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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Aug 29, 2020 0:17:37 GMT -5
Back to one video per day again.
Let's see James & Mike go bananas when they play Super Monkey Ball 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube: -Again a video with Bootsy. It seems a pattern with him where every second video he appears in, he is more active than the previous one, this time joining the fun due to it being a multiplayer game.
-Another game that they used to play a lot while they were in college. They also get into a bit of history with the Super Monkey Ball series where it seems like the Wii game was where it ended due to the minigames in that one being almost Action 52-level bad (according to James & Mike at least).
-While the game has many modes to play in, they focus on the boxing game which looks certainly like fun.
-Another fun stream-of-consciousness type discussion with all three where it goes from monkeys to the Rocky movies (where we learn that Rocky II is James's second favorite Rocky movie) to the Planet Of The Apes movies and so on. Just another reason why I like this series so much.
-To conclude, another small but fun video.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2020 5:37:01 GMT -5
Might actually get interested to watch some of these again. Great job!
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Aug 30, 2020 0:02:29 GMT -5
Let's go old school with the new school by seeing James & Mike playing NES Remix 1 & 2 for the Nintendo Wii U: -A new milestone for James & Mike Mondays where they play a game for a (then, May 2014) current video game console. Granted, one could make an argument for Sonic '06 being on the then-current XBox console (cannot remember when they played that game right now), but according to a Wiki article the current console generation started with the Wii U in 2012 so there's an argument to be made for that.
-An interesting game consisting only of challenges of various NES games. I wonder whether this was the first time anything like this was done since I first encountered such challenges in the Mega Man Legacy Collection which came out later. So, it would be interesting to know whether NES Remix started that whole game mechanic.
-Damn, Mike has quite the complicated hook-up for his consoles. I think I would go crazy maneuvering through it all.
-Now that I didn't think about that NES World Championship could be viewed as a kind of spiritual ancestor of these games since it was also three games as challenges packed into one game.
-I like eggplants, they taste good. We also learn that Mike doesn't like Italian food.
-Now there's an idea for a NES Remix: A remix consisting of challenges of the worst games on NES (where, again, they get a chance to wreck on Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde).
-Gotta love how James gets so much into the Dr. Mario challenges.
-All in all, another entertaining video mostly through the variety of old NES games they play and some interesting comments.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Aug 31, 2020 0:26:53 GMT -5
Back to another 2-for-1 sale!
First up, let's go racing with James & Mike by playing Super Off Road for the NES: -For the first time we have a guest outside the Cinemassacre crew with Pat The NES Punk who did a collab one time with the Nerd for the Nintendo World Championship episode. I dunno whether Pat has since turned out to be a decent human being or if he has done something similar deplorable like JonTron so I am neutral on his appearance here.
-Apparently, the game's full name is Ivan "Iron Man" Stewart's Super Off Road. Would mean more to me probably if, as a Non-US citizen, I knew who the hell James "Iron Man" Stewart is.
-But first, exciting cleaning and set-up action since the Nintendo Four Score doesn't work with James's Nintoaster (or the extension they use, rather), so they have to dig out James's old childhood NES, clean it and make it workable again. This gives us a rare behind the scenes look where we learn that James & Mike use a Panasonic camera to film their reactions to playing the game.
-One point for Mike for playing as Germany.
-The interactions between all three is just hilarious to watch, especially between Mike & Pat. Love seeing James getting confused by which his car is at first, Mike trying repeated to, uhm, "make love" to Pat's car and all of them just having a great time laughing and being silly (especially when the race tracks get really confusing).
-The game looks kinda interesting with the whole track being visible from the start and its sort of 3D perspective but it seems only meh as a game overall.
-All in all, due to Pat's presence, a very fun episode where they already announce next week's episode.
We continue with racing by hitting R.C. Pro-Am II for the NES: -Joined again by Pat The NES Punk in the same session as the previous video.
-I kinda agree with them that there weren't enough Four Score games on the NES though I reckon hardware limitations (as they mentioned with the Turtles Arcade Games) prevented them from doing more with it.
