View Full Version : Ai Senshi Nicol
BrYaN55
08-21-2008, 12:06 PM
I'm sure a lot of you know this game, and surely a lot of other don't...
Am I the only one who sees this game as a missing piece of history? It was really an impressive and well made game for it's time. And even today it stand very well. Very remiscent of Blaster Master and The Guardian Legend, but done one year sooner. It has a certain science fiction feel to it that no other game of that time had.
http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-2.png http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-8.png http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-12.png
When I look at the Famicom Disk System, most of his best games were released later as cartridges like Castlevania, Zelda, Gun.Smoke, Metroid, Kid Icarus, and even Doki Doki Panic in some way. But Ai Senshi Nicol was totally left behind, even in Japan.
http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-19.png http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-27.png http://www.quebecgamers.com/thisweek/22Avril2008/ai-senshi-nicol-37.png
I have no problem picturing myself back in the days playing this game, looking in Nintendo Power for tips because the game have a lot of little secrets. I think it would have been one of the best game to have on the NES, and would become a classic!
Is there anyone who feel the same? Or I just like it too much?
BTW, sorry about any grammar error you may found in my text. I try the best I can to make no error, but I am far from perfect in english.
Cryomancer
08-21-2008, 12:58 PM
Ah yes, I have played this before and it is a pretty neat game. Definately one that i want to spend more time on. Would be good candidate for a cart version hack / repro cart!
I remember going through a bunch of FDS roms a few years ago and that was one of the few that really stood out, it even got translated if I'm not mistaken. I don't remember much about it, but I remember it being difficult and pretty entertaining.
Lord Contaminous
08-21-2008, 01:12 PM
Yeah that's a great game indeed, I made clips of the first 3 stages on YouTube long time back last early last year-ish.
It starts out easy, and then if your weapons aren't powered up high enough, the game hands you your ass big time starting at level 4 and up. That's why I couldn't make clips for the rest of it, cause you really have to blast block after block for some hidden power ups
Lord Contaminous
08-21-2008, 01:20 PM
Ah yes, I have played this before and it is a pretty neat game. Definately one that i want to spend more time on. Would be good candidate for a cart version hack / repro cart!
The idea of it being a repo cart/hack is great, but on the other hand be very catastrophic in the sound department, since Ai Senshi Nicol's sound structure is mostly focused around the Famicom Disk System's extra FM sound channel, which the NES lacks.
Cryomancer
08-21-2008, 01:30 PM
Ah, unfortunate.
BrYaN55
08-21-2008, 01:39 PM
I remember going through a bunch of FDS roms a few years ago and that was one of the few that really stood out, it even got translated if I'm not mistaken. I don't remember much about it, but I remember it being difficult and pretty entertaining.
No need for a translation, the game is completely in english. The only thing in japense is the title screen. Heck, even the ending text is in english.
It starts out easy, and then if your weapons aren't powered up high enough, the game hands you your ass big time starting at level 4 and up. That's why I couldn't make clips for the rest of it, cause you really have to blast block after block for some hidden power ups
Yes, and they are very well hidden. In places you would barely think. That's what I liked the most about this game. Like you, in my first play, I was totally unpowered to face the later stages. I got my ass handed to me by the "medusa head thing" in stage 6. So I restarted and in my second game, I was firing everywhere to find those precious powerup!
My complaint is that when you know where they are, the game become too easy...
The idea of it being a repo cart/hack is great, but on the other hand be very catastrophic in the sound department, since Ai Senshi Nicol's sound fx and the main melody in the in-game music are generated by the Famicom Disk System's extra FM sound channel, which the NES lacks.
Pirate cart already exist but like Lord Contaminous said, the sound suffer. And even the game dosen't feel exactly the same in terms of control... It's for me, unplayable...
jb143
08-21-2008, 02:13 PM
The graphics remind me of Neutopia a bit. And by Konami no less. I'm definatly going to have to check this one out sometime.
Kid Fenris
08-21-2008, 03:59 PM
Ai Senshi Nicol's definitely one of the better FDS games that America never saw. I'm impressed that the game lets you jump so freely, something that The Guardian Legend and the overhead Blaster Master stages don't even attempt.
Too bad this screen would've been edited in an American release.
http://www.kidfenris.com/nicoloh.png
By the way, Sunsoft was working on a interesting overhead action game called Lionex (http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=5769&image=1) around the same time that Ai Senshi Nicol was around. Lionex never came out, but there's speculation (http://forums.lostlevels.org/viewtopic.php?t=1731&sid=7768573795cf7ee6873b3c5337db4ee5) (mostly mine) that it was a prototype for Blaster Master.
BrYaN55
08-21-2008, 04:18 PM
Ai Senshi Nicol's definitely one of the better FDS games that America never saw. I'm impressed that the game lets you jump so freely, something that The Guardian Legend and the overhead Blaster Master stages don't even attempt.
Too bad this screen would've been edited in an American release.
http://www.kidfenris.com/nicoloh.png
By the way, Sunsoft was working on a interesting overhead action game called Lionex (http://arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=5769&image=1) around the same time that Ai Senshi Nicol was around. Lionex never came out, but there's speculation (http://forums.lostlevels.org/viewtopic.php?t=1731&sid=7768573795cf7ee6873b3c5337db4ee5) (mostly mine) that it was a prototype for Blaster Master.
I also wonder what they would call it (Ai Senshi Nicol). Love Warrior Nicol sound strange to me.
SunSoft is one of my favorite compagny. I remember reading about Lionex some time ago but I forgot about it. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention! I'm gonna read about it right now.
And jb143, that's cool if I can make people discover this game:)