Category: Mega Man

Mighty Number Meh

Mighty No. 9 finally came out this Tuesday. I spent a bunch of time yesterday playing through it, and while I don’t have the will to write a big long thing about it (it’s not worth the effort), there was one thing that really stood out to me.

The entire game is difficult. Like, “I don’t know why they felt the need to add a hard mode” difficult. And the final boss is literally impossible for someone of my ability. What? You think I’m supposed to be good at games? Think again, my friend. Anyway, I banged my head against that boss fight for nearly two hours and still could not win. The words “Game Over” came up and I turned the system off and walked away.

I was super frustrated. The game had betrayed me right at the very end. I went straight to the internet to make a post on a forum about how upset I was that I couldn’t beat this boss. But then I realized that I wasn’t angry. Usually, getting stuck in a game like this will drive me mad. It wasn’t two years ago that I ripped the Donkey Kong 64 cartridge out of the N64 and chucked it across the room after losing my mind to the Beaver Bother mini-game. Yesterday, I simply powered down the system, turned off the TV, and moved on to something else. No shouting, no fuming with rage.

Guys, I am proud to announce, that I think I may finally have grown up.

Will I return to Mighty No. 9? Probably. I need to finish this fight, but I’ll give it a few days. After that… I’ll likely never touch it again. I liked it, but there are enough bad things about it that I feel no need to relive the pain. I never replay Mega Man just for fun, because It’s pretty bad too. Only when I’m doing a series replay will I give that one a go. And since I don’t fancy Mighty No 9’s chances of getting a sequel, I think it’ll probably just be one of those games that get lost to time.

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – September 2015

~It’s the most wonderful month of the yeeeeear~

Well, it was. October is fine too, but let’s reminisce on some of the ways I kept busy during September.

~ Game Over ~

Mega Man 4 (NES) – I had to. I just had to!

Mega Man 5 (NES) – It’s the boringest Mega Man, but it’s still pretty darn good.

Mega Man 6 (NES) – Yes, I have a sickness. Leave me alone.

Super Mario Bros 3 (NES) – Played it while waiting for Super Mario Maker. Somehow, this is my least-played Mario game, so I often forget how superb it is.

Monument Valley (iOS) – Speaking of superb, holy cow why did I wait so long to play this? It’s just barely a puzzle game, but the gimmick is good enough to support it to the end. Which comes really quickly, but before it gets boring.

Xeodrifter (WiiU) – I played and beat it on 3DS earlier this year, but apparently it was so bland that I forgot to log it. Anyway, it was released on Wii U recently and I got it for free so I gave it another go. It’s just as average as ever, but it looks really nice on a giant TV.

Year Walk (WiiU) – I felt October creeping up, and knew that it was time to start busting out the horror games. This one is a little more subtle about said horror, but it does pack a couple of jumpscares, so playing it at night was definitely a bad idea for me. Otherwise, it was an excellent game, with a completely unexpected second half.

Little Inferno (WiiU) – I questioned how much fun a replay of Little Inferno could be, but booted it up anyway. Turns out, it melted away an entire afternoon before I even realized it. So yeah, it’s just as good as the first time around. Not as surprising, but still totally zen.

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (3DS) – Quite possibly the best DLC ever made. Plague Knight is an absolute blast to play, changes the gameplay significantly, and is a surprisingly lovable character. Shovel Knight may very well now be my Most Favouritest Game Ever. And there are still two more free DLC campaigns on the way…

~ Now Playing ~

Super Mario Maker (WiiU) – And to think that initially, I didn’t want this. Now my brain is constantly thinking about new levels to make, even while working and sleeping. I can’t shut it off!

Chrono Trigger (DS) – Still working toward a complete set of endings. It was going at a good clip until Super Mario Maker happened… I’m at 11/13.

Splatoon (WiiU) – The only problem with Splatoon is that I waited until two days before Mario Maker to buy it. Otherwise, I can finally understand why people sink so many hours into online shooters. It is lovely and perfect and has some incredible music.

Woah Dave! (3DS) – Sometimes you just need to kick back with a simple arcade-style game. And Woah Dave! is just a heck of a lot of fun. Also I’m terrible at it. My high score is like $1.

Fallout: New Vegas (PC) – Also making feeble amounts of progress here. Level 13, I think? And I haven’t even been to New Vegas proper yet.

Driv3r (XBOX) – Terrible. Poop from a butt. Will not be finishing this one. …Probably.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (XBOX) – I really don’t know how I missed this one back in the day. Maybe Nintendo Power just never covered it? It’s not really a hidden gem or anything, but it is a perfectly adequate third-person shooter, filled with goofy robots. Right up my alley. Just passed the first boss (who is several hours in…).

