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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 16, 2020 0:38:05 GMT -5
James & Mike continue their Halloween weeks by next playing Super Ghouls'n Ghosts for the SNES: -For the first time in the show, we get a 3-parter (cannot remember now if this is the only one or if there were more 3-parters down the line).
-Same as James & Mike, I remember renting it a few times as a child but only making it up to the second level at the most because as they say, it is a very difficult game (Mike even admitting that he used a game genie to get to the real final boss). Loved the anecdote about James recording the first level music on tape to use for a video that he has since taped over.
-Truer words were never spoken: "When you're naked, you're dead!"
-One flaw they noticed with the game: that you cannot grab onto ladders when you jump off somewhere (unlike Mega Man for example).
-Getting really philosophical there after Mike explains to James what a scythe was used for and wondering how it came to be that the grim reaper got to be depicted with a scythe. Also pondering about how the phrase "full of s***" originated leading to a really gross image of how a death engineered by being "full of s***" could came up to be.
-What a coincidence how they compare the second level boss to a monster that Gamera would fight after I finished watching the MST3K Gamera box set.
-Nice foreshadowing with the talk of the Battletoads Turbo Tunnel here.
-That third level boss is certainly stupid.
-Gotta like how James tries to avoid getting the flame weapon but unlike other games, items just don't disappear after a while or when having them go off-screen. Also the part after that might be called "The Rise And Fall Of The Popularity Of The Crossbow Weapon".
-And with the fourth level cleared, we see you next time for the ice level and beyond!
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 17, 2020 0:14:57 GMT -5
And we continue helping Arthur get his princess fair back by continuing to watch James & Mike play Super Ghouls'n Ghosts for the SNES: -It seems we are on the rise again with the crossbow weapon as James & Mike actually find it pretty useful in the ice level. -Like the small discussion about Harrison Ford always having to find a place to keep warm in movies (like the Tauntaun scene in Empire) in reference to Arthur going around in an ice level only in his underwear. -Also like their comparison of the ice level boss to a frozen Megatron. -Now that is an immature image if I ever saw one: having Arthur stop in his "going down a ladder" cycle so that it looks like he is mooning us (though to be fair, the creators made it this way). -Regarding the game mechanic of this game that you basically have to play the game through twice to get an ending, I find it pretty stupid. I have nothing against that when you play a game on normal, you don't get a whole ending but have to play it on hard to get the full ending since you still have completed the game at least in one mode. The type that this game uses is really stupid though (and James & Mike already foreshadow that they will probably use a cheat code to get to the real final boss since, in their words, they already played five hours to get to the second to last level and they are not gonna play through the whole game again). -Again foreshadowing an eventual video on the Turbo Tunnel in Battletoads. -They really spend a long time on that second-to-last level, getting really frustrated in the process. Trying out various weapons after the crossbow like the knife and the scythe, but they always seem to only get to the ghost area with the fake treasure chests when it's game over. It goes to the point that even the map music gets on their nerves and them seeing the same stone bird heads over and over gets them into humming "The Bird" actually. -Vid ends on a hilarious note with them getting (perhaps?) the worst weapon in the game: the levitating sai weapon or whatever it is that seems to go everywhere...except the enemy. -Let's see in the final vid whether they will succeed or not...which will come the day after tomorrow since tomorrow are some different J&M videos up for watching.
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ronin705
Dennis Stamp
All Might
Posts: 4,277
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Post by ronin705 on Sept 17, 2020 1:21:57 GMT -5
Good on ya for still going strong. I finally tapped after learning of the booty/mike drama, as mike has always rubbed me the wrong way (pause if needed)
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,332
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Sept 17, 2020 21:20:08 GMT -5
Yea once Bootsy was let go and all the stuff about Mike got out I kinda gave up on James and Mike MOndays.
Loving this thread. Has made me go back and re-watch some of the old eps.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 18, 2020 0:30:03 GMT -5
A special Halloween 2-for-1!
