DeceasedCrab plays 7 Days a Skeptic - Part 4 of 10

We might as well rename the game "Where's the Captain?"

Also...lamest. Engineer. Ever.

Talk to Serena and Angela again, and you'll be able to ask them some more questions. When you're done, go back to Adam at the mess hall and he'll give you the airlock pass so you can go outside and see what's going on.

Head back to the cargo bay, and you'll notice the metal box is really open. Use the airlock pass on the airlock on the right side of the cargo bay, and you'll enter the airlock. If you close the left door and open the right, you'll instantly be sucked into outer space and killed. (Yes, you can kill yourself in this game.) Do yourself a favor, and open the closet first. This gives you access to an EVA suit. Click on it and you'll instantly put it on. Now you can open the right doorway.

From here, use the safety rail to get to the other side. To do that, use the safety clip on the handrail. To take the clip off, use the hand on the safety rail. You'll notice there are blood stains on the ladder. Use the safety clip on the rail to the right of the ladder and climp upwards. If you unclip before you make it to the end of the safety rail, you will drift off into space and die.

You'll make contact with Serena before you make your way up to the radio masts. You'll then see a man in an EVA suit impaled on a bunch of spikes. Hmmmm...

Tuesday

Well, it's official. The captain is dead.

You'll lay the machete on the table, then everyone will try to figure out what's going on. Afterwards, William will head back to his quarters and Serena will head back to her console on the bridge.

DeceasedCrab plays 7 Days a Skeptic - Part 3 of 10

Plot forwarding powers! Activate!

When you enter the cargo bay, you'll see Captain Chahal, Angela and Adam standing around the metal object. There's a plaque on the box that says "Here lies John DeFoe. Finally at rest. Do not disturb his sleep. 11/9/1997." There's also a crudely drawn picture of a trilby hat next to the date. Does this sound familiar? If not, go read the 6 Days a Sacrifice guide.

At this point, everyone leaves the box alone and Captain Chahal decides to bring this matter to High Command's attention. Everyone then leaves the cargo bay.

Monday

Yep, we're doing the whole "day-by-day" plot advancement that was prevalent in 6 Days a Sacrifice. Surprised? Don't be.

John wakes up from a nightmare that involves the metal box opening up...and two human hands coming out of the hole. You'll then be unable to hear the engines running. Use the hand on the wrench set on the desk, and you'll take it. When you take the elevator, you'll find out it's not working. Go to the mess hall and talk to Adam, then use the hand on the dispenser on the right-hand wall. Then, use the Breakfast on Adam and you'll eat the breakfast. After that, use the wrench set on the hatch and use the hand on the hatch. Go left, and you'll see sparks flying out from the elevator mechanism. Whatever this object is, it's stuck in the mechanism and causing the elevator not to work. Use the butter you got from the breakfast on the mystery object, and you'll find out it's an old-fashioned bladed weapon with bloodstains on it. The inventory calls it a machete, but it's really Frehorn's Blade.

Use the hand on the shaft entrance, and the door will close behind you after you leave. Head back to the mess hall and show the machete to Adam. Now that the elevator works again, you'll be able to find the others. Go to the ops deck and head back to the bridge. Angela will be standing next to Serena, and you'll find out the Captain has mysteriously gone missing. Angela asks you to look for Adam again so he can get the engines back on.

DeceasedCrab plays 7 Days a Skeptic - Part 2 of 10

What's the deal with metal objects in this game? Oh, right...

Go back to the elevator and click on the picture of the man and woman holding hands. This is the communal deck.

The first door is the rec room. There's not really much to do in this room.

The second door is sick bay. Remember that blond haired man you were talking to at the beginning of the game. He's here. This is William. He's the ship physician, and talking to him brings up some more personal questions. The third door is your office. Derp.

Go back onto the elevator and click on the picture of the house. This is the residence deck. The door on the far right is the mess hall. Nothing to do here.

The right-most door on the north wall is your room. Click on the keypanel, choose the card, and you'll enter the room. There's not much in here that is of use at the moment. Just use the hand on the door if you want to leave.

Back to the ops deck. This is the picture of the circle with the curved line in the lower-right corner. Click here and you'll be back where you took control of the game again. Go back to the room with Serena in it, then click on the keypanel next to the door on the left. This is Captain Chahal's room. After you identify yourself, he'll let you in. You'll be able to ask the Captain some questions as well. You'll get to know the other characters a little better, including Captain Chahal himself.

When you're done, say goodbye to the captain and head into the elevator again. This time, click on the wrench. This is the engine deck. The open door is the reactor core. There's not much else to see here.

Head back to the communal deck and head back to your office. Use the hand on the desk. Captain Chahal will contact you and request your presence at the cargo bay immediately. Head back to the engine deck. From there, head back to the reactor core and enter the other open door on the right. What's the metal object? Stay tuned!

DeceasedCrab plays 7 Days a Skeptic - Part 1 of 10

It's been a while since I covered the Chzo Mythos series, so...yeah. Here you go.

The chronological sequel to 6 Days a Sacrifice, the first game I ever covered in the PrinceWatercress blog, is finally here!

The story begins on July 27th, 2385, aboard the spaceship Mephistopheles. You play as Johnathan Somerset, and well...we'll find out what happens shortly.

Sunday

After you're done looking around your office and leave the room, you'll hear a ship-wide announcement: all personnel are to report to the conference room on the ops deck by order of Captain Chahal. You'll then meet Adam, and he's just as in the dark as you are. You'll automatically go to the conference room.

Once there, you'll find out that the scanners have picked up something in open space, and it seems to be of a man-made nature. Serena will operate the holographic tabletop, and the object that shows up is constructed of a metallic alloy, has a rectangular shape, and looks like some kind of container. It may or may not be an escape pod. High Command recommends planting a beacon and leaving it to a fully-equipped research vessel, but Captain Chahal, ever the take-charge, old-school kind of leader, asks Adam to get it with the grappling hook and bring it into the cargo bay. Everyone else leaves the conference room.

As John leaves, Captain Chahal catches up with him. He'll ask you to be there when they study it, and that you can come to his office if you need to. After that, you'll have control of the game again.

The controls are similar to 6 Days a Sacrifice: click on something and choose what action you want to perform with it.

The door to the right is you came in from. This is the conference room. The door that Captain Chahal walked takes you to the bridge, where Serena is at the controls. Talk to her and you'll get a bunch of questions you can get answers to, but they're more about trivial stuff (including Captain Chahal's demeanor) than anything else.

The door to the right of Serena is the escape pod room. There's nothing to do here at this point in the game.

When you leave the room with Serena and enter the door on the left, you'll be in the elevator. There are five buttons on it. Click on the eye and you'll instantly go to the Observation Deck. You'll meet up with Angela. Once again, more trivial questions.

Ninja Gaiden OST

Here it is: the entire OST for the first Ninja Gaiden game.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Act 6, Part 2 of 2

Finally, we end this bad boy.

Once you snap your father out of it, Jaquio will try to kill you and your father. Ken sacrifices himself in order to save his son.

It's now a fight between Ryu and Jaquio!

vs. Jaquio

Leap off the wall and hit the Star of David in the middle of Jaquio. The fireballs will try to home in on you, but they don't do a very good job. If you can stay on the bottom as the fireballs come by, or if you stay on the opposite end of the screen from Jaquio, they won't really be able to loop back around to try to hit you a second time.

