Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
In this entry, we go from a train to the sewers to some place flowing with electricity.
Stage 7
Love the lightning being here, but it makes the ground temporarily turn black, which can be very, very annoying.
The first part takes place on a train. Be careful as you advance, as there will be a lot of guys with guns situated somewhat close to the edge, with a few showing up when you least expect them. Use your gun or your grenades to get rid of these guys.
The second part takes place in the sewers and leads to the most awkward scene transitions. How did we go from a train to the sewers, anyway? You'll be dealing with rolling rats, swooping bats...and those stupid fireball-spitting fish again.
The water running along the ground will push you in the direction that it's going, similar to the water in Toad Man's stage in Mega Man 4.
The boss here is yet another robot. Stay in the lower-left hand corner and use the duck run (Down-Left/Down-Right) to avoid the robot's swooping around as well as the fireballs and crescent beams it shoots out (just in case). Whack the robot with the laser whip when it comes your way.
Stage 8
New enemies here include ninjas covered in spikes, men that throw huge nuts (the mechanical kind) at you. and robots that can crane their heads upwards and balls that follow your every move.
The robots' extendable heads are their weak points. The nut throwers take two hits to kill.
There are parts of the ground with electricity running rampant, and the power goes on and off for a brief time every few seconds.
As you go further into the first section, there will be more conveyor belts as well as electrical zappers getting into your way with their straight-line discharges.
For the second section, stay at the top and you'll avoid most of the stuff in that area. There will be balls following you as well as sparks moving back and forth on some of the platforms, but that's all you'll have to deal with.
The boss here is some sort of green mantis ninja. Just get under him and wail on him with the laser whip. He'll go down very quickly.
After the battle, you'll meet Christy. You'll find out that Christy was abducted by men in uniforms from the bio-tech lab.
We start running through South Central America here, and find out that the enemies are totally something else.
Stage 4
You're now running through a TV studio of some sort. Most of the enemies from the last stage here, but you also have green guys ducking down and shooting at you. If you can't reach them safely with the laser whip, throw a grenade. They won't give you any more trouble after that.
When you climb down the ladder at the end, you'll see a brand new section: the shooting section. Here, you'll be watching the screen scroll in a first-person view, and you'll be able to shoot the gun with B and throw grenades with A. You can press Select to switch the two buttons around if you wish.
Here, you'll be shooting down ninjas while trying to shoot down the bombs and attacks that they toss at you. You can shoot down windows for more points if you need them. The yellow ninjas will always be in front of you, and you'll want to take them down as they'll attack if you give them more than a couple of seconds of screen time. The green ninjas will either leap at you or throw bombs.
To collect items, simply move the cross-hairs over them to pick them up.
Stage 5
Finally, we're in South Central America, as opposed to South Central where you shouldn't be a menace while drinking your juice in the hood. Yeah, I went there. Do something.
In this stage, you'll be fighting pink tribal men in masks as well as ninjas. Lots and lots of ninjas. Whether they're running at you, leaping from the bottom of the screen to throw shurikens or crawling on ceilings, they're everywhere and they're a pain.
You'll also be dogged by birds of prey as you progress through the stage. Unlike the Ninja Gaiden birds, though, these birds move from side to side while still going come at you as opposed to homing straight in.
The blocks that block your path can be easily destroyed with the laser whip. If they're below, just crouch down and strike, and you'll be able to get rid of them.
You'll soon be jumping from log to log on a raging waterfall. If you can't reach the next log, just wait at the side.
You'll soon enter the second section, which takes place in the Central American jungle. You'll be dealing with a lot of fish that leap in and out of the water and shoot out fireballs. Combined with the bird, this can make jumping from one narrow platform to another rather nasty.
You can destroy the vines that block your path, but you'd better hurry as they'll regenerate in a matter of seconds and can damage you if they come back on top of you.
The blue guys with the guns can move up to you before getting in position and shooting at you. Duck the fireballs, then whack them.
