วีดีโอ

tbh the medusa heads aren't that bad, they actually fly by a pattern, while the birds turn into the nightmare in CV3.

Save states do not change the game. The use of save states changes the game. Many NES games allowed progress to be saved. Password systems were effectively the same thing. As games left the arcade amd became more involved, it became necessary to use these features. It was no longer about getting a high score on a game that effectively could go on forever, but about finishing a game with a definitive ending. Save states on emulators take it to a whole new level. Players can take a minimalist approach and only use save states between levels. That still changes the paradigm because players used to have to keep their system on until the game was beaten. A good example was the NES game Blaster Master. However, keeping a system on to complete a game revealed a problem because home console games were much more complex. The introduction of endings had a greater impact on the game experience.

Everything with old games now is find the best weapon served with a side of toast and SPPAAAAMMM!!! That's how you win. It's the American way. 🙄

Castlevania Forever I still remember first time I saw the box of the game back in 80's and still play it. My favorite saga (have them all)

Yall talk about the battle cross alot and sleep on holy water. Holy water in this game is gRape station status. No boss can deal with it. It also holds Dracula's final form in place while whiping em in the head. Get triple shot and no one can stop you. catch death in the corner as he comes down and hes finished. Same with frank get em before he moves and his friend stays in place too. Medusa is drowning in it. Mummy men are fct. The giant bat is the only one that requires the axe, but even if he gets caught with holy water, hes done. HOLY WATER WITH TRIPLE SHOT IS gRAPE STATION POWER.

It's adorable that 1, 2, Switch taught your daughter how phones used to sound!

FLAMMIE! I also love Legend of Mana (though it did get me also hopelessly lost here and there). But Legend of Mana and ff9 pretty much inspired much of my childhood imaginings. About feeling so weird and happy about seeing new parts of a game you're so familiar with since a child, reminded me of when I finally went to finish Sonic 2 as an adult and just sped through (though as a kid I tried to get as many rings as I could). And I finally was able to see parts I never saw, and beat it.

Secret of Mana is one of the greatest 16-Bit games ever. Congratulations on beating it. Time to try Secret of Evermore or Trials of Mana. Maybe Chono Trigger? All great games.

Perhaps i finally can finish the game without save states. As a kid in the 90's i hated the fact that i had to start over from scratch, when i got game over 😅

Max every character out on scrolls. Shoot before you advance. The END!

Entire game... 1 --> holy water... 4 --> boomerang... THE END

Just get a cross and upgrade it to 3 and steamroll the game. See castlevania 3 for a real challenge

I love this explanation. Makes more sense why some games seemed so much easier when taking turns with another person.

1990-96 was a odd time in video game history, the pixels where still strong but 3d like Tomb Raider and Crash Bandicoot was on the rise.

The water level is so easy idk why ppl think its hard 🤷🏻‍♂️

you gotta be shitting me man

Holy Water, bro. Holy Water. Your many playthroughs should have revealed to you that Holy Water renders most bosses and most enemies a non-challenge. Even "The Hallway" TM.

Sometime you should try the Remake that is sold on Steam, while some people have issues with it, they did some really nice things with it. 8-directional attacking, allies who actually know how to fight (they are actually quite vicious), being able to hotkey two spells/weapons/items so you don't have to bring up the menus constantly, etc.

Weird, as a kid, I enjoyed flying above the continents and going "oh hey look, that's where I started the game! And that's Gaia's Navel!" and then I'd fly over that HUGE forest and go "Oh, that must be the four seasons forest!" and then I'd see that tiny little building on a hill and go "That's matango!"

Xemn rules. I am going to name my kid Xem n

Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 6, & Chrono Trigger. The best period of gaming I've ever experienced. The only games recently that gave me those some vibes are the Legend of Zelda: BOTW and TOTK. I always wondered why Square could not give us a modern game that had the same quality as these two games, embracing the iconic look of their 90s games. FF12 was the last time I played and enjoy anything Square Enix put out, but I really felt like they had lost some core part of their magic after FF7. I loved FF8, but I can understand why it isn't in any top lists generally and was a bit decisive. I also have a penchant for quiet and brooding protagonists that are thrust into responsibility they don't want, as opposed to the overwhelming number of bombastic-determined-burning spirit protagonists that litter the JRPG space, so that game had that going for it as well.

20 years. I found the gem missle stunlock 3 days after I got the game about 6mo after it came out new.

Dead Rising, despite its open wold and scripted campaign, is a rogue-lite where the accumulation of runs is an integral part of learning through exploration and experimentation. I've seen many a streamer focus exlusively on his campaign and timer, moving forward in a straight line, increasing the difficulty without adapting to it. The result is a frustrating and unpleasant experience. The best way to progress is, conversely, to let go of the campaign and take an interest in your surroundings. Exploration, both spatial and temporal, is punctuated by time-limited events. Apart from leveling up and a few new-run rewards, everything is ephemeral at the current run. It's knowledge put together in solid execution that optimizes time and preparation for the difficulties ahead. Only the most experienced players can claim to do it all in a single run. Most modern games encourage players to resume their progress at a nearby automatic checkpoint. In Daed Rising, the save is manual, and it's best to restart on a firmer footing with the benefit of hindsight by starting a new run. Time is not wasted, as everything is a learning experience. Those who go deeper into the story develop other knowledge that is also useful in the long term. The strength of the game is that it offers countless ways to advance and customize your run. You can play seriously or have fun in a huge sandbox. All you have to do is start a new run. With the exception of level climbing, which adds to the game's ergonomics and encourages you to restart a run, everything is at your fingertips.