First up, let's fight Dracula a different way by seeing James & Mike play Nosferatu for the SNES: -It is certainly interesting seeing a non-Castlevania game where you have to defeat Dracula. It gets even more interesting when the game is kinda a mix between a beat-em-up and a Prince Of Persia-style side-scroller.
-James and Mike definitely like it at first for its graphics (especially the smooth main character animation) and the fun of just beating up monsters with your fists.
-Don't you just hate it when you beat the boss off-screen so you cannot see his death animation?
-That has to be the clumsiest death in video game History. 🙂
-James admits that he hates it when gravity plays a part in a game (i.e. you get damaged when you drop off from too high a ledge). It might be more realistic but he doesn't like it.
-What the heck kind of reference do they do when they fight the ape bosses (when they say monkey bottle/baby and stuff)?
-Love that they get so annoyed at the music... yet they still hum to it.
-A fun video mostly for featuring such an interesting game.
Next up, after punching comes some shooting when James & Mike play Chiller for the NES: -We get another entry for weird NES cartridges seeing as this one appears to be double-sided. Also, it's a Zapper game where using the Zapper sucks so you are better off using a controller.
-Based off of a really brutal arcade game released in 1986, years before Mortal Kombat came out. Going by their descriptions I would agree that this is certainly not a machine you would have found at Chuck E. Cheese (especially the torture room screens).
-Even Mike has some standards given his reaction when James reveals to him what the lady in the torture room showed off in the original.
-We learn that the first real brutal game Mike ever saw was Waxworks for the PC, accompanied by some footage from that game... and I agree with him, that game is quite gory and violent.
-Getting a bit too excited about what they can do in the game at the end.
-I say it is an interesting look at what is now an obscure game but the content is not really my thing (although I still play GTA from time to time).
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,332
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Sept 18, 2020 16:18:08 GMT -5
Back in the late 80s the arcade inside Six Flags Georgia had 3 Chiller machines. That is the only place I saw the arcade version. Ended up getting the NES version when a local video store was closing.
Not a horrible game, but I see why some people might not want to play it.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 19, 2020 0:14:33 GMT -5
Let's see whether their valiant effort brought any success when we see the final part of James & Mike playing Super Ghouls'n Ghosts for the SNES: -When we last left our heroes, they got perhaps the most horrible weapon in the game (which to Mike looks more like a Klingon weapon than a Sai) so they are actually glad when they get the scythe back.
-Seriously, has anybody found a good way to quickly kill that red demon enemy? He seems like the most random and annoying opponent in any video game.
-They finally see the Golden Armor....and then lose their other armor so they just get the regular armor. Dangit.
-Playing an hour on this stage alone? They have more patience than I would have at this point.
-The Blue Flame is certainly another bad weapon in several in this game.
-After finally beating the boss, they do as they promise and use a cheat code to get to the real final boss... only to not really show us anything except the start and end of the battle. Come on!
-At least, it ends on a positive note with them getting a laugh out of a credit saying "Hyper Mickie".
-Still, a decent end to this trilogy where it ran a bit long due to only seeing the same level over and over again. But otherwise, still good.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 20, 2020 0:16:08 GMT -5
Let's get warty when we are watching James & Mike play Battletoads for the NES: -Another new take in this series where they don't focus on the game as a whole but rather on one specific part of it, namely the Turbo Tunnel Level. I cannot remember any other episodes off the top of my head where they did this but we shall see.
-The point of this vid is Mike showing James how to beat the Turbo Tunnel which the latter has never done before.
-The beginning of the video already puts a smile on my face seeing them rock out to the Battletoads pause music. 🙂
-Almost seems like a cruel joke that the game developers created warps that don't let you skip the Turbo Tunnel.
-Love how James cannot help himself rocking out to the music while Mike tries to explain something.
-It really goes to show how serious it gets when James records Mike's controller inputs during the area where he always dies.
