Summer's coming up and for those who don't have anything better to do, this is a great opportunity to catch up on missed or overlooked opportunities for fun and excitement. Thus I present:
The "Retro-Cred" Challenge! Improve your gaming mastery by defeating games to gain experience points. Get enough points to level up, and after leveling up enough, move on to the next area.
[DQN Doldrums]
Level 1= 00-25
Level 2= 26-50
Level 3= 51-75
Level 4= 76-99
[DQN Dojo]
Level 5= 100-133
Level 6= 134-166
Level 7= 167-199
[DQN Dome]
Level 8= 200-250
Level 9= 251-299
[VIPPER Valhalla]
Level VIP= 300+
Do you have what it takes to make it to the end? Find out in the next post.
Experience points are assigned respective to the challenge of each game: 1= Fair enough in difficult and length, 2= Kinda tough to beat and/or a little long, 3= arguably tough and/or long for respective sitting(s) likely required
I'll admit some of the point assignments I gave are skewed to seem a bit harder or easier, but for the most part, I'd say they're fairly accurate. I have created a fairly decent sized list of a grab bag of games for you to test your mettle against, with a few rules, of course:
1) When given a choice, choose whichever game you want to count for credit
2) "ANY" applies to any game under the category. You might need to use wikipedia for help.
3) When given the opportunity of a choice or an "ANY" selection, you may choose to conquer multiple games under respective categories. This will add the respective amount of experience points to your total.
That said, let's start off with...
Consoles and Handhelds!
[NES/FC/FDS]
01. Super Mario Bros. (2)
02. Super Mario Bros. 2/USA (2)
03. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1)
04. The Legend of Zelda (2)
05. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (3)
06. Mega Man 2 (2)
07. Dragon Warrior IV (2)
08. Duck Tales (1)
09. Contra (3)
10. Blaster Master (3)
11. Final Fantasy (3)
12. Final Fantasy III (2)
13. Bionic Commando (2)
14. Kid Icarus (2)
15. Metroid (3)
16. Kirby's Adventure (1)
17. Mike Tyson's Punch Out (2)
18. Super Dodge Ball (1)
19. River City Ransom (1)
20. Adventure Island (2)
Total= 30 points
[SNES]
21. Super Mario World (2)
22. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (2)
23. Super Mario Kart (2)
24. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2)
25. Star Fox (2)
26. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (2)
27. Dragon Quest VI (2)
28. Dragon Quest V (2)
29. Final Fantasy VI (2)
30. Final Fantasy V (2)
31. Final Fantasy IV (3)
32. Chrono Trigger (2)
33. Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, or Seiken Densetsu 3 (2)
34. Romancing SaGa 3 (3)
35. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (2)
36. Mega Man X (2)
37. Kirby Super Star (2)
38. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (3)
39. ActRaiser (3)
40. Terranigma (3)
Total (when only taking on one game in 33) = 45 points
[Game Boy]
41. Pokémon Red, Blue, or Green (2)
42. Super Mario Land (2)
43. Super Mario Land 2 (2)
44. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2)
45. Kirby's Dream Land 2 (1)
46. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (2)
47. Wario Land 2 (2)
48. Final Fantasy Adventure (2)
49. Final Fantasy Legend 2 (3)
50. Donkey Kong ('94) (2)
Total (when only taking on one game in 41)= 20
[Master System/Mark-III+Game Gear]
51. Deep Duck Trouble (2)
52. Mickey Mouse: Land of Illusion (2)
53. Golden Axe Warrior (2)
54. Zillion (3)
55. Phantasy Star (2)
56. Golvellius: Valley of Doom (3)
