(Retro) What have you been playing this week? Vol.2

[Goemon]

I’ve started breaking down Duck Tales on the Famicom.
I say breaking down, I started looking at trying to do it as quickly as possible as the bounce mechanic allows you to just bound through areas super quick.
Not looking at anything around WR times but would like to blitz the game as much as possible as I think it as great diversity for this.

Something super compelling about the game, love it.

[Leon Retro]

I had a good go on the HuCard incarnation of Air Zonk earlier, because who doesn’t love some good old Japanese whackiness...

Make sure to play the Japanese version, as the American edition is censored and some things have been changed. It's easily in my Top 10 PCE games - I think the graphics, music, sound effects, and overall design are brilliant. Such a great game that always puts a smile on my face.

Something super compelling about the game, love it.

Lots of people say it was their favourite NES game back in the day. Capcom really knew how to make nice looking NES games that play really well.

[Goemon]

Oh that’s interesting.
I never actually played it back in the day. I remember speaking with a kid in school about it and he said it was good but it was too easy, he finished it the weekend he got it.

I do wonder if this was a game that was aimed at younger children, as it’s definitely easier that a lot of other NES games I played.

The bounce mechanic is super cool though. It’s just a little bit tricky and has the diversity to change how you approach things the more versed you get with it.

[Leon Retro]

Oh that’s interesting.
I never actually played it back in the day. I remember speaking with a kid in school about it and he said it was good but it was too easy, he finished it the weekend he got it.

I've noticed that a lot of American YouTubers say they loved the game back in the day. I guess that's why Capcom remastered the game back in 2013.

A NES platformer being easy to play through is certainly unusual.

[Goemon]

Man, finally got a time I was relatively happy with Duck Tales and the time didn’t update on the score board >:/
Got a 9:50 which probably put me in the top 100.

Still miles off world record pace which is like 7:20 or something but happy I got through in a single life under 10 mins

I don’t think I have the patience for speed running although I do enjoy it. Like 10 times of failing the Moon skip and I’m ready to throw the controller off the wall!

[Goemon]

Looks like it takes the score board a minute or 2 to update, which is why my time wasn’t there.
I say I was relatively happy with my 9:50 time but I have since blown it out of the water with a 9:08!
Puts me 78th on the leaderboard.

Now I’m thinking there’s scope for more! ><

I think I could get it under 9:00 if I got things right as my current run has a number of mistakes and it has a safety strat where I go out of my way for about 10s to get a an extra health point.

Running without the safety strat though is leading to a lot more deaths as my play relies on that extra hit

[charlesr]

Guru Logic Champ. Can't seem to get it to save on my supercard so playing the original cart

[Goemon]

Not to derail the thread but got my time down to 8:34! Puts me 44th in the world.
Was super chuffed with the time.

However...

I watched the replays of the people just above me and was shocked at what I saw.
It seems everyone plays on easy, whereas I’ve been playing on normal. The main difference is that easy basically doubles your hit count! The runs watched the guys were WAY sloppier than me, however they were able to tank situations to get things done quicker

A little frustrated by this. I suppose it means I can technically go back and drop my time again by tanking bosses but I was personally quite happy with how cleanly I did the run.

“Oh don’t spend years working on something, trying to make it really good - like a f*****g mug. Just talk to Gray Barlow about nothing”

[Ghost]

Just gone back and started playing the original f-zero on the snes. The snes one has to be one of the most under appreciated and overlooked games Nintendo have ever made. X and GX were amazing and progressed the series, but I have always had a soft spot for the original; graphically it was a showcase at the time for the mode 7 graphics and still looks great today, the music is perfect and there’s just an atmosphere or feel to the game that has never been matched.

[Leon Retro]

Just gone back and started playing the original f-zero on the snes. The snes one has to be one of the most under appreciated and overlooked games Nintendo have ever made. X and GX were amazing and progressed the series, but I have always had a soft spot for the original; graphically it was a showcase at the time for the mode 7 graphics and still looks great today, the music is perfect and there’s just an atmosphere or feel to the game that has never been matched.