You'll save the girl, get a typo, and then find out you have to throw the statues from the top of the temple before the "black moon" shines. Unfortunately, you're too late, and now you have to use the Dragon Sword to take the demon down.

Stage 6-5

Hit the head until it falls, then take down its wagging tail. Then, take down that purple orb of a heart until it's dead.

All the while, you'll be avoiding the fireballs that come out of the top of the demon. Just be careful and be patient.

After you destroy the demon, Ken Hayabusa dies, and Ryu and the girl escape the temple before it crumbles. Foster orders the girl (code name Sea Swallow) to kill Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu overhears this and swears revenge against Foster, before taking the communicator out of the girl's hand and throwing it into the forest below. Ryu and the girl kiss, and we finally find out what the girl's name is: Irene Lew. They both stand at the end of the cliff and watch the sun rise.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Act 6, Part 1 of 2

Ken Hayabusa is still alive? OMG!

Act 6-1

Orange candles hold the power-ups.

Run to the left. Let nothing stand in your way. That is all.

Act 6-2

Orange candles hold the power-ups again.

There sure a lot of six-point stars around here.

All that can really be said about this stage is to be slow and steady, especially after that long ladder up. Remember, there are times in the game where you don't have to rush straight through like a boss.

Act 6-3

Blue candles hold all the power-ups this time.

Unlike 6-2, you can more or less run straight through this one. Be careful, though, as there are still a few jumps where you can be taken unaware and get knocked into a pit.

Also, hurray for enemies falling from the ceiling.

When you make it to the end of this part, you'll meet the Masked Devil...who is really your father under mind control! You'll find out that an orb on the wall connected to a statue is controlling Ken Hayabusa!

Act 6-4

You know what to do. Destroy that orb.

Climb all the way up the left wall until you can go no further up. If the fireballs that come out of the orb and orbit the Masked Devil don't hit you, you're obviously high enough up. The Masked Devil will follow you, so get to the other side of the room and hit the orb where the fireballs that home in on the Masked Devil won't hit you. When he gets close, climb up the wall again, and make sure the fireballs orbiting the boss can't harm you. Then make it back to the other side, smack the orb until the Masked Devil gets close again, lather, rinse, repeat.

This is just one boss in a three-boss gauntlet. Remember that whenever you beat a boss, you'll regain your health. If you die during this gauntlet, you'll return all the way back to Stage 6-1. So be careful.

All Power-ups

Blue Shuriken - This shuriken is just your normal, run-of-the-mill shuriken. No surprise here. 3 Ninjitsu points per use.

Blue Whirlwind - This lets you perform a somersault slash whenever you press the B button in mid-air with this power-up equipped. If you hold Down on the Control Pad while attacking when you have this equipped, you won't have to worry about accidentally using your Ninjitsu to attack enemies in mid-air. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Flame - This throws some fire rings upward and forward, protecting you from high attacks. It's quite powerful. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Shuriken - Unlike the Blue Shuriken, this acts more like a boomerang. If you jump just before it returns to you, it'll go under you and still hit anything in its path. If you're skilled enough, you could keep it on the screen indefinitely. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Invincibility Ring - When you grab this, it replaces your power-up, then leaves you without one when it stops working. A ring of four small flames surrounds you, giving you temporarily invincibility. When that happens, run like hell through the stage and don't screw up.

Orange Hourglass - This stops all enemies on screen for a few seconds. Thankfully, it does not use up your power-up slot. Use this as an opportunity to get through the stage and easily destroy anyone or anything in your way.

Blue Picture of Ryu - It's not really shown, but if you happen to come across one of these, get it. It's an extra life.

Thin Orange Pot - This pot doesn't show up very often, but when it shows up, grab it. It refills your health.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Act 5

Oh, tjord. Respawns at the beginning of jumps, every enemy being a turdburglar...this act has it all.

Act 5-1

Orange candles carry the power-ups.

You now have white guys throwing sickles at you, as well as bats and birds respawning at jumps. Carry the Orange Shurikens at all times here, and have it loop back and forth.

Act 5-2

Blue candles carry the power-ups.

The game finally goes balls-to-the-wall here. The green tornado kicking guys, the soldiers, the green ninjas, the hawks, the bats...they all come together to make your life miserable.

Here's how to get past that stupid-ass jump.

Act 5-3

Blue candles carry the power-ups yet again.

I could never get past this part.

Get the Orange Flame in the first section. You'll need it for the new enemy in the next one: orange ninjas on jetpacks that throw shurikens from above. Take them out with those fire rings to make them a thing of the past, since they'll make jumps miserable.

The candles at the top in the beginning of the third section has a 1-Up. Go get it, then go back down the ladder to the end of the second section and come back up. The candles will instantly respawn, leading to infinite 1-Ups. Problems, Jaquio? Meanwhile, the last candle in the third section has an Orange Invincibility Ring.

With this temporary invincibility, you'll be able to sail through a little bit of the fourth section. The rest of this stage is pretty easy.

When you make it to the top, move all the way to the edge. You'll meet Malth.

Act 5-4

Get in front of him and keep hitting him. His attacks, sadly, are unavoidable. Don't worry about your health, as it refills whenever you reach a new stage. When he hits you, get right back in front of him and keep slashing him. He'll fall before you do.

You'll find out that Malth is the man who fought your father in the opening cutscene. You'll also find out that Ryu's father is still alive! To Ken Hayabusa! Stay tuned!

All Power-ups

Blue Shuriken - This shuriken is just your normal, run-of-the-mill shuriken. No surprise here. 3 Ninjitsu points per use.

Blue Whirlwind - This lets you perform a somersault slash whenever you press the B button in mid-air with this power-up equipped. If you hold Down on the Control Pad while attacking when you have this equipped, you won't have to worry about accidentally using your Ninjitsu to attack enemies in mid-air. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Flame - This throws some fire rings upward and forward, protecting you from high attacks. It's quite powerful. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Shuriken - Unlike the Blue Shuriken, this acts more like a boomerang. If you jump just before it returns to you, it'll go under you and still hit anything in its path. If you're skilled enough, you could keep it on the screen indefinitely. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Invincibility Ring - When you grab this, it replaces your power-up, then leaves you without one when it stops working. A ring of four small flames surrounds you, giving you temporarily invincibility. When that happens, run like hell through the stage and don't screw up.

Orange Hourglass - This stops all enemies on screen for a few seconds. Thankfully, it does not use up your power-up slot. Use this as an opportunity to get through the stage and easily destroy anyone or anything in your way.

Blue Picture of Ryu - It's not really shown, but if you happen to come across one of these, get it. It's an extra life.

Thin Orange Pot - This pot doesn't show up very often, but when it shows up, grab it. It refills your health.

Nerd Gaiden

It's AVGN time again!

I'm surprised they had straight faces in the final cut.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Act 4

Can you believe we're halfway through this game now?

You'll find out that you've been captured by the CIA Special Auxilliary Unit. What kind of ninja gets captured by the CIA?!?

You'll meet Foster, one of the members of the SAU and quite possibly the leader.

Anyway, it appears that the CIA didn't kill him. He'll then fill you in with a slideshow (during which we find out that Mexico isn't connected to South America for some strange reason) and tell you that the ruins, which were discovered and sealed off by Dr. Smith, were taken over by a man named Guardia DeMieux, who calls himself Jaquio. Jaquio knows about the legend behind the statues and wants to bring the demon back and control the entire world.