-Now this game does look more exciting a racing game and with it allowing the players to use weapons, it kinda reminds me of an early precursor to Mario Kart. Interesting to hear also that there was a six-year interval between this and the original R.C. Pro-Am.
-I find it hilarious how Pat keeps bringing up Ivan "Iron Man" Stewart's Super Off Road to get on Mike's nerves leading to a really great wayward discussion about Ivan Stewart and him probably being very friendly toward's one's butthole, leading to a really great moment of Mike completely losing it.
-Fun quote of the video: James: "I really like the sound of that game.", Pat: "Do you want some alone time with it?"
-To sum it up, another awesomely fun video. I cannot recall if Pat ever did another appearance on James & Mike but he definitely should have because he has some very good chemistry with James & Mike.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Aug 31, 2020 23:53:27 GMT -5
Up for a new theme park experience? If yes, join James & Mike as they tackle Nintendo Land for the Nintendo Wii U: -But first, witness incredible "waiting for update to finish" action! At least, we get to hear James & Mike have some interesting discussions regarding the current console generation (Mike disliking that, at least at the time of the video being made [May 2014], the XBox One's game library consists to 99% of FPS games; them wondering why the Wii seems to be ignored in popular culture, i.e. TV shows, where it seems only to be about Playstation vs. XBox; Mike complaining that the XBox One doesn't come with a remote for when you want to watch Blu-Ray movies). -So from what I see in this video, it does seem like a game where you are in a Nintendo-themed amusement park and play all sorts of minigames. At least it looks fun unlike Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure. -They enjoy, by their own admission, the Metroid Blast and the Mario Chase minigames the most. James was starting to like the Donkey Kong minigame, too, but that changed once he had to blow into the mic to progress. -Kinda feels like the Nintendo DS kinda where on the TV screen you are seeing one thing while seeing another on the Wii U screen (as shown by Mike's expert usage of his phone). -It ends on a hilarious note with James & Mike discovering the camera inserted into the Wii U and go all Wayne's World on it. -Another funny and entertaining video from my two favorite players.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 2, 2020 1:18:52 GMT -5
2-for-1 sale today again!
First up, we're going back to the past to return to the present by seeing James & Mike play Back To The Future Part III on Sega Genesis: -As James mentioned, they covered this one in a Nerd episode where they couldn't get past the first level so they give it another shot. Or rather James & Mike watch while Bootsy (who is again a guest this week) does all the work.
-Looking by how Bootsy plays this level, you really need perhaps the fastest reaction times alive to make it through considering the stuff he does in split-second intervals. Gotta love James & Mike's reactions when Bootsy does clear the first level.
-A really weird game consisting of four rather short levels with half of them dealing with rather miniscule scenes from the movie and then it's already over. Kudos to some variety at least but I would consider it a bit of a rip-off since Genesis games cost a pretty penny that time. And yes, Bootsy does a playthrough of the game in this vid.
-An interesting video for the playthrough of the game but nothing in terms of really entertaining interactions, so only an average episode.
After some wholesome family entertainment, let's get a bit more Rated R by seeing James & Mike play Splatterhouse for the TurboGrafx-16: -Interesting stuff I learned about this console like I didn't know that the games were on cards (was it the only system in existence that used that type of medium for its games?) and that it also possessed a CD attachment at one point. Also, the wires on the controller are really short according to James.
-Weird moment where we interrupt the video to get what feels like an advertisement by Mike talking about there having been extension cords for the TurboGrafx-16 and a sort of TurboGrafx-16 Four-Score. Definitely a weird moment.
-Wholeheartedly agree with both of them that wired controllers are better than wireless controllers.
-That game really gives off a rather gory vibe inspite of having no blood apparently. It looks like a fun game although I wouldn't call the graphics that great really.
-Features also a rather risqué comment using the c-word where I would say that it is still in a grey zone (as in they didn't use it as an insult directed at somebody).
-Another decent video. Not the best but still decently entertaining.
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Post by Jedi-El of Tomorrow on Sept 2, 2020 3:07:44 GMT -5
-Looking by how Bootsy plays this level, you really need perhaps the fastest reaction times alive to make it through considering the stuff he does in split-second intervals. Gotta love James & Mike's reactions when Bootsy does clear the first level. Bootsy's just unreal when it comes to video games.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 3, 2020 0:18:44 GMT -5
2-for-1 again today, baybee!
