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Post by Ex on Aug 6, 2021 13:40:00 GMT -5
Yep it was that damn ceiling that made the jump so tricky. One thing I can say about Mystic Defender in general though, is that the game allows you to be methodical. There's no timer, so you can go at your own pace. I always edged forward slowly to minimize the spawn speed and quantity of enemies (in general). The bosses overall weren't too hard, you just had to find that sweet spot sometimes where their projectile showers couldn't pepper you, then jump 'n' blast with charged shots. Plus it helped that for every new stage you get all your life back. Sucks there's no way to increase your life quantity though. But overall yes it's the platforming that makes Mystic Defender a notch above "normal" level of difficulty, even for a game from 1989. It was better than I expected though.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 6, 2021 14:56:35 GMT -5
I noticed there were two hidden 1-ups, but that's all I saw. Don't think there were any more.
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Post by Ex on Aug 6, 2021 15:04:18 GMT -5
I only found one!
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 6, 2021 15:48:15 GMT -5
Just beat the greatest SEGA game of all time...
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Post by Ex on Aug 6, 2021 16:04:36 GMT -5
I am a defender of Altered Beast, at least the SEGA Genesis and arcade versions. Granted it was the first Genesis game I ever played/beat (back in 1989), but to this day I find it enjoyable. I probably beat this game a dozen times as a kid, between solo and co-op with my cousin. And those graphics were freaking amazing for home console back in 1989. Altered Beast was the system pack-in before Sonic came around, so that's why we had it in the first place. To this day, when I'm really tired yet have to get out of bed early, I hear that "Rise from your grave!" sample in my head. I think my subconscious likes to torture me with it.
Anyway, obligatory metal cover:
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 6, 2021 16:15:33 GMT -5
Yeah, I have a soft spot for it too actually. I think it's kind of "so bad it's good" territory all these years later but it's still got a lot of charm. I'm impressed it came out in 1988, dang! I probably played it in 1991 or 1992 and it was also more than likely the very first Genesis game I ever played. I had a neighbor that had this one, some of the Golden Axe games (maybe one, or both 1-2), and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. So even though I was younger, I was still briefly exposed to the Genesis prior to the Sonic wave.
My next neighbors had the Sonic's, Shinobi III, and Streets of Rage II though. Hot DAMN! Must have been 1993 before we moved from that particular home. One of those two neighbors also had Kirby's Adventure. Whenever I spent the night over there, I'd wake up before them all to play games myself... hah and this is the 90's, you know when most families only had one TV/entertainment setup. I guess their mom didn't mind me hogging the TV for some Kirby.
But yeah, Altered Beast. Played it back then and whenever I see it pop up in another collection I grab, or it comes up with themes like this, it's always fun to POWER UP one more time.
The Bear form really sucks.
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Post by Ex on Aug 6, 2021 16:32:11 GMT -5
The Bear form really sucks. Heh, yeah. The NES version includes two additional forms, a shark and a bird. But IIRC it removes the tiger. And no SEGA did not make the NES version.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 6, 2021 16:51:45 GMT -5
Yeah, both end up being in stages that have the alien flamethrower heads. It's possible I missed one in the last level, though - I know there's an elevator I missed that led to a magic power-up, so I could have missed something else, too. Everyone bags on Altered Beast these days, but for what it is, I think it's fine. I wouldn't say it's amazing or anything, but it's at least decent. The Genesis version reduces the difficulty of the arcade game, however - I know the arcade game felt a ton cheaper in spots, as is their wont.
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Post by Ex on Aug 6, 2021 17:09:53 GMT -5
It was the second "Giger-esque" stage that I found the 1-up in. Must have missed the one in the first stage like that. Those stages are meandering with super dangerous environmental hazards, so I didn't try to explore too far off the obvious path in them. I'm pretty sure I missed a few spells too overall.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 6, 2021 17:26:55 GMT -5
I don't know that you can miss any of the permanent spells, just the limited-use Thunder spell. And yeah, the other 1-up is in the first Giger-esque level, back across the moving platform section.
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