Area 1
‘Blaster Master’
NES
Naoki Kodaka, Marum
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talk about ~Challenger~ Pressing the attack button instead of the jump button
~Challenger~
Pressing the attack button instead of the jump button
• Action-platformer released by Hudson Soft in 1985, featuring unique gameplay across 100 scrolling screens.
• Archaeologist Challenger must rescue Princess Maria from the evil Don Waldorado on the mysterious Waldorado Island.
• Features protagonist Challenger, the kidnapped Maria, and boss Don Waldorado alongside enemies like Tama and Kara.
• The game consists of four diverse scenes, ranging from side-scrolling train action to a top-view island search.
• Originally a Japan-exclusive Famicom title, it evolved from the ZX Spectrum game “Stop the Express”.
• Praised for its varied stages, rich hidden secrets, and adjustable difficulty with 16 levels.
• Scene 2’s map is impressively large but feels empty, and the unique camera work can be disorienting.
• Issues include a score overflow at 6,553,500 points and rare “soft-locks” due to random item placement.
• The first level uses Schubert’s “Military March” as BGM, and players can find a hidden 1UP whale.
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talk about ~Rock'n Ball~(Family Pinball) versatile and affordable digital pinball
~Rock'n Ball~
(Family Pinball)
versatile and affordable digital pinball
• Namco released this versatile pinball game for Famicom/NES in 1989, featuring multiple gameplay styles.
• The game offers four distinct modes: Standard (Pac-Man), 9-Ball (Bingo), Battle Flipper, and Sports.
• It is notable for featuring simultaneous two-player head-to-head competition on a single screen.
• The Japanese version stars Namco legends like Pac-Man and Valkyrie, each with unique performance stats.
• The North American version, Rock ‘n Ball, replaces licensed characters with six generic human avatars.
• Japanese tables feature tighter layouts and wider-spaced bumpers, making them generally more challenging.
• It is praised for its high variety, original game modes, and creative use of Namco characters.
• Critics noted that scoring in Pac-Man mode is unbalanced and 9-Ball lacks high-score tracking.
• It remains a highly-regarded, budget-friendly title that pioneered competitive multiplayer pinball on home consoles.
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talk about ~Ghosts Goblins~(Makaimura) “Red Arremer” Red Arrema drove players into despair early on
~Ghosts Goblins~
(Makaimura)
“Red Arremer” Red Arrema drove players into despair early on.
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins is a side-scrolling action game where the knight Arthur rescues a kidnapped princess from the Great Demon King.
• Arthur travels through a monster-filled world wearing only underwear beneath his armor to save his lover from the clutches of evil.
• Red Arremer is a notorious enemy named after a programmer; its reactive AI makes it one of the toughest “walls” in gaming history.
• Arthur starts in armor, loses it after one hit, and dies on the second; armor can be recovered by clearing stages or finding rare items.
• Jumping has a fixed trajectory with no mid-air control, requiring players to memorize enemy patterns and plan moves precisely.
• To see the true ending, players must beat the game twice, as the first victory is revealed as an illusion created by the enemy.
• In overseas versions, the Cross weapon was replaced with a Shield due to religious regulations regarding iconography.
• While the stiff controls and knockback can be frustrating, the game’s balanced design offers an immense sense of accomplishment.
• Progressing to the final boss requires the Cross weapon, but obtaining it is often luck-dependent as it drops randomly from pots.
• The game spawned many sequels and spin-offs, including the Red Arremer series, and Arthur remains an iconic character for Capcom.
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ALTTitan Warriors
Vulgus never got a sequel, but one almost manifested on the NES. Titan Warriors (or Neo Vulgus) was nearly complete to the point that two playable prototypes have been found and released, one back in 2007 and the other as recently as Christmas day of 2024 by Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation. As for the game itself, it manages to diverge significantly from Vulgus despite its sequel status. Instead of cannon ammo and the various enemy-related items, your ship can now find genre standard speed-ups and power-ups such as a powerful laser and shots that bounce off walls. You can also find two pods that you can send out horizontally to cover more space similar to R-Type, which is immensely helpful since Titan Warriors is a faster-paced game.
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🎮 Retro Gaming Life – Tiny Toon Adventures (NES)
Today we’re revisiting the classic 1991 NES platformer Tiny Toon Adventures! Play as Buster Bunny and explore Acme Acres in one of the most colorful and fun cartoon games on the system.
If you love retro gaming nostalgia:
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TUESDAY,
So when I was in college, I found this cool little NES game where you platform & punch.
And that’s EXACTLY what you gotta let me do to active my neurons. So come join me.
