PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 6 of 6

It's now time for the final stage of the game!

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Stage 6: Desert

A lot of the enemies you'll meet will be the ones you've seen in the Plateau, but there are some new ones that you'll meet once inside the pyramid for the second section.

The coyote fires arrows forward. You'll want to avoid those arrows and throw dynamite onto his head to get rid of him.

The spiked ball that drops when you get under it cannot be destroyed with dynamite; however, dynamite will make it move. Use this to your advantage.

Near the end, you'll have to deal with fires that shoot upwards, falling anvils and the rolling boulder. You'll want to jump over the fire when it doesn't shoot up, but you also want to avoid the anvils that fall. There's also a rolling boulder midway through, but there is an area that you can crawl into by moving diagonally with the D-Pad to avoid it. If you ever see the rolling boulder again, keep in mind that you can stand on it as it moves.

The dark gray stone platforms will fall when you land on them, so get to the other side quickly.

This time around, instead of avoiding Bugs and his traps, you'll have to throw dynamite at him at the right time so that it blows up in his face when you throw it straight up. Bugs will move back and forth, and he occasionally stops to fire a lightning blast downwards. Bugs takes six hits to defeat, and when you do more damage to him, the lighting blast becomes a fire bomb that produces fire waves that travel a bit across both sides when it hits the ground. If you can time it right, you can hit Bugs with the dynamite when you throw it straight up with Up+B with ease. Even while you're holding B to hold the dynamite, the timer still goes down from three, so you'll need to wait until one before jumping upwards, holding Up on the D-Pad and letting go of the B Button so that the explosion hits Bugs. After six hits, Bugs runs away, and you can touch the final treasure chest to beat the game and roll credits.

The "RTJ3" level lets you play the final stage with 49 lives.

You just beat Daffy Duck: Fowl Play!

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 5 of 6

The abundance of bottomless pits and the lack of invincibility frames can really make this stage miserable.

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Stage 5: Plateau

Prepare to do a lot more jumping here compared to the second part. Also, whenever you die from falling into a pit, you start back at the current section, and the enemy selection that you have for the section you died in changes. Compared to the previous stages, you now have three sections to play around with, and they all look different this time around.

The rocks will bounce up and down, and while you can jump on them when they are about to hit the ground and ride them, it can be a tad difficult at times to time it due to the bouncing being pretty fast. The scorpions will move back and forth and will come at you if you get close enough to them.

The vulture acts as a platform. Jump on it to get to the other side; do not bomb the vulture with dynamite.

The cacti need to be destroyed with the dynamite in order to get rid of them. When destroyed, they also leave a smaller, spiky ball. You'll need to destroy it or jump over it.

The big bat attacks much like the regular, smaller-sized bat, and while it is easier to throw dynamite on top of it, you're better off avoiding it if you can.

The boss battle here is made amazingly difficult by the fact that Bugs Bunny flies around in the background before showing up to drop a bomb. You'll also have two cacti to destroy; the first one is easy enough to blow up and then jump over the smaller ball that comes out of it with, but for the second cactus, you'll need to blow it up, then get near the right edge of the platform before that cactus and duck so the smaller spiky ball that flies out doesn't hit you.

All the while, you'll still have to deal with Bugs, and in order to avoid the bomb that he drops, you have to move back as soon as you see it come down. You have to simultaneously blow up the cacti and avoid the smaller spiky balls that shoot out and avoid the bombs that Bugs drops from his plane at the same time, and the geography of the boss stage containing short platforms that barely give you enough room to avoid the bombs does not help. Also, don't be surprised if you get hit by a bomb, land by a pit, and then suddenly fall into the pit, all the while losing two or three lives at once because the game's lack of invincibility frames suddenly makes doing this even more nightmarish than it should be.

Once you somehow make it to the treasure chest, it's on to the final stage of the game.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 4 of 6

This is where the game really takes the kid gloves off.