You'll also find out that the girl who shot you with the dark gun is also part of the SAU. You'll then drop into the Amazon Jungle via a parachute out of a bi-plane.

Act 4-1

The orange spiders carry the power-ups, so keep that in mind.

There's an Orange Invincibility Ring halfway through the stage. There is a 1-Up that you can pick up

When you reach the ladder, you're almost there. Jump off of it when you reach the top while avoiding the hawk, then make your way to the edge of the cliff. You'll automatically trigger a cutscene which shows the temple where the demon's body is imprisoned.

Act 4-2

The orange, flickering lanterns carry the power-ups in this stage.

The green ninjas drop from the ceiling and run back and forth with their swords in front of them. Some ninjas. They can be taken care of quite easily, but they can still be tough to deal with in difficult terrain.

The guy with the jack-o'-lantern masks are like the guys in the white sheets - they throw knives into the air hoping to hit you.

Act 4-3

Yay, more ladder climbing time.

The power-ups are tucked behind blue candles here.

The grey guys here are as annoying as anything. They do a few tornado kicks before they fly into the air to never return. You'll see these guys throughout the game after this point.

You'll also see the green cannons, which fire shots every so often. It'll be another regular enemy from this point on, and you'll see these things in packs at times.

The boss is two animated statues. Only one of them can take damage. Find him, then hang around one of the two pillars and don't jump, so they won't leap right into you or hit you with their projectiles. They're easier than they let on.

After you destroy the animated statues, you'll finally come face-to-face with Jaquio. He forces Ryu to give him the Shadow Statue by taking the mysterious girl from the bar hostage! Jaquio then triggers a trap door, which Ryu falls straight through.

What happens next? Stay tuned!

Power-Ups Shown In This Level

Blue Picture of Ryu - It's not really shown, but if you happen to come across one of these, get it. It's an extra life.

Thin Orange Pot - This pot doesn't show up very often, but when it shows up, grab it. It refills your health.

All Power-ups

Blue Shuriken - This shuriken is just your normal, run-of-the-mill shuriken. No surprise here. 3 Ninjitsu points per use.

Blue Whirlwind - This lets you perform a somersault slash whenever you press the B button in mid-air with this power-up equipped. If you hold Down on the Control Pad while attacking when you have this equipped, you won't have to worry about accidentally using your Ninjitsu to attack enemies in mid-air. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Flame - This throws some fire rings upward and forward, protecting you from high attacks. It's quite powerful. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Shuriken - Unlike the Blue Shuriken, this acts more like a boomerang. If you jump just before it returns to you, it'll go under you and still hit anything in its path. If you're skilled enough, you could keep it on the screen indefinitely. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Invincibility Ring - When you grab this, it replaces your power-up, then leaves you without one when it stops working. A ring of four small flames surrounds you, giving you temporarily invincibility. When that happens, run like hell through the stage and don't screw up.

Orange Hourglass - This stops all enemies on screen for a few seconds. Thankfully, it does not use up your power-up slot. Use this as an opportunity to get through the stage and easily destroy anyone or anything in your way.

Blue Picture of Ryu - It's not really shown, but if you happen to come across one of these, get it. It's an extra life.

Thin Orange Pot - This pot doesn't show up very often, but when it shows up, grab it. It refills your health.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Act 3

The adventure continues as we meet the infamous Ninja Gaiden Birds and get captured. Again. Ryu is such a lame ninja.

Ryu Hayabusa finally meets Walter Smith in the beginning of the third act.

You'll find out that the statue the girl gave you came from a temple in some Amazonian ruins and has enough evil power in it to destroy an entire nation. Walter Smith will then tell you the legend behind the demon statue before telling you that there is another statue out there.

Another ninja will slip into the conversation and get away with the statue! You've got to get it back!

Act 3-1

The orange bugs carry the power-ups in this stage.

The hawks here are annoying. They come down and try to follow you, and they act like they have no brakes whatsoever when they're trying to turn around and come at you. Not only that, they do three points of damage while everything else does just one. Yes, Temco, that is very realistic. That's about as realistic as...I dunno...taking the most damage from a wooden log on a waterfall in the Master System game. Hit them when you can.

There's a few small platforms to land on near the end of the stage, so be careful and don't get into too much of a rush.

Act 3-2

This is officially where the game gets nuts. The birds will knock you into pits, there are now soldiers with rocket launchers, and the boss here is harder than the other two that you've fought thus far.

The little white and brown eaglets flying around carry the power-ups in this stage.

If you can get ahold of the Orange Shuriken, use it throughout this stage. It'll take care of the wild leopards that come at you from behind.

The boss here jumps from one side to the other, shooting at you as he goes. Pay attention for the feint noise of a gunshot, and duck and slash to take down the bullets he shoots at you with. Just follow him around, and be careful, as the occurence in which he fires the bullets are more or less random than anything else.

When Ryu gets the statue back and returns to Dr. Smith, he'll find out that Dr. Smith has been fatally wounded and that the Light Statue has been stolen. Ryu now has no choice but to become the Ninja Dragon and destroy the demon once and for all.

He'll then notice men in suits and hats. Two of them have a gun pointed at him, while a third commands Ryu to come with them. Who are these guys? Stay tuned!

Power-ups Shown In This Video

Orange Hourglass - This stops all enemies on screen for a few seconds. Thankfully, it does not use up your power-up slot. Use this as an opportunity to get through the stage and easily destroy anyone or anything in your way.

All Power-ups

Blue Shuriken - This shuriken is just your normal, run-of-the-mill shuriken. No surprise here. 3 Ninjitsu points per use.

Blue Whirlwind - This lets you perform a somersault slash whenever you press the B button in mid-air with this power-up equipped. If you hold Down on the Control Pad while attacking when you have this equipped, you won't have to worry about accidentally using your Ninjitsu to attack enemies in mid-air. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Flame - This throws some fire rings upward and forward, protecting you from high attacks. It's quite powerful. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Shuriken - Unlike the Blue Shuriken, this acts more like a boomerang. If you jump just before it returns to you, it'll go under you and still hit anything in its path. If you're skilled enough, you could keep it on the screen indefinitely. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Invincibility Ring - When you grab this, it replaces your power-up, then leaves you without one when it stops working. A ring of four small flames surrounds you, giving you temporarily invincibility. When that happens, run like hell through the stage and don't screw up.

Orange Hourglass - This stops all enemies on screen for a few seconds. Thankfully, it does not use up your power-up slot. Use this as an opportunity to get through the stage and easily destroy anyone or anything in your way.

Proton Jon plays Ninja Gaiden - Acts 1 and 2

It's been forever since I covered a Ninja Gaiden game...so Ninja Gaiden it is.

Act 1-1

After that opening cutscene that sets up the story (in addition to the beginning of a fabled trilogy), Ryu comes to America and starts tearing stuff up in a city street.

The enemies here are really easy. The guys that bounce around aren't too hard if you slash them when they're in sword distance. Use this stage to build up your Ninjitsu power (the orange and blue squares with the Japanese symbols on them). You can amass a max of 99, so be ready to use it whenever it's truly necessary. Blue gives you five, orange gives you ten. Be careful not to die, as you'll lose half your Ninjitsu if and when you do.

