About ten years ago, I had a brief period of nostalgia where I chose to revisit some of my favorite NES games from my childhood. I cound’t stand to play most of them for more than 20 minutes. Thinking about it now, I believe the reason for this was that I was a little too young for the NES and the SNES would ultimately serve as the definitive nostalgia console of my life. Anyway, the one game in the pile that actually compelled me to spend hours trying to finish it was Mega Man (now available on the Virtual Console). I was familiar with several of the sequals but didn’t remember much at all about the original. For some reason (the intense difficulty level being a large part of it), the original Mega Man stood out from its sequals: I was able to recognize it as less of game about defeating Dr. Wily and the Robot Masters and more as a series of tough rooms designed solely to test your skills as a video game badass. With each completed stage (featuring such elements as platforms that move, shoot at you and/or drop out periodically, sequentially appearing/disappearing blocks and the statue boss that moves from each side of the screen piece by piece for you to dodge (what an asshole)), a feeling of great accomplishment and pride was immediately felt.
Fast forward to my purchase of Contra 4 for the DS. At the time I was coming to terms with the fact that RPGs, formerly my favorite type, were not satisfying my needs in a game anymore. It took me a while to realize the genre was becoming more of the same 30+ hour, zero difficulty drift of rehashed plot points that, upon completion, just make you happy because it’s finally over (A very notable exception is Shiren the Wanderer, a personal fav of mine which has consumed well over 100 hours of my life). Contra 4 made me feel good about making progress in the face of seemingly impossible odds again. In fact, I never even finished the game on ‘normal’ difficulty. After I unlocked the challange mode, that’s all I would play. My thumbs went raw trying to do them all and when I did, I felt like I had actually done something worthwhile, which, I don’t have to tell you, is remarkable for a game to do. Something about the small scope of the individual chalenges made Contra 4 more enjoyable to me than when they were strung together in a lenghy (but slightly less difficult) sequence.
Last month, two games were released for the DS that take this series of tough rooms/challenge mode idea and boil it down to a formulaic level. Every level of N+ and Bangai-O Spirits is essentially a single room with a single goal and that’s it. Both games are so formulaic that each comes with its own level editor making every element in the game besides the basic engine available to you at once. This concept of endlessly varying, bite-sized challenges really hit home for me personally and I have enjoyed both games immensely. Bangai-O Spirits, in particular, has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. What’s so frustrating is that these great games will probably fall into relative obscurity due to the fact that only a handful of people are buying them. A quick lurk over to the Gamefaqs forums shows a bunch of whiners complaining about the difficulty with the few diehard fans urging them to give the game a chance/stop being a pussy. I want to say thank you to these people right now, and urge them to keep making new levels for us play. Lastly, I want developers to know that fans of this genre are out there, whatever it is… Give me more.
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 6th, 2008 at 7:31 pm and is filed under Commentary.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Seven Quarters is back in Whelan’s for a third turn on Saturday September 13th with TWINKRANES and Halves on stage and vinyl Following the first Seven Quarters club night in April with Katie Kim and Jennifer Evans, and July’s edition with Patrick Kelleher and Magic Pockets, the third of four for 2014 on Saturday September 13th brings together experimental trio TWINKRANES and Halves, the latter in their last Irish show of the year.
Are an experimental Rock band from Dublin. The group was formed in Dublin in 2007. In 2008 the group came to the attention of Andy Votel (Finders Keepers Records) who expressed a keen interest in releasing the group’s music through the label. A touring single ‘Fizz Nor Feedback’ followed which was well received and would become the precursor to the critically acclaimed debut album Spektrum Theatre Snakes, which melded the worlds of motor-driven kraut, space rock, Avant pop, psychedelic and drone. Currently working as a trio, they are re-imagining TWINKRANES’ impenetrable electronic rhythms, experimental soundscapes and drones at their home in Black Pitts with a view to releasing new music in 2014.
One of Ireland’s most intriguing acts, Halves are Brian Cash, Elis Czerniak & Tim Czerniak. The trio blend a vast range of instruments, acoustic and electronic, to create an evocative, cinematic live experience. Their six releases to date have been met with critical acclaim (including a Choice Prize nomination), as well as earning them ardent fans from Tokyo to Seattle. Their live show is truly captivating; a mix of synched visuals, strings, brass, and electronics, anchored by soaring guitars and dual drummers. Their latest album Boa Howl is out now.
A limited number of advance tickets (€10 incl booking fee) are available – including a guaranteed copy of the 7″ – from WAV. Tickets will also be available on the door, but remember, only the first 150 get a record.
Hey I'm very confused, I thought I saw somewhere that someone said you can't register the KTM 525 SX on the street... But I keep seeing them for sale, with tags saying "street legal!" Can someone enlighten me? If it helps, I live in NY
It depends on the laws but you can do it in kentucky. Basically KTM went to the extra hassle/cost and gave it a road-type title. In Kentucky you can take your title for almost any KTM of those years into the DMV and walk out with a street registration. I ride with a bunch of guys who have licenses for thier 300's.
Most any newer KTMs you can register at DMV with just the title since it doesn't say "Off road use only" like the jap bikes.
I'm making some repairs to a damaged head. Are the exhaust studs on an XR80 head really a standard 6-32 thread? I am expecting a metric thread size.
Pretty sure if you tried to chase the threads with a 6-32 tap you would be surprised to find the diameter quite a bit smaller than the holes.
Thank you! Now I'm on the hunt for the drill size and a bottoming tap to accommodate said 6x32 stud!
ANNOUNCING…..new at Thurston House bed & breakfast – a Chickering circa 1858 rosewood Victorian Square Grand piano!!! It was a donation for the Maitland Historical Society, but they needed a place to house it until they have their new facility built. Since we already lease the building known as Thurston House from the City of Maitland, and we take wonderful care of that, they knew this was the right place for the piano. It is a beautiful piece of furniture, and fits right into the front parlour like it was made for it. Come see for yourself…book now!