-Also like how Mike is encouraging James when the latter is just about throw in the towels sometimes. I can understand James's frustration though because I also don't get how he falls through the surface several times.
-Finally, James pulls it off! Having not seen that vid since it was first released, I was ready to believe that it ends without James beating the Turbo Tunnel. And James is to me someone that I give the benefit of the doubt to when it comes to these things (like in the NES Batman and Double Dragon II vids).
-A good video that draws its attention through the question whether James can pull it off or not.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 21, 2020 0:20:00 GMT -5
Haven't had one of those in a while so due to the videos' length we get a 3-for-1 sale today! First up, we see James & Mike earn their art skills when they play Color A Dinosaur for the NES: -You know that things are off to a good start when James hands the controller to Mike going "Alright, play this piece of s***." -I agree with them, the color selection is just awful and WHO IN THE BLUE HELL DOESN'T INCLUDE GREEN AS A COLOR OPTION WHEN ALL YOU DO IS COLOR DINOSAURS?! But of course, let's instead throw in some weird patterns and stuff instead of actual solid colors. -Love how they compare the sound effects of the cursor moving to Atari 2600 games like Space Invaders. -Even the trippy color changes don't help, making this game somehow even more ugly. And you know things are bad when Mike says that he would rather have Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde than this game. -Overall, a short and decent vid fitting for the subject which doesn't give much material. Next up, let's hit the ocean depths as we see James & Mike play Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis for the Nintendo Gamecube: -Love their comment about how nobody has ever done a serious movie take on Aquaman, considering we were still about four years away at that point from actually getting a fairly respected movie treatment of Aquaman. -I agree that I would be confused by Aquaman's depiction in this game (having a mullet and a hook or something for a hand), being only familiar with the version that served as the basis for Spongebob's Mermaidman. -Like the story about how Mike went almost ninja-like on the release date of the Gamecube in order to get first in line. -Interesting to learn that at different point in their lives James & Mike fell out of games completely for a while (James at the time of the Nintendo Gamecube due to being occupied with college and Mike at the time of the Nintendo 64 for other reasons). We do get confirmation that they are the same age (which means they both turn/turned 40 this year together). -As for the game, it gets Superman 64 comparisons due to most of the level consisting of flying around and the buildings even kinda looking the same (though at least no flying through rings). -Ultimately, they give up after about half an hour because it is just boring to play. -A better video compared to the last one. Mostly because the stories were more interesting. And finally, we go into a post-apocalyptic future (?) by playing Daikatana for the Nintendo 64: -A game chosen by Mike just to see how James reacts to it. -Even from watching him play, I can see the problems this game has: getting hurt by your own weapons when they ricochet off the wall, having to learn that to defeat the turret guns you have to not hit them directly but the control panels on the wall near them as well as generally having to figure out what is a gun and what isn't due to the less-than-stellar graphics. -Love that to go through a door in this stage, you have to crouch...but to crouch you have to do a button command that sounds like something in the SNES Batman Forever game. Mike only got to that door part because he couldn't figure it out and James only managed to do it after looking it up. Kudos though that they continue playing for a bit although Mike said that they could stop when James could get past that door. -Interesting discussion at the end where they say why Doom was a good game and Daikatana isn't although they are the same type of game. -A question of my own: why isn't it possible to select the katana weapon since the guy clearly has a sword in his hand in the opening cutscene? That sucks. -Overall, another decent and fun video.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 22, 2020 0:30:49 GMT -5
Well, time to keep an evil doctor from taking over the world when we see James & Mike play Mega Man 2 for the NES: -We grow the collection of 2-part videos again this time.
-Now Mega Man is one of my favorite video game franchises of all time. I have played all 10 games and will play the 11th one sometime in the future for sure. As for this one, Mega Man 2 is my second-favorite game of the NES ones (and also my second-favorite game of the series in general) since I would put Mega Man 3 a teensy tiny bit higher due to the addition of the slide, Rush, Proto Man, a really interesting middle section (variations of four robot master stages where you have to beat the "ghosts" of the previous 8 robot masters) and equally good music.