First up, let us explore the tranquility of marine life with James & Mike by playing Jaws Unleashed for the Sony Playstation 2: -Hurray, Pat The NES Punk is back, joining us for another episode!
-Gotta love hearing how they had to go through several consoles before finally getting the game to work. And even then, the PS2 controller still makes problems with the wire.
-An interesting concept for a game where you play the shark and are allowed to bloodily chomp on all kinds of humans and sea life. Definitely looks entertaining although we only get to see the tutorial level in this game.
-All three definitely have way too much fun using Jaws to attack boats, eat boat drivers, divers etc. but I cannot help but go along with their enjoyment culminating in the final attack which I won't spoil.
-Another short but fun episode to be found here.
Moving on to some blast processing action by watching James & Mike play some Sonic The Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis: -...or not because the episode begins with a rather creepy, possessed version of a Sonic game. An interesting opening gag though leading us into the meat of the episode where we learn that after doing several Mario games previously, they now take a look at some Sonic hacks/homebrews made on actual Genesis cartridges.
-The first game is a creepy Sonic game where I am not sure if there is any way to finish it before you die which is probably why James & Mike used it as an (effective) opening gag.
-Next up Sonic Jam, which is just the Super Mario All-Stars version of SMB 1...just with Sonic instead of Mario. There's no escaping Mario when doing these homebrews apparently. It leads however to a fun discussion about crossovers since Sonic is now part of the Nintendo family and mentioning another fan-made game named Super Mario Crossover which looks interesting but they never did an episode on that unfortunately.
-Following this, it's Streets Of Rage 3 with Sonic The Hedgehog. Sonic really does look out of place in this game although it does lead to some funny visuals like Sonic stabbing somebody with a knife and getting shot with a pistol.
-Finally, it's Sonic Megamix which just looks like the first Sonic and from their description I cannot see what is special about that homebrew. It leads however to a funny discussion about cool descriptors like "That's blast, man" and so on.
-Another interesting foray into the world of homebrews by James & Mike. Definitely a good episode.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 3, 2020 23:50:23 GMT -5
It is getting creepy in game land when James & Mike decide to dabble in a game of Maniac Mansion for the NES: -...or rather Bootsy plays while James & Mike watch him with the reason being that Maniac Mansion is Bootsy's favorite game for the NES.
-While Maniac Mansion is a game I never played through, I am a big fan of those types of graphic adventure games, be it the classic Lucasarts library (Maniac Mansion 2: Day Of The Tentacle, Sam & Max Hit The Road, the Monkey Island games etc.) or other classic graphic adventures (Broken Sword, Simon The Sorcerer, Beneath A Steel Sky, Flight Of The Amazon Queen etc.) and they were a pretty big part of my childhood. Even when I played through them once, they were usually so good that I played through them again and again, my thought process being that it is just like a sort of interactive movie I watch again and again. Never tried out any of Sierra's graphic adventure games though.
-Very early we get the admission from James that he sucks at those types of games. He understands that they are a different type of genre that has many fans but for him there are just too many steps involved for some things that should be automatic and he gets easily frustrated when he gets stuck. By his own admission, he was unable to even open the front door in this game at one point.
-It was also probably the only time (?) a graphic adventure game was ported to a home console and while there was a definite downgrade in graphic quality, I thought it looked like a decent rendition of the original game.
-And of course, they do the infamous "hamster in microwave" bit which gets them a bit of a laugh (even more so when they give it to Weird Ed).