57. Sonic the Hedgehog (MS) (1)
58. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (MS) (2)
59. Sonic Triple Trouble (1)
60. Tails Adventure (2)
Total= 20 points
[Sega Genesis/Mega Drive+CD]
61. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2)
62. Sonic CD (2)
63. Popful Mail (3)
64. Lunar 2 (2)
65. Snatcher (1)
66. ANY 16-bit Shining Force (2)
67. Alien Soldier (3)
68. Disney's Aladdin(2)
69. Beyond Oasis (2)
70. Castlevania: Bloodlines (2)
71. Wonder Boy in Monster World (2)
72. Comix Zone (3)
73. Contra: Hard Corps (3)
74. Crusader of Centy (2)
75. Devil's Crush MD/Dragon's Fury (1)
76. Dynamite Headdy (3)
77. General Chaos (2)
78. Gunstar Heroes (2)
79. Herzog Zwei (3)
80. Landstalker (2)
81. Thunder Force III (3)
82. Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (1)
83. Phantasy Star II (3)
84. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (2)
85. Pulseman (2)
86. Ristar (2)
87. Rocket Knight Adventures (2)
88. Shining in the Darkness (2)
89. Streets of Rage 2 (2)
90. ToeJam & Earl (2)
Total (when not taking on more than one game in 66)= 65
[TG16+CD/PCE]
91. Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (2)
92. Lords of Thunder (2)
93. Bonk's Adventure (2)
94. Ai Cho Aniki (3)
95. Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (2)
96. Dungeon Explorer (2)
97. Magical Chase (2)
98. Military Madness (2)
99. Neutopia II (1)
100. New Adventure Island (2)
Total= 20 points
If you only play 1 game out of multiple choice categories, your Console Total should be 200 points.
Now it's time for Arcade games, games on different company consoles and some miscellaneous games and selections.
01. Out of this World (2)
02. Battletoads (3)
03. Battletoads & Double Dragon (2)
04. Ghosts 'n Goblins (3)
05. NBA Jam (Tournament Edition) (1)
06. Bubble Bobble or one of the "Bubble" sequels (2)
07. Rainbow Islands (2)
08. Parasol Stars (1)
09. Wonderboy 3: The Dragon's Trap (AKA Dragon's Curse on TG16) (2)
10. Joe & Mac/Caveman Ninja (1)
11. Double Dragon (1)
12. Double Dragon 2 (2)
13. (Non-NES) Strider (not including sequels (official or otherwise) (2)
14. Dragon Warrior/Quest (2)
15. Dragon Warrior/Quest II (2)
16. Dragon Warrior/Quest III (3)
17. Saturday Night Slam Masters (1)
18. (Mega) Turrican (III), Super Turrican, or Super Turrican 2 (2)
19. Forgotten Worlds (2)
20. ANY Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble (2)
21. ANY Puyo Puyo (2)
22. ANY Street Fighter II (2)
23. ANY 16-Bit Bomberman (2)
24. ANY Konami Beat'em up (2)
25. ANY Shinobi game (2)
26. ANY Compile developed STG (2)
27. ANY Hudson developed STG (2)
28. ANY Konami developed STG (3)
29. ANY Raiden (2)
30. ANY R-Type (3)
31. ANY SNK Fighting game (2)
32. ANY Solomon's Key variant (this includes Fire n' Ice) (3)
33. ANY platformer Ninja Gaiden (2)
34. Boogie Wings (1)
35. Fantasy Zone (2)
36. Space Harrier (2)
37. Donald in Maui Mallard (aka Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow) (1)
38. Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter (2)
39. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (2)
40. Tower of Druaga (3)
41. Valkyrie No Densetsu (2)
42. Splatterhouse (2)
43. Sunset Riders (arcade) (2)
44. Metal Slug (2)
45. Metal Gear (MSX) (2)
46. Earthworm Jim (2)
47. Earthworm Jim 2 (2)
48. Golden Axe (2)
49. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (2)
50. The Lost Vikings (2)
Total (assuming only one game out of respective multiple choice options are played)= 100 points
GRAND TOTAL (again, if you only played one game out of respective multiple choice options)... 300 points!