-In general, James & Mike have also an equally positive attitude towards the games (with Mike having the first three games as his favorites) and basically like the same stuff I like about the game (the great music, the awesome controls) with their only nitpick being the slow text speed during the weapon get section and what they refer to as a glitch in the Heat Man stage.
-Love the story about how Mike lent all six NES Mega Man games to James in the days when the latter made his first AVGN videos which also provided him with a clip for his Game Glitches video down the line.
-The drills in the Metal Man stage are apparently "knife wieners" and the floating, circling metal heads in the Heat Man and Crash Man stages are "metal sandwiches" (with the latter somehow leading to an Elvis Presley mention).
-I agree that falling down long ladders is better than just climbing them down. Also like the comment about this being a game where you can grab on to a ladder in jumping and Mike's recollection about how to evade the Atomic Chicken in Wood Man's stage.
-I actually thought they would be stuck there for a while but Mike actually manages to clear the laser part in Quick Man's stage at the first try.
-It is always more entertaining when they play a game one is very familiar with so this was a very good one to me and I look forward to next time.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 23, 2020 0:10:47 GMT -5
Let's see whether the world will be rid of Dr. Wily when we continue watching James & Mike play Mega Man 2 for the NES: -Dear lord, just use the metal blade to get rid of those worm producers! The first time in these vids where I am really like "Why are they playing that stupid?".
-I guess James's disappointment with Dr. Wily being revealed to be the final villain in Mega Man 4 didn't get any better with 5 or 6. It does lead however into a good discussion about how things would be different in the other franchises (Mario, Zelda etc.) if you didn't have the same villain everytime.
-Mike has to vent a bit in the video about a video he did where he questioned why in-universe Mega Man would change his color based on the weapon he chooses which got him lots of criticisms explaining why it makes sense for the player in real life. Haven't seen the video so I cannot say whether Mike was really vague in that video or if he had a valid point to gripe about with those complaints (same for James and his statement that there has never been another "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" movie).
-Gotta love the "Everything's a skull" discussion. No spoiler from me here, it is a really funny discussion.
-What a yucky comparison that the water in the third Wily stage is made of piss and feces.
-Now I wonder if in all playthroughs of this game until that point, they always had to destroy all the walls in the room of the fourth Wily boss, die, then go back with the second try and beat the boss with the walls now gone. Because after I figured out that one has to only destroy the walls that directly block one of the wall shooters, I can beat that boss in one go.
-James is really good and fast with beating Wily's alien form. Makes me long for the days when the last Wily form was something different than the disappearing-reappearing saucer routine that he has been doing from 4-10 (I sincerely hope they changed that in 11).
-Kind of a somber ending mentioning that the ending in Mega Man 2 gives off a sad vibe.
-Definitely my favorite of the 2-parters so far mostly because it features a game I actually played.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 24, 2020 0:21:14 GMT -5
I got another 2-for-1 deal coming up for you!
First up, we enter the world of mods and homebrews again with James & Mike as they play Super Mario X-Mas Rekringled for the NES and Toyshop Trouble for the Atari 2600: -Joined by Bootsy and Kevin for this. Who the buck is Kevin again?
-As the name of the first game implies, it's a Christmas-ized Super Mario Bros. game featuring Mario as Santa Claus and all the levels and enemies having a snow and Christmas feel to them. Definitely looks like something the mod maker put some effort into it.
-That's a nice Christmas card they did though my fondness of James goes not so far that I would buy a calendar from them.
-Going into a bit of discussion how emulators made some games easier to play through due to having save states which takes away the challenge they had back in the original days. I am honest that I did play games on an emulator for a bit but I made it a vow to play the games as they were meant to be played (i.e. playing the first Mega Man in one sitting, using only the battery save states in Zelda etc.).
-Really wondering whether 100 is the lowest score you can get on the flagpoles.