-Not one of their better episodes, but still a nice bit of curiosity when they have a game on that is a bit outside of their comfort zone.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 5, 2020 0:19:56 GMT -5
Let's watch James & Mike trying to be heroes and saving a girl by watching them play Double Dragon for the NES: -OK, this is weird. Apparently the game has two 2-player modes but you are not able to do the story mode with 2 players? What does Mode A 2-Players even do then? Anyway, this just leads to them having to change controllers from time to time. -What we see is basically them trying to go through the game as far as they can but with start-overs, i.e. we watch them three times trying to get through the game. -For the second time, we get an interruption in these vids, this time from Mike explaining a glitch from this game enabling you to get all the hearts in the first (or is that the second?) level. -Love the short discussion about the movie "The Wizard" they have, summing it up by saying they watched it to see the games but not caring about anything else. Truth be told, before I saw the Nostalgia Critic episode about it, I never even knew about that movie's existence (guess it wasn't released with wide fanfare in Germany). -Also like through all three playthroughs, they let that one guy get killed by the screen everytime (another glitch in the game). I love the story about how James tried to time the knife throw in the third mission with the music, too. -I knew about Double Dragon previously but never played it on NES. I am surprised that it had some Jump'n Run elements to it as well. -Of course they mention Bootsy having beat this game before. Isn't there any game he cannot beat? -The fact that the screen has to adjust perfectly to trigger the next part does look kinda frustrating a bit. As do those pushing blocks that anger James later in the game. -Certainly a difficult game for James to assess. While he decrees that he hates this game after getting a game over for the third time, he admits that it is just terribly addicting and he will probably continue playing it from time to time. The story about this being the first game he threw on the floor out of frustration as a child was cute to hear though. -Them playing the 2-player VS. mode at the end was also hilarious to watch. Though to be honest, it was an interesting idea to do a VS. mode where you also play as the enemies from the game itself. And it certainly looks more playable than Karate Champ. -All in all, while one has to watch several stages over and over again, the interactions between James & Mike are fun again, making this a decent video to watch.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 6, 2020 0:06:29 GMT -5
Going back to another of James & Mike's favorite topics by playing Contra: Legacy Of War for the Sony Playstation: -Love that they actually mention the whole Probotector bit I mentioned a while ago albeit only briefly.
-Off to a good start with the character select screen being slow as molasses despite having a rather unique appearance with the characters coming forward when you point to them.
-I agree with them that game tester would be a pretty rad job as it prevent stuff like Sonic '06 or this game here being released pre-maturely.
-As the above sentences hint, James & Mike don't have much fun with the game where they commend the creators for trying something new with the franchise by making it 3-D but forgetting to make it a fun gaming experience.
-Debut of something that James & Mike will do from time to time: playing another game not advertised in the video title. In this case, C: The Contra Adventure, also for the Sony Playstation.
-They like it a bit better for being closer to the original Contra games with the 2D (or is this already 2.5D?) perspective but disliking the lack of music and that you have to start all the way at the beginning even when they get far (according to them they played for 30 minutes until reaching that point in the first level before running out of continues and having to start all over again).
-Loved it when James got the Spread only to lose it ten seconds later and them humming the NES Contra's first level theme aka providing their own background music for this game.
-To summarize, a decent vid coming to the conclusion that one better sticks with the original Contra games for the 8- and 16-bit eras.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 7, 2020 0:05:22 GMT -5
Looks like revisiting games is not just a forté of the AVGN videos but for James & Mike as well as they again play Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde for the NES: -This time, there is a twist though. This video was shot as a part of the AVGN 10-year anniversary (cannot remember anything about what else this celebration consisted of) where several other gamers were invited. And apparently, one part of the festivities was that everybody gets a shot at playing this game.
-Mike and Bootsy did some preparing though. They played up to the final stage and apparently let the game sit for quite a long time so that everybody can take a shot at the final level (but be careful after the game over so as not to accidentally delete the progress).
-Out of all those gamers present I only recognize Spoony, back when he still had some relevance (July 2014), and AlphaOmegaSin whom I mostly know that he appeared in some later James & Mike Videos. For those interested, here are the others who take a shot: The Game Chasers, Shane Luis, Ryan Schott, 8-Bit Eric and Grimsie42.
-Gotta love the Donkey Kong jokes in regards to the barrels being thrown at Jekyll in this stage.
-One of the Game Chasers came the farthest actually making it past the singing lady a bit which I find respectable considering how the others fare. Even Bootsy doesn't get far in his two tries.
-The randomly appearing dog is certainly an annoying thing (among many others in this game) and causes probably the most frustration for those that happen to come across it.
-Interesting to hear about there being two different endings to the game (with one ending involving a lot of preparation).
