|
|
Post by Xeogred on Nov 13, 2021 16:35:18 GMT -5
Worked my way back up to the second Bald Bull fight... gah!
Seems like he's faster with the charge/run attack? And I see what Sarge means about him sometimes only going two steps back.
His quick jab gets me a lot too. I'm guessing I have to either uppercut him or counter his special attack, otherwise his health just keeps regenerating when he's low.
I still don't get the Select trick at all and it only seems to work once per match?
Soda Poplinksi, drinking "pop" huh. "I can't drive but I can walk all over you" ...  Nice typical NOA censorship. |
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Nov 13, 2021 16:46:49 GMT -5
I think in the Japanese release he's something like "Vodka Drunkinski".
Those jabs are super fast, yeah. I think you can block those, though. But yeah, you either have to get him with a Star Punch (and he gives you opportunities for that) or get him on the charge.
I just finished Tecmo World Wrestling, and hoo boy. It's good, no question, but the AI feels really, really unfair. I learned that it adjusts to your mashing speed, so apparently if you start out full-tilt, you'll eventually get to where you won't win. But I also think it adjusts during the match, so if you can keep your inputs down, you can have a fighting chance. I started abusing spurts of mashing and then using the submission holds for extra damage, especially since they don't require you to mash. I don't think pins require mashing, either.
It definitely has that Tecmo charm, though - really neat cinema scenes for the big moves when you've got an opponent's (or yours, ugh) health down. And the music. Oh, the music. If you like Ninja Gaiden's score, you'll like this.
I'd probably give this a 7/10. I want to go higher, but much like Pro Wrestling, the cheap AI antics make it feel really unfair at times.
EDIT: Oh, and swapping to my arcade stick made a huge, huge difference in my mashing. Not so much the speed, but just my ability to maintain without just wearing slap out. I also wonder what the game plays like if you're using a turbo controller? I suspect that's why they have the dynamic scaling - try to defeat those turbo controllers so you can't just cakewalk your way to the end.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Nov 14, 2021 0:25:18 GMT -5
More wrasslin', this time with WWF Wrestlefest. Pretty fun game, although it also seems to follow the wrestling template of the time fairly closely. Definitely has some of that era's Technos feel, and I'm sure folks were enamored with playing as the big-name stars at the time. I wasn't a big wrestling fan growing up, but I definitely still have nostalgia for that era and think it had the best set of wrestlers. I'll give this a 7/10, too. Feels more fair, but I think I like the core play of TWW slightly more. It all balances out in the end.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Nov 14, 2021 14:17:27 GMT -5
Here's a longplay of the arcade version of Punch-Out!!:
I remember seeing this one in the arcades, and marveling at how it was dual screen. For being a 1984 release very impressive.
And here's the arcade version of Super Punch-Out!!:
That one also released in 1984.
We can see how the characters from these two games went on to form the 1987 NES version of Punch-Out!!'s opponent roster.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Nov 14, 2021 15:14:56 GMT -5
I put 25 minutes into this today, got to the third series of fights, then Game Over-ed: Aah! Harimanada is a sumo wrestling game based on the manga and anime created by Kei Sadayasu. As in the real sport, the goal is to knock the opponent out of the ring. However, it is not a particularly realistic interpretation of sumo, playing much like a traditional 1-vs-1 fighting game. There are grabs, throws, and special moves, and the player can also win by knockout by draining the opponent's stamina. There is a single-player mode that follows the story of protagonist Harimanada, as well as a versus mode for one or two players where any of 15 characters can be used. This game released in 1993 for Mega Drive and Game Gear. It was never released outside of Japan.
In the 25 minutes I put into the game, I fought at least twenty matches. There's loads of fights, but the fights generally last less than one minute. And each fight only has a single round. However, you only get three failed matches before it's Game Over. So once you lose three times, that's it. Also there's no English fan translation for this, so I was playing the entire game in Japanese. This meant I couldn't follow the story dialogue whenever there was any (I was playing single player story mode). There's a fair amount of moves but the combat seemed to boil down to button mashing ultimately. I don't know much about sumo wrestling, but as a 1vs1 fighting game, Aah! Harimanada is about a 5/10. It was probably most interesting to fans of its source material back in 1993. I don't find the battle system or game design interesting enough to bother beating the game. (Also I think you have to win 70 matches to beat the game, if it follows the manga... yeesh.) But if you are fan of sumo, sure give this one a chance.
- I played a bit of this today as well: It was way more technical than I wanted to get into. However, if you are looking for martial arts game that leans hard into simulation (rather than arcade), give this one a try. It released on several different platforms. |
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Nov 14, 2021 16:23:42 GMT -5
Ended up finishing this one quickly:  Title: Cutie Suzuki no Ringside AngelPlatform: Mega Drive Region release played: Japan Year of release: 1990 Developer: Copya Systems Publisher: Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc Graphics: 2/5 Audio: 3/5 Challenge: 3/5 Fun factor: 2/5 Quick Thoughts: Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel ( "Cutie Suzuki's Ringside Angel") is a Japan-exclusive Mega Drive wrestling game featuring an all female roster. The key selling factor is being based around the (famous in Japan) female wrestler Cutie Suzuki. The player can choose to control any of nine available female wrestlers, and each wrestler has their own strengths and weaknesses. There are three modes in the game; Fighting against any of the opponents with the selected character; Participating in a playoff tournament (campaign); "Watch" mode allows players to watch AI fights without participating. Ringside Angel is an interesting historical curiosity, but isn't a particular fun or engaging experience. +An all female wrestling game (uncommon in its day).
+The game's got a good sense of humor.
+Knocking someone out of the ring is cathartic.
+It's clearly indicated when win-pinning is likely.
+Bunny girls are always welcome.
-Controls are button mashy and unresponsive.
-It can be tiresome wearing an opponent down.
-Hardly any variety from match to match.
-Every fighter feels the same.
-Lackluster presentation.
Ex's time to beat: 40 minutes
Ex's rating: 5/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Nov 15, 2021 16:27:38 GMT -5
I'm up to Sandman now. I can only play this in short bursts otherwise I get too pissed. This game even makes me sweat... |
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Nov 15, 2021 16:33:57 GMT -5
You'll catch his rhythm eventually. His initial jabs are super quick. And you have to pop him in the face, then follow up with gut shots. He's definitely where I feel the game starts going exponential on the difficulty. He's rough, Super Macho Man is even worse if you don't know what to expect, and Tyson... ha. Glad you've stuck it out this far - only three fights to go!
|
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Nov 15, 2021 18:04:57 GMT -5
Yeah, he wasn't too hard to figure out... it's just a battle of stamina now. I think I've knocked him down twice in one match. His initial set of jabs seems to have a pattern I think. I can pop him in the head once between them if I'm fast enough but I don't think you can follow up. He'll do those quick jabs and then suddenly there's a bit of a delay for one somewhere in the middle, so that trips me up. Then he finally starts doing uppercuts where you can start hitting him more. I don't know if this is how it is for everyone and this genre, but once the pressure overtakes me I'll get destroyed and taken down fast. One mistake and you just lose it all, lol.
Going back to some tough matches a time or day later with a fresh mindset is helping me persevere.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Nov 15, 2021 19:16:03 GMT -5
No, that's pretty normal for this game. The only reason I don't completely freak out is because I've had so many years playing. It's all pattern recognition, but until you've actually seen all their tricks, it's hard to get through, especially on the first go. Even with all my experience with the NES game, I found myself with the exact same feelings as you in Super Punch-Out!! Initial runs literally had me wondering how it would ever be possible for me to win, but I kept incrementally making progress.
|
|
Nice typical NOA censorship. 
