.jpeg[/img]Since 300 is a special number for me here is the full list of games done instead of the usual smaller list with just this years challenge games. Enjoy!
Beaten Since Oct.8th 2011
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click on a title to see the video)
Super Mario BrosSuper Mario Bros 2Super Mario Bros 3Mega ManMega Man 2Mega Man 3Mega Man 4Mega Man 5Mega Man 6CastlevaniaAdventures in the Magic KingdomDuck TalesDuck Tales 2Chip 'n Dale Rescue RangersChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2Felix the CatBugs Bunny Birthday BlowoutRen and Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$Double DragonContraSuper CContra ForcePower BladePower Blade 2Dynowarz: The Destruction of SpondylusMetal StormJourney to SiliusAir FortressTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesBlaster MasterTeenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3Legendary WingsBreakThruCommandoGuerrilla WarWorld GamesSnoopy's Silly Sports SpectacularCaveman GamesDK ClassicsJawsNinja GaidenWhere's Waldo?Bonk's AdventurePanic RestaurantBubble Bobble 2Dr. MarioBubble BobbleMC KidsBatmanCircus CaperRoller GamesWidgetTiny Toon AdventuresTiny Toon Adventures 2The JetsonsThe Little MermaidMonster in my PocketGremlins 2Kirby's AdventureKickle CubicleKung FuYo! NoidXexyzPuss 'N Boots: Pero's Great AdventureWall Street KidThe Karate KidArchonGolfSuper DodgeballSuper Spike V'BallJakcie Chan's Action Kung FuThe Three StoogesIce HockeyTecmo BowlTrack & FieldMario BrosNARCNorth and SouthBarbieBattle ChessThe Simpsons: Bart vs. The WorldThe Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur PeakSnow BrothersLittle SamsonSky SharkNinja Gaiden IIMike Tyson's Punch OutThe Simpsons: Bart Meets Radioactive ManStarTropicsLittle Nemo: The Dream MasterRiver City RansomStarTropics 2: Zoda's RevengeThe Jungle BookCastlevania III Dracula's CurseMario is MissingBlades of SteelHogan's AlleyWild GunmanBurger TimeSilver SurferNinja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of DoomDouble Dragon II: The RevengeDouble Dragon III: The Sacred StonesGhosts n GoblinsTetrisPro WrestlingGradiusZanacAdventure IslandKarnovTrojanExcitebikeBaseballSpy HunterAdventure Island IITennisBattletoadsShadowgateBattletoads/Double DragonPinball QuestSection ZGodzillaHydlideMarble MadnessBack to the FutureDarkmanTerminator 2RobocopTotal RecallPredatorRobocop 2Robocop 3Hudson HawkHome AloneHome Alone 2Batman ReturnsGhostbusters IIGhostbustersDie HardA Nightmare on Elm StreetThe Krion ConquestAdventures of Dino RikiUltima: ExodusLegacy of the WizardUltima: Quest of the AvatarDarkwing DuckUltima: Warriors of DestinyLegends of the DiamondPro Sports HockeyDusty Diamond's All-Star SoftballYoshi's CookieKick MasterZombie NationStadium EventsSuper Jeopardy!JoustYoshiDance AerobicsAdventures of Bayou BillyPipe DreamsSki or DieWerewolf: The Last WarriorSimpsons: Bart vs The Space MutantsCity ConnectionAmerican GladiatorsRoundball 2-on-2 Challenge720Athletic WorldSuper Team GamesRomance of the Three KingdomsGumshoeBases LoadedThe Addams Family Pugsley's Scavenger HuntKings of the BeachThe Blues BrothersVolley BallLode Runner3D World RunnerTwin EagleDragon's LairThe Adventures of Rad GravityBreak Time: The National Pool TourBases Loaded IIRainbow IslandsConquest of the Crystal PalacePeter Pan And The PiratesKid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder HerbsAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon StrikeSlalomWrath of the Black MantaRace AmericaTreasure MasterKrusty's Fun HouseKing's KnightMighty Bomb JackBases Loaded 3CastelianFlying Dragon: The Secret ScrollDirty HarryConanCobra TriangleSpider Man Return of the Sinister SixTag Team WrestlingEliminator Boat DuelGalaxy 5000George Foreman's KO BoxingFerrari Grand Prix ChallengeThunder & LightningHeavy Shreddin'Flying WarriorsRocket RangerRoger Clemens MVP BaseballBill & Ted's Excellent Video Game AdventureDestination EarthstarStreet CopShort Order/EggsplodeStar VoyageurDays of ThunderLaser InvasionSilent ServiceBack to the Future 2 & 3OverlordHigh SpeedSesame Street CountdownTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament FightersShooting RangeSpace Shuttle ProjectDouble DareWin, Lose or DrawOthelloWhomp EmDragon FighterBugs Bunny's Crazy CastleFamily FeudTale SpinPlatoonGotcha!Gun SmokeKiwi Kraze10 Yard FightTom & JerryWrecking CrewHatrisTime LordOrb 3DWheel of Fortune JrWheel of Fortune Family EditionCaptain America and the AvengersWheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune Featuring Vanna WhiteThe Adventures of Rocky & BullwinkleBo Jackson BaseballJeopardy! JrJeopardy!Jeopardy! 25th AnniversaryCowboy KidCrash n The Boys: Street ChallengeGalagaColor A DinosaurMillipedePopeyeSesame Street 123Sesame Street ABCSesame Street Hide & SpeakSoccerClassic ConcentrationFisher Price I Can RememberFisher Price Perfect FitMickey's Safari in LetterlandMickey's Adventure in NumberlandNES Open GolfPictionaryChessmasterAnticipationDK Jr MathDonkey Kong 3Urban ChampionBalloon FightPinballQixHollywood SquaresTwin CobraFlintstones Rescue of Dino & HoppyTiger-HeliWinter GamesNES World Cup SoccerDefender IIM.U.S.C.L.E.MTV's Remote ControlSpot The Video GameSpy vs SpyTaboo The Sixth SenseGemfireMonopolyLegend of the Ghost LionJackalRad RacerRad Racer IIBONUS GAMES:
AssimilateFuture Plans - Gonna give a few point and click games some time this next week. Deja Vu and Univited and the like. Maybe King's Quest V if time permits.
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Congratulations on beating half the games in your NES library! I'd say you carry the retro torch high in hand. Best of luck for the next 300.
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Oh what the hell, I'll just come right out and say it:
[B]THIS.. IS... NES-FEST!!![/B]
Any excuse to beat that 300 meme further to death...
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It's been a great run, and I'm happy to have watched you do it. You've provided many hours of entertainment for me (one way or another), so naturally I can't wait for you to continue, especially considering the next three teases (I didn't even know KQV was on the NES).
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Congrats man! That is a huge accomplishment and at the rate you are going, we will be celebrating 500 soon. You're right about 1st games being great and sequels typically being stinkers. A few that come to mind that I think were great and maybe even better than the original were Mega Man 2 and ............. Castlevania 2 (let the capitalized letters and expletives flow), I love it though I know the fan club isn't large.
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@singlebanana: Castlevania 2 was much better than the original. On that I certainly agree with you, sb. No one will disagree about Mega Man 2.
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@singlebanana: Castlevania 2 is actually my big exception to the sequel rule. I like it a lot more than the other 2 on the system even though its got its own problems.
@bombatomba: Its been that much more enjoyable hearing feedback from you guys in between my playing. Thanks for the interest!!!
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Congratulations Crabby! I sincerely doubt I'll ever beat 300 games, let alone 300 for one console.
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You sir, are a monster. Congrats on the landmark achievement.
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