The little blue and orange bottles give you points if you pick them up.

If you leap onto a wall, you can grab on to it. You can jump off of it to the other side to reach a platform in that direction. The leap off the wall has a little bit of height, which you can use to your advantage.

If you see anything orange and flashing (or moving), there are items in there (they're like the candles in Castlevania). Slash one and see what's in it. If you get a power-up, hold Up on the Control Pad and press B (unless otherwise noted). Here, the items are in lanterns.

You'll notice that sometimes, an enemy will respawn as soon as you kill it, especially when you're moving around. Get used to it, it's a regular annoyance in the series.

Act 1-2

The guy you fight in the bar isn't very hard at all. Just go up to him, slash him, and keep away from him. He'll stand in place and slash three times, but if you're on the ground, his slashes can't do anything.

If you have the Blue Whirlwind, you can kill him in one strike.

He's really not that hard at all. Now watch as some girl comes up from behind Ryu Hayabusa and shoots him.

Act 2-1

Turns out that pistol was really a dart gun. You'll wake up in a cell and the girl notices you've woken up. She gives him a statue, then tells him to get out of dodge.

Anyway, the power-ups are located in flickering, blue candles...and there's a lot of them. Once again, use this act as an opportunity to gather some Ninjitsu power, as you'll need it in the later acts.

If you clasp onto a ladder, you can climb up and down on it by using the Control Pad. Just be careful where you jump off of it from...

The orange guys walking around here will throw knives, but thankfully you can destroy said knives with your sword.

Remember, when you reach a new stage, your health will completely refill. Keep that in mind.

Act 2-2

If you see little blue bugs flying in place on the screen, relax. They aren't enemies. They're your gateway to power-ups.

You'll meet some really crazy enemies here, such as guys in white sheets who look like ghosts and throw knives at odd angles, throwing your jumps off and knocking you into pits in one hit. You also have soldiers in green battle garments, some running at full blast and some shooting at you with a machine gun. Get used to these guys, you'll be seeing them throughout the game.

The bats move around like the Medusa Heads from Castlevania, except they don't go as fast. They can be very annoying if you're not careful. Another enemy you'll see throughout the game.

The boss here is some guy with a sickle that he swings around in a circle. Slash at him like you did the last boss, but be careful against that sickle, because it has some range. Once again, if you have Ninjitsu power and the Blue Whirlwind, you'll take him out in one shot.

Once you take care of that guy, Ryu will head out to find an acquaintance of Walter Smith, the man Ryu's dad wanted him to look for. Who was the girl with the gun? Why did she give him a statue? Why was Ryu's dad a pink ninja, and why did he lose to a black dude? Stay tuned!

Power-ups Shown In This Video

Blue Shuriken - This shuriken is just your normal, run-of-the-mill shuriken. No surprise here. 3 Ninjitsu points per use.

Blue Whirlwind - This lets you perform a somersault slash whenever you press the B button in mid-air with this power-up equipped. If you hold Down on the Control Pad while attacking when you have this equipped, you won't have to worry about accidentally using your Ninjitsu to attack enemies in mid-air. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.
 

Orange Flame - This throws some fire rings upward and forward, protecting you from high attacks. It's quite powerful. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Shuriken - Unlike the Blue Shuriken, this acts more like a boomerang. If you jump just before it returns to you, it'll go under you and still hit anything in its path. If you're skilled enough, you could keep it on the screen indefinitely. 5 Ninjitsu points per use.

Orange Invincibility Ring - When you grab this, it replaces your power-up, then leaves you without one when it stops working. A ring of four small flames surrounds you, giving you temporarily invincibility. When that happens, run like hell through the stage and don't screw up.

Splatterhouse: The World Record

You guys may or may not have heard about this in the past couple of days, but in case you haven't, here's the news.

30-year-old Caitlin Oliver of Chicago, IL, who goes by the name cipater on tumblr, recently set the new world record for the arcade version of Splatterhouse on October 19th at the Galloping Ghost arcade in Brookfield, IL. The event was live-streamed and eventually ended with Caitlin earning 493,700 points and beating the original record of 373,100 set by Anthony Paparo on November 25, 2012.

Since then, she held more live-streaming events at the arcade in her attempt to widen the playing field and break her own record to make the search for the answer "What is the maximum score?" far more interesting. She has since broken her own record with a new score of 533,600. Caitlin has now made her name amongst the ranks of Rebecca Heineman (Space Invaders), Anna Cram (Wonder Boy), April Simmonds (Double Dragon Neo) and the late Doris Self (Q*Bert) in the field of women in competitive gaming that I would really love to see grow larger, and I cannot wait for this run to be verified as well.

I am now, more than ever, glad to be following Caitlin on tumblr, and I've been hearing that she may go for Altered Beast next. I wish her the best.

- PrinceWatercress
10/25/2013

NakaTeleeli plays Splatterhouse - Part 2 of 2

Over already?

Stage V

(continued)

If you go down, it's another section similar to the second section in Stage II. Beating up slime monsters, auto-scrolling as well as spiked balls to jump over.

If you go up, you'll see a room full of pictures. The grey picture with the face will send the face after you, which can go down in one hit. Also, you can jump kick the ghouls flying around in the air. The skulls they carry can only hurt you if they drop them.

Again, there are holes in the floor, so watch out.

Go down the ladder and you'll eventually reach the auto-scrolling section you would reach if you took the ladder going down: a basement full of zombies as well as a pumpkin-headed necromancer. Beat up the skeletal-looking zombies, then beat down the necromancer. The necromancer will revive the zombies if given a chance, so be ready to jump kick this thing multiple times.

When you go up the ladder, you'll fight the worms from the first boss battle again, this time in an auto-scrolling room. Thankfully, the worms die the same way you fought them last time.

In the next room, you'll finally meet Jennifer...but she soon changes into a zombie! Get to one side, then attack the boss. It will strike at you with some very long claws, but you'll more than likely have knocked it back just enough to stay out of claw's length. It will then jump, so be ready to jump kick it. Every few hits, she'll go back to human form only to change back into a zombie. After about twelve hits, you'll find out it was a fake Jennifer all along. You'll drop down a pit to the right.

Stage VI

The stage is pretty simple. Destroy the bubbles contain the monster fetuses before they land on the ground, leap at you and sap away at your health. This part feels longer than it should, since you have to be pretty close to hit these things.

The boss here is a heart in a wall. Punch at the heart, but watch out for the monster fetus bubbles as they will spawn around the room. If they show up, take care of them first. The heart does not attack.

Stage VII

Jump over the flaming logs, and avoid the fire monsters that leap up and down. This seems pretty hard as there isn't much room between fire monsters near the end, but if you know where to step, where the logs will be and where the fire monsters will land when they jump, you can get through this without much of a problem. Still, this does take a bit of practice.

You'll soon come across a small wooden grave marker. A ball of energy from the Terror Mask lands on the ground, revealing a huge, monstrous face where it lands. Punch at the head a few times, then avoid the rocks that fall from the ground. When the head sinks back into the ground, watch where the hands are and stay away from them.

The head will come back from the ground, and the pattern repeats itself. However, as you deal more damage, you'll be dealing with all the attacks at the same time, and risk being smacked by both hands. Still, once you get used to the movements, which will take a few deaths, you'll be able to beat this thing like a pro and destroy it once and for all!