The boss here is some sort of tank. Hit the blue orb at the top with the laser whip and avoid the missiles. If the tank stops, duck! The tank will shoot three blue fireballs that you will definitely want to avoid.
The guys with guns are back, and in greater numbers.
Yes, the fan blades at the ceiling will hurt you. So will the ones on the ground, some of which are situated below...conveyor belt ladders? Yes, we have ladders that move you around, leaving you to look at them to see which direction they'll take and causing you to fine tune yourself before you jump to wherever it is you want to go.
The second section is red, and the colors are reminiscent of the NES Batman game. There are some pipes that will shoot damaging smoke out, but they're not directly in your way and as a result don't seem to pose much of a threat.
Some of the gun guys will shoot slightly upwards at you, shooting out some sort of mortar shots that come down almost immediately after they're discharged.
The boss here is a flying robot, and the easiest boss in the game by far. As soon as the battle starts, don't even move and just keep pressing the B button to repeatedly strike the laser whip. This also takes out the missiles, and while some missiles will hit you, the boss will go down long before you do.
After the battle, Hart will find out the robot is none other than Reese, who has been converted into a cyborg by BEDA Corporation. He tells you that he found the source of the Gel, and that someone is running around masquerading as Hart. An unknown assailant kills Reese, whose last words are that they've got "the girl." Has Christy been kidnapped?
You then get a computer chip, which seems to have some sort of connection to what's going on, even though it doesn't seem that way at first...
Time to play a rather interesting run-and-slash platformer for the NES.
Centuries ago, an alien race landed on Earth, and had to create a gel that would provide them nourishment. As time passed, they created clones to blend in with the human race, and created BEDA Corporation, which distributed electronics and technology. Behind the scenes, however, the continuation of the alien race was the main objective.
This neon gel, while necessary for alien survival, worked as a nasty, addictive drug in humans. This led to mass production to satisfy hardcore drug abusers and make a huge profit for BEDA...and the side effects are lethal.
You play as Vice Officer Quinn Hart. He and his partner Reese have been trying to track the source of this "Gel," but Reese has gone missing and is presumed dead. Hart will soon be caught in the middle, unraveling what BEDA's Project Doom is...and finding out some rather unsavory secrets...
Stage 1
Detective Hart gets a call from his sports car. There's a maniac running loose on the highway, and Hart will have to take him down before he can cause any more mayhem than he already has.
As you accelerate with Up on the Control Pad and turn with Left and Right, you can shift between three gears of speed with the A button. You can also fire your guns at cars and other enemies that are in your way with B.
Collect 100 coins to get a 1-Up.
The ammo holder with the B icon will refill your gun ammunition, while the one with the G icon will refill your grenades.
The gun has limited range. If you run out of ammo, you'll automatically get five shots after a few seconds.
The grenades have a longer range than the gun, but have a downward arc that happens shortly after you throw it. It's a lot more powerful, and in case you run out of grenades, you'll get two after a few seconds.
The boss here is pretty easy, as the five way shots as well as the miniature cars that the 18-wheeler shoots at you are pretty easy to avoid. Just stay away from them and shoot the miniature cars down as you empty the boss's life meter and you should be fine.
Detective Quan Hart checks the wreckage, and finds both a technologically advanced gun as well as a humanoid figure with twisted-looking fingers. As Christy runs a check on both of these things, a mysterious figure makes it known to Hart that he's watching him.
After beating this level, we finally get to see the title screen before entering the next stage.
Stage 2
Welcome to the first of many side-scrolling segments that make up the game. You have three weapons: a laser whip that you'll be using for most of the game, a gun that requires bullets in order to work, and a supply of grenades.
Holding Down-Left or Down-Right on the Control Pad will allow you to run with your head down, which makes it easier to avoid things that are airborne as you run. This will come in handy later.
The laser whip can strike enemies behind you on the very first frame if you can time it right, and that ability will come in handy later. Practice makes perfect.