I wouldn't say it's underappreciated or overlooked, but because it's such a common(and therefore cheap to buy) game that most people have played, you don't get people getting excited about it.

i agree with you - the graphics still look really nice, the music tracks are brilliant and perfectly suit the game, and the overall atmosphere generated really gives the game a strong charm that makes it a joy to come back to. Plus it still plays really well, with the action feeling smooth and fast enough to be exciting. And the opponents can be a challenge on higher difficulty levels.

It's easily still a 9/10 game in my book. Maybe an 8/10 if I wrote a comprehensive review. It would be a 10/10 with a 2-player mode. I wish Nintendo had made a SNES sequel using an enhancement chip to enable a 2-player mode.

I like all the games in the series, but there's something about the original that always reminds me why I love gaming. It's such a well-crafted creation in all areas, with that special Nintendo magic that makes it feel extra special.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Just gone back and started playing the original f-zero on the snes. The snes one has to be one of the most under appreciated and overlooked games Nintendo have ever made. X and GX were amazing and progressed the series, but I have always had a soft spot for the original; graphically it was a showcase at the time for the mode 7 graphics and still looks great today, the music is perfect and there’s just an atmosphere or feel to the game that has never been matched.

F-Zero on the SNES certainly isn't underrated by me.

I played it more often than Super Mario Kart back in the day and SMK is pretty much the best MK game ever in my opinion.

I’ve started breaking down Duck Tales on the Famicom.
I say breaking down, I started looking at trying to do it as quickly as possible as the bounce mechanic allows you to just bound through areas super quick.
Not looking at anything around WR times but would like to blitz the game as much as possible as I think it as great diversity for this.

Something super compelling about the game, love it.

DuckTales is a must for any self-respecting NES/Famicom connoisseur.

Brilliant from start to finish and with excellent replay value in a way that DuckTales 2 and DuckTales Remastered really lacked.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Double post - please delete.

[Leon Retro]

F-Zero on the SNES certainly isn't underrated by me.

I played it more often than Super Mario Kart back in the day and SMK is pretty much the best MK game ever in my opinion.

I've played F-Zero far more than SMK, and I'm a big fan of SMK. There's something about F-Zero that has kept me coming back for more and more over the years. The gameplay is really accessible, but with enough depth to make it possible to get really good at the game and push your skills further and further. Ultimately, the graphics, music, and gameplay go together to create an exhilarating experience that is really satisfying to play through.

SMK is certainly the best pure karting experience ever made. I still love getting in the zone on the narrow tracks and feeling the thrill of pushing myself to the limits. Little wonder it was a game that managed to have people all over the world competing for best times. Later karting games from Nintendo and other companies feel more like pure racing games with wide tracks, rather than proper karting experiences. But I have enjoyed other Mario Kart games, such as MK8 on the Wii U.

[Ghost]

I wouldn't say it's underappreciated or overlooked, but because it's such a common(and therefore cheap to buy) game that most people have played, you don't get people getting excited about it.

i agree with you - the graphics still look really nice, the music tracks are brilliant and perfectly suit the game, and the overall atmosphere generated really gives the game a strong charm that makes it a joy to come back to. Plus it still plays really well, with the action feeling smooth and fast enough to be exciting. And the opponents can be a challenge on higher difficulty levels.

It's easily still a 9/10 game in my book. Maybe an 8/10 if I wrote a comprehensive review. It would be a 10/10 with a 2-player mode. I wish Nintendo had made a SNES sequel using an enhancement chip to enable a 2-player mode.

I like all the games in the series, but there's something about the original that always reminds me why I love gaming. It's such a well-crafted creation in all areas, with that special Nintendo magic that makes it feel extra special.

Well whenever people talk about their favourite snes games F-Zero rarely gets a mention and when snes racers get talked about its mostly Mario Kart that gets all of the attention. Even talking about F-Zero as a franchise its always about either the N64 or Gamecube games. Glad to see im not tge only one who considers f-zero a masterpiece

[Atticus]

F-Zero is the original and best. It's the game that made me buy a SNES about 5 minutes after seeing it running in a shop window (and I was purely a Sega guy at the time).

Cutting a racing line through those circuits above the twinkling landscapes, music pumping out ... it's still just as great today.