Once the boss dies, the energy orb will come back out of the ground and turn into a macabre rendition of a human face before it disappears. Splatterhouse is destroyed, and the Terror Mask has splintered apart, but what happened to Jennifer? And why Find out next time in Splatterhouse II!

NakaTeleeli plays Splatterhouse - Part 1 of 2

About time I covered this game.

Rick and Jennifer, two university students, take refuge from a storm in West Mansion. No sooner do they enter that demons kidnap Jennifer and fatally wound Rick, toss him in the basement and leave him from dead. But also in the basement lies the Terror Mask, which latches on to Rick's face, bringing him back from the dead and boosting his strength many times over. Now it's up to Rick to save Jennifer and escape West Mansion...or as it is known in local legend...Splatterhouse...

Stage I

The red guys can be beat up with your fists, but the 2x4 you can pick up give you a longer reach.

The dismembered bodies will puke at you. You can jump over the puke or wait for it to dissipate.

The bats simply fly forward.

Spikes will pop in and out of the ground. Remember where they are and walk over them as soon as they go down.

The demons that have what look like brains on their heads take two hits: one for the body and another for the "brain" that flies at you.

Whenever you go from one room to another, you'll lose the weapon that you currently have in your possession. This also happens when you climb up or down a ladder.

When you climb up the ladder, you'll take on the first boss: a bunch of worms. Take out the worms by ducking down and kicking. When the music is about to end, head to the right side of the room so the worm that comes out of the hanged demon in the upper-left corner won't hit you. Kick that thing and end the level.

Stage II

The green demons are recolors of the red ones and take two hits.

The wrench is a one-time-only throwing weapon and is a rather fast projectile.

If you ever see any demons in the background flash briefly, they're about to puke at you.

Whack the hanging demons like piñatas when they drop down to your level.

In the second section, grab the 2x4 and use it to whack the green slime monsters down here. They have a longer reach than your punch does, so using the 2x4 is essential. Jump over the spiked balls as well. This part also auto-scrolls, but if you stay at the left edge of the screen, the scrolling stops until you move to the right again.

The boss is a poltergeist. Watch the stuff that falls from the ceiling and avoid it accordingly.

From there, stay at the right side of the room. Punch the chair until it's destroyed, then punch the knives as they dive at you. After the knives fall, punch the picture until it's destroyed. Stay at the right side of the room after this. If you're in the center of the room when the chandelier falls, it's instant death.

Stage III

The zombie dogs come from the left side of the screen and take two crouching kicks to kill.

Jump over both the spike pits as well as the green lights on the bridge.

The hanged demons here will spit projectiles at you.

The shotguns carry eight shots each. They are very useful against the boss, which carries two chainsaws and will jump every so often. Use whatever shotgun ammo you have (and juggle shotguns at the end after you see the second and last one) and use all the shots you have to hit this guy. When you run out of ammo, jump kick him and back away until he falls.

Stage IV

The stage starts with another auto-scrolling section.

The spears are one-time-only throwing weapons, but you'll find a few in the beginning and you'll find that they do their job well.

Hit the jumping demons as soon as they touch the ground. Some of them will come through doors in the background, sometimes in pairs. They all take one hit, for the most part.

Jump over the holes in the floor whenever you see them.

The crawling demons with the malformed faces die after two crouching kicks.

Give yourself room to jump over the spinning blades at the end.

The second section is full of mirrors. Some of them unleash evil mirror copies of Rick, which take three hits to kill. They attack just like you, but their AI makes them much more difficult and efficient than they should be.

The third section is an altar. Avoid the heads as you head towards the upside-down crucifix with the spinning heads, and grab the meat cleaver. Crouch to avoid the heads that fly at you if you need to, and strike the heads so that you have a clear shot at the crucifix. The heads that spin around the upside-down crucifix will respawn after some time.

When you beat the boss, you'll purify the altar, but you still have to rescue Jennifer!

Stage V

You get two units of your health back when you start a new stage.

Grab the 2x4 and destroy all the chairs, then jump over the pits. The spaces between the pits have slopes, and you will be pushed downward if you're not in motion. Also, the pits contain hands, and some of them will jump straight up into the air to try and grab you. Thankfully, you can punch the hands that leap out to get them out of the way. You then have a choice between two ladders, one going up and the other going down...

Video Game Take-Out: Master System version vs. Game Gear Version

Oh, shit, I found some gold.

Remember Video Game Take-Out? Well, their stuff's still on YouTube. You'd be surprised at the fact that Game Gear shows more enemies than Master System.

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 7 of 7

Can you believe the final boss battle for this game?

The Battle Against Mr. X

He'll send two Red Galsias, two Purple Kung Fu Guys, and two White Signals at you. Unlike the 16-bit version, you don't have the luxury of having a pipe at Mr. X's feet to pick up and smack these guys in the face with. After that, you'll face Mr. X himself.

Thanks to the Sega Master System's limitations, you'll be screwed over when it comes to throwing enemies at him. Instead, you'll have to wait for him to get close so that you can pound on him with your standing combo. The chances of you grabbing him are extremely low, since there's no way of knowing if he's running around of if he's using a ram attack (there's no frames showing him ramming you with the butt of his maching gun), because he can damage you if you walk right into him. Consider yourself lucky if you're able to actually grab him and execute two knees and a German suplex on him. His life meter is pretty big, so be prepared to spend a little bit more time with him than you would the other bosses.

When you finally beat him, you'll get the ending...with no credits. Yeah, that's such a letdown, especially since you went through all that trouble just to take Mr. X (and a buggy game) down.

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 6 of 7

We finally enter the final area of this game!

Round 8

Just like in the Genesis/Mega Drive version, you'll be walking down a long hallway, taking everyone down and fighting all the bosses in the order in which they appeared...all [b]six[/b] of them. And you [b]still[/b] don't have a Super attack.

When you reach the doors to Mr. X's room, you'll meet a new enemy you'll only meet in this one round: Kung Fu Guys dressed in purple. Yeah, nice way to throw us for a loop just before the final fight, Sega.

Stop 1: 2 Red Galsias, Round 1 Boss
Stop 2: 2 Black Dominatrixes, Round 2 Boss
Stop 3: 3 Blue Kung Fu Guys, Round 3 Boss
Stop 4: 2 Red Galsias, Round 4 Boss
Stop 5: 3 White Dominatrixes, Round 6 Boss
Stop 6: 4 Purple Kung Fu Guys, Round 5 Boss

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 5 of 7

Oh, hey, it's the elevator again.

Round 7

Just like in the 16-bit version, it's an elevator ride with no boss.

Stop 1: 5 Yellow Signals
Stop 2: 5 Red Kung Fu Guys
Stop 3: 6 Red Dominatrixes
Stop 4: 6 Blue Galsias
Stop 5: 6 Blue Kung Fu Guys
Stop 6: 6 Green Signals
Stop 7: 6 Red Galsias

Streets of Rage Master System Intro (Full)

I can't find music, so I'll have to do something a little better for the epilogue. At least I was able to find THIS...

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 4 of 7

Why is the Penguin in this game, and why is he firing rockets at me?

Round 6

In the first stop of the round, you'll finally meet the Red Galsias (just like you did in Genesis/Mega Drive). They take even more damage than the blue ones. Typical.

