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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 7, 2020 1:06:45 GMT -5
We still have some more Metroids to wipe out when James & Mike continue playing Metroid II: Return Of Samus for the Game Boy: -Well, if it isn't a promising start to a video when you hear James give the command "Go to the up." At least, Mike is there this time for this Metroid game. -Don't worry about other's opinions, James & Mike, I like that you use the Nintendo Power magazines to navigate through the game instead of using an online map (and James even mentions that the maps he found online of this game, he cannot navigate as good as the physical ones in Nintendo Power. -Gah, that would drive me crazy, getting deep into the game and then having to go all the way back to the ship just to get my missiles refilled. -Unlike "Many more mondays, many more games" I think "Git Gud" didn't catch on as much (although James would have liked to have this one as a t-shirt). -The lost Flash Gordon serial: "Flash Gordon - Nooks And Crannies". -Well, away with the laser weapon and back to the Cheerio ring weapon (since they really hate the laser weapon). I actually never knew this about those Metroid games before that you can go back and get the previous shooters back. -Well, to be fair to Nintendo Power, James, it says "about 200 missiles" so they just wanted to keep you on the safe side. I think this is also the first time that GameFAQs is mentioned by them in this show, at least. -One positive in this game compared to the first Metroid: when you die at the final boss, it sends you to the save point with full health and full missiles (unlike the first one where you have to farm for about half an hour or so to get back to full health). -They really struggle a lot with the Queen Metroid. I still remember my brother fighting it: he would do the space jump when the Queen Metroid lunges forward and then shoot her when she came down. It was a method that took a long time but he eventually beat her with it and he didn't lose that much health with it. Though I cannot recall how he evaded the spiked dropping the Queen coughs out and I didn't even know that in some cases, the Queen gets stunned so you can shoot a lot of missiles in her maw (wonder what triggers that?). -Don't you hate it when you are on the verge of beating something but your SD recording card runs out? It wouldn't have been a problem but for some reason, the game doesn't let you pause during the final boss battle (which pisses James off to no end). -Eventually they beat it...yet in true Metroid fashion they have to find their way back to the ship (at least without a time limit). They know that this is a hallmark of Metroid but it is still a bit annoying. -And they finish it after 8 hours of playing (according to them). Wow...I guess their wife/kids and girlfriend had other things to do that day so they could do that in peace. At least, James doesn't want to look at this game again for a long, long time. -Overall, another entertaining video from them.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 8, 2020 0:58:21 GMT -5
2-for-1 bargain bin sale today! First up, we shall see if that one is interested in eating green eggs and ham with Sam-I-Am when James & Mike play Goat Simulator for the PC: -We have finally arrived at what I consider my personal favorite episode of James & Mike Mondays. The strange thing here is that this is not an episode where we learn some interesting history either from games or James & Mike, we don't have a really obscure game that they have a hard time playing or weird discussions going along weird tangents. This is just an episode where do silly stuff with a goat and laughing their asses off the whole time. -What makes this my favorite is that this is a kind of pick-me-up because I know that whatever dumps I am in emotionally, I can just put this episode on and feel right better through the joy I see James & Mike have in playing this silly game that, according to James, is kinda like Big Rigs but in a better way gameplay-wise. -The highlight, however, are the last three minutes where they create a...thing that they didn't even expect and seeing them react to the abomination they created puts this episode even more over the top because even Mike (who introduced this game to James) did not forsee this creation. Let's just say..."He's shooting fireworks coming out of his asshole!" "He's shooting pizzas!". -And that's really all there is to it, my personal favorite James & Mike just on the account of the happiness it brings me watching them goofing off. Next up, it is time for some more wrestling again when James & Mike play M.U.S.C.L.E. for the NES: -So, there were these very well-built eraser figures that somebody thought would translate to a really good game? To be fair though, these figures are based on characters from the Japanese Kinnikuman franchise which is perhaps the only time that franchise ever came into the US back then (though apparently the sequel series was translated to the US). -Wow, this game looks like it could have been made for the Atari 2600, being a very basic fighting game although James & Mike mention that at least compared to Karate Champ, you get more interesting looking characters. -I hope nobody susceptible to seizures played this game back then, what with the very white canvas and the weird flickering "stage" they come across. It actually gets so bad for both of them that they have to close their eyes and play blind for a bit. -Overall, they have a bit of fun with it but it is not that good a game so it edges out to a decent episode.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 9, 2020 1:25:27 GMT -5
We get 2 parts of 1 game this time! First, that's odd. I remembered it having one game less on it originally. Guess we have to find out when we watch James & Mike play Action 53 for the NES: -Joined by Bootsy. Huh, I guess the Battletoads one wasn't his last James & Mike Mondays appearance although by this time (March 2016), Mike & Bootsy was already in full swing. This also means, however, that we are nearing the end of Bootsy's association with Cinemassacre so every appearance of his could be the last. -I am not repeating the full title of this game since I would have to rewatch the video for it. -At least during this part, we don't know if there are other parts so all we see is a homebrew version of Bionic Commando where you act for Streemerz Commando, have to watch out for Master Y's balls and avoid eating the pie thrown at you by clowns. Since I don't know how the original Bionic Commando looks, I cannot tell how much was modded. -From the looks of it, it kinda reminds me of Battle Kid and VVVVVV due to having to do very difficult platforming while still getting lots of checkpoints in between so that you won't have to be so frustrated when you die. -Seeing clowns as the enemies leads to a fun discussion of IT and how frustrating the DVD release of the 1990 mini series being on a double-sided