-To conclude, while doing a game we already saw, it is still a good video mostly due to the various players we get.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 8, 2020 0:23:15 GMT -5
2-for-1, come one, come all!
*sings* California, here I come...by watching James & Mike play California Games on the NES: -Another Bootsy appearance. I actually forgot how often he was on James & Mike Mondays in those days.
-A game that I actually rented one time as a child. But I cannot remember anything about it except for the cover (certainly couldn't recall any of the games shown here).
-Interesting to hear that California Games is apparently considered one of the "classic" NES games despite its flaws. It is certainly a game I associate with the NES (though Bootsy mentions a far superior Commodore 64 version) but would that really count as a classic?
-In their opinion, the BMX game is the worst although again Bootsy shows his prowess by getting farther than James & Mike. Personally, I find it lazy that they couldn't even do a short animation on the biker getting on his bike again after falling (I mean, Excitebike four years earlier could do it, why not this?).
-Love seeing them having a good time still playing the Half-Pipe, Foot Bag and Frisbee games (the latter mostly for how the "mother" literally dives for the frisbee in the game).
-All in all, a sweet and short video.
Next up, James & Mike are gonna shoot stuff up with Super Scope 6 for the SNES: -While the Super Scope 6 is most associated with being the gun peripheral for the SNES (equivalent to the Zapper for the NES), there is actually a game called Super Scope 6 for the SNES as well with six games utilising the capabilities of the peripheral.
-As they mentioned previously, those gun peripherals do not really work with modern flat-screen TVs which is why they have to use the old block TV at Mike's place again. Makes me sad for the day when nobody can find an old TV again to play those games.
-I dunno whether it is the game or the TV that is giving off the very...blue vibe I am seeing on screen. Also really weird why they divided the six games under two subsections instead of displaying them all at once.
-Mole Patrol looks cute and funny to play (which is also James & Mike's opinion), Blastris B is way better than Blastris A and the jet fighter game is also decent. Though they cannot get over what, in their opinion, an awful name Blastris is for a game.
-Highlight of the video is again an off-the-wall discussion about how Mike Myers's career ended after one bad movie "The Love Guru" while Adam Sandler gets to put out bad movies every year and still have a career (at least as of the time of the vid, July 2014). Other topics include Mike commending James for his very verbose style in using fecal matter to describe stuff and an anecdote from James regarding Starfox for the SNES and arguing with his sister about whether the voice bit says "Good luck" or "Goodbye", eventually leading to them talking for a bit in Lylatese. Didn't know or forgot that James even had a sister.
-Trying out another unadvertised game with Battleclash, another game intended for using the Super Scope 6. It looks like an interesting game, but the fact that it takes so many shots for the enemy's energy bar to go down makes it frustrating for them (though I like that it uses another button on the gun to use a one-time rocket attack).
-To conclude, a very good and interesting video with taking a look into a peripheral and some relatively unknown games, peppered with some funny discussions. Too bad, they didn't have Yoshi's Safari to look into.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 9, 2020 0:16:09 GMT -5
He is the vengeance, the other is the night...so let's watch James & Mike both play Batman for the NES: -Another 2-part video, though I have a feeling that James & Mike will both have more fun with this one than with Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure. -And indeed from the very beginning it is evident that they both love this game: liking the music, the Ninja Gaiden-like wall jump, the fact that it is actually a good movie-based video game (due to being made by Sunsoft and not LJN). Due to it being a good game, they even excuse that the game doesn't have that much in common with the actual movie. Last, they probably shouldn't have made Batman purple. -I find James's anecdote cute that as a child, he played the game before seeing the movie and so made statements like "That's Axis Chemicals! That's Level 2!". Well, at least he didn't make any complaints that the movie was not like the game. -Along the way, they go into a bit of discussion about the movies with James liking the Tim Burton Batman movies better than the Nolan ones because he likes the imagery and atmosphere more as well as, in a strange twist from the usual comments that the TB Batman movies felt like TB movies that just happened to have Batman in them, feeling that the Nolan movies felt like crime drama movies that just happened to have Batman in them. As far as what kind of movie James would like to have for Batman, he would like to have a movie in