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Stage 4: Forest

Despite the stage name, this feels like more of a jungle due to the enemy choices here.

The soldier ant moves back and forth and will attack you if you get close.

The money will throw a banana peel that you'll need to get rid of before approaching you with alarming speed. For best results, get away from it and drop a stick of dynamite on the ground with Down+B at the right distance so it blows up when the monkey gets close to it.

The giant cat enemies will leap at you if you are close enough. If you can get away, however, you can stand on them and blow them up if you need to. Once they hit the ground, they won't be able to get back up.

The bats can dive at you if you are close enough to them. While you can throw dynamite at them and defeat them, it's best to stay away.

The light blue bird will send a dropping down at you if you get close enough. While this bird appears in other stages, this is where it first appeared for me.

The boss battle for this stage is the hardest yet. Bugs will keep smacking the ground with hammers, which causes the spiders to move up and down. You'll want to move past the spiders when they are all the way up or jump over the spiders when they are all the way down, which is easier said than done. If they hit you, they will follow you relentlessly, and that will be the only time you can hit them with the dynamite. Prepare to lose a life or two before you get to the treasure chest.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 3 of 6

At this point, the game takes off the kid gloves...but just you wait.

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Stage 3: Snowy Mountains

Watch the top of the screen for icicles. They will come down when you get close enough. Other hazards and enemies you will face include sea urchins (which act more like stationary spiked balls here) and bear traps that you definitely don't want to walk into. 

Bears will pop out of the ground and claw at you when you least expect them, so you'll want to tread carefully through this stage.

The Abominable Snowman will show up as an enemy. Lay a stick of dynamite ahead of him so that you can blow him up before he grabs you.

Watch out on icy floors. Jump your way across. If you try to walk through it, Daffy Duck will slip, and unless you jump in time, he will land hard on the ground backwards and lose a life.

I don't mention this in the Let's Play at all, but if you jump repeatedly, the jump sound gets higher and higher pitched.

If you see a hole in the ground with an arrow pointing downwards at it, stand in front of the hole and press Down on the D-Pad. You'll enter an underground cavern where you can find a treasure worth loads of points. These holes will appear randomly throughout the game, and you'll want to enter them to get some big points towards another extra life as well as to get rid of some hazards when you come back out.

To beat Bugs, keep jumping repeatedly to avoid slipping on the ice as well as to jump over the projectiles that Bugs fires from the snowman. Also, you'll want to get the icicles to come down without hitting you while you're doing all this. This is where the boss battles get a little bit harder, and they start getting even harder than this on the next stage.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 2 of 6

For the second level, things get a little more interesting...

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Stage 2: Lakeside

New hazards to watch out for include rocks that can make Daffy trip and campfires that shoot upwards and will singe Daffy should the fire touch him in any way.

If you hold Down while moving left or right, you can crawl.

Hedgehogs will stop moving and ball up when you get close to them. The spiders are even more deadly, as they can leap at you if you get way too close to them. You may run into a bull that charges at you; jump over it when it does. You might even see a bird drop stuff down from above in case you get under it.

For the second section, you'll need to drop down the chasm and stay in the center. Since going left or right makes you move continuously in that direction, you're going to have to rock the D-Pad back and forth in order to get through this area without hitting one of the other platforms on the way down. You'll really need to get a rhythm going, as the further down you go, the more quickly the platforms you can smash Daffy into head-first appear. If that happens, get the life you lost back before going downwards.

You'll eventually drop into the water. While fighting the enemies here may feel necessary for points and food, it's easier to avoid the enemies here, especially when you can take multiple hits at once. Enemies in the water include urchins, jellyfish that electrocute you, swordfish that move back and forth and even piranhas.

To beat Bugs this time, avoid the piranhas as you jump from platform to platform and duck under the sea urchin that Bugs has on a fishing pole.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 1 of 6

Despite being from Sunsoft, the developers of this game are ex-Sunsoft employees, and because of this, this game has some of the old Sunsoft magic in it despite being one of the later titles from the late 1990s...and it shows.

