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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 23, 2018 16:21:26 GMT
Excitebike ANearly perfect game save for how quickly I 'defeat' it. I wish level 5 was more than just repeating trying to clear it quicker each time. As it is, it's a ton of fun. Probably even the first NES game I ever played - my friend's cousin had it & we were afraid of it overheating & damaging their system. I was 7. At least now I can save up to 4 created tracks & try to beat times on those. Family Feud: The All New B+A fun bit of escapism, I've always liked its format, tv & vid game alike. More childhood memories - these were the types of games my younger cousins were allowed to rent & play at family cottage for the summer. Excitebike revist... quicker sessions than I remember as a kid, it really only holds me for 5-15mins. Still lots of silly fun. Fav thing about Excitebike... wiping out most of the opposition zig zagging usually near the end of a lap. Family Feud revisit... 1980's tv names like Ewing, & POTUS names Reagan, Ford, & Carter for families... also Trump who was both a hack 80's celeb & now a POTUS. Fav thing about Family Feud... trying to win the fast money in the first shot, without needing secondary answers to win.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 23, 2018 16:27:09 GMT
Final Fantasy A-Excellent for its era, quite inviting & addictive. I really admire its storyline & scope, alas I'll need more time if I want to go farther & deeper. Galaga B+I appreciate this being more of an arcade legend than a Nintendo era one. Its loose controls & swift visuals are easy to pick up & get used to, though not for long sessions at a time. It's cute for a shooter & I'm glad they boxed it for the mini - I wouldn't have hack added it myself. Final Fantasy revisit... being right now involved with FFIII as I am, I've not yet jumped into this game much, other than it'll feel obviously slower & less refined. Fav thing about Final Fantasy... putting together the party of 4 to begin the game. Galaga revisit... not a huge shooter fan, I prefer horizontal scrolling to this classic arcade model. Fun for kicks, I don't play it much. Fav thing about Galaga... pre-emptively offing the baddies before they've a chance to properly attack.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 23, 2018 16:33:34 GMT
Ghosts'n Goblins C-One of my least fav inclusions on the mini, this thing while a classic can be a pain in the @$$. I would probably enjoy it more if I knew the path to full completion wasn't clearing the entire f'n game twice over. Plus points for infinite continues. Golf AAll in subjective bias here... Golf was one of the first games I had along with the Action set circa Christmas 1988. It's become an addicting staple for me near the likes of Tetris. The controls offer nothing much other than trial & error to adjust for wind &/or slicing or drawing the ball - because the directional target is not a true 360. Needless to say, I've had the game nearly 30yrs of experience to excel. My current low score is -12 under 60... I will shoot a 59! It plays with zero music with only minimal bells & whistles... practically like a turn key pocket gaming sim in NES form. It's quite a relaxing experience. Ghosts'n Goblins revisit... still a pain in the @$$ to succeed at, I did have patience a couple times to plow onwards. Without checkpoints & unlimited continues, the game would be unplayable. Fav thing about Ghosts'n Goblins... not sure if unrelenting enemies is too much of a positive, & yet this isn't a Disney game either. Golf revisit... I've managed my personal record -14 58 four times now, & true to the sport in real life, I've played my best when I least suspected it (once was while podcasting & barely paying attention to my play). Fav thing about Golf... holing from off the green, & yet nearer the green, the finer the payoff - holing a sand wedge is more satisfying than fluking a long iron.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 23, 2018 16:40:27 GMT