a 1930s era comic style, perhaps focusing on some earlier villains like the Monk that Batman had before the Joker, Penguin etc. got introduced. On the contrary, he would also like to have the focus be on one villain like perhaps the Scarecrow done right. -Also like the discussion about how they hate the numbering for continues/lives goes "2,1,0" instead of "3,2,1". They understand what it means but they still would much prefer the latter numbering for making it clearer. -A weird talk about a 1960s Batman TV episode where Batman apparently rides on his ass on the floor (one of the episodes involving the cowboy villain Shame). While I have watched the show, I cannot remember this at all so I don't know if they both are high or something. -We also get another insert where we learn that the gorilla/robot enemy in levels 3 & 4 is named Jader, for those that were just dead curious about how he was named. -Getting some pretty intense gaming here with levels 1 & 2 being manageable while levels 3&4 prove much more of a challenge to James & Mike but they manage to pull it off. Will they succeed? Tune in tomorrow- *sees that James & Mike do the exact same gag at the end* -...dangit. -To sum it up, a very entertaining and exciting first part. Hopefully the second part will deliver as well.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 10, 2020 0:13:43 GMT -5
Let's continue watching James & Mike play Batman for the NES: -Basically the whole video is them trying the final stage and beating the Joker, something that James has never succeeded in 25 years.
-They come across what they think to be the two hardest jumps in video game history (two jumps where you have to time a wall jump exactly as to not hit the cogwheels above and below). Though Mike (in a rather cute thought bubble insert) might think that there's a jump in Ninja Gaiden that's harder.
-We learn that after playing some Atari, it was basically The Legend Of Zelda that ignited Mike's love for video games. I have to admit that I don't agree with them that Zelda gives you too many life hearts making it nearly impossible to die after a while since unless you get the blue and the red ring, the later enemies really deal an awful lot of damage to you.
-Now that's an interesting mechanic: Basically the last stage is the level, then beating a pre-final boss boss (similar to Sigma's dog in Mega Man X) and then finally the Joker. But after you beat the pre-final boss boss, he never appears again, i.e. even if you lose all your lives and have to start from the level part again, when you reach the end, you don't have to fight him again but go immediately to the Joker. That is really helpful IMHO.
-This is a really strange video. While in a previous video, them doing the same stage over and over and over again was exhausting to watch after a while, but here it is rather exciting to watch. I guess it perhaps has to do with the final stage using the first level theme (which is my favorite piece of music from that game) but also that I really wanted them to succeed and have James beat the Joker, inwardly rooting for them.
-And James...does it with one minute to go before Mike has to leave. Sure, the timing was too good to be true and there's always the danger with editing that they might be not truthful but for now, I want to believe that James really did something 25 years in the making (though to be fair, it seems that in his final try, he got the Joker in a comparably easy pattern compared to his previous tries).
-All in all, a very exciting and tense video that marked perhaps my first mark-out (bro) moment in the series.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 11, 2020 0:07:58 GMT -5
Another 2-for-1 post today!
First, we want to see them win BIG MONEY when James & Mike play Smash TV for the NES: -Yay, Pat the NES Punk is back for another video!
-OK, that has to be the weirdest way to play an NES game ever but if it works, why not? Wondering if there are any other NES games that have to be played weirdly like that. Though Pat mentions that you could play this game normally, but then it wouldn't be as fun.
-New things we learned: Mike's favorite Arcade game is Robotron: 2084 while Pat's is Rolling Thunder (though no mention by James on what his favorite arcade game is). Also, James has a large storage of VCRs for some reason.
-Nothing much else to say. Another brief and decent video though not on the same level as the other Pat collab vids.
Next, up James & Mike do not go up against the main villain from Kidd Video, but rather play Blaster Master for the NES: -Another 2-part video this time.
-Apparently another one from the NES classic canon though one that has fallen a bit into obscurity through time (though it seems that it got sequels, even having a game on Sega Genesis).
-OK, that is definitely among the weirdest intros for games ever. What I gather is that you play a boy who wants to rescue his frog that got accidentally exposed to nuclear waste (which just happened to lie near the boy's house for some reason) and to do that, he came across some weird tank and a suit that he picks up without hesitation.