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In this game, you're Daffy Duck, and you're looking for treasure. Interestingly, Bugs Bunny is the game's main antagonist. Also, the game is very well animated, as you'll soon learn when you start the game.

It should be noted that the map is the shape of Daffy Duck's head.

Stage 1: Country

When you start the game, you'll be able to get used to the controls. Left and Right let you move left and right, Down lets you duck, and Up lets you aim with your attack. A jumps, and B attacks...by throwing dynamite.

At the top of the screen, you'll see your current score, your current amount of lives, and your current amount of energy in the form of a percentage. That energy meter slowly goes down, and it hits zero, you're losing a life.

Whenever you see a food item, be sure to pick it up. Daffy will slowly pick it up and devour it, and you'll soon see what I mean when I said that the game is very well animated.

Attacking with the dynamite is a bit of a science. The longer you hold the button, the further you'll through it. You can only have one stick of dynamite on the screen at any time, and it is also possible to blow yourself up and lose a life. You only have three seconds to play around with the dynamite and the count is clearly shown, so you'll need to work with the dynamite quickly.

When you go further into the country, you'll start seeing traps such as mouse traps that will activate when you step on them, guard dogs that move back and forth if they're not punching at you, hens that throw eggs at you, and police officers that move faster than the guard dogs.

Believe it or not, when you go through future levels, the levels will play differently. Some enemies and hazards will show up; other times, they will be completely absent.

Enemies will sometimes leave treasure; pick them up for points/money. You'll need to get rich to earn some extra lives. You'll get an extra life every 20,000 points.

Some traps, such as mouse traps and the rakes that you'll see on the third screen, work better if you get close enough to them without tripping them. Hold Down, press B, then get away from the dynamite you just dropped. That'll do it.

If you get hit by anything, you will lose a life both figuratively and literally. You can get that life back when it drops out of you in the form of a heart, but you'll barely have enough time to grab it. It is possible to get hit multiple times in a row and lose multiples lives in a row as a result...so watch out.

You can push things by moving into them. There is a box on the third screen you'll need to move to get up a huge wall of crates.

Walk off the edge of a platform from a high height instead of jumping off. Jumping will cause Daffy to be briefly stunned as soon as he lands, while walking off the edge does not.

To beat Bugs Bunny, you'll need to avoid the mouse traps as well as the exclamation points that briefly show where the sixteen-ton weights Bugs is throwing will land. This is the easiest boss battle by far, but they will get harder. Once you avoid everything, touch the treasure chest to end the level. You'll see your score and password as Daffy Duck flies around, then you can play a bonus game that while fun, doesn't even give you any extra lives. You'll then move on to the next stage.

PrinceWatercress plays Fall Down - The Longplay

...and now, all the modes I can play, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Fall Down is a homebrew game for the Atari 2600 programmed by Aaron Curtis and self-published in 2005. In this game, two players - one red and one blue (blue-green in the PAL version) - fight to stay on the screen and score points by capturing platforms as they scroll upwards. To capture a platform, one must fall through a gap in the platform before the other person does. The first person to fall through the gap gets the point. Of course, there's always the danger of being scrolled past the top of the screen, which will take a player out of action temporarily and give the other player a bit of an advantage in the form of being able to score a lot of points uninterrupted. The game ends when both players are scrolled past the top before either person can be re-spawned.

Controls are easy. You just move left and right with the joystick, and you can use the fire button to use the power-ups that you collect during the game. Players can bump into each other, but there are "pass-by" modes that allow players to walk through each other. Sometimes, you'll find dots on the platforms, and if you can pick them up, you can do all sorts of things with the fire button, such as turn the other person invisible, switch places with the other person, create a gap where you are standing so you can get an easy point, and much more.

The game is one of the first homebrew games to use Richard Hutchinson's AtariVox to save high scores as well as provide in-game speech when someone wins or achieves a new high score.

