I do remember seeing this, once, at a friend’s house, I’m not positive but I think I got a chance with the controller for a few minutes. Help me figure out if this is a false memory: Did they straight up port the movement mechanics from Super Mario World, even though there is no actual platforming?
I love my NES but sometimes I feel ripped off with all the titles that were Famicom only. I would love a Famicom Mini designed for Western audiences that emphasized weirdness over bestsellers.
I’ll check out Joy Mech Fight (i.e., watch a video). I’ll be interested to find out if it’s like Tournament Fighters, a post-Street Fighter fighter made as a previous-gen release late in the systems life, or a true homegrown eight-bit precursor to the genre.
I rented the SNES version at the time. I remember it being okay, not fantastic. Replaying it recently on the Cowabunga Collection I found it worse than I remembered. I ended up enjoying this NES playthrough more. I tried the Genesis version too but switched to NES as I was having a hard time.
First question: why even make an NES TMNT: Tournament Fighters alongside the two 16-bit versions as late as 1993? Second, is this the only one-on-one fighting game on NES (Urban Champion doesn’t quite count)? Third, is it somehow the best version of the game? @polykillpodcast.bsky.social #justbeatit
#justbeatit Castlevania Legends, a 1998 release for Game Boy (GBC launched later that year). It came out after SotN and was so disliked by Koji Igarashi he made it non-canon. It‘s lacklustre in the context of when it came out; it would have been fine as a 1990 title. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
The save file claims 20 hours but it must be double that with reloaded saves. I kind of regret picking Tactician mode while simultaneously challenging myself to avoid broken job combinations. Tactician is meant for broken job combinations.
#justbeatit FFT: The Ivalice Chronicles has much to recommend it. QoL options eliminate the 1998 game’s awful softlocks and it’s worth experiencing a third translation and voice performance of the masterful story. I wish more character builds were viable…still, solid A. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
It’s so weird that they bothered with an NES version. I didn’t even know about it until I saw it on the Cowabunga Collection, and you’re right, it’s not good. But I didn’t think of eight-bit consoles as even having fighting games, I thought of that genre as starting with Street Fighter 2.
#justbeatit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournamen Fighters (SNES version). This was a weekend rental back in the day. It’s not a great fighter and the story is barely there. I’ll try the Genesis version and will report back if Sega won that battle in the console war. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
I had Shadowgate on NES as a kid and it was way too hard for me. Decades later I decided it was high time I pick it up and finish the job and it’s even harder than I remember. I looked so much up I can hardly be said to have #justbeatit. Sometimes you run out of steam. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
#justbeatit TMNT 2: The Arcade Game (NES). While the lesser-known TMNT 3 holds its place as my favourite classic Turtles game, TMNT 2 is solid, I even prefer it to the more powerful arcade original, as it’s balanced for home play, not quarter munching. Tough but fair. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
@blinkoom.bsky.social make sure you don’t miss this one, he jist beat it.
We get it from all sides when it comes to anti-consumer behaviour. You’re right, it’s not just one company and it doesn’t matter who‘s the worst offender. I do want to call out BS when I see it and vote with my wallet if I can. No free passes even when my inner fanboy wants to let them off the hook.
There are a number of other things Nintendo does that also feel like price-gouging. All the classic 3rd-5th Gen stuff you used to be able to get on their eShop cheap ($3-5 for first-party SNES, GBA, etc), now you get temp access to a fraction via subscription or a full-price remake (Mario vs DK).
It’s not an unfair reputation. A well-loved three-year-old AAA Sony first party game can be expected to go on sale regularly for at least 50% off while a ten-year-old Wii U title that had already been re-released on Switch was full price right up to the very last day the eShop was open.
How to beat Super Mario Bros. fast!
Super Mario Bros Special, the other OTHER SMB1 sequel, was developed by Hudson for the NEC PC8801 in Japan in 1986. With all new levels it provided a unique opportunity: to play my very first game again, for the first time.
I #justbeatit again, also for the first time. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
We’ve both been having a Mario sorta night it seems. Congrats on all four of these beats.
I like the inclusion of stretch goals.
#justbeatit Zork 1. Of course, purists prefer the original version on a 1900 lb, 1152 kb mainframe computer. I got the 1981 release for QoL features such as compatibility with an electronic text display and standard household voltage. And the grues really pop in blue. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
42 new beats for 2025.
I completed all my gaming goals for 2025:
1) Reduce my backlog (net change -14)
2) Watch my spending (total spend $150, well below my budget)
3) Beat a game on every system I own (done for nine handhelds/consoles, all backlog games)
4) Explore a totally new genre (text adventures!)
Happy New Year!
Congrats on 300!
#justbeatit Pushmo World, my Wii U game for the year. Its 120 platform puzzles were quite challenging; more than once I was tempted to look up the solution. Instead I stepped away when I got stuck and the next day it clicked. Fun; tough: you’d call a real Topper. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
I wanted to play a proper 3DS title before year-end and went with The Starship Damrey, a 2023 eShop rescue. It’s a modern point-and-click with some good dual screen use but also some annoying pixel-hunting moments. A decent game, even so.
I #justbeatit, and guide-free! @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
Yes, this version is probably even easier. I appreciated the simplicity of the dungeons and the easy map at first. After five of the same dungeon, though, it started to wear thin.
I like NIS, though, you always get something different. The Prinny games were my first ultra-hard action platformers.
This year I set a goal of beating a game on every system. My DSi had one final backlog game and I #justbeatit. Rhapsody is a NIS-developed RPG/musical. It’s as you expect, simple surface story, deep unexplained lore, weird Disgaea-like humour, and singing your feelings. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
Good ending got!
#justbeatit Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (Rondo of Blood remake). I got the bad ending so I’ll try again, but credits are credits, and I can knock the PSP off my every-system-challenge checklist. Cool to play the last level of and it’s the first level of SotN. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