Enemies here include mutant birds, Chinese guys in robes that either jump around (blue) or shoot fireballs with limited range (green), guys in pumpkin masks that throw scythes, and guys with spikes on their backs that crawl back and forth. The pumpkin guys take two hits and turn yellow after the first one.
Be careful and watch the skies as you progress, as enemies will drop down and surround you at times. This isn't the last Ninja Gaiden comparison that you'll be seeing. Speaking of which, if you get hit in the air, you can move around shortly after you get hit and get back on the platform as opposed to just accepting your fate. Given how difficult this game can get, that's notable.
Watch for the cracked portions of the I-beams that act at this level's platforms. These portions can break apart as they fall down, and take you with them!
There are conveyor belts here, but they're really easy to deal with at this point for the most part.
The meat refills ten units of health, so get them when you need them.
The boss here is some sort of wolf-man who throws the steel girders at you. You can jump onto and stand on the girders if you need to. If you have full health, it's easy to just take the laser whip and nail him, though you can use the other weapons if you need to. Even then, you'll be able to beat him before he can do the same to you.
After the boss battle, you'll meet Sophia. Christy sent her here to check on what you found in the truck, and she tells you it all leads to someone named Kim Ron who practices black magic.
Stage 3
The Chinese guys are back, but you also have dogs that leap at you and purple men in straw hats that come at you with staves.
The blue bottles refill two units of health.
Watch out for the flames that shoot out of the ground as well as the sparks that move back and forth on the purple wires.
The boss here is Kim Ron. He'll jump from one side to the other and blow fire at you, and when he returns to the side he started, he'll rush at you with his staff. Stand on the statues to avoid this attack. Strike Kim Ron whenever he lands, and be sure to duck to avoid some of his fireballs.
When you beat Kim Ron, you'll find out the truck driver's gun was military issue - and classified army stuff, at that. The truck driver also has dirt on his clothes that is native to Southern Central America, where trouble is brewing in a town called Ricardo.
Here were are the final challenge! Can Donald get the treasure?
At the bottomless pit, jump to the right. A platform will materialize. Land on it. Keep doing this over and over. A few of them will either go lower or come after a two-block gap rather than a one-block gap, but this part is easy as long as you're paying attention.
At the other end is the final boss battle against a duck who is dressed much like the Knight of the Crusades from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade who watches over the Holy Grail. Position yourself above him, then slide to the other side so that you're behind him. Avoid the debris that falls from the ceiling, then keep firing Green Plungers at his head until the sword returns to him from hitting the wall, then keep on doing this. It's an easy battle, provided you know what to do. The knight will always telegraph when he throws the sword by holding it upwards prior to tossing it.
When you beat the Knight, you will be deemed worthy of King Garuzia's treasure. The door will open and reveal a gold treasure chest containing a plain stone statue of a duck princess, and Donald will feel that he came all this way for nothing.
You'll then see the ending sequence, where Donald Duck hands the statue to Daisy. Huey, Dewey and Louie accidentally drop the statue, which causes it to break and reveal a gold necklace which lands cleanly around Daisy's neck, making this whole adventure worth it after all. Donald and Daisy fly around the world, and the game ends.
The next section is full of series of platforms that move in and out. For best results, stand on the center to see where they go, then quickly make your move accordingly. If you need to, get on one of the nearby platforms, let it take you back to the center, and then see what you have to do and how to time your jumps to get to the platform you need to get to. You'll have to stop and think on the center of these platform clusters to figure out how to get from one cluster to the next.
You'll be able to freely move around in the next section. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to find your way around. You'll eventually have to slide around in some narrow corridors, and stun some turtles with the plungers. When you take the elevator down, duck down so you can stun the guy with the gun. Do not take the next elevator up; instead, use the Green Plunger to make your way up so you can stun the guys with the guns along the way.