disc was. As it turns out, Mike thought that the first part was already the whole movie and James had to remind him that there was a whole other movie on the other side (though Mike thinks that the first part was fine on its own). After checking at that time, we were still about a year away from the new version of IT. -"Now's the time he does it." *Bootsy dies* "Guess that wasn't the time but this time he's got it." *Bootsy dies* "Guess that wasn't..." *repeat at nauseum though I found it fun* -At one point, James has to leave to do something so it turns into a bit of a Mike & Bootsy vid for a while. After watching their 2015 videos, I have to say that Mike & Bootsy vids were not as fun as James & Mike (though that might be due to the reasons that led to that fallout). -Well, never thought I'd see an ending where a long-haired Hitler's...uhm, sorry, Master Y's head explodes a la Scanners. -To conclude, a fun video mostly due to the game looking like quite a challenge. We shall see next time what else Action 53 has to offer. Last, let's find out if this cartridge actually has more than that one game when James & Mike continue playing Action 53 for the NES: -And it does because we actually get to see the game selection screen which we didn't see last time. -So, they are playing FHBG (Four Head Block Guy), LAN Master, Lawn Mower, Driar and I Wanna Flip The Sky from this game collection. -Mike actually remembers the lyrics from Shut Your Buckin' Mouth Uncle Bucker (due to the main character from FHBG kinda looking like Terrance or Philip, whichever the one wearing red is). -I just noticed that starting from the past few videos James has started wearing a cap in these videos. While he still goes bareheaded in the future, I will keep an eye out when he started wearing the cap in these vids all the time. Also Bootsy wears a knit wool head and somehow everybody wearing one of these reminds me of Teddy from Bob's Burgers for reasons I don't know. -Lawn Mower looks like a simple but fun game due to its implementation (as did LAN Master which is, according to Mike, a mod of Pipe Dreams). In general, all the games I am seeing here look 1,000x more fun than anything in Action 52, so I guess the programmers here at least knew what they were doing. -Driar looks like a fun puzzle game which seems right up James's alley. -I Wanna Flip The Sky kinda looks like a precursor (or successor? Dunno when it came out) to VVVVVV and since he actually did a live stream on it, it is no wonder that Mike manages to clear Level 4 where James and Bootsy failed. -All in all, another funny video with an interesting collection of games. Kinda wonder why they didn't do more parts on it since it looked like it offered a wide variety of games to play without it getting repetitious but as they say "Many more Mondays, many more games".
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 10, 2020 1:30:02 GMT -5
Come right up here, got your 2-for-1 sale right there! First up, I hope none of them die from dysentery when James & Mike play Super Amazing Wagon Adventure for the PC: -Well, James, I guess you have to be a bit more specific towards Mike when you say that you want to play something modern. -Basically, a humorous and more interactive take on the classic Oregon Trail where you can shoot wild animals while on your wagon in classic 2-D shooter style, have hallucinogenic visions when eating mushrooms, jump with the whole wagon over a river, get bombed by a fighter jet etc.. And for the survival mode, you basically use the weird two-controller method they used in Smash TV. -And that's basically it. Mostly just James & Mike reacting to the crazy stuff the game throws at them but without the joy that I felt from the Goat Simulator episode. Still, for featuring a fun-to-look-at game, it is decent. Next up, let's save a universe of cute, weirdly talking animals by seeing James & Mike play Star Fox for the SNES: -A game I rented quite a bit as a kid but I could only make it to the final level and then I'd die. I cannot remember beating Andross but I still had a lot of fun with it. -Of course, when we get a Star Fox game, you are guaranteed to get James & Mike talk in Lylatese to each other. It is fun for a short bit but I don't want them to talk the whole video like this. -In the same vein we also get the story of the argument between James and his sister about whether the voice at the start of the stage says "Good Luck!" or "Goodbye!". Not to mention them asking why they couldn't have clear voices for the whole game instead of only the beginning and end (I imagine not enough memory space might have something to do with that). -Yeah, I remember getting miffed about the team mates complaining when I killed an enemy for them. -Dear lord, does James get riled up when iTunes gets mentioned. I don't know if his feelings are still the same today but he goes into this epic rant where even Mike has a look like "WTF" on his face the whole time. James does concede that he tried alternatives to iTunes at that time but they had limitations so he is still stuck with it. And you cannot just throw it into the trash like getting a game magazine that only talks about football and stuff. -Interesting talk though about how the reason the Titanic was hit by an iceberg due to a kind of mirage that camouflaged the iceberg until it was too late to evade. The first time I heard about that and definitely a neat story. -Also a curious story that there was a cartridge called Star Fox Weekend which is the first few levels of Star Fox on a timer similar to Nintendo World Championship. Mike has it despite it being very rare and he mentions that they debated on whether doing this or the original game but they decided on the latter because they wanted to play through the game. -Unfortunately, the power goes out and the game is reset (dunno if it was a general electrical problem or a storm or something that did it) but since James spent all his anger energy on his iTunes rant, he is not that miffed about it. It gives him a chance to mention about two other instances of that happening with Ikari Warriors and Final Fantasy III (or VI in Japan) where the latter one sounds especially meltdown-inducing. -Overall, an entertainingly good video with some nice anecdotes and a fun game to see getting played.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 11, 2020 1:09:02 GMT -5
