(2/5/2014 - 2/11/2014) Game of the Week: Silent Debuggers

[SamIAm]

---------------------------------------------------
February 5 - February 11: Silent Debuggers
---------------------------------------------------


(Chosen by vestcoat)

I'm not going to lie - when I was previewing this game, not only did the proximity beacon unnerve me as I was going down the hall, but the first enemy that lunged at me made me jump in my chair. I wasn't expecting the bastard to be so big. I hope this game has more surprises like that up its sleeve, but then again, I kind of don't!

If anyone has a copy of the instruction manual, it might be useful to know whatever finer details it explains. And for the devious among you, there do exist cheat codes for the Japanese version, but I'll leave it to you to hunt them down.


---------------------------------------------------
GOTW Schedule:

January 15-21: Battle Royale (TheClash603)
January 22-28: Drop Off/Drop Rock (esteban)
January 29-February 4: Bonk's Adventure (roflmao)
February 5-11: Silent Debuggers (vestcoat)
February 12-18: Somer Assault (BigusSchmuck)
February 19-25: Splatterhouse (FiftyQuid)
February 26-March 4: Bloody Wolf (Jibbajaba)
March 5-11: The Lost Sunheart (Gogan)
March 12-18: Sapphire (BlueBMW)
March 19-25: Energy (PunkicCyborg)
March 26-April 1: Air Zonk (_joshuaTurbo)
April 2-8: Veigues Tactical Gladiator (Punch)
April 9-15: 1943 Kai (lukester)
April 16-22: OPEN!

Rules:
-All members are allowed one submission. When there are no further submissions, we will have a reset and everyone will be able to submit another game.
-Each game may only be submitted once.
-If you wish to retract your submission, please do so at least two weeks before your game is due. Your next submission will go to the back of the cue.
-Please don't submit games that have a high language barrier or will take too long to complete (particularly RPGs).
-Please don't submit games that are too expensive. Below $50 is best. Above $100 won't work.

(If you have any questions or comments about the GOTW system, please either PM me)

[PunkicCyborg]

I got some tips from Old Rover in chat on how to play it and gave it several serious gos at it and I just don't get it. I'm not good at navigating 1st person games like this at all. He basically said you have to camp out in the outer area and wait for an alien to attack an area then look it up on the map which is under attack and run to it and kill it. You have to do that over and over again in certain stages. I'll see if he can chime in with some tips.

[SuperPlay]

Manual here folks:

http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php?view.1820

[reno5]

Love this game and i don't know how i do it but i kinda alway know where i am !

I finished this game more than 15 times and still need to play it occasionally.

Posted some picture last year : http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=12968.msg255235#msg255235

[galam]

I have always loved this game too, but like others, I get completely lost.
I keep trying and find myself walking in circles, even when I "think" I'm following the map.
Fun with headphones.

[toymachine78]

I got some tips from Old Rover in chat on how to play it and gave it several serious gos at it and I just don't get it. I'm not good at navigating 1st person games like this at all. He basically said you have to camp out in the outer area and wait for an alien to attack an area then look it up on the map which is under attack and run to it and kill it. You have to do that over and over again in certain stages. I'll see if he can chime in with some tips.

I'm right there with you. The game really interests me, and I keep coming back to it. I really suck at it though. Its hard as hell.

[nodtveidt]

I have never seen that "sensors show there may be a secret on this level" bit. He does say "there seems to be some kind of secret here", although he is talking about the secrets of OHME in general, not of the level you're on.

[csgx1]

I played this game up for the first time tonight and it seems pretty interesting.  I couldn't make my way back to the start point on the first level and was walking around in circles for about 20mins. Hopefully navigating through the corridors gets easier with more play.

[Punch]

This game is actually pretty cool by the looks of it. Never gave it a chance really, it is way less bland than I remember it being... cool choice for the game of the week.

[johnnykonami]

I always wanted this game.  I love the late 80's anime space/cyberpunk aesthetic.  Definitely on my bucket list if I can find a good price on it.

[nodtveidt]

You get the Jump Unit after you have lost an inner block already. It doesn't matter which one. Try to make it a non-essential one though. If you lose block C, you might as well pack it in, because that's the most crucial one to your survival.

[nodtveidt]

The battery recharger is ok, but time is limited and that thing is slow as turtle tits. You pretty much have to rely on ammo-based weapons if you lose C. I guess that's not a problem for some, but it doesn't help if you get all the way to 6 where you can't reload... run out of ammo there and you're stuck with your peashooter, and the bastards on 6 are brutal.

[Punch]

Just played today, got to level 5 then got mauled by the aliens. Pretty good! I like the atmosphere of the game and how it gets more tense for each lost module, specially when you lose C and G, and the illumination module (don't remember the letter)... it's pretty cool to be fighting in the dark with that lame battery powered beam launcher against overpowered enemies even if you know you have next to no chance of getting to the next level. Overall it's a good game, I would even go as far as to say that it is a turbografx gem...

"I'm Punch. Be my buddy. Debuggers do the dirty work and I LOVE IT."

[nodtveidt]

Yeah, there's only a couple of enemy sprites that I know about. The Bioroids are as follows:

Red: the weakest and most common. Standard kamikaze attack strategy.
Yellow: less common. They seem to be a bit smarter and often run away.
Pink: even less common. They seem to be more aggressive and tougher than the Reds.
Green: they start appearing at level 2. These are highly evasive and they attack the inner blocks.
Black: they start appearing at level 3. They are aggressive and can't be tracked with radar I; you can track them with radar II.
White: normally invisible and highly aggressive.

I've only seen the slime enemy in level 1... it doesn't seem to have any effect on the outcome of the level progression though, since you can clear it without killing them.

[SamIAm]

---
Edit:  On a side note, there is a secret on one level that i've never been able to figure out... Leon says something like, "Sensors show there may be a secret on this level", in the mission briefing... and when you are in the hallways, he calls you to say, "...there is a secret in this area". I remember playing that level for days trying to find a secret... walking around backwards (ala Order of the Griffon), shooting up walls, pulling my hair out...

If anyone figures this out, you will be the first person EVER to figure it out. Do share with the group!

I hate to say it, but there probably isn't a secret.

I don't know what the English line is, but this site lists all the text in the Japanese version of the game. I perused the whole thing, and there is only one line that seems like it could be the origin of what you mention:

レオン
「ディン、このステーションには何か秘密がありそうだな。とにかく、いけるところまでいくしかない。何が待っているのか判らないが…。」

Leon:
Dean*, I'd say this station has some kind of secret in it. Anyway, there's nothing to do but go as far as we can.  Who knows what will be waiting for us there, though...

*Does the player's character even have a name in the English version?

Note that it says station, not floor. So unless I missed the line (and I text-searched the Japanese word for secret), I'd say this is something of a misinterpretation.