NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Teknoman
- Start date
Mine isnt expanded. Still sounds pretty good though. You'd think something would seem missing but nope.
The game is actually pretty challenging too (gotta get used to physics based platforming on NES).
Also these came in yesterday. I'm so happy.
Oh god damn you. You're making me want to trade my MM6 NES cart for a Rockman 6 Cart just to complete my set.
entremet
Member
Yep. I figure it out. Thanks!
Just beat it. First time decades lol.
Such a lovely game. 2 and 3 are still my favorites. 2 edging it out due to its better Wily levels and bosses. I also didn't care for the Doc Robot stages.
A Black Falcon
Member
I presume that'll happen after all the backers have actually received them.
themagicalkitsune
Member
Talk about timing ... I'm playing MM1 through 6 atm
D.Lo
Member
- Contra
- Akumajo Dracula
- Gradius II
- Akumajou Densetsu
- Super Contra
- King Kong 2
- Ai Senshi Nicol
- Arumana no Kiseki
- Jackal (NES version)
- Rollergames
- Crisis Force
- The Lone Ranger
- Tiny Toon Adventures
- The Goonies (1)
- Exciting Soccer
- Falsion
- Getsu Fumaden
- Hi no Tori
- Life Force
- Meikyuu Jiin Dababa
- Metal Gear
- Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
- Blades of Steel
- Ganbare Goemon 2
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun
- Parodius
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
- Lagrange Point
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
- Wai Wai World 2
- Bucky O'Hare
So 25-30ish - everything from Ninja Turtles down I ranked as a 7/10.
Eraser_Arcade
Member
Does anyone here have any tips on cleaning the outside of an NES front loader case? I just recently got a used one, and it's slightly dirty inside & out. While I can find plenty of guides on how to take the NES apart and clean the insides of it, I can't find any on how to clean the outside of the system.
The main reason I'm asking is because I thought that 91% isopropyl alcohol would be sufficient. But when I started cleaning with it, I noticed that it rubbed off some of the red off the Nintendo entertainment system logo. The logo still looks fine, but I'm cautious in continuing to use the isopropyl alcohol.
The main reason I'm asking is because I thought that 91% isopropyl alcohol would be sufficient. But when I started cleaning with it, I noticed that it rubbed off some of the red off the Nintendo entertainment system logo. The logo still looks fine, but I'm cautious in continuing to use the isopropyl alcohol.
Yeah, we just have very different tastes. Admittedly there are a few games on there I haven't played, but there are definitely a number of them I have played or I even own and would never place above Bucky. Just for example, all 3 Turtles games have their merits and places in my heart, but I would never place them above it. That said, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to rank it out.
I would put less than half the games listed above Bucky. Doesn't match up to my tastes at all.
Alcohol is fine, just never rub anything on painted logos, rule of thumb imo.
EDIT: D.Lo, whats your take on Lone Ranger then? Sucker for Wild West / Cowboy themed games, and thought all Konami had to offer was Sunsetriders.
D.Lo
Member
Well like I said I put all three Turtles equal with Bucky. 2 and 3 are high quality brawlers, and Turtles 1 is a very innovative, varied game, amazing for when it came out (if not particularly faithful to any Turtles fiction).
There are many other games I love (Dracula II, Goonies II, Wai Wai 1, Mad City, Maze of Gallius, Dragon Scroll) but they all have issues and I was trying to be a bit more objective.
There are also 30ish games I haven't ranked because I haven't got them or played them enough, or they're impenetrably Japanese - the Goemon Gaiden RPGs are high quality, but I can't really rate them fairly.
I might rank the entire list and do a blog post about it some day.
I like Twinbee and Moreo Twinbee, but they're both a little primitive to put right up the top - Gradius 1 is in a similar situation.
Solid, quality action adventure game.
Recently got a used NES deck, and it's fully functional. But the cartridge tray won't stay down when depressed. The problem is the pale blue/green plastic panel that the wire pin travels along to latch closed:
There should be a "U" shaped groove that the pin nests in to keep the tray down, but the left side of the "U" got stripped, so the pin slips out and the tray pops back up. Any advice on how to fix this?
There should be a "U" shaped groove that the pin nests in to keep the tray down, but the left side of the "U" got stripped, so the pin slips out and the tray pops back up. Any advice on how to fix this?
Eraser_Arcade
Member
I don't know if you already try this or if it will even work in your situation. But going by this video, it might be possible to fix the issue by just loosening a screw or two.Recently got a used NES deck, and it's fully functional. But the cartridge tray won't stay down when depressed. The problem is the pale blue/green plastic panel that the wire pin travels along to latch closed:
There should be a "U" shaped groove that the pin nests in to keep the tray down, but the left side of the "U" got stripped, so the pin slips out and the tray pops back up. Any advice on how to fix this?