And now for something different as James & Mike try to find which one is the better NES peripheral when it is the Power Glove vs. U-Force: -While James said all there is about the Power Glove in his AVGN video, there has been not that much coverage on the U-Force (only appearing as a part in the NES peripherals video) despite it being a rather interesting concept. Even after this video, I cannot quite figure out what makes it work exactly. Does it work on the same basis as a theremin or something? -First up, trying to play Super Mario Bros. with the U-Force and after a few tries, Mike actually beats the first level with it while James at least manages to get the mushroom that Mike couldn't get. This episode also has lots of phone recording due to showing what movements they make exactly when doing this (and it looks exactly as weird as one might imagine). -Testing Castlevania now first with the U-Force and then with the Power Glove. Strangely enough, the Power Glove works better than the U-Force, enabling them to get at least to the underground water part with the mermen (despite frustration with going down the stairs and getting plastered by bats the whole time). Neat to see this time how the sensor on the TV corresponds to the input on the Power Glove. -Next up, both U-Force and Power Glove are in play when they try Gauntlet...only for both of them completely sucking at this game, not even getting past the first room. -Finally, the ultimate test with having a go at Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The U-Force doesn't work but the Power Glove strangely does, enabling James to have probably a better run at it than if he had played it with a regular controller. Despite that we still get: "Are you having fun?" "No." Also love James reenacting the title screen hand with the Power Glove. -He mentions how it hurts his arm after a while due to having it stretched out all the time...making me wonder why they don't sit down to play it since James did sit down when doing the AVGN video on the Power Glove? Then again, he mentioned having a new TV mounted on his wall that they use for this video so perhaps he wouldn't get in line of sight of the sensor on the TV if he sat down? That's possible, actually. -Overall, an interesting look at two peripherals leading to a decent episode.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 12, 2020 1:38:16 GMT -5
Get 2 reviews for the low, low price of 1 forum post! First up, I hope one is not too hungry when watching James & Mike play Food Fight for the Atari 7800 and Fast Food for the Atari 2600: -Food Fight is up first and it is already looking way better than the movie of the same name...nyuk nyuk. Basically, you are a kid having to avoid four chefs by evading them or throwing food at them and make it to the ice cream on the other side (which gets eaten in a pretty funny animation for its time. -The game gets them talking a bit about the Atari 7800 which was kind of a good console but it had the stench of the previous Atari 5200 on it which led to it probably never being given a fair chance. -We learn that James's favorite walk cycle sound effect is from E.T. though the sound effects from this game are not too bad either. Interestingly, we learn that this game had an instant replay feature which admittedly seems very advanced for a game released in 1987 (cannot think of too many other games off the top of my head which had that feature). -Next up is Fast Food: a much simpler game where you move a mouth over the screen, "eating" the food coming your way while avoiding the eggplants with a fun message when you clear a level ("You're Getting Fatter!") and also when you get a Game Over ("Burp! Closed!"). As Mike puts it, think of it as a horizontal Kaboom!. -It does make them ponder why eggplants are a source of evil in many games, most famously the Eggplant Wizard in Kid Icarus. -Love the discussion where they talk about various fast food items like their nostalgic fast foods being Ellio's Pizza for James and McDonald's Cookies for Mike. Along those lines they also talk about other stuff like Pork Rolls, James admitting that he hasn't been to BK in many years and doesn't really like McDonald's anymore, that his favorite burger (besides an ostrich one his wife made him one time) are the ones at a small chain called Umami Burger. Having eaten the best burgers at non-franchise restaurants here in Germany, I can definitely say that franchise restaurants do not have burgers that compare to them (my favorite being Hans Im Glück, What's The Beef and Peter Pane for burger places in Germany). -All in all, two fun looking games and a nice discussion about fast food makes for a very entertaining video. Next up, we hope that James & Mike don't die laughing when they return to playing Goat Simulator for the PC: -Joined by Ryan and AlphaOmegaSin for this one. Truth be told, I had to look him up because I had no idea who that hobo was that suddenly sat there between them and while I have heard the name before, I couldn't tell what exactly it is AlphaOmegaSin does. -As with the original Goat Simulator vid, lots of laughs are had at using the goat to do human sacrifices in order to become a devil goat (and getting Venom powers in the process, it seems), kill the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the sewers, hanging with his tongune on a flying helicopter, crashing a rooftop party where Deadmau5 is attending and so forth. Especially love James's reaction when they trash a Stonehenge structure. -While not being as legendary as the original video, this was still a fun video for seeing them all laughing their asses off at the crazy stuff in this game.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,260
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Nov 12, 2020 13:35:32 GMT -5
Alphaomegasin does nothing now. He use to do youtube videos. But stopped a few years ago.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 13, 2020 1:21:59 GMT -5
Thank you for that information. Another 2-for-1 special coming up! First up, let's get rid of some zombies when James & Mike play Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for the Nintendo Wii: -Joined by AlphaOmegaSin for this one again who is actually a pretty entertaining guest player with them. -It is kinda weird to see a Resident Evil game released for a Nintendo console (or, given my limited knowledge, maybe not), not to mention that unlike most RE games, this one is a rail shooter (i.e. you only control your weapon and move along automatically). -The main reason for this choice of game is that Alpha appears to be an RE fan as James mentions that he tried the first one and got killed in the first screen due to the horrid control and then just never got into the whole shebang. -Love the wide variety of topics they cover: From Ghostbusters toys to Congo (both the movie and the novel, where James thinks that the novel was actually good) to Charles Bronson & Dirty Harry (especially the best shootouts in the Death Wish series) to Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone movies (in their opinion, Commando is the essential Schwarzenegger movie while for Stallone that would be either Cobra or Rambo III...or, in Mike's opinion, The Italian Stallion) all the way to the 1960s Batman TV series (love their mocking of people who "enlighten" them by saying that that show is campy). -Also love Mike's "WHAT?!" reaction when James tells the story about the parachuting spiders in Brazil and Australia. -Quote of the vid: "He's so goth, he's s***ing bats!" -All in all, a very fun and entertaining video due to the lively discussions. Next up, the