Here's some last minute details I forgot to mention:
1) Replaying the same game over again doesn't count unless you significantly change the way you'd play it normally. (Example: I have beaten Shining Force before, but now I am only using knight-type units (promoted when they hit level 20 of course), Max, Jogurt, and unequipped Hans and Diane (as place holders). This requires me to KO every other unit and leave them out of battles. This is no easy task, especially since by Shade abbey, you only have 3 Knights and Max, and Shade Abbey is already one of the harder areas in the game due to powerful foes.)
2) If you are playing a game you want to count, use the measurement system earlier mentioned to gauge how much it counts for (be honest now). There were a number of games I wanted to include, but I tried to keep it down to 150 (I had wanted 100, but it just wasn't working). In addition, it must be a "retro game". My list does not get too recent, so if your game first came out during 2000 or later, odds are it's not a "retro game", even if it's retro-styled.
That said, keep on fighting1
(Just for the record, I only have 113 points myself.)
Zelda 2 wasn't that hard...
I'd like to do that. I have questions, though, do you need to replay games you've already finished in the past?
As for new playthrough, a good lot will be done on emulators. Is the use of saved states allowed (I mean as a means to avoid straight-sittings)? For Arcade games, how many continues are allowed? I never was able to finish any Metal Slug without at least 50 of them...
And then... why no PC games? There are golden oldies there too... Commander Keen, Duke Nukem (the platformers as well as the FPS), Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, etc...
>>12
For me it was, hell, the japanese one was even harder because you would LEVEL DOWN when you game over'ed and I think just plain continued anyway (not so sure about that, but I know it's true for a game over). Again, not all points are completely accurate, but I tried to get them to be.
>>13
>I'd like to do that. I have questions, though, do you need to replay games you've already finished in the past?
Not unless you don't want to. If you've beaten them before this, then you've already got the credit for them.
>As for new playthrough, a good lot will be done on emulators. Is the use of saved states allowed (I mean as a means to avoid straight-sittings)? For Arcade games, how many continues are allowed? I never was able to finish any Metal Slug without at least 50 of them...
It doesn't matter to me how you beat them as long as you beat them. Odds are the time you put into them will be taxing enough. If you want to beat them the old-fashioned way, you're welcome to do so, but don't go giving yourself extra credit, either. There's no achievements either (that might be a good idea for a later thread though, but not now).
>And then... why no PC games? There are golden oldies there too... Commander Keen, Duke Nukem (the platformers as well as the FPS), Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, etc...
I'm not that familiar with PC games as I've never had a good enough PC for games, even now. Even then, I was still clueless about good ones, so I stuck to console games. Over the last few years, I have gotten a better idea of good old PC games for stuff like DOS and the like, due to the internet. If I was going into PC, I'd also include MSX, X68000, etc. which would make this even longer and harder to compress. However, I would have included some more MSX other than Metal Gear, which was going to be the NES version added late, until I figured that one was tough to manage within my goal of 5's/10's increments for totals. However, don't let me stop you from taking on whatever you feel deserving of credit. Anyone is welcome to take on a retro game that I didn't mention. There were a number of games I wanted to include but didn't (StarTropics duo), and some I wasn't sure I should include but did (Zillion). I just wanted this to be rounded out as well as I could get it, and also to try and stick to games that most people would know, even though there are a few obscure games included as well. I hope I've gotten this as clear as it needs to be, although I'll still answer any other questions and comments that need to be addressed or clarified. One last thing though, there's no deadline, either. Everyone just take your time and take it easy.
Well, as of now, I'm at level 4, with 97 XP.
I have a high number of games played but never actually finished on the list, though... gotta remedy to this.
>>15
OP here. Yeah, that happens to be my case as well.
Level 3, with 69 exp.
In all honesty, it basically cause I never really got into Sega, so I'm missing a lot of exp from that tier. I also added some exp for games not listed.