Gave it a shot, but that solution didn't work for me. ;_;
But thanks for the suggestion anyway! =)
Finally got mine in and installed, I like it, pins don't seem that tight on mine(or maybe I just don't think so) working great so far, pretty pleased with it, means I might just use the toaster for RGB instead of trying to find a 2gen nes.
Gave a shot at my first ever console mod today, and it seems to have been successful! Just a simple NES toploader AV mod for a friend. I was pretty nervous I would mess something up, since this was my first time doing any kind of real electrical work or soldering at all, but the thing seems to play great, with no jailbars or anything off as far as I can tell.
Though after this experience, I think when I eventually get a system RGB modded I will send it out, I had enough difficulty with this simple mod that I think what the RGB mod entails is a bit out of my league currently.
Though after this experience, I think when I eventually get a system RGB modded I will send it out, I had enough difficulty with this simple mod that I think what the RGB mod entails is a bit out of my league currently.
In their defence, they're probably playing on a modern screen, perhaps even after the capture card, so that could account for a lot of missed jumps and bullet eating. Their strategy though... It's like they don't take the time to analyse what's happening on the screen and make up their own rules, which obviously don't work.
They weren't given the Konami Code. The deck was stacked against them from the start.
Contra isn't that hard. I've beaten it multiple times without the code.
The only Contra I needed the code for was Shattered Soldier.
Thats the main issue. Kinda feels like some of the video was just trying to reinforce the "omg contra is too hard" stereotype. Kinda felt my inner fanboy coming out at the end of the video with the two who said "Did you pay money for this?!" Horrible game etc. etc.
Man everyone's being pretty harsh about this video! Honestly, Contra was one of the NES games I never played as a kid, and my first time playing was a few months ago and my first set of 3 lives didn't go that differently than theirs did. The game is brutally unforgiving while you are trying to learn it, and if you aren't proactive about clearing enemies you can have a screen filled with tiny pellets of death. And the controls definitely take some getting used to, especially how you have to be fully committed to every jump.
I think in a lot of ways they progressed in learning pretty decently for being given only 3 lives to work with, most of them learning the duck and shoot strategy and a bunch making it to the first "boss". You can't really expect people growing up in the hand-holdey tutorial generation to be able to jump into a "figure it out yourself" kind of game quickly. And most of them said they enjoyed it in the end. Drama-queen "did you pay money for this!" bothered me a bit though. Also these kids are next level bad at video games in general if you've ever watched other videos, I was actually impressed at how far most of them got based on their past history.
Still probably mostly fake for internet points, but just saying in general I was pretty close to this bad my first 3 lives playing Contra, and now I can clear the game without the Konami code.
I think in a lot of ways they progressed in learning pretty decently for being given only 3 lives to work with, most of them learning the duck and shoot strategy and a bunch making it to the first "boss". You can't really expect people growing up in the hand-holdey tutorial generation to be able to jump into a "figure it out yourself" kind of game quickly. And most of them said they enjoyed it in the end. Drama-queen "did you pay money for this!" bothered me a bit though. Also these kids are next level bad at video games in general if you've ever watched other videos, I was actually impressed at how far most of them got based on their past history.
Still probably mostly fake for internet points, but just saying in general I was pretty close to this bad my first 3 lives playing Contra, and now I can clear the game without the Konami code.
You have full control over your jump and can shoot in any direction for its entirety. This is hardly Ghosts 'n Goblins.
Contra is not nearly as unfair as Ghost N Goblins.
But it is not an easy game either.
I can breeze through Ninja Gaiden II and Castlevania without dying. Does this make them easy? No. I know them like the back of my hand. I would imagine most of you saying Contra isn't hard are forgetting that these kids don't have 20+ years experience playing Contra.
But it is not an easy game either.
I can breeze through Ninja Gaiden II and Castlevania without dying. Does this make them easy? No. I know them like the back of my hand. I would imagine most of you saying Contra isn't hard are forgetting that these kids don't have 20+ years experience playing Contra.
Shadow Hog
Member
Yeah, I mean, at least you can turn around in mid-air in Contra. This ain't Castlevania.
Battlesmurf
Member
Have you considered opening it and straightening out the pins with a screwdriver? For some reason I was pretty sure you could do that (so you don't have to depress the cartridge anymore) and would make the games easier to start, too.
sixteen-bit
Member
I think Mzo is right here. The kids are casted actors.