Earth Realm (I guess?) gets some unexpected combatants when James & Mike play Mortal Kombat XL for the Sony Playstation 4: -Technically, it is an upgrade to Mortal Kombat X giving you 4 new fighters: Jason Voorhees from Friday The 13th, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Alien from Alien and the Predator from Predator. Mike mentions that it is actually a bit of a hassle to get this upgrade because it is set up in a weird way where you have to download a Combat Pack or something. Certainly not something intuitive to remember. -Of course, they love playing as these icons of horror movie history and having a blast trying out the various brutalities and fatalities (with Mike even saying that this might be the most brutal stuff he has ever seen). -We also get perhaps a good summary of James regarding the Alien movies: Alien = horror movie in space, Aliens = action movie in space, Alien 3 = depressing prison drama in space, Alien: Resurrection = .... -All in all, a fun follow-up to their original MK X video due to seeing the new fatalities and also seeing these icons battle in an MK environment.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 14, 2020 1:24:11 GMT -5
Another 2-for-1 edition? We are DOOMed, DOOMed, DOO-HOO-HOO-Med! First up, let's suit up our space marine and kill the hordes of hell when James & Mike play DOOM for the PC: -To be precise, James & Mike play this game via the DOOM 3: BFG Edition for the XBox 360 (which also has DOOM 2 and DOOM 3) and they play the first episode of the first game, "Knee Deep In The Dead". -I noticed that in the last few episodes James started wearing a cap more and more so I wonder if that is the point where his insecurities regarding his hairline started. I know that there will be some more videos with his bare head but at this point, it becomes a bit noticiable. -Interesting that DOOM was released on floppy disk as well as CD-ROM (I would have thought that floppy disks were obsolete by the time DOOM rolled around) and just on how many systems it was released (even on the SNES). DOOM is a game I knew as a child but it was actually banned for sale in Germany for its violence and that ban was only lifted back in 2011. -Indeed, it is very weird that you cannot look up or down in this FPS but given that you don't need it to kill enemies, it doesn't really matter. -Just like James wavers between A Link To The Past and Super Metroid as his favorite game of all time, for Mike, it is actually between The Legend Of Zelda...and DOOM which is certainly surprising, since it is an FPS. -Love James's school story about blabbing in class that Phobos and Deimos are in DOOM. -Of course, no DOOM video can be done without referring to the BFG (Big F***n Gun) although they don't appear to get it on this playthrough. -Almost forgot that there was actually a DOOM movie starring The Rock that came out though James & Mike think that The Rock was not really the right choice for the role of the space marine. -Mike really does enjoy it a bit too much killing imps and hostile marines with the shotgun. And I like James mentioning that after he played DOOM as a child, he actually had to relearn looking up and down again. -Surprising that this first episode doesn't have a final boss (or are those two energy balls tossing centaurs supposed to be the final bosses for this episode?). -Overall, a very entertaining video. Next up, we follow along the adventures of the space marine when James & Mike load up DOOM 64 for the Nintendo 64: -Reason that they chose this game was because it is actually not a port of the first DOOM or something but an original game. According to them, it kinda feels like a precursor to the third DOOM game so they might as well call it DOOM 2.5. -One problem with the game is the brightness level which they have to raise to the max because otherwise the game is too dark to really see anything. -One can already tell by their reactions that this doesn't ignite the same level of excitement that the original DOOM did (most evident by Mike's subdued reaction). -The map system looks kinda interesting. I wonder if that was in the first DOOM as well? -The second stage raises the difficulty level considerably with very fast switch-and-run riddles, crushing hallways etc.. which is why they don't get very far into the game. While they don't consider it a bad game, they just don't get the same level of enjoyment out of it as they did with the original DOOM. -Compared to the previous episode, only a decent one.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 15, 2020 1:14:36 GMT -5
Can it be called some kind of narcissism when somebody plays a game featuring himself? As when James & Mike play AVGN II: ASSimilation for the PC? -I hope to Celestia that when this and the first one becomes available in the Playstation Store that it will be available in Europe, especially Germany, as well because those are games I definitely wanna play. -Interesting to hear that Mike provided the drawings that were used for the cutscenes...and even in video game form, Mike wears shirts. -Both of them really have no coordination when they try to read the lines by their characters. -James actually played the beta version of this one to give some feedback and actually requesting some areas to be slightly toned down. -While it would definitely be fun to shoot the Nostalgia Critic in this game...apparently, from what I heard, he has been replaced by Fred Fuchs for the remastered version on Nintendo Switch and onwards. Oh well, nothing too big a loss (though I wonder if this was also because of "Change The Channel"?). -As was the case with the first game, a large love letter to the AVGN series as seen by the "You just walk over it!" section in the sewers, a whole world based on Area 51 from the AVGN movie, sound effects from Hong Kong 97 being inserted, one end boss turning into a scorpion after getting his health bar down the first time etc.. And James & Mike are really loving it. -In their opinion this game is better than the previous one because this one actually uses different game mechanics (swimming, portals and so forth) instead of solely focusing on death blocks all the time. -Aww, sweet to hear that James's daughter is all about Hello Kitty!...though I guess she shouldn't watch when James meets the end boss of the Hong Kong stage. -To conclude, a very entertaining video mostly due to the awesomely absurd game and the joy James & Mike have when playing it.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 16, 2020 1:29:34 GMT -5