Gradius BSolid execution, not very memorable otherwise. I was never into shooters, & even if this is as old school as can be, I need better than loading up on weaponry only to lose it all from a cheap shot. Still has some of the tightest controls on the NES. Ice Climber B+More personal bias... One of the first games I ever played, at a friend's house. I always thought its platforming style was cool- jumping to break ice gave that action more purpose. Yes the controls are literally & figuratively slippery, yet also easy to grasp & use to your advantage (A button jumping + d-pad as a form of combo move to play). Very nice early NES graphics, sprites, & colours. Gradius revisit... I only play with the Konami code now, & it's still fairly challenging, esp the sob bosses. Very nice shooter to have with no slowdown. Fav thing about Gradius... unleashing waves of ammo on very busy screens of enemies, & coming out unscathed. Ice Climber revisit... I still admire its uniqueness, like Mario Bros. with more variety. I'm good not great at it, don't play too often. Fav thing about Ice Climber... achieving a bunch of tough jumps in a row without standing around waiting.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 13:40:47 GMT
Ice Hockey B+Childhood nostalgia. I played/debated this or Blades of Steel, I didn't want both. BoS plays quite sluggishly & deliberately, doesn't feel like video game hockey anymore. Of course IH doesn't fully either, it is more frenetic & fast paced fun. Misses points for player without the puck essentially becoming the goalie... hard to set the team up on defence with the goalie controls so integral. If we could elect to play as goalie or not while on the fly, this game would be nearly perfect with its already high degree of fun. Love the zambonis & huge shoutout no pun for the tight game 3rd period fan roaring. Kid Icarus B-Another raw review, I've only dabbled. I like its varied stages, enemies, & controls. I read it's a difficult game which makes me wary to really get into it, considering the other titles I've prioritized ahead of it. Fun so far from what I've played. Ice Hockey revisit... still fun in a hectic sporting way, sometimes I get too obsessed with controlling my goalie that my 4 skaters end up accomplishing nothing. Fav thing about Ice Hockey... close game late in the 3rd, the crowd noise becomes quite noisy, boosting adrenaline. Very nice touch. Kid Icarus revisit... admittedly haven't played this much, I do enjoy the infinite screen layout where you can walk left & end up back on the right. Fav thing about Kid Icarus... I actually admire how tough it can be, not every black box game should be a walk in the park.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 13:47:23 GMT
I'll chime in with the 60 I've on my NES Classic (30 hack added)... alphabetically. Adventure Island II B+
This one feels a bit in the Sonic the Hedgehog galaxy for me, you can play fast & get a lot done. Nice graphics, solid fun, nice degree of difficulty for what it is. I always felt like it landed in the sweet spot of the NES' golden era, before I knew what 16-bit had in store. Balloon Fight B+
This one is superb for what it is - single or two player battle game, + an obstacle course mode. 8-bit sprites never looked so perfect. Lots of fun & rather addictive, with enough of a challenge to keep me wanting more. Forgot this cuz the image. Adventure Island II revisit... a lot of fun, can play fast or deliberate trying to gather everything. Fav thing about Adventure Island II... that it even exists, rare is the quality side scroller not produced by Nintendo, Capcom, or Konami. Balloon Fight revisit... fun short stint gaming, I think I've reached peak performance with it. Fav thing about Balloon Fight... the 'sailing' feel to it, being in the air it's fun & unique to manoeuvre.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 13:52:35 GMT
Kirby's Adventure A-2016 was my first experience with it & it's great. Reminds me of SMW2 Yoshi's Island with its marvelous design & visuals. Eating up enemies to re-use their powers is a lot of fun & inventive. I guess what keeps it from higher for me is its gameplay & sounds tilt a bit childish. Still, very highly recommended. Life Force AEven though I've yet to defeat it, including K30 code, this thing is NES beastmode. Top notch visuals, sounds, playability, & most importantly difficulty-fun balance. SNES shooters introduced slowdown - not here. LF has some spectacular level design & graphics, easily some of the finest of its entire gen. It pretty much looks & feels like Contra in space with a ship. Kirby's Adventure revisit... a lot of fun, & its design is deceptively relaxing. Fav thing about Kirby's Adventure... just running around gobbling stuff up & shooting it out. Life Force revisit... still tough for me even with the K30 code, the later stages can get crazy & even claustrophobic in a good way. Fav thing about Life Force... 16-bit era art design; it's not 16-bit calibre, yet there is stuff trying to go on here that I don't see again until SNES.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 13:56:39 GMT
