Board 8 > Wallz Plays Every NSO Game

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/4/AAN-f8AAEuqs.jpg

Game #2 - Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1983)

After 4.5 hours I have finally cleared 23 phases! I kind of cheesed it towards the end, or maybe I figured out how it's supposed to be played. Either way, I'm proud of myself for never having to resort to save states or rewind. Not that there's anything wrong with using those, but I feel like I've grown as a person by preserving where I could have taken an easier way out.

As for the game itself, it's actually kind of fun for what it is! I had no idea what to do at first and died trying to jump on a Koopa Troopa. It has some decent depth for a game old enough to have grandchildren, as you can use flipped over enemies and coins to block enemies and the wraparound to get better positioning. I also like how you can hit the enemies from different angles to control where they go. For example, I would hit the crabs back the first time and the forward the second time to drop them off the higher platform. Man, bumping an enemy and kicking them in midair feels SO GOOD.

Much better than Donkey Kong imo although that is to be expected.

Final time: 4:35
High score: 175,110

I kind of choked on some of the bonus stages on The Run, so my score probably isn't too hard to beat!

NES games beaten: 2/65 (76)
Total games beaten: 2/215 (240)
Total play time: 5 hours

When I first went to college, I didn't take any of my game systems with me, but I did take a Game Boy Advance. For awhile I only had two games: Super Mario Advance and Mario Kart Super Circuit. So, I did end up playing the Mario Bros game built into Super Mario Advance a fair bit. I just looked up on my cart and it says my highest level was 41. I played for a few minutes, and it seemed to control decently well, unlike the NES game, so that's probably not a fair comparison to that one.

Nice job MZero! Im already glad you joined this project, you have given me motivation to keep towards the goal! Also peep the 1:47 mark lol

https://youtu.be/-Np6YikhbTQ

Care to share any tips on the so called cheesing you did? I am going to try more later today.

The turtle-like enemies in Mario Bros. are actually shellcreepers. But they and koopa troopas (at least, the original Super Mario Bros. 1 design) look practically identical, so its a very common mix-up.

Also, I forgot that Donkey Kong 64 isnt on the service. My bad.

wallmasterz posted...

Care to share any tips on the so called cheesing you did? I am going to try more later today.

I started camping at the bottom and using the pipes as cover since enemies can't go that far, and whenever a green fireball spawned i warped around to the other side. Then just very cautiously picked the enemies off lol

I don't remember how far I got in Mario Bros.

How many stages is a loop?

I just tried to play Donkey Kong A. Got through three pr four loops and a score of 87000 and I'm tempted to just stop here. Halftime in the came I was watching ended again.

Edit: I just learned you can create a suspend point so sure, let's do that.

Similar experience in Mario Bros

Mario bros. is pretty fun in 2 player mode. It's a competitive mode to either outlive the other player or be first to collect 5 coins. I feel it's most fun designed around that

PunishedBen posted...

Mario bros. is pretty fun in 2 player mode. It's a competitive mode to either outlive the other player or be first to collect 5 coins. I feel it's most fun designed around that

Side note: that may or may not actually be available in the original game. Might be exclusive to Mario All-Stars since that's the only context I've played it in

Ctes, let me know if you decide not to go back to Donkey Kong (or if you do, of course) and Ill remove the disclaimer on your score + update if needed. I am cool with suspend points being used for runs included our scoreboard, we just cant load them up again once we progress past them initially.

Also Ctes, are you saying you completed a loop of Mario Bros.?

B8 NSO High Scores

Donkey Kong - 87,000 (Ctes)*
Mario Bros. - 175,110 (MZero)

*run still in progress

I have no intention to go past that I think, I just didn't want to die on purpose nor continue on lol. It's not tough to get to anyway.

I was gonna say I did several loops but they are 22 huh? Feels like levels hadn't been that different for a while

Edit: but I stopped at 26 so yeah

Wow 87k! My high score is like 70k-something (arcade version). I'll see if I can beat Ctes next time I'm at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.

Hey wallz, despite never being a Nintendo guy, I'm loving what you're doing and following this topic with great interest.

Would an ongoing game ranking be too much for you upon completion of each game? Whether it be tier or hierarchical? I love me a good ranking lol

I know you've already got a lot on with top scores etc so no worries if not :)

If you pick up most items and use most hammers, that score will be achieved in 3 or 4 loops even while focusing on just getting through. I think you can do it!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/9/1/AARMM-AAEuwb.jpg
Game #2 - Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1986)

Mario and Luigi are doing some underground plumbing when all sorts of strange creatures come flying out of the pipes. Help the two brothers clear stages by collecting coins and avoiding getting hit by enemies. Crabs, turtles, and fighter flies must be cleared out by jumping underneath the platforms theyre standing on and then kicking them away. But beware! Just when you think you got rid of them, they come back for more! Play alone or with a friend. Either way, this is one underground classic you will want to play time and time again.