Oh yea, I didn't mean to compare it to the level of commitment in Ghosts n Goblins or Castlevania. What I meant is that Contra jump is binary, unlike Mario where holding the button changes the height, in Contra even a quick tap has you in the air for a full second and a half or so, and you have to be prepared for that, since some things are much harder during the second half of your jump when you are on the way down. For example someone spawning behind you as you are on your way down on the left side of the screen is very dangerous, since you can't shoot backwards without also moving backwards.
Being a casted actor doesn't preclude you from being terrible at video games. They are pretty bad even at games where they are acting like they are awesome, and games where the view count wound't go up based on them being bad. So I honestly believe most of them are just not good, as opposed to being so capable of playing as to be able to fake being bad.
Well in Castlevania everything follows a very predictable pattern, so the fixed jump works with the game. Nothing is ever all that random. Well I guess except the damn hunchbacks right before Dracula, but you can just rush through those. A fixed jump would be impossible in Contra since the bullet patterns are totally random and chaotic.
Just because it is casted doesn't mean that it is scripted.
Bucky is probably my favourite NES game. Or at least very close to the top.
Super versatile level desing, top 3 NES soundtrack, great but damn tough bosses and nice feeling overall.
tbh I should play more NES games. When I have time I think I take a month of NES and play as many classics as possible.
Super versatile level desing, top 3 NES soundtrack, great but damn tough bosses and nice feeling overall.
tbh I should play more NES games. When I have time I think I take a month of NES and play as many classics as possible.
I don't expect today's teens to get good at Contra on the 1st time they played it if they are used to modern and mobile games. Hell I'll say it would take them a while to beat the earlier stages before getting halfway there.
But regardless, not being able to beat the 1st stage sure is something.=p
But regardless, not being able to beat the 1st stage sure is something.=p
As someone who binges like that on things he likes or is interested in, take it from me: Don't rush. I wish I read Kurt Vonnegut's books at a more reasonable pace. I marathoned my way through Lost like it was my job. And I wish I hadn't. I should have taken more time to smell the roses, something I'm trying to do more of in life now. I feel like it'll the same with NES games.
Huggers
Member
I can fly through Castlevania without losing a life, when I get to Dracula however for some reason his second form always steals a couple of lives from me
D.Lo
Member
Contra is a very fair game. More fair than Castlevania. You can one-life CV, but you have to manipulate enemy patterns more to do so (e.g. make sure you're facing the right direction for medusa head generation etc).
You have to do some of that to one-life Contra, but less. And none is required to finish it, just pattern memorisation and good skills. That's why it and Super Contra are the best games on the NES lol.
Basically, if someone made a bunch of Contra levels of similar difficulty to the current ones, I could finish the game pretty quickly.
I mean, try Contra Spirits or Contra 4 on hard if you want the same thing with an actual challenge (Hard Corps is harder but also plays substantially differently)
You have to do some of that to one-life Contra, but less. And none is required to finish it, just pattern memorisation and good skills. That's why it and Super Contra are the best games on the NES lol.
Basically, if someone made a bunch of Contra levels of similar difficulty to the current ones, I could finish the game pretty quickly.
I mean, try Contra Spirits or Contra 4 on hard if you want the same thing with an actual challenge (Hard Corps is harder but also plays substantially differently)
Hah, I've never fought Dracula without cheesing the second form with Holy Water, so for me as soon as he starts transforming from the first form it means I have already won. One of these days I should try to do it "legit". I also personally still find Grim Reaper to be harder than Dracula, but that is just because of the randomness of the stupid Scythes and that I find I can lose all my health much quicker on him than Dracula.
The parts I usually die on are the screens leading up to Dracula. Usually I just try to run as fast as possible through all the hunchbacks.
I find Death is the hardest boss in the game as well, but mainly due to that gauntlet of a corridor before hand... So hard to get to Death with a full life bar!
Yea that remains the only part of the game I can't get through with methodical planning and memorization of the patterns. Thank god when you die to Dracula you start again right at the bottom of the stairs. Too bad that means a few minutes of heart farming before you can fight again but it beats the Death gauntlet as BTails mentioned!
Huggers
Member
This talk reminds me of a montage I made for Death and the lead up to him a good while back. It's kinda terribly hilarious https://youtu.be/_2MQ7Nrw-es?t=5m22s
For me it's his first form that I need practice on. The second one is cake haha
...wait what?