-It is a game that James & Mike like though they do admit that it has flaws (having to press down to go through doors, the fastest respawning breakable blocks in video game history probably and some enemies that are just really hard to hit though Mike finds a trick for that). They do commend that the boy and the tank have separate energy meters unlike many other games.
-Have to say that the bosses look amazing (though James & Mike should probably get their minds outta da gutter regarding the second boss they encounter).
-Interesting statement from James regarding him forgetting after a while which games he actually owned as a child and which ones he rented. I certainly can feel him in that regard since I remember at least one game (Mischief Makers for the Nintendo 64) that I only rented but managed to play through. There were other games, too, but I cannot remember them off the top of my head.
-Definitely an interesting look at an interesting game and we shall see how far they make it in Part 2.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 12, 2020 0:04:16 GMT -5
2 videos, 2 times the fun backed up and rolled into one!
First up, the adventure of saving a frog continues when James & Mike continue playing Blaster Master for the NES: -Definitely agree with them that a problem with this game similar to Metroid is that you don't have an in-game map so you have to either remember really well or draw your own map (as James & Mike) do so as not to get lost.
-I would certainly watch a video of James & Mike playing the Commodore 64 printer.
-OK, how would you figure out that to get to Area 4 you have to backtrack from Area 3 all the way to Area 1 without having a single clue? That is kinda ridiculous.
-Also ridiculous is that the hover ability has its own energy bar and you have to farm energy for using it. I thought the Mega Man 6 implementation of a hover would be a better solution.
-Highlight quote of the video: "So, I am the navigator and you are..." "...the asshole."
-Also love how they compare one of the enemies to Clifford the Big Red Dog leading them somehow into a discussion about Marmaduke. Stuff like this random discussions is why I love this series.
-And we end the vid by actually having a look at some Marmaduke comics. Are they always one-panel comics? Weird. And Marmaduke doesn't seem like a really funny strip.
-To finish, another entertaining video from them both.
Moving on, with James & Mike going to a sequel of a game they already played, namely Double Dragon II: The Revenge for the NES: -And we get another 2-part video out of it.
-Unlike the first one, this game is actually possible to play with 2 players in the story mode, making it already an improvement over the first one.
-They bring up a good point regarding one of the modes in this game: why do developers think it is such a good idea to incorporate a 2-player mode where you can hurt each other? Where is the fun in that? And it is not something that has gone away either in modern games (looking at you, River City Girls!).
-James & Mike certainly have fun playing this game and beating the living bejeezus out of the enemies, so much so that I was unsure at one point whether they were using any cheat codes or something because they didn't appear to lose energy or lives.
-Now this is something that I am glad went away with the 16-bit era: having to do platforming in a beat-em-up game. Especially the last part looked frustrating as all hell (although that type of obstacle already existed in the Mega Man games).
-Will they overcome this obstacle? Tune in tomorrow, same Dragon time, same Dragon channel.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 12, 2020 23:54:15 GMT -5
Another 2-for-1 bargain! First on the list, let us further dwell into the realms of martial arts by continuing watching James & Mike play Double Dragon II: The Revenge for the NES: -Seriously, I share James's frustration. I do not play beat-em-ups to do platforming (especially if it is some Mega Man-level platforming like here). It fully deserves the middle finger it gets from James here. -James now has to go it alone for the rest of the vid since Mike lost his last life in the preceding video. -You know the platforming was intense when you go "Oh, it's just Arnold" when fighting enemies again. -And James actually beats the game. Similar to Batman, this is also a game that he has sat on for over 20 years and never beaten it. -Thank god for recording, otherwise they wouldn't have had a chance to read the ending message because it flashes by so fast. Add this to the list of games where you have to beat the highest difficulty to get the true ending. -A decent video though not as good as Part 1. Next up, we enter the realm of the supernatural and spooky by seeing James & Mike play Zombie Nation for the NES: -OK, that definitely has to be up there with the weirdest premises for a game ever: playing a disembodied samurai head searching for a sword in the US to prevent the world from falling into evil, in a Gradius/Life Force-style game no less, yet shooting everything in sight, destroying buildings and eating people crying for help. -What the samurai head says when he dies, is something akin to "Regretful" as in "It is regretful that I have failed in my honorable duty". Though "F**k" works too I guess. -Only James and Mike manage to get into a discussion about the sitcom Blossom and other sitcoms with a similar premise while playing that type of game (also featuring an adorable Joey-like simulataneous "Woah" by them). -Well, they should have let Bootsy try out this game back then, he probably would have beaten it on Hard. -Definitely a more entertaining video than the last one due mostly to featuring such a bizarre game.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 14, 2020 0:03:57 GMT -5