Oh, Mario Bros. A game my father introduced me to at a young age, and I noticed numerous times throughout the years as I picked up the Super Mario Advance games. That always seemed fitting, thinking of this game as a bonus, a tagalong sort of thing you play for 5-10 minutes before moving on to the game you actually want to play. Never dreamed Id spend five hours on this, but here we are.

While not a Super Mario game, Mario Bros. is a very important game in the larger Mario franchise. It introduced many iconic elements - coins, pipes, POW Blocks, and you can consider it the official introduction of Luigi. Bit of a long story there - theres a Game & Watch title called Mario Bros. but its different from this Mario Bros. The G&W title debuted three months prior to this, but the arcade title was in development first and Nintendo once officially acknowledged this as Luigis debut. Plus, Mario and Luigi barely look like themselves in the G&W title! Dont expect history lessons with every title lol. I dont know how good a port this is, but I did grow to appreciate and enjoy this game.

I picked this game thinking it would be easy to get out of the way. Little did I know it would represent a bit of an early gut check. I found myself wondering, would I be good enough to handle every challenge this project will throw at me? Thankfully, MZero had the strat needed to lead me on the right path. I started with a very aggressive approach, camping near the top of the screen. This is simply not the optimal strategy. Learning to use the wraparound and pipes at the bottom of the screen to your advantage is a critical aspect of succeeding here. Once I adjusted my strategy, I was able to reach phase 30 and I still had an extra life! I decided to create a suspend point but I dont plan to revisit this run.

Final time: 4 hours, 54 minutes
High score: 207,650

NES games beaten: 2/65
Total games beaten: 2/215
Total play time: 5 hours, 17 minutes

B8 NSO High Scores

Donkey Kong - 87,000 (Ctes)
Mario Bros. - 207,650 (Wallz)

_Keeby posted...

The turtle-like enemies in Mario Bros. are actually shellcreepers. But they and koopa troopas (at least, the original Super Mario Bros. 1 design) look practically identical, so its a very common mix-up.

Also, I forgot that Donkey Kong 64 isnt on the service. My bad.

Thats fascinating, I just assumed they were koopa troopas. Thanks for sharing! And no need to apologize, I wont be at all surprised if they add it eventually.

pjbasis posted...

I don't remember how far I got in Mario Bros.

How many stages is a loop?

Yeah, apparently its 22 like ctes said.

Fiop posted...

When I first went to college, I didn't take any of my game systems with me, but I did take a Game Boy Advance. For awhile I only had two games: Super Mario Advance and Mario Kart Super Circuit. So, I did end up playing the Mario Bros game built into Super Mario Advance a fair bit. I just looked up on my cart and it says my highest level was 41. I played for a few minutes, and it seemed to control decently well, unlike the NES game, so that's probably not a fair comparison to that one.

Thats cool! 41 is definitely respectable. This just reminded me how back in the day I lost an SP with Super Circuit :(

ctesjbuvf posted...

Similar experience in Mario Bros

Ctes casually farts out a high score on a game that tests my mental fortitude. I expect nothing less from the guy who was better than his dad at Super Mario World before his fourth birthday.

PunishedBen posted...

Mario bros. is pretty fun in 2 player mode. It's a competitive mode to either outlive the other player or be first to collect 5 coins. I feel it's most fun designed around that

The NES version definitely has two player mode so I assume it works the same, but I cant say for sure. Saying for sure would require me to play Mario Bros. again lol

Cavedweller2000 posted...

Hey wallz, despite never being a Nintendo guy, I'm loving what you're doing and following this topic with great interest.

Would an ongoing game ranking be too much for you upon completion of each game? Whether it be tier or hierarchical? I love me a good ranking lol

I know you've already got a lot on with top scores etc so no worries if not :)

Thank you so much! The engagement and encouragement so far has been very motivating, as has MZeros participation. Ctes also seems to be an unofficial member of the NSO completion crew now lol. I appreciate you sharing your interest and hope to keep this an enjoyable follow. Its been a lot of fun for me already.

Id be more than happy to try an ongoing ranking, although Im not feeling confident in the quality lol. I will group games into tiers once weve made it through more games and I come up with good ideas, but for now its

1. Mario Bros. (NES, 1986)
2. Donkey Kong (NES, 1986)

Donkey Kong isnt bad, but I prefer the gameplay of Mario Bros. MZero touched on some of it, despite the sometimes frustrating sliding theres a lot of fun in controlling how you knock the enemies around. Then with the NES port of Donkey Kong (like many other ports of Donkey Kong) missing 25% of the unique levels, its an easy choice there.