-Darnit, Mike, you were that close (only needed a few seconds more to finish).
-Also love the small discussion about voice actors with the infamous change from Lorenzo Music to Dave Coulier for Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters brought up.
-Toyshop Trouble looks like a fun Atari game to play but also very challenging in the higher levels. Love that due to it being a homebrew, the brewer could throw in a Godzilla toy, an AT-AT toy etc..
-I would agree that Mike is the best at that game.
-All in all, a decent holiday-themed episode of James & Mike.
Next up, we return to exciting racing action when James & Mike play Excitebike 64 for the Nintendo 64: -Joined again by Bootsy and Kevin for this. This also marks the first time on James & Mike that four players simultaneously play a game together (before, it was only three).
-I wonder if that split screen functions the good way when you play with two or three players (like in Goldeneye) or if it works the bad way (like in Starfox 64).
-Cannot help but feel sorry for Kevin here. First the "musturd" jokes, then he always comes in last in the game (though I have to agree that the way he holds the controller is not really a good way to hold the N64 controller).
-Gotta love the story about James once scoring 100% on an exhibition quiz where one has to identify the correct poop to an animal.
-Also find the discussion about the different packaging between the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo 64 interesting and I would agree that the Genesis packaged their games way better. Also like that there exists an underground market now selling labels for N64 cartridges which James is very happy for because that is something that he thinks sucks about the cartridges.
-All in all, a funnier video compared to the last one with more interesting banter and interactions.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,332
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Sept 24, 2020 2:42:40 GMT -5
Toyshop Trouble is the only homebrew game I have bought. It's a blast to play.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 25, 2020 0:05:50 GMT -5
Let us see James & Mike become one with the force by watching them play Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire for the Nintendo 64: -Well, I asked recently whether there were any 4-parters they did after having had a 3-parter recently with Super Ghouls'n Ghosts and now I got my answer with this being the first 4-part video James & Mike did. Given that they are also lengthy, I would recommend coming back in a few days after this 4-parter is finished. -At least it features a good game I am familiar with, renting this a lot as a kid and actually beating it after several tries. I found it definitely to be more entertaining compared to Dark Forces on the PC which my older brother played and liked better. -Getting a bit into the background on this and the whole Shadows Of The Empire thing being a bit of a franchise in itself with a book and other stuff, coming out at the time when the Special Editions were released as well as three new Star Wars movies. Question remains if anybody remembers Dash Rendar anymore today? Also surprised that this game was one of the launch titles for the Nintendo 64 apparently since I cannot recall that. -They get some pretty good Star Wars discussion going on in that video discussing about the connection between Star Wars and the Flash Gordon serials (which is one of the reasons why the movies are numbered as they are), talking about the teaser trailer for Episode VII (has it really been more than five years already? Geez.) where James just has a hard time imagining anything coming after Episode VI since that is where the story ends for him, us learning that the most annoying change about the Special Editions for James is changing the music at the end of Return Of The Jedi in the Ewok village and Mike liking A New Hope the best of the original trilogy, getting into nitpicks about why "Han Shot First!" is not really the correct way to say it etc.. We have definitely two guys here that like Star Wars. -That's certainly one way to kill AT-STs: Doing a kamikaze run on them. -Love the image of a Jedi's light saber going straight through the ceiling when he cannot control it. -Darn, James really didn't think of how much money his Nintendo Powers would be worth if he cut them up like that. -That's certainly one solution of how to get through the dark room: turn the brightness up on the TV. -Guess we'll have to see next time whether they defeat the AT-ST or not. But a good and entertaining first part so far.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 26, 2020 0:06:45 GMT -5
I have a bad feeling about this but we shall see whether James & Mike can move forward in playing Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire for the Nintendo 64: -Forgot about something in the last vid: We actually now get a rudimentary pixelated James & Mike Mondays title card since the last episode. I shall see how long that lasts because all I remember are the special title cards they did later down the line.