The crushers are now replaced with laser beams, which is actually a pretty classy way to get past the fact that Master System couldn't do what the Genesis did. Only one set of laser beams can fire down to the floor at a time, so don't worry if you have two on the screen and the lights on both of them flash simultaneously. It's just the system's limitations.

Also, just like in the game's 16-bit counterpart, the fire-breathing guy appears again in Round 6. The strategies from the last fight apply.

You'll start seeing conveyor belts when you're past the second stop of the round. At least they work problem-free on Sega Master System.

On the fourth stop, you'll meet the Freddy Krueger look-alike. Don't worry, we're not fighting the boss...yet. Once you beat him, you'll meet the white Dominatrix girls a little eariler than you did in the 16-bit version.

When you beat the White Signals at the end, you'll finally face the boss, and this time it's a new guy! It's some old man in a top hat, a tuxedo and a purple cape. (I think.) He runs around with a rocket launcher on his back, and he shoots a rocket that seems to home in on you before he runs to the other side and fires again. He'll be alternating sides firing rockets at you, but you can definitely catch this guy on his way from one side to the next and put him in a grab combo. If a rocket is coming towards you, just jump straight up.

Despite being Master System exclusive, he's really not that hard at all. At least he's more original than having two Freddy Krueger-type guys onscreen at once.

Stop 1: 3 Red Galsias

Stop 2: 3 Red Dominatrixes, Fire-Breathing Guy

Stop 3: 2 Black Dominatrixes, 3 Green Signals
Stop 4: 3 Red Galsias, Freddy Krueger Lookalike
Stop 5: 3 Red Galsias
Stop 6: 4 White Signals

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 3 of 7

The ship level: now with air vents directly below the vent pipes! Finally, the Master System version got something right!

Round 5

The boat may not rock (and the background may not move) like it did on Genesis/Mega Drive, but at least Sega makes up for it by placing steel grates underneath where the destroyable vent pipes are. That's brilliant, Sega.

This is the longest stage thus far, as there are six instance in the round where you'll have to trash everybody before you can continue further. You'll face Abadede at the fourth stop, but just like in the Genesis/Mega Drive version, he doesn't have a health bar this time around solely because he's a mini-boss.

The black Dominatrixes will now do that "kneel down after one hit then strike back when you turn away and move a specific distance away from them" strategy from now until the rest of the game. Thankfully, you can walk a short distance from them to get them to react (unlike in the Genesis/Mega Drive version where they attacked the moment you turned away) so you can strike them when you need to. If you walk past them up to a certain distance, they'll still stop feigning serious injury.

The Blaze Twins are a little less annoying, but they can still be hard nonetheless. In the SMS version, their jump kicks are purely horizontal instead of diagonal.  You can still use the second they land as the time to snatch them and put them in a grab combo. They also share the same energy bar this time around, but that doesn't make it any easier as you're fighting two bosses at the same time (in a way).

Stop 1: 2 Green Galsias, 2 Blue Galsias
Stop 2: 2 Blue Galsias
Stop 3: 3 Green Signals, 3 Blue Galsias
Stop 4: 2 Red Kung Fu Guys, Abadede
Stop 5: 3 Blue Jugglers
Stop 6: 3 White Signlas, 2 Blue Jugglers

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 2 of 7

Anybody noticed that the game is more generous with the extra lives than the Genesis/Mega Drive version? I have.

Round 3

Gotta love the 8-bit rendition of "Back to the Industry" from Streets of Rage II here.

True to the Genesis version of the game, you start seeing the stronger versions of Galsia here. As I mentioned earlier, the green and blue Galsias have reversed on the food chain here.

Abadede appears at the end. Beating him up is a little trickier this time, as it'll be impossible to grab him without taking damage merely from touching him. You'll have to get him to line up with you, then start punching away with your standing combo and knock him down with it.

Stop 1: 2 Green Galsias, 2 Blue Galsias
Stop 2: 3 Red Kung Fu Guys, 4 Blue Galsias
Stop 3: 3 Red Kung Fu Guys
Stop 4: 4 Blue Galsias, 2 Red Dominatrixes

Round 4

The Black Domintrixes show up at the first stop, and some of them will do the whole "kneel down after one hit then strike back when you turn away and move a specific distance away from them" techinque. Thankfully, DenHond manages to catch wind of their strategy to perfection. The Green Signals will show up right after you take those two down.

When you reach the second stop, you'll finally meet the Kung Fu Guys with blue trim. Told you they'd show up.

All through the level, you'll see those huge gaps in the bridge, and thankfully you can still knock the enemies into them with great effect. For best results, use German suplexes.

Just when you think the level has enough tricks up its sleeves, the last two enemies you'll face in Round 4 are White Signals, which take even more damage than the green ones!

The big fat fire-breathing guy is back in Round 4, and just like in the Genesis/Mega Drive version, you can't throw or suplex him. You're better off using your grab and/or standing combos against this bad guy. Don't forget to use your special attack.

Stop 1: 2 Black Dominatrixes, 2 Green Signals
Stop 2: 2 Green Signals, 2 Black Dominatrixes, 2 Blue Kung Fu Guys
Stop 3: 2 Green Signals
Stop 4: 2 Green Signals, 2 Blue Galsias, 3 White Signals

DenHond plays Streets of Rage for the Sega Master System - Part 1 of 7

Covering Streets of Rage again so soon? Well...

But this is a different version, though. Instead of the Genesis/Mega Drive version that I've covered before, or the Game Gear version that omits Adam, we have the Sega Master System version, which has all three characters intact!

If you were expecting a close-to-perfect transition from the coin-ops to the Master System, though, you're about to be pushed two steps back.

Round 1

Well, there's a few weird differences here.

In this one, the green Galsias are weaker than the blue ones, which don't show up until Round 3. That just totally defies my knowledge of Streets of Rage in its entirety...and that's not the only thing.

The screen can show only two enemies at the same time...and they have to be the same time of enemy (in other words, both enemies would have to be Galsias or Signals or Dominatrixes or whatever). Also, the hit detection is a little weird. If you get hit in the torso or above in any way, you [b]will[/b] take damage. Apparently, the Sega Master System's programming has no "depth perception" or a "sense of isometrics." Also, the window of invulnerability that you have in this game (it exists here, believe it or not) after you get taken to the ground is way too brief. Once you hit the floor, you can take damage again after two seconds.

Some grab attacks, such as throwing enemies over to the other direction, are a bit glitchy in this version. You could throw an enemy away from you and they'd go further in the direction you're facing. It's a bit strange at times and makes that attack somewhat useless. The German suplex from behind is the strongest grab attack, you have, and when you perform it, it creates an awesome shake effect on the screen that you'll be seeing pretty often.

Your standing combo also acts differently. You could hit an enemy and all of a sudden perform the third or fourth attack of the combo, as if the game is keeping track of where you are in the combo at all times.

There's also the obvious fact that enemies can't scream when they die. This, I can party with...but glitchy parts of the gameplay are harder to overlook.

The Signals are more aggressive in this game. They slide much more often than they did in the Genesis/Mega Drive version. Same can be said about the Dominatrix girls...they can whip you as soon as you're lined up with them.

It should be mentioned that the weakest kung fu guys wear white and red instead of white and blue this time. The guys with blue trim will show up soon enough, though...

