Oh, that was awesome. What made it even better is that my family DID rent that game for a weekend when I was younger... it was my sister's turn to pick the game and she had a crush on Warren Beatty at the time, so... instead of Mega Man 2, we rented that piece of shit.
Review was excellent. I especially enjoyed the mental breakdown at the end, as well as "the drill".
YES!!! I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd get to this one. Honestly, I was hoping he would. Dick Tracy for the NES so far stands as one of THE FEW games I have EVER sold in my lifetime. It was done with good reason; picking it up again on emulation, I could see why I ditched it. James harps on pretty much everything that I hated about the game, and I agree that the difficulty is way too far over the hill for its own good.
I almost thought he was going to have a coronary infarction at the end there, but then he destroyed the effin' cartridge. I agree, this one does seem to be a nod to the old-school awesomeness where he'd take the pain to the games themselves. A fine episode overall. ^_^
That's it! Next stop: The Junkyard. Population: You!
My college show: The Spirit of Radio, Tuesdays 8-9 p.m. EST = http://www2.etown.edu/clubs_orgs/wwec/listen.asp
So, I keep wondering: Did he just not figure out how to beat it? I mean, there were other levels. The designers thought someone could get past level one. Did James just not hit upon the right way to play? Or is really just that.. shit?
I think he never managed to beat the first quest without dying. Does anybody know if there really are health powerups in the game?Originally Posted by tcv
Why do I even bother with that confounded GameTrailers media player? It never seems to work right.
At least the download links are convenient.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
I still think Battletoads was the best one yet.
"There are no other couches to go behind!"
The hearts are health power-ups. Once collected (by punching it), it remains in your inventory until you use it (you can collect up to two). By pressing select, you can cycle through your items (super punches, machine guns, tear gas, etc.) until you land on first-aid, then you press select and B simultaneously. I've always assumed that the reason the player needs to press select and B instead of just B (which activates all other items) is because it would be too easy to mistakenly use the first-aid kit in the heat of battle. Although it does become a nuisance when you don't press them at the exact same time and it ends up switching to a different item.
I love the AVGN, but his approach to this game doesn't match up with mine. I love the game (and the movie and comic strip), and despite some claiming it's overly difficult, I was able to complete it a couple times without dying and without using passwords. I actually set the inaugural record for its fastest completion on Twin Galaxies.
The last stage, the Club Ritz, is a bit of a pain, though. Save as much tear gas as you can for it. And some of the cases are a lot longer than the first. One, I think, requires around seven clues.
Last edited by ILikeBibleAdventures; 09-18-2008 at 02:38 PM.
Great post! What were your thoughts on his overall frustrations? Such as the snipers?
That's why I initially asked the question about game play. He seemed to be so far out of tune with the game that I had a little trouble believing him. Sure, there are bad games and there are REALLY bad games, but few of them are so poorly designed that one cannot progress at all. An example would be TMNT. Yeah, that has some f'ed up controls and he played to that well, but he was still able to get somewhere. Another example: Landing in Top Gun.
I do find the videos enjoyable, but a large portion of the games he ranks on are actually very good games. (Castlevania II is a "shitty game that sucks ass"? Come on!) They are often older, and require a bit of imagination and experimentation to master, and often demand precision timing and development of an actual moroe skill. Either James plays up a minor inconvenience for comedic effect, or he's mildly mentally retarded with limited capacity for abstract thought which keeps him from figuring out these puzzles he gripes about. That said, there are some examples (Deadly Towers) where the game design is flawed in some way, but that doesn't mean it's a piece of shit. They can't all be SMB 3.
I've given up defending the games he ranks on in this thread because I tend to get railroaded after doing so. But as far as NES games containing licensed property goes, Dick Tracy ain't half bad, really. It's got quality visuals and interesting game design. The controls are a bit rough, but like I said, they can't all be SMB 3.