Let us delve into classic horror by witnessing James & Mike delve into Super Castlevania IV for the SNES: -And we get another 2-parter (they really did a lot of 2-parters around that time. My theory is that a game gets multiple parts if James & Mike do not have any other content recorded for the next few weeks as to give them more time to record other stuff. Since some stuff like the Double Dragon II 2-parter combined is the length of a normal regular episode, I think that makes the most sense). -Given the time this was recorded, it appears obvious that they wanted to do a horror-based game in preparation for Halloween that year which became sorta their yearly tradition (to play horror games in advance for Halloween). -Of course, it is James's favorite Castlevania game as well as Mike's (the latter along with the first Castlevania) due to the awesome graphics, the limitation of cheap deaths compared to the previous NES Castlevanias and the amount of stuff you can do (like the famous crouchwalk). -Neat idea if Christopher Lee would have done a voice-over for one of the later Castlevanias where voice-overs were possible (though they immediately go into Christopher Lee not liking to talk about Dracula). -This was actually a game I possessed when I was a child though I wasn't very skilled at it (I was more than happy to watch my brother beat Dracula one time). -Of course, James cannot do this game without having Simon Belmont do the Moonwalk just once. -One of the criticisms for the later games is that they start you off immediately in Dracula's castle whereas the earlier games (like this one) would actually cover a bit of the way to the castle (which they like more because of the feel of satisfaction you get when you finally make it to Dracula's castle). -I love James discussing how he would imagine a Castlevania movie, showing off his interest in movie-making and even trying to cast Christopher Lee as Dracula again (which would have been still possible at that time since it was still several months until his passing). -Something new James learned that day: what a harpy is (and not herpes. Also find it cute that he thought at first that harpies have to do something with harps). -Also like their discussion about why libraries are scary and how it leads into them going on about how 100 years ago he would have been the Angry Book Nerd and having large bookcases in his room and how intellectuals in the movies drink brandy like it was water despite being a very strong alcoholic drink. I learned that James and Mike have quite a bit of books, too. -An entertaining and fun watch and I hope Part 2 continues in this vein.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 15, 2020 0:15:33 GMT -5
Let's hopefully see them kill Dracula when we continue observing James & Mike playing Super Castlevania IV for the SNES: -Checking a Castlevania Wiki and it appears that James really was mistaken and in this game, Frankenstein's Monster appears alone without being aided by a hunchback.
-Definitely love them enjoying the treasure chamber level and going into discussions about Scrooge McDuck and his ability to dive into money and mentioning a Beagle Boys song which they get into for a bit. Though it also leads into them discussing what's the worst thing you can sink into similar to quicksand which is a bit gross (for James it is hot diarrhea and for Mike it's cockroaches...which they decide to combine for the mental image of drowning in hot diarrhea with cockroaches).
-That jewel bat boss doesn't appear to be that tough at first but given the many tries James & Mike attempt, it must be tougher than it looks.
-Agree with them that it is a nice touch that music from the first three Castlevanias play in the final levels of the game.
-We learn what games they first had when they bought their NES. For James it was Super Mario/Duck Hunt and Ghosts'n Goblins while for Mike it was...Jaws and Ghostbusters. He admits that if he hadn't gotten The Legend Of Zelda soon after, he probably would have hated video games. This also leads them into a short discussion about some of the problems with Ghostbusters for the NES.
-And they beat the game but not before questioning whether it's Thanksgiving in Dracula's castle due to all the turkey legs.
-Another amusing and entertaining conclusion to a 2-parter by them.
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