You'll then come across Pete. Walk up to him to trigger the boss battle with him. If you win, you'll get the map and the Viking Diary back. Pete will then lower into the ground and show up on a platform with a crusher on the underside. You'll have to shoot him with the bubble gum while at the same time trying to avoid being underneath him. You may have to shoot straight up to hit him sometimes, but do what you have to do. If you're ever underneath him, slide. It may not always work, but at least you'll have a chance to get away from the crusher.
After twelve hits, Pete will surrender and give you the Viking Diary and the map back. Pause the game, go to the inventory and use the Viking Diary. You can finally read the diary, which tells you to dip the map in water to reveal the location of the real treasure. You'll go to the map, and you'll reveal the Great Duck Treasure Island between South America and Africa. You'll go there immediately.
The Island
Switch to the Green Plunger so you can stun the two snakes on the way up. Also, be careful with the leaf platforms, as they will fall when you land on them.
You'll come across an area with platforms that will break under your weight. Land on the first set of platforms and keep holding Right on the Control Pad. You want to keep holding Right until you're past all of the breakaway platforms; otherwise, you will die.
On the vine platforms that explode when you stand on them, keep leaping onto the edge of each one, then go to the right when the path allows you to.
You'll finally be in the temple. Wait in the gap in the spears on the first slope, then dash down the second. Grab the zipline, take it to the other side, and hit the statues where their shields aren't. Hit high if the shields are low; hit low if the shields are high. One will jump as soon as you see it; shoot it while it is in mid-air. When you are suddenly free of the statues, hold A to run as two more will suddenly spawn behind you.
Climb up to the next level with the Green Plunger, then go through the slopes and watch out around the rings of fire. You'll have to deal with more statues after this, stun them, then get on the moving platform with the help of the Green Plunger. Don't stun the statues as they try to jump at you, otherwise they'll be joining you.
On the second moving platform, there is a space in the ceiling that you can climb up with the Green Plunger. Go up and slide to the right and you'll enter the next area, which leads to a bottomless pit...
Boy, did I not do very well at all with the audio mixing in this video.
South Pole
We're done in Egypt, and we now have the Scepter of Ra...but what do we do with it? Well, we have two places left: the South Pole and the Viking Ship. We're tackling the South Pole first.
Be careful going up the slopes, as the birds that used to drop beehives now drop bombs, and their explosions travel to the sides when they hit the ground.
The guys with guns now shoot bombs out of their guns. The penguins will move towards you and perform a sliding attack if given the chance.
There are some wedge platforms on some of the slopes. If you stand on one, it will take you down the slope a little faster.
At the end of the first section, you'll find a key frozen in a block of ice. After Donald ponders how to get it out, he will lay down the flag that allows you to call the airplane. Thankfully, we have something that does: the Scepter of Ra. Use it at the block of ice and you'll be able to melt it and take the Viking Key.
Call the airplane and head to the Viking Ship.
Viking Ship
The first enemy you'll meet here are vikings that hide in barrels and shoot arrows at you. Interestingly, you can stun them even if they have yet to pop out of the barrels with the Red Plunger.
Some parts of the floor crumble under your weight, and you can tell them apart from all the cracks on them.
IN the second section, there are lookout baskets that act as elevators. Just jump into one and it'll take you up.
The second slope in the section has a 1-Up at the bottom. Just be ready to keep jumping to the left as soon as you get it so that you don't lose it immediately. The two ziplines will allow you to ciontinue the level, and the top one will allow you to dodge some enemies.
At the final slope leading downward, you'll want to keep pressing C so you don't fall down along with the platforms that will drop when you put your weight on them.
You'll then meet a more friendly Viking, who will ask you to go inside the ship and get rid of the hosts. Donald will plant the flag, then you'll be able to use the Viking Key to unlock the door.