There are eight different game modes:

• Human vs. AI (red human and a blue computer chip): a simple game against the computer. See if you can get more points that the computer-controlled opponent!
• Human vs. AI, easy mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with "EZ" in white at the bottom): Same as above, but the computer isn't as smart. Use this mode to get used to how the game works.
• Human vs. AI, pass-by mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): Same as the first one, but both players will pass through each other if they come into contact instead of bumping off each other.
• Human vs. AI, invisibility mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white eye at the bottom): This mode is pretty cool. This is the same as Human vs. AI, but the background changes from red to blue and back again at regular intervals, causing one player and then the other to be unable to be seen, making things a lot more difficult. Hope you can keep track of a player that you can't see!
• Single player (just a red human): See how well you can keep up with the eternally scrolling screen and see how high you can score as you drop from platform to platform without having a second player in the picture.
• Human vs. Human (a red human and a blue human): Your standard two player mode. See who can score the most points!
• Human vs. Human, pass-by mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): same as Human vs. Human, but both players pass through each other on contact instead of bumping into each other.
• Human vs. Human, invisibility mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white eye at the bottom): The invisibility mode, now with two players! Compared to the human vs. computer version, this one can be really fun at parties.

To switch between, hit the Game Select switch on the title menu.

This is a really fun game. The premise is simple and the game controls pretty well, but this is one of those games where anything can happen. While the game is fun enough on its own with the single player modes, the two-player mode is where this game gets a lot more exciting, especially if you have a few friends over. When it comes to homebrew games, this one is loads of fun.

PrinceWatercress plays Fall Down

This game is fun as hell. Definitely play this one if you can!

Longplay

Fall Down is a homebrew game for the Atari 2600 programmed by Aaron Curtis and self-published in 2005. In this game, two players - one red and one blue (blue-green in the PAL version) - fight to stay on the screen and score points by capturing platforms as they scroll upwards. To capture a platform, one must fall through a gap in the platform before the other person does. The first person to fall through the gap gets the point. Of course, there's always the danger of being scrolled past the top of the screen, which will take a player out of action temporarily and give the other player a bit of an advantage in the form of being able to score a lot of points uninterrupted. The game ends when both players are scrolled past the top before either person can be re-spawned.

Controls are easy. You just move left and right with the joystick, and you can use the fire button to use the power-ups that you collect during the game. Players can bump into each other, but there are "pass-by" modes that allow players to walk through each other. Sometimes, you'll find dots on the platforms, and if you can pick them up, you can do all sorts of things with the fire button, such as turn the other person invisible, switch places with the other person, create a gap where you are standing so you can get an easy point, and much more.

The game is one of the first homebrew games to use Richard Hutchinson's AtariVox to save high scores as well as provide in-game speech when someone wins or achieves a new high score.

There are eight different game modes:

• Human vs. AI (red human and a blue computer chip): a simple game against the computer. See if you can get more points that the computer-controlled opponent!
• Human vs. AI, easy mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with "EZ" in white at the bottom): Same as above, but the computer isn't as smart. Use this mode to get used to how the game works.
• Human vs. AI, pass-by mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): Same as the first one, but both players will pass through each other if they come into contact instead of bumping off each other.
• Human vs. AI, invisibility mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white eye at the bottom): This mode is pretty cool. This is the same as Human vs. AI, but the background changes from red to blue and back again at regular intervals, causing one player and then the other to be unable to be seen, making things a lot more difficult. Hope you can keep track of a player that you can't see!
• Single player (just a red human): See how well you can keep up with the eternally scrolling screen and see how high you can score as you drop from platform to platform without having a second player in the picture.
• Human vs. Human (a red human and a blue human): Your standard two player mode. See who can score the most points!
• Human vs. Human, pass-by mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): same as Human vs. Human, but both players pass through each other on contact instead of bumping into each other.
• Human vs. Human, invisibility mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white eye at the bottom): The invisibility mode, now with two players! Compared to the human vs. computer version, this one can be really fun at parties.