Mario Bros. C+What can I say, I know it's blasphemous to not feel love for a Mario title esp from this gen, & yet the game proper isn't all that jazzy. A single level design & repetitive payoffs. Slippery controls which unlike Ice Climber's offers up more penalties (IC's as I mentioned can be mastered, MB's feels obstructive). Still, fun for quick sessions & playing as Mario for the first time has its charms. Not bad, not very good either. Mega Man 2 A+The first game I ever defeated (original 80's run*), & first I delved back into last year to complete. MM2 might possibly have the greatest difficulty-fun balance to this day in vg history. Sure it lets you take control of acing levels with power-ups, yet many boss fights (Dr.Willy stage having to defeat them all) & certain obstacles remain legitimate challenges. Excellent music & sound, graphics, & level design. MM controls are what they are, yet once you start playing, they're very adaptable. This is a top 5 NES title for me, easily. Mario Bros. revisit... don't play much, its slippery controls & single screen aren't exactly begging for attention. Fav thing about Mario Bros. ...collecting coins before it was cool. Mega Man 2 revisit... a near flawless experience, no other MM game seems to be so timeless. I think probably MM2's balance was pitch perfect. Fav thing about Mega Man 2... the metal blade makes me feel invincible.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 14:01:00 GMT
Metroid A-Great gaming experience, alas Super Metroid now ages this one more noticeably than most series. I never grew up on this one, not least none of us owned it, & renting it didn't give ample time to explore & get on with things. Still, quite inventive, large scale for its era. What I appreciate most about the Metroid franchise is whenever I'm playing, it feels as if the game itself wants me to succeed. Even with difficulty, Metroid never feels like it's trying to punch me in the face &/or spit out my controller. That's surely the Nintendo dna of it at work. Monopoly AWhat can I say, I love a great board game & I've always loved Monopoly. Monopoly is a game I've played around online since as far as I can remember. I gave this game/rom a shot first online as well & it's great fun. The only drawback really is you can't see on the primary screen everyone's portfolio, they're instead posted in a type of side menu. For its time there are still fast play options, & both easy & harder AI opponents. Metroid revisit... haven't dug into it on the mini, I'll probably dabble after I commit to Super Metroid. Fav thing about Metroid... I've always loved the franchise's level design, like playing an epic sci-fi movie. Monopoly revisit... unlike playing online with f'n ads everywhere now, & load times, NES Monopoly is fun to play while podcasting or a rainy day. Fav thing about Monopoly... opting for 7 A.I. opponents, the most available, & playing melee style.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 24, 2018 14:04:40 GMT
Ms. Pac-Man A-I always remembered playing this & yet I'd forgotten nearly everything about it - other than the varied level design of course. I added this to twin with Pac-Man, this one offers up more depth of fun & satisfaction. Great for short 5-10min play sessions, I'm better at this one than the first. NES Open Tournament Golf A-Pretty cool sports title for 8-bit gen, though not as tightly fun as Golf. More options & setups before & during play makes it a longer session. Very nice presentation, graphics, play design, one of the better Nintendo sports titles they made themselves. I remember Nintendo Power was all in on this thing at the time, & my rental experience with it barely scratched its surface. Now it's a nice leisurely game to have. Ms. Pac-Man revisit... lots of fun, yet I've found myself playing Pac-Man more often because pared down & even more legendary. Fav thing about Ms. Pac-Man... variety of mazes of course. NES Open Golf revisit... while much deeper than Golf, it takes more time to play & enjoy. I've other sports NES & SNES titles I prefer at the moment. Fav thing about NES Open Golf... so much depth & variety, including club head speed enabling higher risk/reward. It never ever plays the same twice.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 25, 2018 1:54:46 GMT