Heads up - if anyone wants to help gather info on beat/completion criteria for the games where its not obvious, Id welcome the help. MZero and I plan to kinda focus on NES games until we get bored or burnt out, and figuring out our goals for these early unbeatable games is not always straightforward. I am considering joining the how long to beat discord to see if theres any good resources out there.

wallmasterz posted...

Thankfully, MZero had the strat needed to lead me on the right path. I started with a very aggressive approach, camping near the top of the screen. This is simply not the optimal strategy. Learning to use the wraparound and pipes at the bottom of the screen to your advantage is a critical aspect of succeeding here. Once I adjusted my strategy, I was able to reach phase 30 and I still had an extra life! I decided to create a suspend point but I dont plan to revisit this run.

Happy to help! I just stopped immediately and created a suspend point at Phase 24 lol but yeah I was playing very aggressively at first too

I was thinking of going Ice Climber next, if that's cool with you! Apparently there are 32 mountains to clear. Oh boy

MZero posted...

Happy to help! I just stopped immediately and created a suspend point at Phase 24 lol but yeah I was playing very aggressively at first too

I was thinking of going Ice Climber next, if that's cool with you! Apparently there are 32 mountains to clear. Oh boy

Lets do it

I think I got past 22 for sure.

Id like to offer a word of inspiration to MZero and myself as we embark on Ice Climber.

We can almost see it
That dream were dreaming
But there's a voice inside our heads saying
Well never reach it
Every step were taking
Every move were making feels
Lost with no direction
Our faith is shaking
But we, we gotta keep trying
Gotta keep our heads held high
There's always gonna be another mountain
Were always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes were gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast we get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

I saw an old thread on the Ice Climber board called Playing this game every day for 100 days. It had about 150 posts so I thought to myself wow, the tc actually followed through. Now I recommend reading the thread, and I can only hope tackling Ice Climber wont have the same effect on MZero and myself

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/579354-ice-climber/80198446

wallmasterz posted...

I saw an old thread on the Ice Climber board called Playing this game every day for 100 days. It had about 150 posts so I thought to myself wow, the tc actually followed through. Now I recommend reading the thread, and I can only hope tackling Ice Climber wont have the same effect on MZero and myself

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/579354-ice-climber/80198446

If I fall through one more platform I might be on my way

I keep forgetting at home to look at what my Mario Bros score was.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/0/AAN-f8AAEvBc.jpg
Game #3 - Ice Climber (Nintendo, 1984)
Clear time: 2:35
High score: 20,450

Ladies and gentlemen, WE HAVE CHECKPOINTS. Well, not really, but you can choose which stage to start from and all levels are available from the beginning, so you dont have to go back to Mountain 1 every time you get a game over. I kind of want to rank this above Mario Bros. for that alone.

I completed all 32 mountains, but wiped out quite a few times along the way, as you can probably tell from my high score (and Im using the term high loosely here). The basic premise is to ascend 8 levels and get to the bonus stage, which I only managed to clear once in 32 tries. My biggest issue with this game is the platform detection. You cant actually land on the edges, so a lot of times you fall through even though it looks like you should have made it on. I also hate the way you bounce off the ice columns when you try to jump on top of them. Also, why can you pass through them while waiting to respawn but not normally? Thats kind of weird.

Other than those complaints, its a pretty fun little game with some not so great controls. Surprisingly, Popo has better traction than Mario even though the game takes place on a snow covered mountain, but I guess he has some good snowshoes. Im kind of experiencing the evolution of gaming in the early 80s, which was progressing very rapidly compared to now. Its kind of hard to believe this game is only three years newer than (the original) Donkey Kong.

Also, I decided to post the Japanese box art for these games, just because I thought it would be fun to compare them to the NA versions. On that note, why is Nana on the cover but only playable in 2P mode? And Popo is nowhere to be seen? What a strange decision.

Updated Ranking:

Ice Climber
Mario Bros.
Donkey Kong

Im not a huge fan by any means but the competition isnt exactly stacked so far.

NES games beaten: 3/65 (76)
Total games beaten: 3/215 (240)
Total play time: 7 hours 35 minutes

Great job MZero! Any thoughts on what youd like to play next? I think Ill continue to chip away at the following list, but its ok if we divert paths a bit. Especially because I probably wont be able to keep up with your pace.

