Blarsted Stakes Winner 2

[digitalpress]

Alright, HOW THE HELL do you play this game?!

Neo-Geo games are great with their "how to play" but this game is confusing me. It doesn't even use all 4 buttons. And it's very easy to confuse me.

It says the A button increases speed, but if you hold it down you decrease speed. The B button boosts your horse but decreases power. The C buton is for the final burst (and I understand that one). Then there are these goddamn power-up things that are very annoying because I seem to keep getting the one that slows you down. Why do I remember playing this game and ENJOYING IT at one time?

Can anyone shed some light on the basics, or "how to enjoy Stakes Winner 2"? Thank you.

[buttasuperb]

Wish I could help you DP, but I've never played the game. If I had more money, I'd pick up the MVS kit in a minute.

[Videogamerdaryll]

Hey,hey Joe...You can come over my house anytime if you want to play this game..
I play it in the cab often..

You have to tap the A button ....sort of like playing Track & Field..

I'm going to look for a faq's on this game and get back to you..

The invite is always open..

[Videogamerdaryll]

Hey,hey Joe...You can come over my house anytime if you want to play this game..
I play it in the cab often..

You have to tap the A button ....sort of like playing Track & Field..

I'm going to look for a faq's on this game and get back to you..

The invite is always open..

http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ult...=000946#000000

[digitalpress]

Hmm... well thanks but that really doesn't tell me anything about the mechanics of a race. Rhythm, but with which button? I can't even get past the first race to buy anything!

[Videogamerdaryll]

Hmm... well thanks but that really doesn't tell me anything about the mechanics of a race. Rhythm, but with which button? I can't even get past the first race to buy anything!

.(Sorry Joe The Kids I watch just went into a fighting Frenzy..
What are you playing this on,and on what level..
I play the game on level 1 (easy)..it's just to hard to play otherwise.

I found these reviews

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This game was a bit of a surprise for me. I liked the first Stakes Winners game, but I found it very shallow and boring after a while. I imagined that this game would be basically the same, but it has some nice improvements that make the game a bit more involving to play and keeps you interested for a while longer than the first game.
For those that are unfamiliar with the first game, the unusual premise is that you race a horse (OK so that is stating the obvious) to win money. This is done in true International Track and Field “button bashing” style where you must hit your buttons as fast as possible to run faster. However, if you just continually mash your buttons, your horse’s stamina will run down quickly which makes you slower. This means that the game is very similar to the 1000 metre or more races in Olympic games where you need to conserve your strength for later on, otherwise you will fall way behind.

So what has been added for the sequel? First off, the money that you collect when you win a race has a useful purpose this time. It can be used in a shop in between races, where you can buy power ups that make your horse faster, or give it more stamina etc. You can Also buy power ups that give your horse special abilities, such as enabling it to bolt out of the starting gate more quickly. You can also buy special moves, which you activate in race by pressing the "C" button. Apart from improving your horse’s ability by purchasing different items at the shop, you can also improve them on the various bonus stages that you can do after every few races.

There is now a choice in bonus courses. You get to pick from either training your horse on dirt, turf or water, and all improve your horse’s stats in different ways (Stamina, Speed etc). There is also an option to train your jockey, which lets you learn different special abilities. These include "Hyper Dash", "Incentive" and "Extra Push", which all effect your horse in different ways.

To quote the game itself: "The tactics you learnt in Stakes Winner won't work in this game". There are many subtle changes in game, such as the fact that you can no longer ram into the other horses without being penalised. One of my favourite tactics in Stakes Winner 1 was to ram other horses to slow them down, but you now get penalised if you do it. That is, unless you buy an item from the shop that let’s you do it freely for one race! Other changes include the game being more difficult than before. It is a good idea to use the whip button more frequently to make your horse run faster, or everyone else’ll leave you behind. This may decrease your power bar quickly, but there now seems to be more power ups around on the track to boost it back up.

As you would expect, the graphics have been slightly improved too. The animation seems slightly enhanced and everything has a better overall look. The main thing that is really well done though is the presentation. All the menus look much more classy than before and they give the game a nice feel. Cool! The sound in this game is quite cool too. A lot of the music is actually remixed versions of music from the original and it sounds great. The new music that you get when racing is also fairly good too, and I think that it’s a lot better than in SW1.

If you enjoyed the first game, then you will LOVE this game. If you found the first game too boring after a while like me, then you should still try this game as it is a lot more fun, although it definitely requires more practice to be able to win races. This game is still much more fun in two-player mode, but at least there is a little more to do in the single player mode this time... I’d actually consider buying this game, which is more than I can say for the first game.