The boss here is that guy with the boomerang. Again. Just like last time, go up to him from an angle and grab him when you can, then deal some damage to him from there.

The usual weapons - pepper shakers, bottles and pipes - all show up in this game. DenHond doesn't use them, though, since even the weapons don't want to seem to act right, according to him (something about how inaccurate the weapons can be at times).

In each round, I will mention "stops": parts of the level where you have to beat up all the enemies before you can continue on. These are the enemies that appear on the normal section (not sure about Hard).

Stop 1: 2 Green Galsias
Stop 2: 2 Green Galsias, 3 Yellow Signals
Stop 3: 2 Green Galsias, 2 Red Dominatrixes

Stop 4: 2 Red Dominatrixes

Round 2

The old Player Select music plays over and over again in this stage. It's nice to hear it, but it loops about every fifteen seconds, so it can get slightly annoying.

The jugglers wear blue shoes to go with the red pants this time. Weird. Also, grabbing them is even harder in the Sega Master System because of all the weapons they have in their hands.

The Freddy Krueger clone is back. Grabbing him from diagonally is a better offensive strategy here, since he'll claw at you if you're right in front of him. Once again, don't execute a jump attack towards him, because it'll cause the guy to go haywire and home in on you. He also has the weird habit of hitting you, then running all the way to the other side of the screen, being off-screen briefly, then getting back at his normal behavior again. Weird.

The Special Animation is just...really weird. The screen goes black, goes back to the police car firing the mortar rocket, then goes back to where you are and shows the rocket hitting the ground. The bad guy re-appears and gets knocked back, while you fall from the sky to where you were standing.

Stop 1: 2 Green Galsias

Stop 2: 3 Yellow Signals

Stop 3: 2 Red Jugglers
Stop 4: 2 Red Jugglers, 2 Red Dominatrixes

The Music of Kirby's Adventure

There's 51 songs here, so there's plenty of music in this one.

Fazeof1p's guide to the switches of Kirby's Adventure - Part 3 of 3

I'm copying everything else from the game guide because one, I'm lazy, and two, I wanted this done in a 24-hour period. Go me.

Level 6-6

More Aurora Borealis goodness in the first section. Go to the right and take down everyone in your way. When you enter the next section through the door in the igloo, swallow the U.F.O. when it comes by.

Leave the room, then go down and to the left. You'll find a door to a hidden switch behind the ice blocks. Charge up your laser to destroy the ice blocks. Congratulations. You now have access to the Warp Star in Level 6.

REWARD: Level 6 Warp Star Station

Level 7-1

Head back to the second section and get Spark. Once you do, you'll be able to break some blocks and find a hidden path to the switch. When you see the Waddle Doo, get his Beam ability, then keep going right. When you reach the three Waddle Dees, hit the bricks in the roof and make a path that will get Kirby two blocks away from the door. From here, dump Beam, then go back and get the Fireball ability from the enemy underneath the Spark to destroy these last two blocks. The switch here will unlock the Crane Game for Level 7.

REWARD: Level 7 Crane Game

Level 7-6

Okay, this one, I'm not copying from the guide.

Before you enter the exit door, fly up to the moon above it and press Up. Another easy-to-miss switch.

REWARD: Level 7 Warp Star Station

Fazeof1p's guide to the switches of Kirby's Adventure - Part 2 of 3

Not that many switches left now...

Level 6-1

Remember the door in the middle section? Go into it with Hammer and break the block below where you just entered the room. Simple as that.

Eating a Fireball enemy and a Spark enemy at the same time and letting the Mix roulette choose your power for you gives you Hammer. Yeah, that'll help...if you can get both of them in your mouth at the same time.

REWARD: Level 6 Museum

Level 6-2

The door in the middle of the second section leads to the Secret Switch here. If you need the Hammer power-up to hit the stump above the entrance to the switch, swallow both Sparkys in the room at the same time and let the Mix roulette run on its own. You'll get Hammer.

REWARD: Level 6 Arena

Level 6-3

Copying this from the FAQ, because I'm too damn lazy to do all the typing for this one.

When you go into the ship, you'll take on Bonkers again. His Hammer ability will come in handy here. Get it, go up the ladder, and then break the crate in the wall with the Hammer. Go into the water, and head down and left to destroy a bomb block as well as a Sir Kibble that is guarding another Pep Brew. Go back to where the bomb block was, and press Up to enter an invisible door. Hold Down on the Control Pad to get a 1-Up before it falls away, then quickly swim back up and destroy the sword guy. Press Up where he was to find another door. Get the Laser ability (and the Maxim Tomato, if you need it), then go to the door on the left and enter.

You'll see a room with a cannon situated in water. Fire the Laser at the angled corner in the ceiling that's at the right side of the room, then get in the cannon before it fires. Congratulations, you've found the hardest switch to get in the game.

REWARD: Level 6 Crane Game

Level 6-4

Remember the second section maze? Go to the ladders at the lower-right corner, but go in the little cubby hole below them and press up. This one is [b]extremely[/b] easy to miss.

REWARD: Level 6 Egg Catcher

Level 6-5

Once again, copying from the game guide.

In this fourth section, eat the fire-breathing enemy to get the Fire ability, then hit the bomb blocks. One of them leads to a cannon. Light the fuse underneath where the first bomb block was with Fire, then quickly get to the cannon underneath where the second bomb block was before it fires. You'll reach a switch that uncovers the Quick Draw mini-game.

REWARD: Level 6 Quick Draw

Fazeof1p's guide to the switches of Kirby's Adventure - Part 1 of 3

Because we didn't see everything in the game...and I apologize for that.

Level 3-1

Let's head back to the second to last section.

Instead of going up, go down. You'll see a star block. Take it down and you'll find a door. Destroy the star block and the bomb block, enter the door, and voila! You're at the switch! Easy to get to, just as easy to miss.

REWARD: Level 3 Arena

Level 3-6

Go through the door hidden in the star blocks in the fifth section. When you enter the room, fly up to the bomb block, hit it with an air pellet, then fly to the other side of the room, keeping to the ceiling in the process. This will help you avoid the wall the bomb block makes when it explodes.

REWARD: Level 3 Egg Catcher

Level 4-1

Let's head back to the third section, get the U.F.O. ability, then bring it to the fourth section. It makes finding this a lot easier.

Go to the part of the fourth section where the star blocks are set up in a checkerboard fashion. Where there should be a blank space, there's another star block. Break it and press Up on the control pad like you're entering a doorway. You'll find the Switch, just like that.

REWARD: Level 4 Crane Game

Level 4-3

It's in the lower-right corner of the second section. Enter the door that's there and there it is.

REWARD: Level 4 Museum

Level 4-6

In the dark room in the second section, jump over the first wall in the beginning of the section, go left and then press Up. There it is.

REWARD: Level 4 Warp Star Station

Level 5-1

It's at the bottom of the second section. When you land on the floor of star blocks, take out some of the star blocks and you'll find another set of star blocks set up to look like a castle wall below it. You'll find the door on the left side of the screen here.

REWARD: Level 5 Crane Game

Level 5-4

Remember that door in the waterfall? Go in there, then enter the lower door. Bingo.

REWARD: Level 5 Arena

Level 5-5

Light the cannon in the first section. To get there, search the bottom of the first section and you'll find a door. There's a fire-breathing guy as well as a Hi-Jump guy. Use the Fire ability on the fuse, then quickly ditch it and eat the Hi-Jump guy, use it to break the blocks and get into the cannon. You'll land on the switch after you get shot up.