I'm currently playing the remake on the GBA, and the tutorials are still there, gradually introducing new mechanics in ever more elaborate levels. Progression is very fluid, while retaining a thought-provoking challenge.

makes me think of classic resident evil games with mechanics modern players tend to hate. fixed camera angles allowed the backgrounds to look better and allowed for tension of not being able to see everything easily. the controls everyone complains about work well with the fixed camera system, but new players on modern versions of the first game will use the "good" controls and end up fighting the camera angles the whole way through. also the save system. limiting saves the saves was a good design decision that benefitted the puzzle-y nature of the combat and inventory while also limiting how easy it would be for new players to soft lock themselves into a game that could end up far more difficult than intended. it's not perfect. it can lead to frustration with replaying old sections of the game. but being able to brute force things with frequent saving can make for a very different experience than intended. sometimes a worse one

I was a huge fan of these games growing up. Also used to cut out the pages with the comics from MadMagazine. There are 3 Spy vs Spy games on Commodore 64. One was released on NES and two was released on Famicom!

Bubble Bobble. Hell Yea!

How did I beat SoM as a kid without a walkthrough and no internet??? Time on my hands? Congrats bro 😎

When I was 10 -11 in the early 90s, I remember doing a quick runs of TMNT after school and had remembering I had to hurry once and finish it quickly before going to football practice, I never thought it was anything particularly hard. (not like Dragons Lair, or Cobra Triangle) It wasn't until the 00's and the internet that I found out it was famous for having brutal difficulty and it many people struggled with it. I might have to give it a go as an adult , though I wouldn't be suprisedI if I get destroyed now a days.

I played a ton of TMNT while waiting (and hoping) for a NES port of the arcade version. I didn't beat it until a few years ago when I discovered a few strategies that made the task much easier. If I had just one or two of these as a kid I might have been able to beat it.

i could never beat ninja gaiden as a kid. but i did beat it as an adult. the same with zelda 2. currently i havent beaten battletoads......i will eventually get to it. life as an adult doesnt really give you time to enjoy anything....i cant wait to retire.

I read "white male." We live in a time

A good ARPG is all about the grind!

Honestly it's not that difficult. Yes it's not an easy game, but it does allow you to 'continue' and you always get your upgrades back. Once you know the enemies pattern you can "easily" finish the game. Castlevania 1 and 3 are one of my favorite NES games. Super Castlevania IV is a lot easier and has the best soundtrack.

love this game it's Awesome!

"Legend of Mana best in the series"...LMAO! OH BOY!!! I think you meant WORST! That game is garbage.

Dude,...if you didn't beat Secret of Mana in the 90s you're a total fu**ing loser.

I remember, back in the day, not figuring out how to cast Dryad's Mana Magic during the final battle but still winning anyway because charged attacks + critical hits = massive damage. I also remember the first time seeing the secret spell animations that occur above Lv.8 and immediately wanting to level up EVERY elemental (& almost succeeding at it) just to see the results .

This, FF3/6, Mario RPG and of course the GOAT Chrono Trigger. Good times! Grats on beating Som!

Man, ive bested this masterpiece so many times, im considering attempting a solo sprite, no magic run (inspired by SOM master DonYagamoth)

Hmm... lol. I beat it back in the day... no guide. How old where you? I remember games I could not beat when I was a kid or teenager, which I later beat easily lol.

Couch co-op is the absolute best way to play Secret of Mana. The concept of playing DLC of an old game you're familiar with is much like how I experienced some of the more hidden things in Final Fantasy 6 going back years later, also with couch co-op with my brother. The game races to the end because it's tragically rushed and borderline incomplete. That what's there is so good is a real achievement of the developers.

Here in Germany these RPG games came with a complete walktrough book with pictures, maps and everything. Even as a kid as long as you could read it was impossible to get lost thanks to this. The game was 30 bucks more expensive then regular but you got a giant box with a beautifull artwork and a realy helpful book.

Brilliant breakdown! Thanks!!

I like how you think. Sounds great and makes sense 👍🏽😎👍🏽

I never beat this game, but played it quite a bit as a kid. My favorite part of the game was being able to play the family pet who is actually a monster from the underground that doesn't take contact damage from other monsters. Very big world, one that probably should be played with a map on hand or materials to draw a simple map yourself.

i have yet to beat this game myself but i have a similar story i remember playing castlevania sotn as a kid and never paying attention to putting on the glasses that maria gives you so i would just beat shaft and think nothing of it about a year later i discover i was awe struck when i finally used them and revealed the upside down castle lmao like you said: almost like dlc

Som is great game

this reminds me I need to get trials of mana and the 3d remake. I played the fan patch for the ROM and I loved it. Oh and Legend. That one was really weird but I absolutely love the art style. I still jokingly call apricots apricats. Nobody gets the reference.

I'm usually really good with navigation but there's one game that wreaked me the same way Secret of Mana did for you, Terranigma. I managed to finish it but not without a guide!