OMG, it's 3 videos today for the price of 1 post! First, let's continue our existential voyage into narcissism as James & Mike continue playing AVGN II: ASSimilation for the PC: -So, there's a Board James world in this one, giving them lots of reminders about Board James and board games in general (including James being able to recite parts of the Mouse Trap commercial and Mike going into the awesome backstory of Hungry Hungry Hippos). Reminds me that I never really gave Board James a serious look, mostly because I heard that it veers off a lot down the line into horror and stuff unlike the AVGN vids. Wondering if I should give it a shot someday. -Board James is even a mid-boss in this game, standing over the dead bodies of Motherbucker Mike and Bad Luck Bootsy...kinda creepy in hindsight, come to think of it. -Love the random stuff like James thinking as a kid that Michael Myers was the one with the chainsaw while Mike randomly sings the Darkwing Duck theme song. -Couldn't help but chuckle that James's favorite beer is Hefeweizen (probably mostly because hearing an American say Hefeweizen sounds pretty hilarious to a German like me) . This makes me wonder if Rolling Rock and Yuengling are just the Nerd's preferences for some reason. And they are right...more video games have to include beer! -Interesting details about the design phases of Death Mwazythx (or something), the final boss in this game and also the evil entity in the AVGN movie, as told by Mike. -Overall, another entertaining episode for the reasons mentioned above. Next up, we must get those power pellets when James & Mike play Tengen Ms. Pac-Man for the NES: -As they explain, there are two versions of Ms. Pac-Man on the NES (one by Namco and one by Tengen). The reason they chose the Tengen version is because it features a co-op mode, something they haven't yet encountered in any Pac-Man game playing as Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man simultaneously. -Gee, one can distinguish Ms. Pac-Man from Pac-Man by noticing that the former has a bow, an eye and a mole? Gee, I never would have noticed, thanks Mike. -While it is a good co-op game, they encounter a problem seen in many other co-op games of having to be on the same area of the screen at the same time. Again, it makes me wonder if there were any more games going the split-screen route of ToeJam & Earl? -They do notice that there are seperate scores for both of them so, technically, it is not really a co-op game (also you can buck up your "partner" when you hit one another). It depends on the individual player, I guess, what the focus should be: get a higher score or progress through the game together. -Thanks for now making me think about how Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man might make love to one another. -To conclude, a decent little video about one of the classic video game characters ever. Last, everybody is kung fu fighting with kicks as fast as lightning so we shall see if James & Mike can emulate that when playing Kung Fu Heroes for the NES: -A game that James loved as a kid. Kinda looks like Bomberman-style graphics with the top-view though instead of bombing people, you fight them with punches and kicks (although Mike mentions that the hit detection is not that great). -Also apparently, both players have to get into the bonus stage entrance at the same time in order for both to do the bonus round. Otherwise, it is just one player doing it (which is kind of BS IMHO). -Noticing some sound effects from Mario in there which is, however, a common thing with those early NES games using a lot of the same sound effects (the Ganon laugh from Zelda II being another example). -Well, guess you don't have to defeat Gossamer from Bugs Bunny in this game to progress, just have to avoid him until you can fight regular enemies again. -Love Mike's mock indignation at James for screwing up the game at one point. -All in all, another decent and fun little episode.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 17, 2020 1:49:31 GMT -5
I have 1 post and 2 videos for ya! First, never thought that James & Mike would play a music game because what else could it be when they play Holy Diver for the Famicom? -OK, truth be told, it is actually a Castlevania-style game, famous for a high difficulty level (which both think might be a reason why it was never released in the US), and looking pretty great and I like that you have to use the magic you get to progress through the game (similar to the magic spells you get in Zelda II). -Interesting to see that on the Model II Famicom, you can insert an NES controller and it works alright (though later in the video they have some jumping issues which might be due to the controller although they don't mention anything of the sort). -They bring up a good point in that most Famicom games used English language screen text (I encountered the same thing when playing the Rockman versions of Mega Man in the Legacy Collection). Main reason probably due to them already thinking about marketing in non-Japanese markets? -I agree. The cover for the game looks pretty badass (though the main character on the box art looks like Ernesto Estrella from a Casagrandes episode). -OMG, them thinking of an opposite day to Valentine's Day, i.e. a holiday based on the concept of hate, with its name being "Aleister Crowley Day". -Kinda realistic come to think of it when you use the freeze spell while in the lava that you get stuck. Also love the creativity with the lava waterfall having to be frozen and shot up in order to progress. -Mike's outburst at realizing that the red potion gives you an extra hit point. -To conclude, a good episode featuring an interesting, obscure game. Next up, let's support a prince in his adventures when James & Mike play Alex Kidd In Miracle World for the Sega Master System: -This being their first Master System game on this show, it allows them to talk a bit about the console. Interesting to hear about the built-in games feature that no other console at the time had (Missile Defense 3-D for the V1 version of the Master System and Alex Kidd In Miracle World for the V2 version) and love James's story about thinking that the Master System might be even better than the Sega Genesis (due to them referring to the Genesis as only "Sega" at the time). Poopy stuff, however, is that the controller cable is too short and the pause button...is on the console, meaning you have to reach over to the console every time you want to pause the game. -Guessing that this game is originally based on some Japanese legend due to the protagonist being a monkey and the monkey eating "jelly-filled donuts" (not whatever James & Mike think it is). -Wondering if what Mike says is true: that Alex Kidd was basically to the Master System what Mario was to the NES. Looking it up and I was surprised to see that Alex Kidd had quite a few games after this. -That bike is really a great asset when you can control it, making progressing through the level much faster. -Ugh, I know your feelings, James. I hate it too when you don't get continues in a longer game like this or have to buy it (costing a whopping $800 in this game). That annoyed me about the Disney Afternoon games, i.e. the Disney-based NES games made by Capcom, too though in their favor, those were much shorter games. Then again, one has to beat the original Super Mario Bros. in one sitting so it is not like this was unusual at the time. -Alex Kidd...It's Like Trying Asparagus. That's a great slogan, James. -Also love that at one point, you play Paper Rock Scissors with an enemy. -Overall, another good episode looking at a rarely used system with an interesting game. And despite James at one point not liking it, in the end, they do come to the consensus that this is still a decent game all in all.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 18, 2020 1:35:48 GMT -5