-Something I forgot about the game: while it does have checkpoints, you have to start over a level if you lose all your lives (which is why I was surprised when at the start of this video, they were going through the level again).
-Dunno why James has such a hard time with the AT-ST, I remember it being not that difficult to get behind him and shoot him.
-Absolutely love the Muppet Babies discussion they have during the fight in the asteroid field, somehow leading into Charlie Brown and Final Fantasy VI of all things.
-Things one needs to remember: never get your corbomite and carbonite confused.
-Boy, James does suck at jumping in this game going by that junkyard level. Though Mike isn't really any better.
-Also love Mike's eye roll when James goes into a discussion about how they explain Arnold Schwarzenegger's aging in the then recent Terminator movie. Guess that's an explanation he thinks sucks.
-Yeah, they really don't like this junkyard level where, according to them, every planet in the galaxy unloads their diarrhea.
-Pondering the question whether this game and accompanying material really widened Boba Fett's popularity since apparently he was made out to be a featured part in the game.
-Yeah, the boss fight against IG-88 is really intense (mostly because you don't have a radar or anything to know where he is, making it almost like a Goldeneye fight). Love the bug-eyed look James & Mike get when they get an invincibility item. I also learned from glancing at the screen that they play it on Medium level.
-Another entertaining part in this series and I hope they keep this up.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 26, 2020 23:39:16 GMT -5
Don't get cocky because we still have some more to watch of James & Mike playing Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire for the Nintendo 64: -We learn that Mike's opinion where the best jetpack in video games lies is in GTA: San Andreas. Cannot remember having too much problems with that so I would agree with him.
-Defeating Boba Fett and Slave-1 with a very sweaty thumb is apparently not very easy.
-One of their major complaints regarding this game is that the checkpoints are too far apart and in their opinion, the next continue after losing all your lives should put you at the beginning of the last substage in a level and not having to do the whole level all over again.
-In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment I noticed that they changed the difficulty to easy.
-They really suck at the driving stage and complain about it being the worst racing they have ever done in a video game. While I agree that having no map is kind of a handicap, I cannot remember having any problem with this stage when I played it as a child (though I cannot remember if I played it on easy or medium). Though it is funny seeing Mike guffaw at James crashing into rocks etc..
-The most important thing though...will they find out next time that this stage is not about winning a race?
-Still decent (mostly through the tension in the Boba Fett/Slave-1 fight) but the weakest of the parts so far.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 28, 2020 1:37:08 GMT -5
Let's hope that James & Mike make that one-in-a-million shot when they finish playing Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire for the Nintendo 64: -OK, I dunno whether I look at it with fog-covered memory, but I cannot remember sucking as much in the land speeder stage taking out the Swoop Gang when I originally played that game 22 years ago as James is doing here. Difficulty does not play a part in it because I could see them playing the game now on easy, so I don't know what to say. Probably the first time I am getting frustrated at them for doing so bad at a stage that I don't remember having that much trouble with it.
-We learn that Mike hates the overuse of CGI in the (then) newest Star Wars movies (Episodes I-III) because it didn't give them the same feel as the original movie trilogy. Further points of discussion is Mike hating the nova blast being added to the original Death Star destruction in "A New Hope" (mostly because in every movie it gets used in it is always from the same angle), James actually liking the Jabba scene added in the Special Edition of "A New Hope" because it at least adds something to the story (and disagreeing with Mike that doing a Return Of The Jedi-style Jabba The Hutt construction, shooting it in front of a green screen and digitally adding it in to the New Hope scene would have looked better than the CGI solution they went with), in general James liking how the Star Wars series blends in eastern and western forms of movies (by having both guns and swords in it) as well as comparing the pod racing scene in "The Phantom Menace" to a peanut found in a turd (i.e. the only good thing in an otherwise bad movie). Also Mike possesses a 16 mm print of "A New Hope" (which we get to see during this video). No mention of the Despecialized Editions though (perhaps that is something James & Mike know nothing about).