To switch between, hit the Game Select switch on the title menu.

This is a really fun game. The premise is simple and the game controls pretty well, but this is one of those games where anything can happen. While the game is fun enough on its own with the single player modes, the two-player mode is where this game gets a lot more exciting, especially if you have a few friends over. When it comes to homebrew games, this one is loads of fun.

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge - The Longplay

...and now, the game minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Pressure Gauge is a game written back in 2000 as a college exercise by John K. Harvey, and was inspired by the Steamwood sections in Brave Fencer Musashi.

If you flip the Game Select switch, you'll get a small text crawl in the center of the screen as well as some rainbow colored bars. 

The only button you need to play the game is the fire button. When you start the game, you'll notice a small bar on the left followed by a gauge to the right that slowly fills up. When that gauge is anywhere near the range where the small bar on the left is, press the fire button. This will fill up a second gauge to the right. If you do this right, you'll fill the gauge to the right up; if you get it wrong, the gauge will go down. There is also a gauge in the center telling you how much time you have left. If that gauge goes all the way down, the game is over. To fill it up, you'll need to clear the current level and head on to the next, and you can see which level you're on by looking at the bottom of the screen.

As you go through the game, the game gets faster. From Levels 6-10, you'll go back to the beginning speed and work your way up again, but the lights will flicker, causing you to be unable to see your line and gauges for a short time at regular intervals. From Level 11 onwards, everything will be random, and the small line on the left may be in a different range on the gauge entirely.

Everything about this game may simple, and there may not be much to the graphics, but the gameplay is easy to figure out, and once you do, it definitely has an addicting nature to it. This one is all about the gameplay, and this game definitely keeps you on your toes while taking a small idea from a then-somewhat recent video game and running with it. This is definitely one game to try if you come across it, and don't be surprised if you find yourself spending plenty of time with it.

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge

After seeing this one in action, I just had to try it out for myself.

Longplay

Pressure Gauge is a game written back in 2000 as a college exercise by John K. Harvey, and was inspired by the Steamwood sections in Brave Fencer Musashi.

If you flip the Game Select switch, you'll get a small text crawl in the center of the screen as well as some rainbow colored bars. 

The only button you need to play the game is the fire button. When you start the game, you'll notice a small bar on the left followed by a gauge to the right that slowly fills up. When that gauge is anywhere near the range where the small bar on the left is, press the fire button. This will fill up a second gauge to the right. If you do this right, you'll fill the gauge to the right up; if you get it wrong, the gauge will go down. There is also a gauge in the center telling you how much time you have left. If that gauge goes all the way down, the game is over. To fill it up, you'll need to clear the current level and head on to the next, and you can see which level you're on by looking at the bottom of the screen.

As you go through the game, the game gets faster. From Levels 6-10, you'll go back to the beginning speed and work your way up again, but the lights will flicker, causing you to be unable to see your line and gauges for a short time at regular intervals. From Level 11 onwards, everything will be random, and the small line on the left may be in a different range on the gauge entirely.

Everything about this game may simple, and there may not be much to the graphics, but the gameplay is easy to figure out, and once you do, it definitely has an addicting nature to it. This one is all about the gameplay, and this game definitely keeps you on your toes while taking a small idea from a then-somewhat recent video game and running with it. This is definitely one game to try if you come across it, and don't be surprised if you find yourself spending plenty of time with it.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 10 of 10

It's time to take down the bad guys once and for all!

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Stage 10: RF

There's only one direction to go: north. Keep going in that direction, and be ready to shoot down enemies. If any enemies are standing still, you'll need to jump up to shoot them, as they will be on balconies and you will not be able to shoot them from ground level. Despite the fact that the area is dark and you won't be able to see a lot, this area isn't difficult to get through as long as you keep an eye on the enemy health gauge; if you can do that, you'll be ready to shoot down any enemies that are in the way.