Give me the fry bits! 2 portions please! First, it is a celebration 10 years in the making when James & Mike play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES: -Because they were really close to the actual date, they released this episode on the same date as when they released the original TMNT AVGN video ten years earlier (June 29th, 2016 - June 29th, 2006) featuring one of the more famous lines in AVGN lore: "You can just walk over it!" -The main focus of the game is basically to make it to that part because Mike realized something in a live stream he did a few months earlier: You can not only just walk over it but you can also just jump up to it (something they somehow weren't able to do in the recording of the original review). They also get into the joke a bit which I feel they oversell a bit. It was a funny line but it's not like it was the most hilarious thing ever in existence. -Besides that part though, quite a bit of interesting points of conversation like how the game uses many characters from the show yet misses Krang for some reason, how creepy April O'Neill looks in this game, that the dam stage is not that horrible of a game as many people say etc.. Though for the latter part I could imagine Mike being actually really good at this game helps a bit (he has beaten the game while James, by his own admission, still hasn't beaten this game). -There is actually another difficult jump that Mike has problems with...yet James succeeds at it with the first try . -Well, they arrive at the infamous part and this time, they actually succeed in jumping up to it after a few tries. Mike gives James a few pointers and then he also succeeds, both with different Turtles and even on the right side. -To conclude, a good video taking a look at a specific part from a previous Nerd episode for a change and having some interesting topics for discussion. Next up, will bustin make us feel good when James & Mike play Ghostbusters for the NES? -OK, the main reason this time to play this particular game (also a pretty famous AVGN episode) is that James wants to beat the stairwell without using a game genie...but by using a glitch that he found out about, making you invincible for the whole stairwell part. Not particularly fair but then again...from looking at it, I do wonder what the course of action would have to be to beat the stairwell fair and square? -OMG, Ghostbusters was actually the first game Mike got for the NES as a child (besides Super Mario/Duck Hunt included with the console)...poor kid, especially since he couldn't figure out what to do. With this and Jaws afterwards, it has to be some kind of miracle that third time really was a charm when he got The Legend Of Zelda as the third game. James meanwhile had Ghosts'n Goblins as his first game for the system which, I guess, was the better choice? -I was surprised to learn that I actually kinda experienced this game as a child...sorta. The older kid from a neighbor had a Commodore 64 and had the Commodore version of the game (I still remember that version's "Ghostbusters! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!") which I watched several times as a kid. Since he didn't complain, I guess that that version was much better than what was on the NES. -Love how they take time to complain about minor things like the streets being blue in the map screen and grey in the action screen as well as the Ghostbusters uniforms being green instead of brown and them wearing hats. Also, they make a good point that only Janine and one of the Ghostbusters is missing from this game while Dana and Tully are there (in their monster form). -"Sucking those guys...uhm...sucking those guys for money."...Uhm, phrasing, Mike. -Also love how they wait for the Zuul Building to open up. -Well, after a few false tries, he gets the glitch to work and makes it up the stairwell (while also using the NES Max controller because he doesn't want to keep tapping that button). -They do not beat Goser this time but their main objective was beating the stairwell which they did, so they are not that hung up about it. -Overall, a very funny video revisiting one of the worst games for the NES.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 19, 2020 1:26:30 GMT -5
We have to stop Riddler and Two-Face and hopefully James & Mike can do it when they play Batman Forever for the Sega Saturn: -Joined by Matt from Super Best Friends Play for this one who also brought the game. I have heard of the series but never watched an episode (only saw some parody videos using Princess Celestia and Princess Luna from My Little Pony). Matt certainly provides some fun during this video.
-Love that they play a clip from the first Batman episode of AVGN for this. Personally, the Bat-Nerd losing his poop over the poopy controls in Batman Forever for the SNES is perhaps my favorite AVGN moment of all time. But we won't have that here since the Sega Saturn game is vastly different and more like a real beat-em-up like Final Fight, Streets Of Rage or even the Batman Returns game for SNES.
-And what a game it is with so much poop going on on-screen all at once with Batman & Robin being able to do ki explosions like they are Dragonball characters, swinging around and wrecking enemies like they borrowed Miley Cyrus's wrecking ball (how's that for a now dated reference)...and also being able to shoot bats from one's dick. I find it kind of neat though that you get smaller when you go into the background (that change of perspective was not something usual for beat em ups at the time).
-There's really too much they talk about here so it's pretty hard to keep up but all of them have so much fun shooting their poop about Batman and stuff that you enjoy watching them play this game. Love especially how they make fun of the voice-over clips when you get boni at the end of the stage ("Bat Signal Bonus!" "Yin Yang Bonus!") or about the loading screen making you feel like the game's signal really is broadcast from Saturn or somewhere else far away.
-Hey, that's not fair! Chris O'Donnell played in "Scent Of A Woman", that's a pretty well-known movie!
-So, we know that when Matt will ever try a super villain career, he will be the Guesser. And who wouldn't wanna be after Guesser's (and his friend Zapper's) wonderful performance in the movie (I mean, they have to be, otherwise they wouldn't be in this game, right?).
-So, the SNES Batman Forever game borrowed its moveset from Mortal Kombat while apparently this one borrowed its moveset from Street Fighter. At least, they only stole from the best.
-Hey, I didn't know Steveo from Jackass was also in this game.