Balloon Fight
Baseball
Donkey Kong
Double Dragon
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Ghosts n Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Ice Hockey
The Legend of Zelda
Mario Bros.
Pro Wrestling
River City Ransom
Soccer
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tecmo Bowl
Tennis
Yoshi

I started Ice Climber this morning. I was only able to play for half an hour but I beat the first 10 mountains. I was very relieved to learn this game has a level select and when you game over, it defaults you to continuing at the mountain you died on. I game overd a few times but I think Im getting a bit better and I actually beat the bonus game after mountain 9. More thoughts to follow when I beat the game, hopefully tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Yeah I have beaten Ice Climber before and I'm certain I didn't do it all in one go

Tag

wallmasterz posted...

Great job MZero! Any thoughts on what youd like to play next? I think Ill continue to chip away at the following list, but its ok if we divert paths a bit. Especially because I probably wont be able to keep up with your pace.

I was thinking Balloon Fighter next, but also Pokemon TCG dropped today and I kind of want to replay it

And don't worry, I usually go all in at the beginning of a project but it doesn't last long. I'll slow down in no time lol

Also

https://twitter.com/Nintendeal/status/1688928711259860992?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

N64 games: 0/24
GB/GBC games: 0/16
Total games: 2/217

MZero posted...

I was thinking Balloon Fighter next, but also Pokemon TCG dropped today and I kind of want to replay it

And don't worry, I usually go all in at the beginning of a project but it doesn't last long. I'll slow down in no time lol

Ha, ninjad. Well I think if you especially want to play a particular game, it makes sense to do it! Not sure how long Pokemon TCG is since I never played it back in the day, but you could always move on there and I can decide if I want to play it or just skip to Balloon Fight when Im done.

Yeah that sounds good. I'm not terribly concerned about playing every game at the same time, just whenever it works out well and for certain games

Just for kicks, # of new titles added for each platform in NA for 2023 YTD:

NES: 2
SNES: 1
N64: 3
Sega Genesis: 8
GB/GBC: 16 (new to NSO this year)
GBA: 11 (new to NSO this year)

That means 41 new games added and thats more respectable than I expected, obviously its inflated by the addition of Game Boy games. But still, thats a little over one title per week on average. Im expecting NSO to receive its last games sometime next year and we will probably see more like 1-2 dozen max.

I fully expect GameCube games on the Switchs successor. DS games seem iffy due to the touch screen.

UltimaterializerX posted...

Hah

Have you ever played a Fire Emblem before?

Nope, I havent! Any suggestions or thoughts on the series? Or are you going to tell me itll be tough to beat/complete?

Thats awesome. Hopefully 7 is a good starting point for a newcomer like myself. Am I imagining this or was it the first game in the series released in NA?

Ill definitely aim to give more detailed playthrough thoughts as I get into the lengthier games. I have not been using rewind and dont plan on doing so. It would take a pretty major situation for me to bend, like losing hours of progress or something.

Yes, FE7 was the first in the series released in the US.

The funny thing is some newer FE games do have a mechanic to rewind time in a battle a limited number of times, though FE7 doesn't. Fire Emblem series features perma-death, which means if a character dies, they're usually dead for the rest of the game. If you want to keep everyone alive, that means restarting a map if you make a mistake and someone dies, unless you have a rewind feature in place. This is compared to other strategy games like both Genesis Shining Force games (which ARE on NSO) where if a character dies, you can revive them after battle; it's only game over if the main hero dies.

Donkey Kong - 30,300

I feel like how easy that was to get through a loop is setting me up for a rough time with Mario Bros.

Thats funny some of the games themselves give that option. Ill certainly take advantage of the in-game mechanic if I feel so inclined if/when I play those entries. Guess I wont have to worry about it when I tackle FE7 lol

xenosaga has joined the battle!

B8 NSO High Scores

Donkey Kong - 87,000 (Ctes)
Mario Bros. - 207,650 (Wallz)
Ice Climber - 20,450 (MZero)

Started up Pokemon TCG

Got a Charizard in my second pack

If only it was a real pack

Growing up I knew a kid whose dad bought him a pack of Pokmon cards and there was a holographic Charizard in there. I lost touch with him but I wonder if he sold it, when, and for how much

I have a holographic Charizard but it's not one of the super rare expensive ones.

For what its worth, a full loop in NES Donkey Kong is different from Arcade version.

in Arcade you go through mini-loops before youre able to see all the levels:

25m
100m
25m
50m
100m
25m
50m
75m
100m

and from there it repeats just the four levels in order.

WazzupGenius00 posted...

For what its worth, a full loop in NES Donkey Kong is different from Arcade version.

in Arcade you go through mini-loops before youre able to see all the levels:

25m
100m
25m
50m
100m
25m
50m
75m
100m

and from there it repeats just the four levels in order.

Interesting, I hadn't heard that before. What version does the DK machine in DK 64 use? I remember that just being all 4 levels in order.