Blazing Lazers Debug Mode

[runinruder]

Runin, surely you've played in BL's fantastic Godhead mode?

Actually, I don't think I ever have, probably because I've always found BL's last three stages tough enough as they are.   :oops:  I can crush lots of shooters that other folks consider difficult, but beating BL is never easy and always feels like an accomplishment.  That's one reason why I like it so much.   

But I'll give Godhead mode a try! 

I want to get Space Megaforce but it's pretty expensive.

Don't bother, man.  It's like a drawn-out Blazing Lazers pseudo-sequel that focuses more on goofy effects than on actual action.  Get Spriggan instead. 

[esteban]

Runin, surely you've played in BL's fantastic Godhead mode?

Actually, I don't think I ever have, probably because I've always found BL's last three stages tough enough as they are.   :oops:  I can crush lots of shooters that other folks consider difficult, but beating BL is never easy and always feels like an accomplishment.  That's one reason why I like it so much.   

But I'll give Godhead mode a try! 

Well, start with one of the lesser modes first. They're fun, too.

For the really hardcore folks: IIRC, when you beat BL, there is a second, third, etc. loop -- but you have to wait through the ending credits and start a new game on the title screen.

I wonder if someone has been insane enough to finish all ? loops (I forget how many difficulty levels there are, maybe 4-5?). It would take a LOT of time to accomplish this and require a liquid-cooled TG-16 .

[runinruder]

Well, start with one of the lesser modes first. They're fun, too.

My foolish pride would never let me do that.

GODHEAD OR BUST!   

[Kaminari]

Flashing powerups just turn one of your existing lives into a continue. You need to reach some high score checkpoints in order to gain new lives.

Steve: I'm not sure what Godhead is. I'm not familiar with Blazing Lazers. In Gunhed, the fourth difficulty level is God of Game, which I completed -- a long time ago, in a galaxy far... Right. What I remember is that the game was actually rendered more difficult because enemies were essentially much tougher to destroy.

[esteban]

Flashing powerups just turn one of your existing lives into a continue. You need to reach some high score checkpoints in order to gain new lives.

Steve: I'm not sure what Godhead is. I'm not familiar with Blazing Lazers. In Gunhed, the fourth difficulty level is God of Game, which I completed -- a long time ago, in a galaxy far... Right. What I remember is that the game was actually rendered more difficult because enemies were essentially much tougher to destroy.

Well, "Godhead" sounds so much better -- that's why I've been calling it that . Plus, I'm trying to pique everyone's interest in it! That's why I've been mysterious about it.

For folks who are interested: expect TONS of extra bullets on screen, all enemies projectiles much faster and, well, you get the idea... pretty standard stuff.

Kaminari, or anyone, it would be nice if you could list the name for each mode. IIRC, they were pretty amusing: "Human dog" or something like that. Then again, this is testing my memory. I could be confusing it with another game (because I have definitely played a game where the default or default + 1 mode was "Human dog" ! ).

Have I mentioned to you folks that when I was in high school, probably around 1991, I used my favorite track from BL in an incredibly silly short "film" (I'm being generous with the term)?

[nat]

What's your favorite track?

[esteban]

What's your favorite track?

The music for the Boss Rush or Boss Parade at the end of the game. It sounds like double-bass drums and it is frenetic. It has always PUMPED ME UP and got my adrenaline going for that part of the game!

In other words, the music perfectly fits the stage and sets the mood brilliantly.

I think that's the music I used in the film, anyway. I don't actually remember .

[Kaminari]

> Human Dog

You're not far from it

The four difficulty levels are Normal Dog, Hard Human, Super Mania and God of Game.

[esteban]

> Human Dog

You're not far from it

The four difficulty levels are Normal Dog, Hard Human, Super Mania and God of Game.

Aha! Thanks Kaminari, I knew I wasn't too far from the mark. I will still refer to the hardest mode as "Godhead" or, better yet, "GodHed" because that's what it should have been called.

Tangent: Oh yeah, I am visiting my parents this weekend and my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop! Yes, my dad controls the stereo these days .

[Kaminari]

my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop!

Talk about setting the right mood! I love Brel... but only when I'm depressed

I'm listening to Pat O'May these days. He's a French-Irish indie folk-rock composer from Brittany. Some of his tunes are quite in the vein of Steve Vai. Very cool and atmospheric, although his albums are hard to find. He should have made soundtracks for PCE shooters

[PhilBiker]

What's your favorite track?

The music is one of the things that makes the game so great!  All the music is brilliant.  I kind of like the crazy music for the last level (which BTW is completely INSANE - I completed the games multiple times years ago but can't get through it now!), but I think my favorite is the music on the bubbles level.  The main title music is pretty great, too.

[esteban]

What's your favorite track?

The music is one of the things that makes the game so great!  All the music is brilliant.  I kind of like the crazy music for the last level (which BTW is completely INSANE - I completed the games multiple times years ago but can't get through it now!), but I think my favorite is the music on the bubbles level.  The main title music is pretty great, too.

I like the bubble stage music as well. Wait, who am I kidding? Nearly all the tracks are great!

[esteban]

my dad has been listening to Jacques Brel for the past two days, non-stop!

Talk about setting the right mood! I love Brel... but only when I'm depressed

I'm listening to Pat O'May these days. He's a French-Irish indie folk-rock composer from Brittany. Some of his tunes are quite in the vein of Steve Vai. Very cool and atmospheric, although his albums are hard to find. He should have made soundtracks for PCE shooters

Ha! My dad tends to like music with somber lyrics / themes. Of course, I don't understand the lyrics . Needless to say, I've never heard of Pat O'May. After Telephone and Edith Piaf, my knowledge of French music plummets (though I have seen a lot of forgettable late 80's - early 90's french pop videos that aired daily on public t.v. in the States).

[Kaminari]

Musically-wise, I can't quite remember anything from the '90s :p

Pat O'May is produced by Ron Thal, maybe that does ring a bell... The funny thing is, he often writes music for a French documentary channel called Thalassa. Many of their programs are dedicated to the safeguard of coastal and oceanic environments. There has been a long-running program called "La France vue du ciel" ("France seen from above") where long travelling shots are taken from an helicopter, pretty much like those fancy aerial effects in The Lord of the Rings. There was a recurrent joke here about Peter Jackson stealing those so-called "Thalassa shots"
http://mapage.noos.fr/kaminari/breizh_07.ogg

[esteban]

Musically-wise, I can't quite remember anything from the '90s :p

Shame on you!

There was a recurrent joke here about Peter Jackson stealing those so-called "Thalassa shots"

100 Candles

I haven't listened to it yet (I gotta find a decent .ogg player for mac osx) -- but I will be able to listen to it at work on monday . Thanks .