-Yikes, they really don't like this Swoop Gang stage and declaring it the worst racing level ever (yeah, even worse than Big Rigs).
-While it does appear to suck that the game doesn't have a map system to tell you where you are or where to go, I wouldn't call it that bad since I did manage to get through it as a child.
-Complaining about the map of the sewage level in Nintendo Power feels justified since the map does look very confusing. And it really is a false lead that the boss room gets drained yet you have to go up to find the exit of this stage.
-It really sucks having to activate switches while having to fly with the jetpack (which they declare to be among the worst jetpack implementations that they have seen so far).
-Love James's tense face while battling the Gladiator. That's when you know that he takes it serious.
-All in all, I would say this was a good end to this 4-parter (despite my frustration with them in the Swoop Gang stage) and overall, it was a good series of videos.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 29, 2020 0:48:30 GMT -5
It's time to slay Dracula again when we watch James & Mike play Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood for the TurboDuo (or PC Engine Duo as it was known in Japan): -If you have never heard of the console in the opening sentence, don't worry, James & Mike go into detail about that particular console (in short, the successor to the TurboGrafx 16 using CDs instead of cards). We also get a bit of history about this particular game which was never released in the US (only a remastered version on the PSP and a changed version in "Dracula X" for the SNES) and they are able to play it because apparently games for the original PC Engine Duo in Japan work without a hitch on a US TurboDuo.
-They talk further a bit about the predecessor console, the TurboGrafx 16 and how that was never a big hit in the US which they ascribe to having not much third party support and not having a flagship mascot/character like Nintendo and Sega had. Plus, only having one controller port sounds like a really dumb idea.
-Really like those opening anime-like cutscenes the game has. And I would say that even without the promise of breasts.
-While James & Mike don't comment on it, I liked how, similar to Super Castlevania IV, they used various BGM pieces from the NES Castlevanias in this.
-The in-game graphics definitely look awesome. And I kinda like the idea that when you pick up a new secondary weapon the previous one appears in-stage so you still get a second chance to switch weapons if you change your mind.
-What sucks is that apparently (going by the Werewolf and Minotaur boss fights) that the bosses can kill with a final attack after their life gauge has already depleted. That's kinda shitty.
-Also love the intricacies of movie monster copyrights where calling somebeing "a mummy" or "an invisible man" is OK but if you decide to name them "the mummy" or "the invisible man", you better watch out for copyright infringement.
-Watch out for James's recollection of a battle with a terrifying centipede.
-Those special attacks by pressing select seem to be more style than substance given how they are almost ineffective.
-Stage 4 is where they give up and save with a vague promise that they might get back to finishing this game. Indeed it was vague because it has now been over five years and no second part of playing this game has come out.
-Still a very entertaining video due to a great game and some sweet points of discussion.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Sept 30, 2020 0:46:28 GMT -5
We have to stop Jason from killing anybody...or at least James & Mike have to when they play Friday The 13th for the NES: -There's actually a reason for this game being played by them in February that year instead of, say, October leading up to Halloween. You see, there were two Friday the 13ths that year (February 13th and March 13th) so James thought doing reviews of the whole Friday The 13th series on those two days (1-5 on February 13th and 6-10 on March 13th). Actually makes me interested in watching those reviews because TBH I have never seen any non-video game video by James.
-Fun fact: this video game was the first encounter of James with the Friday The 13th franchise (being too young at that time to be allowed to watch the movies) and somehow it has happened that every ten years he watches the whole series (for the first time in the mid-1990s, then in 2006 in preparation for the AVGN episode on the video game and now that time, 2015, for the reviews). I guess he should mark his calender for 2025/26 then.
-Mike already considers this among his least favorite NES games along with some others while James at first is pretty enthusiastic about this game, saying that he likes it...only to share Mike's opinion by the end and agreeing with him on it being a terrible game.
