The Official Angry Video Game Nerd Discussion Thread

[Gentlegamer]

Seems like Milon's Secret Castle is an epitome of an old school NES game.

No save, no password. Check!
Secrets without explanation. Check!

Each isn't really so bad but the extreme this game takes it to drives it over the edge from "old school hard" to ridiculous.

[Sabz5150]

Also glad to see the AVGN focusing on the game over theatrics again.

I second this. Some of the theatrics are good (when he broke character during the Indy review, that was classic), but we love 'em for his game reviewing most of all.

[Arcade_Ness]

I thought this review was entertaining, if only for the fact I knew nothing about the game before hand.

[Sabz5150]

Found Milon's at Play N Trade for 3 bucks, so I picked it up for the hell of it. Time to scream some obscenities at my TV

[Jorpho]

My question for that game is how did it even make it out of production like that? Where the programmers too far stuffed up their butts to see how how it was to figure out?

It seems to have a certain Tower of Druaga vibe about it. And Druaga makes this game seem like a piece of cake. I might also be tempted to invoke Golvellius.

By the way, there was also a B&W Game Boy port released many, many years later.

[ryborg]

Found Milon's at Play N Trade for 3 bucks, so I picked it up for the hell of it. Time to scream some obscenities at my TV

Go for the full 1987-88 game-playing experience by NOT going to the internet for help when you get stuck (you will). The Nintendo Power issues didn't come out for a couple years, so you wouldn't have had those for assistance either.

That was part of the problem. I got this game as a gift when it was brand new to the US. When you got stuck, that was it. Like the Nerd says, you had to shoot, push or jump on literally every other pixel to advance in the game. That's not fun. That's a chore, even for an eight-year-old who has nothing better to do than play Milon's Secret Castle all day on winter break.

[Zap!]

Ninja Kid

Edit: Also it reminds you of Chubby Cherub for a reason. Both were released by Bandai arounf the same time and used similar character designs and box art.

Were either good? I game very close to getting Ninja Kid in 1987, but chose M.U.S.C.L.E. instead! Big mistake! You can't get much worse than that!

[Garry Silljo]

Were either good? I game very close to getting Ninja Kid in 1987, but chose M.U.S.C.L.E. instead! Big mistake! You can't get much worse than that!

I wouldn't call Ninja Kid a great game, but it's defineately not bad either. I guess if you want a letter grade it's a C. 1-10? ..... maybe 6. Way better than M.U.S.C.L.E., you are correct about that being a mistake.

Chubby Cherub is a very good game for a very young gamer. I bet when my kids are 4 they will think it's great fun. Later on though I think it's too easy to be very entertaining.

[Rob2600]

I'd love to see the AVGN review Tag Team Wrestling for the NES. That's one of the worst wrestling games - and video games - I've ever played.

[Ruudos]

Entertaining review. Interesting fact, he was using the European version of Milon's Secret Castle.

I never played much of Milon's Secret Castle, but I would have reacted much like the Nerd when I realized some of the things further down the line.

He should have at least mentioned that it got a sequel in Japan and that it was way better than this one.

It's the USA-version of the game, it was never released in Europe.

BTW, did he play the first Zelda game? No crack in the walls in that one either.

[Battlehork]

I'd love to see the AVGN review Tag Team Wrestling for the NES. That's one of the worst wrestling games - and video games - I've ever played.

Hey, at least it inspired Strong Bad.

[Gentlegamer]

BTW, did he play the first Zelda game? No crack in the walls in that one either.

That's right, but the areas that have to be bombed can be intuited from the way the dungeons are structured. And there's only four possible spots on any given dungeon screen where a bomb could reveal a secret passage.

It's different, of course, for the overworld, but IRC there is nothing necessary to completing the game to be found by bombing. There's at least one found by burning, though . . .

[Tupin]

I wouldn't call Ninja Kid a great game, but it's defineately not bad either. I guess if you want a letter grade it's a C. 1-10? ..... maybe 6. Way better than M.U.S.C.L.E., you are correct about that being a mistake.

Chubby Cherub is a very good game for a very young gamer. I bet when my kids are 4 they will think it's great fun. Later on though I think it's too easy to be very entertaining.

Chubby Cherub is okay at best. Ninja Kid is slightly better than that. M.U.S.C.L.E is tolerable, but you have to put time into it that the game doesn't deserve to learn and overcome the controls.

[Garry Silljo]

Ninja Kid is slightly better than that.

How do you know how good a game is when you couldn't even ID it?

[Tupin]

How do you know how good a game is when you couldn't even ID it?

Tried it out for a while after I heard the name.

[ubersaurus]

That's right, but the areas that have to be bombed can be intuited from the way the dungeons are structured. And there's only four possible spots on any given dungeon screen where a bomb could reveal a secret passage.

It's different, of course, for the overworld, but IRC there is nothing necessary to completing the game to be found by bombing. There's at least one found by burning, though . . .

The second quest would like to have a word with you :P

Dungeon 8! Across a river, you had to bomb. But that was never made clear in the game. I mean, at least you got a clue that you had to bomb spectacle rock to find dungeon 9 in the first quest...

[joshnickerson]

Great review... I remember picking that up a few years ago, playing it for about three minutes and then shelving it.

Got a bit of a technical question... I tried to load the MP4 into my iPod, but I got a message saying it couldn't be transfered to my iPod... all this other videos worked fine... anybody have this problem? My software is all up to date...

[CastlevaniaDude]

I do agree that Milon's Secret Castle isn't a good game, but man, the nerds videos are just getting boring and repetitive. I'd honestly like to see him release another video that's atleast as good as his Sega 32X video.

I thought I also saw Crystalis in the opening.

*edit*

Yes. Crystalis is in the opening. So is Solar Jetman and Astyanax. All three good games.

Ironically, I thought Solar Jetman was horrible. Crystalis was GREAT. Never played much Astyanax, but wasn't too high or low on it. Not a fan, though.

[Jorpho]

That's right, but the areas that have to be bombed can be intuited from the way the dungeons are structured. And there's only four possible spots on any given dungeon screen where a bomb could reveal a secret passage.

It's different, of course, for the overworld, but IRC there is nothing necessary to completing the game to be found by bombing. There's at least one found by burning, though . . .

There are some very frustrating moments in Link's Awakening that result from being clueless about bombing an unmarked wall. Not to mention that bit in the first level where you're supposed to push that one block. Sure, it might be an obvious thing to try if you've played the original Zelda enough times, but if you haven't, you're a mite screwed. Fortunately the whole game isn't like that.

[otoko]

There are some very frustrating moments in Link's Awakening that result from being clueless about bombing an unmarked wall. Not to mention that bit in the first level where you're supposed to push that one block.t.

I wonder why the programmers did that in the first place? Did the expect us all to know exactly what they where thinking right off the bat?

For any game I find that unacceptable. Well, unless it's part of something bigger.. maybe...