Ninja Gaiden C+Points off because I scuk at this series, with its jumping, cheap hits, & difficulty. Points on for unique design & creative gameplay. This game is in a league with Battletoads for too difficult to even bother much with. Shame that. Pac-Man B+
Legendary classic, still lots of fun to play for short sessions. NES translation is spot on, sights & sounds as close as can be. I'm slowly getting better at it, not all that much though. Good times. Ninja Gaiden revisit... still scuk at it, don't play it much. Fav thing about Ninja Gaiden... wall climbing, or clinging to be exact. Pac-Man revisit... nice old school gaming, I'm better than I was 18mos ago. Fav thing about Pac-Man... baiting all the ghosts into one corner before unleashing hell with a power pellet.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 25, 2018 1:58:37 GMT
Pirates! A-Really enjoy this game, another classic gem I added. RPG lite - relaxing choose your own adventure style in the pirate world of the Caribbean. What's great is the game is as simple or as deep as you want - for casual fun or all in grind for success. Punch-Out! Feat. Mr.Dream ANintendo of course doesn't have anything to do with Mike Tyson which pretty much keeps this from a bonus A+ for nostalgia. This thing still plays like 8-bit 2.0... great controls, strategic demands, & nice giant character sprites... above & beyond most other NES titles. Excellent game, alas I've yet to grow a true affinity for it. Pirates! revisit... relaxing, drawling game, I still only play for fun & not to achieve much out of it. Fav thing about Pirates!... the sailing, with the wind sounds. Punch-Out! revisit... I'm still an amateur, though this version remains superior to the SNES sequel. Fav thing about Punch-Out!... knocking someone out always feels amazing.
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Post by mrellaguru on Mar 25, 2018 14:48:27 GMT
Pirates! A-Really enjoy this game, another classic gem I added. RPG lite - relaxing choose your own adventure style in the pirate world of the Caribbean. What's great is the game is as simple or as deep as you want - for casual fun or all in grind for success. Punch-Out! Feat. Mr.Dream ANintendo of course doesn't have anything to do with Mike Tyson which pretty much keeps this from a bonus A+ for nostalgia. This thing still plays like 8-bit 2.0... great controls, strategic demands, & nice giant character sprites... above & beyond most other NES titles. Excellent game, alas I've yet to grow a true affinity for it. Pirates! revisit... relaxing, drawling game, I still only play for fun & not to achieve much out of it. Fav thing about Pirates!... the sailing, with the wind sounds. Punch-Out! revisit... I'm still an amateur, though this version remains superior to the SNES sequel. Fav thing about Punch-Out!... knocking someone out always feels amazing. SNES Super Punch-Out is more similar to the original arcade games. I think that it's a fine sequel and somewhat underrated. It's not that difficult just to beat, but the time trial mode adds a lot of replay value, trying to improve your times.
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Post by mrellaguru on Mar 25, 2018 14:55:28 GMT
Ninja Gaiden C+Points off because I scuk at this series, with its jumping, cheap hits, & difficulty. Points on for unique design & creative gameplay. This game is in a league with Battletoads for too difficult to even bother much with. Shame that. Pac-Man B+
Legendary classic, still lots of fun to play for short sessions. NES translation is spot on, sights & sounds as close as can be. I'm slowly getting better at it, not all that much though. Good times. Ninja Gaiden revisit... still scuk at it, don't play it much. Fav thing about Ninja Gaiden... wall climbing, or clinging to be exact. Pac-Man revisit... nice old school gaming, I'm better than I was 18mos ago. Fav thing about Pac-Man... baiting all the ghosts into one corner before unleashing hell with a power pellet. NG has the same enemy patterns every time. There is very little randomness so it becomes significantly easier with practice. I used to suck at it as a kid, but now I can beat it without dying. The two sequels are both much harder, IMO. However, Ninja Gaiden II doesn't send you back as far when you die at the final bosses so it's easier for most people to beat. Ninja Gaiden III has limited continues and much more damage from enemies so it's the hardest of the three.