-Biggest pet peeve for Mike is that he cannot fight Jason in the cabins that good, declaring the controls to be s****y compared to Punch-Out (which James finds that this segment of the game is similar to). Yet James is doing pretty good at it.
-Learn through this video how to navigate the cave without having a torch and find Jason's mom to kill.
-Cannot help but laugh that due to the game not helping any they have to use gaffer tape to mark in which cabins they already lit the fireplaces to get the torch (though it is interesting that the gaffer tape doesn't show up on the full-screen video game screen...then again, I am pretty bad at technical stuff).
-A lot of valid criticisms pop up during the course of this video: the confusing map system (which is counterintuitive to other games that Mike brings up like Clash At Demonhead and Bionic Commando), that you have to light the fireplaces to get the torch with one camp counselor and when that one dies, you have to do it all over again, the fact mentioned above that the game does not mark in which cabins you already lit fireplaces, that you cannot apparently go two seconds without the Jason alarm popping up etc..
-Near the end, they have to wait for what feels like an eternity to get the key which they did get much earlier in the other tries and being run over by Jason despite hitting him a few hundred times.
-In the end, Mike says that the AVGN video basically hits all the bullet points on why this game sucks (we also learn that that was Mike's first appearance in an AVGN video).
-To conclude, despite the long runtime (almost as long as the Toejam & Earl video), a very entertaining entry into James & Mike Mondays.
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Paul
Vegeta
Posts: 9,239
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Post by Paul on Sept 30, 2020 2:03:46 GMT -5
We have to stop Jason from killing anybody...or at least James & Mike have to when they play Friday The 13th for the NES: -There's actually a reason for this game being played by them in February that year instead of, say, October leading up to Halloween. You see, there were two Friday the 13ths that year (February 13th and March 13th) so James thought doing reviews of the whole Friday The 13th series on those two days (1-5 on February 13th and 6-10 on March 13th). Actually makes me interested in watching those reviews because TBH I have never seen any non-video game video by James. -Fun fact: this video game was the first encounter of James with the Friday The 13th franchise (being too young at that time to be allowed to watch the movies) and somehow it has happened that every ten years he watches the whole series (for the first time in the mid-1990s, then in 2006 in preparation for the AVGN episode on the video game and now that time, 2015, for the reviews). I guess he should mark his calender for 2025/26 then. -Mike already considers this among his least favorite NES games along with some others while James at first is pretty enthusiastic about this game, saying that he likes it...only to share Mike's opinion by the end and agreeing with him on it being a terrible game. -Biggest pet peeve for Mike is that he cannot fight Jason in the cabins that good, declaring the controls to be s****y compared to Punch-Out (which James finds that this segment of the game is similar to). Yet James is doing pretty good at it. -Learn through this video how to navigate the cave without having a torch and find Jason's mom to kill. -Cannot help but laugh that due to the game not helping any they have to use gaffer tape to mark in which cabins they already lit the fireplaces to get the torch (though it is interesting that the gaffer tape doesn't show up on the full-screen video game screen...then again, I am pretty bad at technical stuff). -A lot of valid criticisms pop up during the course of this video: the confusing map system (which is counterintuitive to other games that Mike brings up like Clash At Demonhead and Bionic Commando), that you have to light the fireplaces to get the torch with one camp counselor and when that one dies, you have to do it all over again, the fact mentioned above that the game does not mark in which cabins you already lit fireplaces, that you cannot apparently go two seconds without the Jason alarm popping up etc.. -Near the end, they have to wait for what feels like an eternity to get the key which they did get much earlier in the other tries and being run over by Jason despite hitting him a few hundred times. -In the end, Mike says that the AVGN video basically hits all the bullet points on why this game sucks (we also learn that that was Mike's first appearance in an AVGN video). -To conclude, despite the long runtime (almost as long as the Toejam & Earl video), a very entertaining entry into James & Mike Mondays. This is an example of a game that isn't just bad, but it also outright lies to you about what items you get or need in the game to do things.
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