Near the end of the first section is a guy with a first aid kit. Shoot him down to get it, then go right from where you got the first aid kit to fight the final boss: an attack helicopter.

You'll want to shoot at the helicopter while avoiding the bullets, which is easier to do if you stick to the ground. When the homing missiles start firing out of the helicopter, you'll want to keep on jumping in order to minimize the amount of damage you take. As you shoot at the helicopter, you'll keep getting guns and health, and unlike all the other pick-ups that you've received from enemies throughout the game, they stay on the screen until you need them instead of blinking and disappearing after a few seconds. When the helicopter is nearly dead, you'll get a first aid kit. Grab it as soon as possible to ensure victory, because you're gonna need it! You'll also get a flamethrower so you can destroy the final boss in style!

After the final boss, you'll see footage of John McClane leaping off the roof before sharing a romantic kiss with his estranged wife Holly. You just beat Die Hard for PC Engine!

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 9 of 10

The game messes with you again, but at least this stage is easier.

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Stage 9: 36F

You have another maze, and if you can't figure out where to go, you're not meeting the final boss.

You want to go as low as you can whenever possible and stay low. You'll only want to go north whenever the level forces you to. With that in mind, you'll want to keep a look for enemies, as it is easy to get swarmed. The exit will be blocked two security guards who are dressed in all red standing next to each other. Take them out and go north to beat the stage.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 8 of 10

This is where the game really messes with you.

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Stage 8: 34F

This one is straightforward - you just keep moving north, shooting down all the bad guys in your way, and jumping over all the gaps so you don't fall into the water - but it's not easy. You only have two minutes to get through this level, and if you don't get to the goal in time, it's game over.

Watch the enemy health gauge closely, try not to take a lot of damage, and run away from any enemies that end up behind you. There is a flamethrower that you can get, but you're better off sticking to the machine gun, as you'll need to be able to move around quickly as you're jumping. Also, keep your health high. This is tough, but it's not impossible.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 7 of 10

This is where the game starts to get difficult. There's a trick to beating the boss here...if you can figure it out.

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Stage 7: 35F

This time, you're in the air ducts. Keep a look out for enemies and be ready to shoot them down when you see them, but watch your surroundings too, as pieces of the ducts will fall down as you move. If the floor changes as you move, jump forward.

If enemies fire at you when you approach them, they are about to come down from the top of the screen. Let them come down before firing.

There are some machine guns and a first-aid kit near the end of the level; be sure to get them.

You'll then face your second boss. Avoid his projectiles as the boss moves up and down, and when the boss moves back to fire a rocket, be ready to move to the bottom and jump away when the rocket comes down. As this battle rages on, you'll have less and less floor to work with, which can be rather nasty. The boss will alternate between a three-way shot and homing rockets, and while the former will be able to avoid at first, it will get hectic when you have less space to move around in. As for the homing rockets, you can always shoot those down.

If you and the boss die at the same time, you win. Thankfully, your health will be refilled on the next stage.

Interestingly, if you jump straight up at the very top, you can grab one of two machine guns in case you're low on ammo.

After beating this boss, you'll see a cutscene of John McClane going down an elevator shaft with a rope and a lighter.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 6 of 10

At this point, the game starts getting a little harder.

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Stage 6: 32F

Once again, you're in another maze, but at least this one is easier to get out of. You'll want to head your way northward in the first section. The exit will be blocked by a security guard wearing all red, so be careful for that, the rest of the enemies who may get some lucky shots on you due to their positions, as well as the many pits that you'll have to jump over. As you can see, this game is starting to get harder.

Thankfully, the second section is strictly horizontal. Once again, be careful where you are going so you don't grab a gun that you don't need, and advance slowly so you can take out the enemies with little trouble. If you need health, go into the lone door that you see on the way to the end. You'll find a first aid kit as well as two grenade launchers and two machine guns.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 5 of 10

Now that we've beaten our first boss, it's time to go through some more familiar territory

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Stage 5: 30F

You're now in the office space of Nakatomi Plaza, but the people here are anything but friendly. At least there are a few open doors where you can get some power-ups, including a first aid kit.