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Post by mrellaguru on Mar 25, 2018 14:59:08 GMT
Dr. Mario A-Infuriatingly addictive. Level 20 is my starting point, ocd trying to conquer the sob. Not even Tetris can match this game's omg wtf it's been 90mins already time passage. DuckTales AEasily in the top tier of masterpiece third party games for the NES, & even greater prestige as one of the finest franchise to game releases ever. DT excels with a bit of a SMB3 style non-linear level design while uncovering bonuses & unique pathways to success. Excellent music, visuals, sounds, & payoffs. Pogo jumping is icing on the cake. Dr. Mario revisit... I've cooled off after playing it like crazy about a year ago now. Still excellent for its era. Fav thing about Dr. Mario... ending up near peril & taking over with a slew of 'capsule' matches to get me back ahead. Which is why I opt for level 20 start point for greater satisfaction. DuckTales revisit... still excellent, such a fun casual gaming experience. I haven't tried to beat it on hard mode yet. Fav thing about DuckTales... pogo jump of course, easily. So f'n awesome. I hate Dr. Mario compared to Tetris. The game usually keeps giving colors that you don't need over and over to the point of tedium. And I don't like how cluttered the playfield is. I also suck at it.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 26, 2018 2:43:46 GMT
RBI Baseball A+Hands down in my own top 3 for the NES. Masterpiece of a game, I was lucky enough to be gifted it the same 1987(?) Christmas we got our Action Set. Still extremely re-playable. 1987 is one of the greatest MLB stat seasons in history, this game pays off perfectly from that. I've played the Arcade rom, & while it has crazy HOF rosters, the creators seemed to screw with ppls skills - both good & bad. I could discuss RBI in an entirely separate thread for days. RBI Baseball 3 A-Personal biases on full parade here. RBI 3 is not only nostalgic, it's essentially got the rosters of every team/player from my childhood baseball lore & card collecting golden age. It was released in the prime of my youth when pro sports was in that fountain of impressionable awe era - when my friends & I both followed and played the sport like crazy. 85, 89, & 90 Blue Jays is euphoric bias for me. RBI Baseball revisit... still the boss of all baseball games. Fav thing about RBI Baseball... euphoric home run hitting... for some reason I'm noticeably better with righties like McGwire, Bell, Dawson, & Trammell. I always see ppl saying Reggie Jackson is the king, & yet my lefty handicap hasn't ever mastered it. This is a popular thing online - fav players in each lineup spot: 1. A.Trammell 2. D.Mattingly 3. G.Bell 4. J.Canseco 5. W.Clark 6. M.Schmidt 7. C.Davis 8. T.Brookens M.McGwire D.Murphy P.Molitor J.Kruk 1. J.Key 2. B.Saberhagen 3. D.Righetti 4. T.Henke RBI 3 revisit... more deliberate game play than others of the era, less about home runs & more about getting guys on base. Fav thing about RBI 3... ability to change batting orders, substitute starters, switch hit, & full bullpen.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 27, 2018 3:32:00 GMT
R.C. Pro-Am II B+I'd dabbled with the original classic, including rom'ing to decide which to hack add. The sequel is my preference for a few reasons - the camera is pulled back a little, allowing for greater vision, the racing is slicker & more tightly controlled, the power-ups are more diverse, & the track variation is greater. Now the first one for me feels sluggish & amateurish. This game/series is a must of course. Rad Racer A-For me, this is one of the quintessential racing video games of all time. The mini's save feature has added much value to its challenge. Still difficult, at least now I'm not fretting the cheap hits or running out of time with inches to go, just to stay in it. Lots of fun, the night courses are awesome, cool music too. R.C. Pro-Am II revisit... kinda fun in a kart style way. Still finer gameplay than the more heralded first RC game. Fav thing about RC II... missile shots on opponents during the final lap to get a win. Rad Racer revisit... save option improves this game ten fold. I think I last saved at the Typhoon stage, level 7 of 8. I even tried old school 3D glasses - not so much. Fav thing about Rad Racer... besides the nice sense of speed, the ability to change music 'radio' is fun in a GTA kinda way.