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – August 2015

August. What is there to say about August?

Absolutely nothing.

~ Game Over ~

Mega Man 6 (NES) – Typically one of the less-appreciated Megamns. I really like it! The Rush adapters are a lot of fun, and almost make up for the lameish robot master weapons. Also it’s maybe a little on the easy side, making it a breeze to burn through in an afternoon.

Life is Strange: Episode 4 – Dark Room (PC) – I was greatly disappointed by one of the bigger story beats, but enjoyed everything else about this episode. Many times I thought something horrible was going to happen, but it never did. Because they were saving it all for the end. Yikes.

Submerged (PC) – Lovely game about boating around a city that’s half underwater and climbing up buildings. It’s like Shadow of the Colossus, but with a boat instead of a horse, and a total lack of violence.  Only takes around five or six hours to complete, too.

Mega Man 4 (NES) – What? Ryan’s playing Mega Mans? WHAT A SURPRISE. …you know how I feel about Mega Man 4.

Mega Man (NES) – Ugh… this one is pretty bad. Have I mentioned that before? No unplayable, but frustrating and kind of a joke compared to the rest of the NES games.

Mega Man 2 (NES) – And then this one is so good. Not the best, but pretty darn close.

Mega Man 3 (NES) – This one is the best. I’ve even played it so many times now that I only have a little bit of trouble with the Doc Robot stages. Hooray!

~ Now Playing ~

Five Nights at Freddy’s (iOS) – I bought the mobile version because I thought it would be easier to handle if I could play it while in my parents’ living room with people around. Nope! The tension is still unbearable. Also it crashes like nobody’s business. So I’m stuck on Night 2 forever.

Bravely Default (3DS) – Playing over a year after everyone else got bored of it has a certain benefit: a lot of the streetpass/friend list bonuses are totally broken since my allies are all done the game, many of them having maxed out job levels and whatnot. And I’m really enjoying it! I’m already getting hyped for the sequel, though I’m only on chapter 3 of this game.

Picross e6 (3DS) – Mo’ Picross, mo’ problems. Or, not. Because Picross makes me happy.

Fallout: New Vegas (PC) – Don’t know what it is, but as much as I enjoy this game, I find it very difficult to invest time in it. Also, a maxed out Sneak stat isn’t nearly as effective as I’d like it to be.

Earthbound Beginnings (NES) – Honestly, it’s starting to feel a little tedious. If Lloyd and Ana had joined the party at a respectable level, maybe things could have been different… Whatever. I’m nearing the end. Just got to keep pressing forward. Sloooooowly.

Dark Souls (360) – Yeah I went back to this for a bit. Made some progress. Probably going to keep not writing about it though.

Papo & Yo (PC) – A puzzle platformer of sorts. Wherein the boy you play as has a robot for a backpack and a monster for a buddy. Also said monster sometimes goes on horrible, violent rampages after eating frogs. Only an hour in, it’s been enjoyable.

Chrono Trigger (DS) – Logged a couple hours in here. Chipping away at my goal of unlocking all of the endings, one baby step at a time. I currently have four of thirteen.

Secret of Mana (SNES) – Started a new run because my brother had never played it past Spikey. I don’t blame him. That’s a tough (and very cheap) boss. Might take forever to finish, because we usually play Monster Hunter or Smash Bros instead.

Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GC) – Started a new run because my buddy had never played it. Might also take forever to finish. Because we have like seventeen million games on the go right now. (We are terrible at finishing games.)

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – July 2015

I’m finding that I spend a lot less time playing video games than I did only a few months ago. Maybe I’m growing up finally? Nah. Just keeping busy with other things.

Though somehow the Now Playing list still seems to go on forever. I think the real answer must be that my ADD is progressively getting worse.

~ Game Over ~

Puzzle & Dragons Z (3DS) – I rolled the credits, but really I’m only halfway through the game. It’s one of those situations where beating the “final boss” unlocks another adventure and the other half of the game world. Also the final boss was a total joke compared to the penultimate boss. That was really weird.

Mega Man Sprite Game (PC) – An RPG based on what I assume is a sprite comic. It only took an hour, but it wasn’t as funny as it wants to be. A lot of the music used in it is really good, though. It’s probably worth a look if you’re bored and enjoy absurd humour.