Don't walk on the broken glass; you'll take damage if you step into it.

There are some devices on the walls that will shoot out a red laser. Shoot the device down to get rid of that damaging laser.

The guard in all red has a five-way shot. Shoot him before he shoots you!

The second section has you going straight to the right. Move past the  doors that endlessly spawn bad guys, and if you see an open door, go into it for much needed beer for health. You'll eventually reach the door at the end, which takes you up two more floors.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 4 of 10

In this entry, we go down a dark passage and face our first boss. He won't be our last, either.

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Be very careful of where you go as you travel through this dark passage, as enemies will come from anywhere. You'll want to take as little damage as possible as you go through this area. Also, you'll want to get the grenade launcher here and preserve your ammo while getting as much ammo as you can.

Just when you think you're done, you'll be facing your first boss: a guy with a baton who will walk across a ceiling and try to smack you with his extending baton while also throwing a five-way knife shot. Jump when you shoot as he strikes with the baton from the sides and center, as this is the only time when he is vulnerable - and stay on the ground when he throws the knife, jumping only when necessary so you can more easily avoid them. The grenade launcher is the easiest weapon to use against this boss, as the explosion will hurt him if the grenade itself does not quite reach him.

When you beat this guy, you'll see a cutscene of John McClane riding on the top of an elevator on his way further up the tower.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 3 of 10

We've finally entered the building, but now we have to get through a maze!

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Stage 3: B2F

You're now in Nakatomi Plaza, but now you'll have to go through a maze to get further in while dodging enemy bullets.

At the first branching path, you'll want to take the left door. The pits are instant death if you fall into them, so make sure you don't walk into them. Also, if you jump and shoot, you can also violate the laws of perspective with your gunfire. At the end, enter the left door.

At the second branching path, take the right door. There is a door halfway through where you can find another flamethrower off the enemies. At the end, take the left door.

The third vertical section has three branching paths. The first two loop in on each other, but the third one has the two doors as usual. You'll want to take the right door. Near the end, you can find a first aid kit in case you don't have any body armor. Past that door, don't enter the first door you see; instead, go all the way to the end and enter the door there.

John McClane will tell you if you ended up back at the beginning if you took a wrong turn, so you'll want to avoid that. If you end up in any yellow hallways as opposed to the green ones, you've taken a wrong turn somewhere, and you're going to end up back at the beginning no matter what. You'll also want to keep in mind that the game only scrolls one way, and if you go too far in one direction, you won't be able to backtrack like you'll want to. Thankfully, the path is doable through trial and error, and the paths stay the same every time you play.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 2 of 10

Well, this stage was pretty quick. Didn't expect to find that body armor.

First | Next | End

Stage 2: 01F

The second stage is a waterlogged maze leading to a lower entrance into Nakatomi Plaza. There are multiple routes through the maze, and as long as you don't run into every single dead end around here, you'll have plenty of time to get into the building.

The guys with the long blond hair will shoot at you with grenade launchers. Even though the explosions from their shots are not as big as when you shoot one. 

One of the dead ends has body armor, and you'll need to shoot down a gray-shirt guard to get it. Make sure you get it.

The exit is guarded by three enemies at once. Once you take them all out, you're done here.

PrinceWatercress plays Die Hard (PC Engine) - Stage 1 of 10

At least this isn't as frustrating as the NES game...

Next | End

This game is a top-down action-style game, much like the NES game. Unlike the NES game, however, the action focuses a lot more on shooting down bad guys and trying not to die than sneaking through the multiple floors of Nakatomi Palaza and taking care of yourself.

Stage 1: 01F

The game starts in the garden outside of Nakatomi Plaza, and just like in the NES game, you'll be playing as John McClane. The D-Pad lets you move around, Button II lets you shoot and Button I lets you jump. You start out with your fists, but you'll find a variety of guns. There will be single-shot rifles, but you'll also find machine guns with rapid fire, grenade launchers that produce huge explosions and even flamethrowers.