REWARD: Level 5 Quick Shot

Level 5-6

Remember the door in the palm tree near the goal? Go in and break the blocks with Hammer. You'll find the door to the switch. Bingo.

REWARD: Level 5 Warp Star Station

Kirby's Epic Yarn is the longest-delayed game ever.

This is proof.

Kwife plays Kirby's Adventure - Part 9 of 9

We finally take on King Dedede! Are you ready?

Level 7

Rainbow Resort

(continued)

Level 7-5

Stay away from the bomb guys in the first section. You'll fight a giant Wheelie next. You won't have much room to fly around in, so be careful.

The next room is kinda weird. Watch where the shooting stars in the background are point. If they're going down, the gravity in the black sections will drag you down. If they're going up, you'll be lifted into the air. Fly through these sections and you shouldn't have any trouble at all.

There's a cannon in the next section, but the speed that the light hits the cannon is fast. You'll have to get the Fireball ability not only to light the cannon, but to make your way over there as quickly as possible. Making it over there gives you a 1-Up. The goal is at the end of this section.

Level 7-6

Well, this level is interesting. The whole level (and the HUD at the bottom) is in black and white the entire time, and the music from Green Greens plays (albeit at a lower semitone). The Kirby's Dream Land title screen music is in the game, too, but it's unused. Strange...

The first two sections are Green Greens. These sections are pretty easy.

The third section is the entrance to Castle Lololo, and that just consists entirely of avoiding a bunch of enemies and entering a door (then again, all the sections are). The fourth one has some cannons to avoid, as well as a Maxim Tomato and a 1-Up at the end.

The fifth section is the beginning of Float Islands, while the sixth is another interior section that is obviously based on that world's infamous second section with the black background and the spikes. Why there's another Maxim Tomato at the end of the sixth section, I don't know. But it's there if you need one.

The seventh section is the beginning of Bubbly Clouds...and it really looks a lot like the first section of that long-remembered area. The eighth and final section is the only vertical section in the level, and it is where you'll find the switch. Go up to the crescent moon at the top of this part and press Up. You'll enter a hidden door which leads to the switch. Congratulations. The Warp Star Station is yours.

Level 7 Boss

It's Dedede! He broke the Star Rod into multiple pieces and kept all the inhabitants of Dream Land from being able to dream!

He still has the slide, inhale, hammer and jump attacks from the original Kirby's Dream Land, but he's got a new attack as well: the ability to swallow a bunch of air, fly around and follow you, then spit the air out...just like Kirby. It's annoying as crap.

Level 8

The Fountain of Dreams

Level 8 Boss

When you beat him, you'll get the Star Rod, but Dedede will try to stop you taking it. You'll soon find out why...a deadly nightmare will come out of the Fountain of Dreams. Dedede will launch you...and the Star Rod...into the air in order to destroy this once-sealed dark power!

When you're fighting this thing, avoid its blasts (and its ram attack) and mash the B button the entire time. Speed is crucial here, as you want to finish this thing off before you get swallowed by the ground and that dark orb flies away!

When he fires one star at a time or two stars at once, just stay away from them. When he shoots out four stars at a time, be ready to move out of the way as all four of them will home in on you. It will also try to fire five energy waves. Stay in the center of the screen for the first four, then move above or below the last. It'll also try to ram you - which is evident when it shakes violently before coming straight at you. Move away, then close and fire some stars at it for the brief time it returns to the right side of the screen, since it won't attack you on its way back.

The final boss is the Nightmare, and - oh boy - is the music here awesome or what?

His weak point is his body, which is inside his cape...but it has to be exposed in order to be hit.

He has a lot of attacks. One of the first he'll usually send at you are five stars - two to the sides, two at a more narrow angle, and another one straight down.

Another one is moving around before dropping down towards you and firing some stars at you. If you're quick enough, you can hit him before he shoots that first star.

His body will turn into a tornado and he'll dive towards you. You can jump and damage his body with the somersault that comes with the Star Rod ability, but shooting a star into it causes more damage. If you can't get a clear shot on him, at least use the somersault. You'll do a fraction of a point of damage, but every little bit helps. Stay in the fight!

Another one of his attacks has him moving around, but this time he'll stay in the air and fire stars at you from above. Move away from his line of fire and he'll miss you. He guards his underside with his cape, so you won't be able to hit him while he does this.

He teleports around sometimes, especially if you happen to be directly behind him before you can attack.

Every once in a while, his body will turn into a tornado, but instead of coming towards you, he'll rocket into the air and dive upside down close to the ground. If you're quick, you can hit him with a star...but you have to be quick.

Once you finally beat this guy, you did it! You saved Dream Land again! Enjoy your ending!

Kwife plays Kirby's Adventure - Part 8 of 9

We're in Dedede's domain. Let's tear this sucker up.

Level 7

Rainbow Resort

Level 7-1

You can get the Laser ability at the beginning here and play around with the Laser. Makes for some really interesting trick shots in the first section. You can also get a 1-Up doing this, which is actually pretty cool. One of my favorite 1-Ups to get, personally.

For the second section, you'll have to ditch the Laser ability and get Spark. Once you do, you'll be able to break some blocks and find a hidden path to the switch. When you see the Waddle Doo, get his Beam ability, then keep going right. When you reach the three Waddle Dees, hit the bricks in the roof and make a path that will get Kirby two blocks away from the door. From here, dump Beam, then go back and get the Fireball ability from the enemy underneath the Spark to destroy these last two blocks. The switch here will unlock the Crane Game for Level 7.

The third section has you flying over some cannons situated on top of star blocks. The goal is at the other end.

Level 7-2

For the first time in a zillion stages, you won't have to look for a switch. Yay! But the more interesting news is: we get to take down some mini-bosses on our way up a tower! Double yay!

The first battle is against a Poppy Bros. Sr. You should definitely be used to him by now. Destroy him and get his Crash ability. Use it on the alarm clock mini-boss you face next, then take his Mike ability. Use the first two uses of it to finish off Chilly, and save the last use for Bonkers. The Hammer ability will work really well on the pillbug mini-boss. After that, you'll fight Buggsy again, followed by Flame Mane. Finally, you're done with the mini-boss rush!

Fly up to the Warp Star, and you'll find a swordsman and a Maxim Tomato...as well as the goal!

Level 7-3

The first section has a bunch of sleepy guys and a swordsman. (Yes, I know it's a Blade Knight. I'm just stupid.) Nothing difficult here.

The second section has you flying upwards between platforms. You'll see a few Sir Kibbles here as well as a Maxim Tomato at the top.

Despite being defeated, the Meta Knight appears in the third section and tosses up a lollipop. Fly through this part and run through everything while you're invincible. From there, it's just one more section of running to the right towards the goal.

Level 7-4

The first section has you fighting enemies that are strangely darker shades of their usual colors. Must be graphical limitations. Oh, well.

The second section is a pink room with some more Ball guys. This room so screams late '80s.
It is followed by a similar yellow room full of climbing guys, a blue room full of flying enemies, and a green room with fireball enemies.

The last section is some bomb blocks with enemies above them. Slide through the bomb blocks and avoid the Gordos to make your way to the goal.