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Compared to the original Stakes Winner, which was little more than a string of races that earned you money, SW2 has better gameplay and lots of additions. On-track power-ups are easier to snag, but there is no warning of when they're coming and they spawn in a set pattern, so if you're not lucky the first time around, you'll know exactly where they are for the immediate retry. That's boring. A new training mode offers mini-games that can permanently increase your horse's stats, and a stable shop give you something to do with that prize money, offering enhancements for sale like an electric prod to get you out of the gate faster or an aerodynamic suit to improve overall speed. Sadly, you can only buy one item before a race--even though you'll likely be flush with cash, you can't stock up, and the timer moves so fast, you might not get the chance to buy anything at all. These additions are all improvements over the original formula, but it's still difficult to feel like you're doing anything good on purpose, and the control, while responsive, is confusing and frustrating. Basically, you don't feel like you're much in control of the horse's actual performance at all. Much of the success comes down to grabbing the right power-up at the right time, and that's often sheer luck or memorization.

Graphics: 6/10

While the horses are still cartoonish--especially the horse's face/status meter--they're less so than in the original Stakes Winner. The tracks all pretty much look alike (with the exception of the training games) and the menus are not animated. When the 2D horses round a simulated 3D turn, it's hard to keep your line. It also helps if you know how to read horse racing results off the scoreboard, because that's a big part of the visual presentation. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of color-swapped pony clones runnin' in a brown circle.

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The way I play it Joe is I press the A button in a rhythm and I watch the horse as he goes faster or slower...paying attention to what power ups are coming up..
I usually try to keep the horse on the inside of the track to try and cut corners..

I had a lot of problems when I first started playing the 2 Stakes Winner games..
I couldn't understand the buttons for nothing..

One of my friends actually came over and started pressing the A button in a rhythm and was wining races..I was like what the heck..how'd you do that.

So I started to just push the buttons in a rhythm and I started to catch on..
I was surprised,I thought I would never get it..
When you do..your going to say..oh man that's all there is to it..

[Videogamerdaryll]

I had a lot of trouble with both Stakes Winners so I had created several threads..

Here's some more info..

It's really in the timing.You can't just keep hitting the go button,or you will tire your horse out.Use just enough to keep him running.Stay to the inside of the track where possible.And get as many power ups as possible,like the carrots and speed wings.

it's all about rhythm, you press the button as he gallops... it is timing, and as you get into his rhythm he starts going faster.... but push him to hard and you will tire him, even kill him on the track. The first couple races are easy, I would memorize where the carrots are, they are alweays in the same place and go for them to give you a boost of stamania. Then, try the soft whip, the aero suit, or etc items and don't forget to train the horse. SW2 is one of the deepest games on the Neo Geo, if you give it a chance and learn how to play it is a very enjoyable game!

Again, never jam on buttons in this game... you will lose in a sec. All you need to do is this:

Start out tapping the A button very slowly, get into his rhythm... There are lots of time in this game when you don't press the button at all.

To pick up a little speed, tap the B button, your horse will get a nice whip and move a little faster... DO NOT press the B button again, until the horse stops accelerating from the first hit. Also, 3 or 4 hits is about the max I would hit the B button, and only about half way through the race.

Then press the A button slowly to continue his stride, watch for bad items on the track and aim for carrots (not really needed on the first few tracks). If your power gauge is dipping kind of low, lay off the horse for a few and get ready for the final sprint.

When you near the finish line hit the C button and get ready for a little more speed.

I just popped the game in and refreshed my playing, it is cake to beat the first three races doing nothing more... THEN the fun starts. You will need to learn where the items are on the track and try out all the item in the shop to see how they improve your horse. Again, I believe this is the deepest game on the MVS, there is a lot of skill mixing the right amount of training and picking the right item from the shop (you can only carry one per race).

GREAT game... its a shame most people can't figure it out, I think it is one of the most unique and fun racing games on the Neo.

[digitalpress]

I'll have to try it again. I actually spent quite a bit of time playing Neo Turf Masters (golf) yesterday. I should switch over and see how this newfound wisdom helps my weak Stakes Winner skills.

Thanks!

[Videogamerdaryll]

I'll have to try it again. I actually spent quite a bit of time playing Neo Turf Masters (golf) yesterday. I should switch over and see how this newfound wisdom helps my weak Stakes Winner skills.

Thanks!

Neo Turf Masters..Wow!!!What a great game..That cart sees a lot of time in my cab..

Hey Joe,Did you buy a Neo Geo Arcade machine?

[vincewy]

Oh no, looks like we have another member converting to neo addict. DP, if you really love some of the games, be prepared to spend big bucks on many other games. I happen to get games when prices bottomed out (well not really since I had to get certain games right at release dates else they just kept going up, especially those in 1996) and still nearly declaring bankrupcy.

As for your question on SW2, it's been answered, except there're items on the track to pick up, watch out what you're getting. I found this game more difficult than SW1 but the music is awesome, everyone should download the roms, try it out and just enjoy the music.