I’ve Got To Run! (3DS) – It was on sale for ten cents, if you can believe it. It’s an endless runner game, so I can’t really beat it, but I unlocked all the modes and characters, so good enough. Some of those extra modes are pretty fun, too, so… good buy.

3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure (3DS) – It’s Kirby’s Adventure. I play through this at least once every year. One of my favourite games of all time.

~ Now Playing ~

Balloon Fight (NES) – Spent a few nights with Balloon Fight to honour the memory of Iwata. Got new high scores on both modes.

Fallout: New Vegas (PC) – These (modern) Fallout games are so great. I could just wander around the wastes for hours and not get bored. Except that I can’t because there are so many things that can kill me with ease. But someday, I will have a decent gun. And then… then, I will have my revenge.

Earthbound Beginnings (WiiU) – As much as I love Earthbound, I feel totally lukewarm about Beginnings. It’s not a bad game by any stretch, but it’s hard to fully appreciate it after playing the timeless sequel. It’s still pretty interesting from a historical standpoint, though.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (3DS) – I sometimes wish the real world had a soundtrack like the one in this game. It’s just so gosh darn pretty!

Drakengard (PS2) – I’ve read the LP. I know what it is and what happens. But I just had to play it for myself. Just one of those things that are so mind-boggling that you need to experience them first-hand, you know?

Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (3DS) – I decided to go back and clean up the post-game stuff. I hate that I have seemingly outgrown Pokémon. Maybe I just spent too many hours with Pokémon Y? Because I got pretty deeply invested in that one.

Clicker Heroes (PC) – I probably shouldn’t count this any more. Even though it gets about as much attention from me as the rest of the list combined.

Bit Boy Arcade (3DS) – I can’t even describe how weird this game is. I imagine that it must be what a bad acid trip is like. Also the gameplay is middling arcadey fare, but it says “arcade” right there in the title. I guess I can’t really complain?

Wherein I drew some Mega Mans

Quelle surprise!

In all honesty, I really don’t draw Robot Masters all that often any more. Only sometimes. And these are the only ones that have passed the “willing to share” quality threshold. Which is apparently pretty relaxed because they have a lot of room for improvement.

Especially Flash Man. Geez. I really should have taken a photo of myself in that pose before trying to draw it. I just… Ugh.

Also I have no idea how to draw a hand holding a Metal Blade. So that’s an issue.

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – June 2015

This is getting a little bit out of hand here. I’m going to stop listing the games that I play every month without fail. Because you can pretty much assume that in any given month, I’ve spent a good chunk of my time playing the following:

Monster Hunter 4, Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS, and Pokémon Shuffle.

I love them all dearly, but there’s no point to reiterating that I’m playing them every month unless there’s some sort of reason to mention it.

Oh, I guess I don’t really love Pokémon Shuffle. That’s more of an addiction than anything.

~ Game Over ~

Shipwreck (PC) – A cute little top-down adventure that’s very reminiscent of Link’s Awakening. It’s not as deep, and it doesn’t have as much heart, but it’s still pretty good. Oh hey I even wrote a thing about it.

Psyscrolr (WiiU) – I decided to give it another shot. After the horrifying ordeal that was stage 3, I was ready to give up on it forever. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the game was over! For now… That was apparently only “Chapter 1” but I doubt if I’ll go back for more. As this game is trash.

A Dark Room (PC) – Starts as a pretty basic idle game. Then it aggravates you by occasionally setting you back (taking supplies, destroying buildings, etc). Then it grows an RPG mode. Then it becomes a vertical bullet hell thing. If you can bother to work through the annoyances, it’s actually really cool.

Continue reading Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – June 2015

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – May 2015

Um… preamble… I don’t know.

I recently paid to renew my webhosting. Honestly, I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to any more. But I can’t let go. I just… I would be throwing away everything since 2006. You know, I kind of wish I actually could get a do-over and go back to 2006, with one very key piece of information.

Uh, but anyway, video games!

~ Game Over ~

Super Mario 64 (N64) – This has been my go-to Favourite Video Game for over a decade now, and to be completely honest, it’s getting harder and harder to sit through on each replay. Because it’s clunky and old. If there were a remake (with analog controls) I’m sure it’d be fine.

Jazzpunk (PC) – It’s a fairly short little comedy game. Not a lot of “game” to be had, with the exception of a bunch of cheap little mini-games peppered throughout. Mostly you just wander about and enjoy puns and sight gags. Good, but not $15 good.

Heart Beaten (3DS) – Essentially bargain bin Wario Ware, with very few games. It was fun while it lasted, though. And cheap!

