Game of the Week Club

[Sinistron]

This thread got me playing again- for the first time in at least a month.  Didn't play too long- though it was fun for a bit, then got a little bland and didn't make we want to keep pushing further.  The shield of planes is pretty cool- pretty original for pce shooties- what I don't like much is the sluggish speed, the monotonous enemies, and that it's pretty difficult to dodge in between some of the bosses' spray shots with that big hit zone due to your plane's wings- better to avoid the spray shots altogether and that just isn't much fun- looping around bosses like a pansy.

[sunteam_paul]

I think this is the only overhead shooter where I've used Space Harrier tactics to dodge bullets.

[sunteam_paul]

This week...

KAISŌ CHŌJIN SCHBIBIN MAN



Next week: W-Ring (Double Ring)

[Tatsujin]

I wait for next week

[runinruder]

I did up a Shubibinman review (with screens) pretty recently.  And here it is:

http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Shubibinman

[exodus]

I finally played the first shubibinman just a month or so ago, so I'll go off that.

I really liked it, even though it's clunky, has poor physics, and is rather "early famicom"-like in design. The humor is amuses me, and the backgrounds are kind of fun, if a bit drab. Ultimately I'm just happy any time anybody says SHUBIBEEEEEEEEEEAM

the second and third are better, but the first is fun all the way through...I'll admit I had to cheat on the final boss though. Anyone beat him without cheating?

[m1savage]

I like the game of the week idea.

Hadn't played the game in years before today. Not a terrible game by any means, but the sloppy control was just as I remembered it. Third time was the charm for this series.

[shubibiman]

This game is total crap to me. The hitbox is just ridiculously bad. Against the dragon bosses, when I jump and hit them, I must be litteraly meters away if I don't want to be hit, and still I can hit that sucker. Moreover, the beam is not very helpful as you can't move when using it.

[Sinistron]

the second and third are better, but the first is fun all the way through...I'll admit I had to cheat on the final boss though. Anyone beat him without cheating?

I beat this game some months ago- how exactly did you cheat?

[sunteam_paul]

This is one of the early games I got for the Engine, and is memorable to me for being the only game I got by trading another PC Engine game for (I have learned since never to get rid of games, even if the trade was with Power Drift). So naturally I put a bit of time into it and it was well worth the effort.

It's easy to dismiss this game for its faults - repetitive graphics, slippy controls, crap bosses etc but underneath there is a really good platform game. To me this almost feels like a bridge between the old-style 8-bit platformers like Jet Set Willy and the newer games like PC Kid. It requires good dodging skills and very fast reactions as it throws everything at you - platforms move in unexpected ways (or are sometimes invisible), rockets shoot in from the edge of the screen, spiked balls zip around to catch you out. Practice helps and knowing what each level is going to bring is essential in making good progress; as you play more it is quite satisfying to be able to dodge just at the right places. Your schbibin has limited use, but in the right places it can clear some awkward robots ahead and give you some breathing space (as is especially useful for an easy kill on the dragon boss).

Another good thing is the way you can choose your route. There is no need to play every level to complete the game - in fact, once you have learned which levels to play to gain power-ups (such as a powerful sword and schbibin upgrade) then you can get through the game pretty fast (I used to frequently pop it on to complete it back in the day, although I've long forgotten the optimal route and need to relearn it).

To me the downsides are far outweighed by the fun of accurate platforming. The graphics are a bit basic, but this was an early game. The bosses are repeated (with a little variation in attacks) but are mostly pointless. Control of your character takes a little getting used to, learning to duck to stop quickly is an essential skill, and the hit detection is poor, especially on bosses - but certainly not game breaking once you know to be careful.

Music is lound and screechy, but I really like it. Great sampled drums typical of Masaya and lots of sampled speech which was rather a novelty at the time and the ending music is really cool.

[esteban]

Ha! Late to the party, but I like this idea. I know we are going to do this "weekly, but I don't know if I can keep up with it. I'll try, though.

Quick question 1: For the folks with Daisenpu Custom CD (I have it, haven't played it in a long time).... don't all the Red Book songs sound the same? Or am I MISremembering things? They are separate tracks, IIRC, but sound the same.

As for SHOCKMAN 1 (as I refer to it), I never really gave this game a chance... but will I want to play it today when I have been having so much fun with Gyruss on NES?

[exodus]

I beat this game some months ago- how exactly did you cheat?

I used an invincibility code. As I recall (it's been a couple months maybe) there's no code on gamefaqs, but I just tried the code from Shockman/Shubibinman 2, and it worked.

To me the most amazing thing about this game is that it did well enough for them to make a sequel. It seems so poor overall that I'm surprised. Glad though!

[Turbo D]

SHUBIBINMAN (Japanese)
Stage Skip    Pause the game. press L, R, Sel, R, L, Sel, Sel, then unpause the game.
Invincibility    Pause, U, U, Sel, D, II, Sel, Unpause (must be done for every stage).
Death?!?!    Pause, R, Sel, L, Sel, Sel, Unpause, Death.

[sunteam_paul]

This week:

W-RING (THE DOUBLE RINGS)






Next week: Volfied

[sunteam_paul]

W-Ring isn't a game that gets much of a mention which is a pity because I quite like it. While it doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, it has enough to make it one of those games that I have a soft spot for. The graphics are pretty nice, fairly varied from level to level - sure it's no R-Type visually, but the liberal use of colour cycling makes the whole game feel very active and alive. The water level is particularly cool. I also really like the music as well, which has a certain quality to it, almost Darius-like in places, which is really appealing.

I played through on Beginner mode and completing the game is stupidly easy. But I also had fun doing it., and there are also Normal and Expert modes for those who want to test their reflexes.

If you've not played this before, it's really worth giving it the benefit of the doubt.