-Finally, this was definitely a very funny and entertaining episode thanks to Matt's presence and the game just being bats**t insane, making this one of the best guest episodes of the show IMHO.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 20, 2020 1:09:09 GMT -5
2-for-1! 2-for-1! 2-for-1! First, let's explore the deepest reaches of eternal torment again when James & Mike continue playing DOOM for the PC: -As with the previous one, they play this via the DOOM 3: BFG Edition for the XBox 360 and continue with the second episode The Shores Of Hell. -Apparently a lot of people were whining that they don't play DOOM with a keyboard like it should be. Besides the fact that I don't think that you can connect a keyboard to your XBox 360, James has a pretty good argument: keyboard is for work, game controllers are for play. Also, why should they give a buck about how people think they should play the game. -The music in this game...kinda doesn't fit the mood of the game since it sounds rather happy (well except the legendary theme that James & Mike take ample time to rock out to ). Interesting to hear that James in his childhood/youth used lots of music from DOOM, Killer Instinct, Final Fantasy and Metallican for his amateur movies (that are apparently available on Cinemassacre for watching). -General Ackbar?! I didn't know you'd be here (in all honesty, they do a lot more video trickery here than usual for this show) -Mike says that he loves DOOM mostly compared to other FPS games because of the puzzle aspect (he has mentioned in other videos that he really loves puzzle games) and that it isn't just a mindless FPS shooter. I admit I am not an expert in FPS games but I thought that those puzzles as seen in DOOM are par for the course in most FPS games? -They might be among the few persons in the world who prefer the plasma gun compared to the BFG because the latter is powerful but slower compared to the plasma gun. -Stick and move, stick and move, stick and move...that's apparently the way to kill a Cyber Demon. -All in all, another fun DOOM video from them. Next up, we are apparently getting into something weird when James & Mike play New Strange Mario Bros. for the NES: -As can be deduced from the title, it is another homebrew version of Super Mario Bros. which they both liken to "having done a course in the Excitebike track creator but just with Super Mario Bros. instead". -I agree that it is definitely weird that Sega officially released an 8-bit version of Sonice for the Sega Master System after the original Genesis version came out. Makes about as much sense as releasing a Super Mario World version for the NES. -This gives James a chance to tell the story again about his disappointment when playing the Sega Master System for the first time (due to a misunderstanding). Hopefully his friendship with that kid didn't fall apart over that. -Hey, no fair! Show us what was spelled in that stage! Assholes! -A decent short video to waste a couple of minutes on.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 21, 2020 1:16:40 GMT -5
2 for the money, 1 for the show, here we go! First up, let's rescue some bodacious cave babes when James & Mike play Joe & Mac for the SNES: -A game I rented quite a bit as a kid because I loved the graphics (especially the detailed end bosses of the stages). -We learn why James is not that good with co-op games: because he is more of a "rush" type of player whereas Mike is more of a cautious player (to be honest, I would have imagined it the other way around given their general demeanor), making stuff like pin-point jumping a hard thing to do. -Well, it is not whoever scores the highest but who is on the right side of the screen in order to determine who gets a smooch from one of the cave babes. -While they are getting confused during the piranha plant boss fight, I do wonder since I remember this game being a friendly fire type co-op game (because I distinctly remember Joe & Mac hitting each other). Though I don't remember if you can choose modes or if James & Mike just don't realize during the whole game that there is friendly fire. -Yeah, bees always suck in video games mostly. -I agree with Mike that the background in the volcano level is gorgeous (though not as interactive as the one in the SNES Battletoads). -I don't know if there are limited continues or if Mike really did hit the wrong egg at the end to get the game over. If it is the latter, that was one of the clumsiest moves Mike ever did. -All in all, another fun and decent video. Are...are they playing a porn game next? What else could it be when James & Mike play Who's Your Daddy for the PC? -...or not? Though James's facial expression really sums it up as Mike explains the premise of the game to him (Two players, one is a dad and one is a baby, with the goal of the player playing the baby being to kill himself while the player playing the dad must prevent that from happening until the time runs out). -For the most part, this is just them bucking around finding out all the different ways that the baby can kill himself (drinking bleach and surface cleaner, picking up a knife/fork and inserting it into the electrical outlet, getting himself doused in gasoline and walking into a candle, getting scalded by hot shower water etc.). As James himself says: "This is one sick bucked-up game." -Yep, Mike, the dad really looks like you. Hopefully you won't be a dad like that one day. -Highlights are definitely the BGM with the lyrics "Thank god, Mommy's getting home soon." as well as the episode where they find a dildo in one of the drawers. -When they play the game for realsies, they do note that it is kinda easier for the player playing the baby than the one playing the father since the latter has to be more strategic in eliminating all the ways that the player playing the baby can kill himself. Still, they think if that bug can be fixed to make the game more of an even playing field, it could be a better game. -All in all, a funny and entertaining video despite the rather weird premise but hey, it's only a game.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 22, 2020 1:28:55 GMT -5
Are you brave like James & Mike to venture into the unknown when they play Spooky's House Of Jump Scares for the PC? -OMG, Mike's reactions to the first cutesy ghosts popping up trying to scare them. -I was wondering whether that green meter was a magic meter or something for later but as it turns out, it is just your stamina for running. -Even after watching the video, I am still not sure whether James & Mike were actually too scared or inexperienced to find a way to get rid of the enemies that hurt you or if you are really supposed to just run from the enemies that can injure you (I would tend more to the latter because they appear to be disappearing after a while and James & Mike do make progress throughout the video). -I am wondering what kind of location scouting James was doing that was shown in the video (something for the AVGN movie perhaps?). And wow, what a dick move from whoever was with him to scare him like that. -That in-game arcade game with you playing as Spooky killing innocent mall goers looks much more entertaining than the actual game. -Out of all the scary monsters in this game the "Ring"-inspired woman definitely looks the creepiest (as does the game over screen when you get killed by her). -Mike actually compares the style of this game to classic 1990s games like Gabriel Knights or The Dig (the latter a Lucasarts graphic adventure that I didn't know existed until now. Perhaps I can play that on Steam?). -Eventually they make it up to the 200th room of 1,000 that are in the game (yikes, wouldn't 500 be enough) when they call it quits. They are unsure what to think of the game since it actually makes you want to see what is there down the line so it definitely keeps their interest but it just gets redundant after a while feeling like you are going through the same rooms over and over again. Still, they would call it a decent-to-good game. -The episode itself was good as well mostly due to both of their reactions to what happens in the game. Also watch out for that jump scare at the end.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 23, 2020 1:43:56 GMT -5
Hopefully they can defeat those seven dwarves to get enough money to bribe that tower guard when James & Mike play Wizards And Warriors for the NES: -Not a nostalgic game from their childhood for once but rather a game that they discovered in college and played for quite a while and liking it. Interesting here is that it is only James playing the game while Mike is just observing.
-A game by Rare interestingly enough. While I know most of their SNES and later output, I know almost nothing about their NES library. Furthermore, regarding this series, I am more familiar with the Game Boy game Fortress Of Fear that I rented quite a bit (have to say that the Game Boy version looks pretty faithful to how it looked on the NES).