Ultimate NES Remix (3DS) – Done and dusted. It’s a really great premise, but a little lopsided in the favour of Mario (to nobody’s surprise). Probably would’ve been even more fun if I hadn’t opted to get rainbow stars on every challenge. I’d love a Game Boy or SNES Remix to follow.

Continue reading Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up – May 2015

Retrospective: Mega Man Battle Network 4

You know how every once in a while I talk about how something in my environment triggers a loosely-related memory? I had a really strong one of those yesterday. I was listening to Firehouse at work, and for whatever reason, it brought up memories of Mega Man Battle Network 4.

If you’ve actually paid attention to my ramblings over the last however many years, you know that Battle Network 4 and I have a rocky relationship. In fact, I might even say that I hate it. It is, by a wide margin, the worst in its series. And that’s mostly because it’s overdesigned and padded all to heck. However, when we started out, MMBN4 and I got along fairly well.

mmbn4covers

The Mega Man Battle Network series was an annual release for the first six years of the Game Boy Advance’s lifespan. I got in on the second installment (which many rightly consider to be the best), and lured the eldest of my brothers into its grips before long. From that point on, we would eagerly await the release of the newest entry each year and spend the summer playing through together.

Continue reading Retrospective: Mega Man Battle Network 4

Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up: December 2014

Merry MegaMas, everyone!

[banner]

~ Now Playing ~

Super Smash Bros for Wii U (WiiU) – Words about Smash Brothers.

Hyrule Warriors (WiiU) – Forever. It’s going to last forever.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (WiiU) – Delightful. Though sometimes needlessly cruel.

Always Sometimes Monsters (PC) – Slow going on this one. I’ve played through two and a half days, and it seems like there isn’t always something to do? Maybe I need to talk to more people. Unless it gets more interesting, I might have to shelve this one. It’s a shame, because it seemed really neat at first.

Super Smash Bros for 3DS (3DS) – I told you last month, it’s considered beaten, but I’m not done with it yet. Had to hunt down all of those trophies! …and then just play more.

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) – Decided to go back to this for a bit because it’s wonderful and worth beating. We’ll see if I can make it though, as it gets incredibly difficult. Working on World 7 at the moment.

Alien: Isolation (360) – More of this happened, but very little progress was made. Stuck partway through chapter ten, I think?

A Kappa’s Trail (DSi) – A game I got for free through Club Nintendo. It’s one of those rare games that’s played entirely with the touch screen, but is also really good.

Sacred Citadel (PC) – I was intent on just burning my way to the end of this one, but then the difficulty spiked on Act 4 and I don’t really wanna grind levels…

Lucadian Chronicles (WiiU) – A card battle game. Free, so I gave it a shot. Passed the first chapter, don’t know if I’ll ever go back.

Saints Row IV (PC) – Here we go, down the rabbit hole again…

~ Game Over ~

Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (3DS) – Nuzlocke victory!!

Mega Man Legends (PS1) – One of my favourite Playstation games. Some of the best 3D visuals on the machine, if nothing else (there is plenty of else).

Evoland (PC) – It’s a cute little indie game wherein you actually collect the game mechanics, graphics, etc as you go. Eventually it loses is way and ends up being about twice as long as it needs to be. Still, at 3-4 hours long, it’s not a dealbreaker.

Dragon Quest (iOS) – It’s Dragon Quest. There’s not a lot to say about it.

The Letter (WiiU) – Not the worst dollar I’ve spent, but I’m a little disappointed that Nintendo is apparently letting just anything onto the eShop. Whatever happened to quality control?

Dead Bits (PC) – It’s kind of crappy. But I only paid sixteen cents for it, so I can’t really complain.

~ Re-Runs ~

Mega Man 4 (NES) – Still my favourite Mega Man.

Mega Man IV (GB) – A wonderful game through and through, with the single glaring exception of Crystal Man’s stage. It is, in a word, poop.

Mega Man II (GB) – Yup, still embarrassingly easy. Terrible soundtrack.

Mega Man 5 (NES) – Almost as easy. The Protoman and Wily Castles have some challenging levels, and Charge Man is the only boss that isn’t a complete pushover.

Mega Man 3 (NES) – Great until Doc Robot shows up. Then it becomes almost unbearably hard.

Mega Man III (GB) – The exact opposite of MMII GB. So, very difficult and perfect music (or at least as close to perfect as the Game Boy is going to get).

Super Mario Advance (GBA) – Intended to play through every stage, but I accidentally warped past World 6. Didn’t even know that there was a warp in 5-3, because I always use the 4-2 warp.