Thanks! I completely understand that James has to find grievances with each title. However, his complaint with the difficulty seems to stem from him tackling the game with a balls-to-the wall attitude.
James is correct about the snipers. There's no real shortcut to bypass them. Trying to zoom past them will only result in loss of life, and in the long run, it's better to take the extra few seconds to patiently approach and shoot them early on. Otherwise, you'll always get shot.
Make a map. And jot down where every sniper is. Then when you're about to encounter one, inch up until you see it on screen and leave the car. Shooting at an angle provides the best opportunity to dispose of them without harm. (They will still fire at you, so make as much distance as you can, shoot quickly at an angle and run. The snipers only fire in eight directions, so if you're in the middle of those areas, you're safe.)
Each sniper only rejuvenates after you die and/or use a password. Shooting them early gives the player an advantage on the later levels (provided you don't die), because you can roam freely without fear. Although, if you do die, you do have to shoot them all again.
Also, knowing where the first-aid kits is crucial. A lot of the items are hidden (you have to punch in a specific spot for them to appear). Reenter buildings that you know have the kits and stock up when need be.
The game rewards caution and memorization, which slows down the action somewhat. It's also nonlinear in certain respects, meaning that a player can journey freely without a specific, clear objective. Sure, the game's clues lead to which criminals to interrogate and so on and so on, but the clues don't need to be picked up in any certain order and some are pretty cryptic. I think that, along with some of the non-obvious aspects, alienates players who are expecting an action-oriented version like Sega's Dick Tracy for Genesis (which is a good game in its own respect).
I remember renting the NES Dick Tracy as a child. After two days, I was barely able to finish the first case, but could not figure out the second. A few days later, when I asked my cousin (who is the same age) if he had played the game yet, he remarked, "Yeah, it sucks, all you do is drive around." I asked if he ever bothered pressing select. Apparently, he had not. Fighting the urge to rush through the game will factor into a better experience.
I like the AVGN, I watch all his videos, and I don't fault him for his review. It's his shtick. But a lot of the frustration he encounters could probably have been avoided had he just slowed down. Also, as shallow as it is, playing detective is fun once you immerse yourself in the environment. (Plus, some of the sexual innuendo that Breathless Mahoney spews in the cut screens is hilarious. I'm surprised it made it through the Nintendo censors.)
There are problems. It's far too easy to start climbing a rope by accident, as James shows (or not climb when you need to). And as I stated before, selecting the first-aid kit can bring about a few issues. The rats, or gosh, the rats in the later levels are horrendous. You can't shoot them. You need to use the tear gas, but they reemerge also immediately once you do. And you don't want to waste the tear gas. You also have to anticipate fleeing cars after exiting areas and park out of their way, otherwise it's unavoidable that you'll get hit. The game also doesn't follow the movie at all, probably because Disney didn't want Bandai to give away the surprise ending (but to be fair, the movie doesn't follow the comic strip at all either).
Last edited by ILikeBibleAdventures; 09-19-2008 at 07:44 PM.
Another good, entertaining video review! I never played played Dick Tracy, but somehow knew it stunk.
When I first played Top Gun at my friend's house in the late 1980s, I couldn't land on the aircraft carrier. It was impossible. Then, I remembered that pressing up moved the airplane down and pressing down moved the airplane up.
I tried it again and when I got to the aircraft carrier sequence, whenever "up" flashed on the screen, I pressed down (to move up) and vice versa. From that point on, I was able to land fine every time.
Top Gun was a fairly decent game at the time, but I never liked Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. I know it's a classic, but I found it to be too ambitious. I prefer Castlevania and Super Castlevania IV, which are straightforward action games.
Deadly Towers is garbage. So is Rambo, Bad Street Brawler, Super Pitfall, Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum, Tag Team Wrestling, Karate Champ, and Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road.
Then again, some people think urinals and cans of excrement are art.
Last edited by Rob2600; 09-20-2008 at 04:07 PM.
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