I remember seeing my friend use holy water to beat Drac stage 2 as a kid. That shit blew my mind, since I could never get through the second phase. Watching him use the Holy Water with Double Shot and have the second form never even move before dying just seemed unfair. I still wonder if I would've ever beat Dracula as a kid if I didn't know about it.
Conversely, phase 1 is quite a bit harder with Holy Water than with the Boomerang, and you need to use the Holy Water the whole time so that you get Double/Triple shot from killing his projectiles since the trick doesn't work without it.
Man I love Castlevania 1. Really need to beat 3 soon, but the fact that you have to re-do the whole level if you die to Dracula makes it much more imposing than Castlevania 1 was.
Sir Ilpalazzo
Member
I don't think Dracula's first form is that big a deal for the most part; you just have to be really careful about not letting him teleport on top of you. Tense as hell, and always fun. His second form bugs me a lot more because I've never figured out how to tell whether he's going to jump high or low, so I just try to kill him as fast as possible.
Death is definitely a way more intense fight than Dracula, and he's harder than either of Dracula's forms for sure - but (provided you're fighting them without holy water cheesing) I think Dracula is a little harder just because he's more of an endurance test, and the first form can be really unforgiving. I might feel differently if I understood the second form better, though. I'd probably say Frankenstein is harder than Dracula too, if you don't have the axe or cross to lock down the hunchback with.
No, you can lock him down without the double shot. It's not as likely that you'll be able to prevent him from moving at all, yeah, but you can definitely kill him before he ever has the chance to corner or attack you.
Just got through replaying Castlevania 3 - this time I took the bottom route and finished the game with Alucard for the first time. Not totally sure how I feel about that game. I definitely like the first one more just because it's more consistent; 3's first level is way too slow and boring even for an opening stage, having to go back down the clock tower in stage 2 after beating Grant is annoying, and the lower stage 7 (with the multiple falling blocks and autoscroller segment) is seriously atrocious. That said, the finale is excellent; the final two stages easily match (and maybe surpass) any individual stage from the first game. It really is a shame that that falling block level is so tedious; it really makes me want to skip the lower route (and therefore Alucard) on future playthroughs, and I do really like the sunken city stage just before it...
Alucard is such a weird and underdeveloped-feeling character - he has nothing going for him except his bat form, which is almost game-breaking in spots (although it's certainly appreciated in the lower stage 7 and a couple of bits in the final two stages). He's fun to toy with, but I definitely like Grant and Sypha more - Grant moreso since his playstyle is a fantastic contrast to the typical Castlevania character's, and he opens up a ton of possibilities for circumventing the game's nastier obstacles without outright skipping them like Alucard does. I definitely wish Alucard felt more fully-realized (and that going for him didn't doom you to that one stage), since CV3's partner system is definitely its most appealing feature to me and it'd be nice to have more viable options.
Death is definitely a way more intense fight than Dracula, and he's harder than either of Dracula's forms for sure - but (provided you're fighting them without holy water cheesing) I think Dracula is a little harder just because he's more of an endurance test, and the first form can be really unforgiving. I might feel differently if I understood the second form better, though. I'd probably say Frankenstein is harder than Dracula too, if you don't have the axe or cross to lock down the hunchback with.
No, you can lock him down without the double shot. It's not as likely that you'll be able to prevent him from moving at all, yeah, but you can definitely kill him before he ever has the chance to corner or attack you.
Just got through replaying Castlevania 3 - this time I took the bottom route and finished the game with Alucard for the first time. Not totally sure how I feel about that game. I definitely like the first one more just because it's more consistent; 3's first level is way too slow and boring even for an opening stage, having to go back down the clock tower in stage 2 after beating Grant is annoying, and the lower stage 7 (with the multiple falling blocks and autoscroller segment) is seriously atrocious. That said, the finale is excellent; the final two stages easily match (and maybe surpass) any individual stage from the first game. It really is a shame that that falling block level is so tedious; it really makes me want to skip the lower route (and therefore Alucard) on future playthroughs, and I do really like the sunken city stage just before it...
Alucard is such a weird and underdeveloped-feeling character - he has nothing going for him except his bat form, which is almost game-breaking in spots (although it's certainly appreciated in the lower stage 7 and a couple of bits in the final two stages). He's fun to toy with, but I definitely like Grant and Sypha more - Grant moreso since his playstyle is a fantastic contrast to the typical Castlevania character's, and he opens up a ton of possibilities for circumventing the game's nastier obstacles without outright skipping them like Alucard does. I definitely wish Alucard felt more fully-realized (and that going for him didn't doom you to that one stage), since CV3's partner system is definitely its most appealing feature to me and it'd be nice to have more viable options.