The inside of the ship goes in a circle, so regardless of whether you go down the ladder or continue to the right when you enter, you'll see the whole ship anyway. In the center of the ship, there is a hidden passage on the left wall that you can jump into with the assistance of the Red Plunger. The hidden passage leads to some money if you need the points for an extra life (you get an extra life every 200,000 points).
Despite what I say about the large guy who tiptoes around, you can kill him in minimal hits by shooting him with the bubblegum gun or popcorn gun when he pushes his flabby gut forward and makes a weird face.
The right side of the wall in the center is where you want to go. Leap into the wall there and you'll find the boss battle for this area.
The boss here can be easily destroyed with the popcorn gun, as you can hit him in the head and the five way shot makes it a lot easier to do so. Fire away when he's standing perfectly still, and when he crumbles, you know you've hit him. If you run out of popcorn gun ammo, use the Red Plunger. When he throws his hammer, get back and jump over it if necessary.
When you beat the boss, you'll find out from the viking on deck that he does not have the Viking Diary, which mentions where the treasure of King Garuzia is. But, there is an old legend that says it is hidden in ice near the South Pole, and gives you an "ancient Viking plunger." This is the Green Plunger, which is the best Plunger weapon in the game. This allows you to take a ride on some flying enemies by hitting them in the air and grabbing onto the plunger while they're stunned.
Call the airplane. If you need to refill on supplies, head to Duckberg and do just that, because once you head to the South Pole and get the Viking Diary, you'll be at the "no turning back" point.
South Pole
Head right from where you got the Viking Key. Be sure you have the Green Plunger equipped. Aim upwards at the bird flying to the right, then jump into the plunger to grab onto it. Hold Up and Down on the Control Pad to control your height so you can avoid the birds as they come from the right side of the screen. If you get hit just once, you're going down and you're starting this whole section over. Thankfully, this section isn't long, and once you make it to the other side, Donald will let go of the plunger automatically.
The next section has some platforming. You'll have to do some good jumping to avoid falling into the water or being bitten by the whales. When you see another igloo, you've made it to another segment.
For the next segment, drop down at the beginning to refill on popcorn gun ammo if you need to, then equip the bubblegum ammo to destroy the blocks at the far right. Head to the left, taking out both the guy who sucks his gut in as well as that slow, slow seal (who can also break the pink blocks if you're patient enough, then go up when you can't go left anymore. At the next set of platforms, go left for a 1-Up if you need it (break the block all the way to the left with the bubblegum gun to uncover it), then head to the right and take out the seal. Take out the first blue block you see with the bubble gum ammo, then go up as far as you can with the green plunger. Head all the way to the left, using the bubblegum ammo to take out the blue blocks above you while using the Green Plunger to climb your way up. (Watch out for that seal!) There will be a cluster of blue blocks nearby. Destroy them all with the bubblegum ammo to uncover and grab the Viking Diary.
From here, climb up, slide to the right, then climb up again and shoot down the blue blocks on the left. If you need to refill on stuff, go down into the area near the start again where you refilled on stuff in the first place. Now that you're on the surface again, head to the left. When you try to go back, Pete will be on his plane, carrying around Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and holding them as hostages. He wants the treasure map and the diary in exchange for your nephews. Donald has no choice but to give Pete what he wants, and the nephews are freed. Donald and the nephews then head back to the plan and chase after Pete.
From this point on, you're on rails for the rest of the game. There's no turning back.
Hideout
Watch out for the platform blocks as you climb up the slope, then hit the green bird from below with the Green Plunger as it flies in from the right after you make your way down. Avoid everything flying at you, then use the Green Plunger to stun the piranhas between the platforms as you make your way further to the right. Hold the A button to run across the bridges that break under your weight (which is something I completely didn't think of doing, whoops). From there, grab onto the zipline and ride it to the bottom. Hold right so you can enter the next section.
The next section has mine carts. Thankfully, this is pretty easy. Just jump to the right when you reach a pit and land in the next mine cart. Thankfully, you only have to do this twice and it's easier than the mine cart section in Egypt.