-Hmm, is it really true that James is not that into children show stuff which is why he no-sells Mike's Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers etc. references, preferring more "cool" stuff like dragons, medieval times and stuff?
-Despite me being quite knowledgable about Japan in general, I cannot tell whether it is a cultural reasoning for Japan (at least during the NES days) withholding too difficult games from the US market. So I wouldn't be that much help to James & Mike in that regard.
-Love the names of the items in this game: "Boots Of Force", "Battle Axe Of Agor", "Feather Of Falling" (yeah, Mike, regarding the latter...don't mock something before you know what it does).
-Those jumping sections in the trees look awfully difficult and long (even longer than similar ones in Metroid). Though kudos for James for not getting too frustrated with them.
-Well, blast me bagpipes, this is actually a game mechanic that you have to collect gems and pay a guard (looking like your player character) blocking a door for progressing. Guess I owe the Captain N show an apology for that.
-Wow, an imminent death signal that is so annoying to James that he'd rather kill himself than continue through the game. I think even Metroid didn't bring him that far. Luckily, the game is pretty lenient having unlimited continues and starting you off at the spot you died.
-Interesting names for all the damsels you save: Esmeralda, Grizelda (the griffon?), Candida/Candira...and the unnamed princess at the end.
-Didn't know Mike at one point did a Top 10 Best Skeletons video.
-They actually manage to go through the game beating Cletus The Pink (or whatever his actual name is).
-Overall, a very good and entertaining video both for the game and their funny commentary.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 24, 2020 1:10:33 GMT -5
Let's try to set Cornholio on fire or something when James & Mike play Beavis And Butthead for the Sega Genesis: -James admits that when the show originally aired, he found it too embarrassing and stupid to watch and only later gained an appreciation for it.
-An insert informs us that this was recorded before the AVGN episode (which, going by the video, drew ample inspiration to make an AVGN episode out of).
-As they mention, the graphics are good (really capturing the style of the show) but everything else, as we shall see, sucks. This goes even so far as getting a "worst game they ever played" out of them.
-Among the things that suck include: going to a different screen can lead to disorientation, having to eat a rotten burger that gradually depletes your health to progress through the game (with it being so ingrained into the game that when you finish the Burger World level and get the password, the password saves you still having the poison, so if you are very low on health by that point, might as well forget about the password), no indicator when you accidentally drop something behind the counter and when you refill your health at the hospital, having to go through the hospital stage instead of going back to save your progress.
-Highlight is definitely: "James getting confused by inputting things like the door code in the Burger World stage and the password system". Though I would agree that writing CORR instead of DEL as well as the start button working only differently when trying to get to the password screen is kinda stupid.
-Are the Beavis And Butthead games top contenders for the most obscure games to get an entire strategy guide devoted to them?
-To be fair, I do remember there being quite an upheaval about these games being featured both here and on AVGN and having never played this game, I cannot tell for myself if James & Mike are just really bad at this game or if the game is really that bad to play. I mean from their observations, it does sound like the game has some serious problems.
-Also love how they have to replay to find out why they suddenly died in the living room (it really took a long time and a look into the strategy guide to figure that out).
-Overall, seeing James & Mike get frustrated at a game is always fun to watch and their reactions make this a very entertaining video.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Nov 25, 2020 1:28:29 GMT -5
*sings* Join us on that south sea isle, Link is here to swing and style, Marin's tuning up a song and...James & Mike play The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Game Boy: -...or rather, for this part, it is more like James & Mike talk about The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening since they don't do any actual playing in this video (although we do see game footage that might be from James's play-through). -The main reason for this besides the length of the game is that this is actually the first time that James plays this game. As he mentioned in a previous video, since Game Boy games were usually as expensive as console games when first released, he would usually go for the console games. Furthermore, the place where he usually rented games only rented console games so there were no opportunity to rent Game Boy games either, making this really the first time he ever got a hold of this game. Mike has played it previously and considers it among the best Zelda games (not on the same pedestal as Link To The Past or the original but still a very good game in its own right). For me, this is actually the first Zelda game I played through on my own (the original and Link To The Past was more my brother beating them while I watched), thus holding a special place in my heart and still remembering it as a fun game. -So James has already played up to the last dungeon, Level 8. And I think this kinda sucks a bit since I come to these vids to watch them play the game, talking about stuff while they play it and stuff. If I wanted to watch guys talk about games, I would watch Mike & Ryan. I understand that this was James's first time playing this game but then, I'd rather prefer them not having done this game instead of doing it this way. Furthermore, it is not like I would have expected them to play through the whole game in these episodes, just a glimpse and seeing James's real-time reactions to them would have been enough. -That image does have something...playing a Game Boy on top of a mountain. Love the discussion about how Link's Awakening is a game where you really have to take account of your battery life since you don't want the battery fading out when you are in the middle of a dungeon. -I don't know if there was a problem with the YT video while I was watching, but at one point the James & Mike parts on screen went out of sync. Did that happen for anybody else? -Despite my complaints above, I actually do like the discussion they have about the positive aspects of the game (the humor, that despite being on a portable console it still feels very much like a true Zelda game, that you can steal items from the shop in exchange for being called THIEF for the rest of the game, having characters from the Mario series appear in this game) as well as the negative points (the map being kinda hard to navigate around, that you have to equip items like the bracelet/pegasus boots when you could automatically use them in the previous games without having to equip them, some of the riddles in the dungeons like the walking card pieces you have to hit so that they all display the same suit or guessing that there is a hidden room that you must access as well as the dungeon map being kinda slow in updating your position, the chicken you get at one point being useless for the most part). I think it is a really lively discussion and it is interesting to hear from James his impressions of someone who played this game for the very first time. -All in all, despite being miffed at them already being this far into the game without actually showing us how they played it (or rather James did), due to the entertaining discussion, this is still a good episode.
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