I gave myself 2 points for Dark Wizard on the Sega CD and another 2 points for Dungeon Explorer, also on the Sega CD. They're both great games that no ones ever played.
I was thinking about giving points for some obscure PSX titles too, but I'm kind of leary as to the retro-ness of the PSX.
>>17
I'd say it's fairly retro, despite not being 16 bit. As long as it isn't in the whole 2000 zone, which most games on the PS1 shouldn't be. If it's early into the life, I'd say it still counts though. Again, I'm leaving some things up to each person's personal judgment as well.
Level 4 with 89 exp.
I wouldn't count certain games though. Specifically the FF 7-9 I dunno, they just don't seem to fit the term retro in my opinion...
>>20
I agree. Although I did leave it up to personal thoughts and opinions, there are some that are a bit too "advanced" too be retro. However, it just depends as well. I would arguably consider Guardian's Crusade/Knight & Baby to be retro despite coming out in 1998. It's a game you think would have came out early in the Playstation's life, despite coming out near 4 years after launch (I'm going by earliest dates here). However, it came out after Final Fantasy 7, which I would also NOT consider "retro", despite being 12 years old (It's been THAT long?!).
Again, I'm still leaving actual limitations up to personal interpretation, since my limit was 1999 (10 years ago).
OP here. I finally made it to the DQN dome. There were a few I didn't include with my original count, but I've also managed to beat a number of games since then.
As mentioned before, my initial count when not factoring in stuff I forgot was 113. Here's what I've recalled and also beaten since then:
Final Fantasy IV (2), Batman Return of the joker (2), Spike Mcfang (1), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV (1), Hyperstone Heist (1), StarTropics (2), Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (1), Breath of Fire I (2), Breath of Fire II (2), Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1), Sonic the Hedgehog (1), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1), Journey to Silius (2), Megaman 1 (2), Megaman 2 (1), Megaman 3 (2), Megaman 4 (2), Megaman 5 (1), Megaman 6 (1), Megaman GB 1 (2), Megaman GB 2 (1), Megaman GB 3 (2), Megaman GB 4 (1), Megaman GB 5 (1), Bionic Commando GB (2), Pocket Bomberman (1), Bomberman Quest (1), Final Fantasy Legend 3 (2), Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (2), Super Dodge Ball (1), Shatterhand (2), Castlevania (2), Life Force (2), Little Samson (2), Sonic The Hedgehog MS ver. (1), Lucky Dime Caper (1), Ghouls and Goblins MS ver. (3), GG Shinobi (2), GG Shinobi 2 (2), Neutopia (2), King Colossus (2), Donkey Kong ('94) (2), Twinbee 3 FC (2), Totally Rad (1), Super Metroid (3), Metroid (3), Mother (2), Earthbound (1), Chrono Trigger (2), Kid Icarus (2), Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter (2), Metroid II: Return of Samus (2)
I'm going to take it easy for a while. No sense in burning myself out when the goal is to have fun, right?
Damnit. I need to make time to beat Deep Duck Trouble.
Does playing remakes of the games count? ie. Final Fantasy 3 DS
>>25
I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before, but as long as they don't significantly change things up, then sure.
I plan on beating Dragon Quest IV NES, but not DS (at least, not for credit here).
This is because of the inability to use different members effectively in the NES really changes things up.
I'd consider doing this challenge if it wasn't for the horrible amount of JRPGs
I have nothing against the genre, I like one every few months, but beating them is just a matter of grinding for long enough to get past any tough fights.
I propose where a console port of one of the listed arcade titles is available, it be listed in that console's section as well, with an appending tag (such as [AP]) to designate it an Arcade Port, and not a system exclusive.
Also, I propose an extended section for Gameboy titles, to allow for some of the excellent GBC and GBA titles which would fit nicely here.
Specifically I was thinking Resident Evil Gaiden and Advance Guardian Heroes.
Advance Guardian Heroes is about a (1), Resident Evil Gaiden would be a (2)