You have a health bar, as does the enemy. As you take damage, your shirt will look a little more drab If you lose all your health, you'll have to use one of your limited continues. You also have a limited amount of time to get through a stage, and if you run out

To the right of where you start, take out the enemies and enter the building you see for an easy machine gun. This will make it easier to plow through the enemies up ahead. The black-shirted guards shoot one bullet at a time, while the white (gray?)-shirted guards shoot three.

When fighting enemies, keep tabs on your health constantly. When you take damage, the game makes no effort whatsoever to tell you that you've taken damage; John McClane just stands there and takes it. Your best bet for going through the levels is advancing slowly, watching for the enemy health bar to turn green, then shooting them down while avoiding them and their bullets.

If any enemies are on rooftops, you can jump up to shoot them.

The pits are instant death if you walk into them.

In the second section of the stage, keep on moving forward while taking out the enemies. Pits will form out of nowhere, and if you see that happen, immediately get away from the pit that is forming so you don't fall in. 

Some enemies can drop bottles of beer that replenish two whole units of health, but even fewer enemies will drop a blue vest. This is body armor, and it turns your health bar gold. This acts as a second health bar that goes over your first one, but you'll definitely want to preserve it as long as possible, as there are only a few of these in the game. At least when you get shot with body armor on, you don't lose your main health.

The first aid kit replenishes all of your health as opposed to just two units.

When you see five enemies at once, you're at the exit. Go back down as far as possible and take them out from a distance so you don't get shot a whole lot.

PrinceWatercress plays Freddy and the Spiders from Mars - The Longplay

...and now, the game minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Freddy and the Spiders from Mars is a type-in game for the BBC Micro from 1985, from Issue 38 of Input Magazine.

Freddy is a window cleaner with an intense dread of spiders. He's been to his doctor and innumerable specialists who cannot cure his condition. Things are so bad he now has a recurring nightmare, concerning a Martian spider, a collection of balloons, and his favourite hobby, archery.

Frequently he wakes up bathed in sweat after dreaming of beings stranded on his ladder equipped with a supply of arrows. He has been trying desperately to burst balloons, which if allowed to reach the spider's cage above hie head, unlock the doors which imprison the beast.

Help Freddy burst the balloons, or he'll end up as the spider's breakfast! Points are awarded for each balloon Freddy bursts. If he lets through three balloons, the Martian spider is released.

A and Z move up and down, while Space fires an arrow. At the top of the screen, you'll see your current level, how many balloons you have left before moving on to the next level, your current score and the high score for the current session.

As you can probably guess, you'll be climbing up and down a ladder while firing an arrow, hoping to hit a balloon. You can only have one arrow on the screen at a time, so you'll really need to be good with your shots, especially when the balloons, which always show up one by one, show up at different points from the ground. If you can time things right, you can stand in a certain spot on the ladder, fire at a certain point depending on how close the balloon is to you, and hit the target every time.

As mentioned in the instructions, you can only miss three balloons before the Martian spider is freed and Freddy gets eaten in his absolutely nonsensical dream. Thankfully, whenever you reach a new level, all of the walls blocking the Martian spider from being unleashed will be restored, and you'll be back to the three misses. But beware, as the balloons move faster which each new level, and they get pretty fast pretty quickly. I usually never make it past level 3. As a result, sessions of this game do not last very long.

The game is great for what it is, especially when you consider that it is a free type-in game. The graphics are easily identifiable, the only sound you get is the balloons popping, and the controls work like they should. However, like most of the other games that I've played for the BBC Micro, you'll get enjoyment out of the game for a few minutes max before moving on to something else. Is the game still worth looking at? Well, yes. I still have an itch to shoot down some balloons, even if poor Freddy is going to be devoured before Level 3 is over every single time.