A Tropical Nightmare: Let's Play StarTropics (Badly)

[Amechra]

Part 1: Here.

I hope you like people playing classic NES games poorly, because that's what you're getting.

Alright, let's dial that back a bit - this is a game that I'm playing because someone asked for it to be played. I'm mostly playing it blind, which doesn't help matters.

Don't worry, I'll probably get better as the game goes on... right?

[Olinser]

StarTropics is one of the greatest NES games (and StarTropics 2 is still one of my favorite games of all time).

If I could revive a single dead franchise and see a modern game of it, it would be StarTropics.

Unfortunately it died from very poor sales because they released StarTropics 2 over 3 years after the Super Nintendo had been out and people had ceased buying and playing the NES. I think it was actually one of the last games ever MADE for the NES console.

[Amechra]

StarTropics is one of the greatest NES games (and StarTropics 2 is still one of my favorite games of all time).

If I could revive a single dead franchise and see a modern game of it, it would be StarTropics.

Unfortunately it died from very poor sales because they released StarTropics 2 over 3 years after the Super Nintendo had been out and people had ceased buying and playing the NES. I think it was actually one of the last games ever MADE for the NES console.

I'm sorry that I can't share your sense of nostalgia for StarTropics. I'd also kinda like to see a more modern take on the series, because the controls are not working out for me at all.

[TaRix]

I'm sorry that I can't share your sense of nostalgia for StarTropics. I'd also kinda like to see a more modern take on the series, because the controls are not working out for me at all.

Yeah, there was that. I think you need to have a bit of a Pac-Man mentality for it--start moving in another direction before actually moving in another direction. Or something. I don't even remember if you can move in half-tiles, and the square-tile tiles all need to be jumped on or off, can't just walk on them for some reason.

And the number is 747. I had to find it scrawled in the back of the rental's instruction manual without any context, but such was life.

[J-H]

Cool, I have vague memories of playing this on the NES as a kid. I think I borrowed it.

[Amechra]

Yeah, there was that. I think you need to have a bit of a Pac-Man mentality for it--start moving in another direction before actually moving in another direction. Or something. I don't even remember if you can move in half-tiles, and the square-tile tiles all need to be jumped on or off, can't just walk on them for some reason.

And the number is 747. I had to find it scrawled in the back of the rental's instruction manual without any context, but such was life.

You kinda need to double-tap a direction if you want to turn and move that way. So movement is... jerky. And, I'd be OK with that if enemies were similarly constrained. But they aren't, so it's... a pain.

Monday might disappoint some people, is all I'm saying.

[Olinser]

You kinda need to double-tap a direction if you want to turn and move that way. So movement is... jerky. And, I'd be OK with that if enemies were similarly constrained. But they aren't, so it's... a pain.

Monday might disappoint some people, is all I'm saying.

It's not jerky it's buffered. The same way as attacks.

Taps don't work, when you are in a move animation you hold the direction you want to go next, and it executes it on the first frame possible.

In fact it assures that you can get frame perfect movement and attacks if you understand the buffering.

If you're just trying to button mash, yeah attacks and moves are going to be jerky.

It's not instant response, its tactical. You need to plan on what you're actually doing, not rely on reflexes to save you.

[Amechra]

It's not jerky it's buffered. The same way as attacks.

Taps don't work, when you are in a move animation you hold the direction you want to go next, and it executes it on the first frame possible.

In fact it assures that you can get frame perfect movement and attacks if you understand the buffering.

If you're just trying to button mash, yeah attacks and moves are going to be jerky.

It's not instant response, its tactical. You need to plan on what you're actually doing, not rely on reflexes to save you.

That might all be the case, but I just don't have the patience or time to learn the quirks of a buffered movement system. Especially not at the same time as I'm talking nonsense at the screen.

The funny thing is that I have a sensory disorder that effectively makes all of my senses operate on a delay, so I effectively have to button-mash. You should see me with fighting games.

[Amechra]

Part... Final?: Here

Yeah, I'm sorry folks. I've bounced off the controls of StarTropics so hard that actually playing the game was causing me tons of anxiety. It's a shame, because it's the kind of game I like in the abstract - I'm personally relating it to Mirror's Edge and Shadow of the Colossus, which were both games that I physically could not play even though I really wanted to.

I apologize to everyone who was really looking forward to StarTropics, but you'll have to get that experience from someone else. I just... can't.

[danzibr]

Well, at least ya tried.

I remember liking StarTropics 1 and 2 back in the day.