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Post by mrellaguru on Mar 27, 2018 15:39:19 GMT
R.C. Pro-Am II B+I'd dabbled with the original classic, including rom'ing to decide which to hack add. The sequel is my preference for a few reasons - the camera is pulled back a little, allowing for greater vision, the racing is slicker & more tightly controlled, the power-ups are more diverse, & the track variation is greater. Now the first one for me feels sluggish & amateurish. This game/series is a must of course. Rad Racer A-For me, this is one of the quintessential racing video games of all time. The mini's save feature has added much value to its challenge. Still difficult, at least now I'm not fretting the cheap hits or running out of time with inches to go, just to stay in it. Lots of fun, the night courses are awesome, cool music too. R.C. Pro-Am II revisit... kinda fun in a kart style way. Still finer gameplay than the more heralded first RC game. Fav thing about RC II... missile shots on opponents during the final lap to get a win. Rad Racer revisit... save option improves this game ten fold. I think I last saved at the Typhoon stage, level 7 of 8. I even tried old school 3D glasses - not so much. Fav thing about Rad Racer... besides the nice sense of speed, the ability to change music 'radio' is fun in a GTA kinda way. No real need for saves. Rad Racer already has a level select code: "Once you select your vehicle, press the B button X-1 times (X = Track Number). Then, hold Up and Right and press Start" And you can continue by holding A and pressing start after a game over. You can use these to practice any courses that are giving you trouble and then try to beat it legit. I've come close to beating the game without any cheats... near the end of the last course. but I still haven't done it. It's also one of those games that kills your thumb after awhile.
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Post by mrellaguru on Mar 27, 2018 19:19:24 GMT
Donkey Kong Jr. BThis one to me feels less iconic than DK, which along with its quirky controls, brings it down a notch. Still fun as an aside, esp right after a quick DK session. Double Dragon II: The Revenge ANostalgic bias here. Double Dragon was both the first arcade game I played and the first that I defeated (2 player). I had to own it on NES when I was a kid... alas its later stages were like one long dead end. 2 player &/or cheat lives code would've been most welcome.DD2 came out in arcades of course prior to the Street Fighter II era, & its looser controls & more enjoyable interface won me & my friends over huge (childhood lore: couple of my friends were beating it when the power went out at their arcade, Canada's Wonderland of all places). It still plays really well, still a lot of fun to get into. One day I'll commit to defeating it. For the first Double Dragon you just have to know to go into certain entrances such as the cave entrance after fighting the two Abobos in mission 3. Otherwise these sections keep looping. I love the original NES Double Dragon and Double Dragon II.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Mar 27, 2018 21:04:11 GMT
Donkey Kong Jr. BThis one to me feels less iconic than DK, which along with its quirky controls, brings it down a notch. Still fun as an aside, esp right after a quick DK session. Double Dragon II: The Revenge ANostalgic bias here. Double Dragon was both the first arcade game I played and the first that I defeated (2 player). I had to own it on NES when I was a kid... alas its later stages were like one long dead end. 2 player &/or cheat lives code would've been most welcome.DD2 came out in arcades of course prior to the Street Fighter II era, & its looser controls & more enjoyable interface won me & my friends over huge (childhood lore: couple of my friends were beating it when the power went out at their arcade, Canada's Wonderland of all places). It still plays really well, still a lot of fun to get into. One day I'll commit to defeating it. For the first Double Dragon you just have to know to go into certain entrances such as the cave entrance after fighting the two Abobos in mission 3. Otherwise these sections keep looping. I love the original NES Double Dragon and Double Dragon II. As a kid, DD was for us the first great arcade breakout post-crash era. NES version alas was not up to par. First few levels are fun, yet the game all but slams the door shut once you go in the cave. Blind jumping, cave ceiling falling on you, 2 baddies bookending to attack... not a lot of fun that.
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