www.FlyingOmelette.com
Questions & Answers

This section is now defunct and exists as an archive only. Thanks to all who participated!


Question #226
FROM: Rios Rider

Hello, I'm Rios Rider, and I love your site! It definitely made me the person I am today!

Okay, this is more a question for Crawl, but I believe you'll also know about the subject.

I suppose you noticed the trend of modern scrolling shooters (like Dodonpachi and its sequels) having infinite continues and instant respawning, a tread which you and me find very annoying and detrimental to the game.

It's supported that faulty logic that modern gamers require you to beat these games without continuing in order to have beaten them legitimately. Problem is, these modern bullet-hell shooters discourage that, as it's very hard to practice on a stage or section to where it doesn't kill you if the game takes you beyond that point and doesn't let you return to it without restarting the whole game over and over again.

Also, as Crawl had said, games of the past had varying amounts of continues, like Contra's 3 continues, R-Type Delta's 5 (at the start), and so on.

Finally, it leads to fucked-up lines like in this review.

Since you and the rest of the forum wouldn't want to go back to the site where the review is located, here's a snippet that's related to this topic:

I don't really like is that, in contrast to previous games, when you continue you are sent back to the beginning of the stage. This is just lame. Seriously, after you use a continue you don't really care how you play anymore, you just wanna end that run and try again. Being forced to replay the whole stage just pisses me off and makes the game feel more like work than fun. It's like those old RPGs where you could only save in towns and if you died on a boss you had to play through a two-hour dungeon again. Nobody wants that shit anymore except some hardcore players, and those guys have enough games that cater to their needs already. Touhou was never like that. I don't like this new direction the series is going.

I'll leave it up to the Single Fucked Up Lines topic to describe in how many ways this quote (and review) sucks, but this quote is related since this guy is one of those "Don't use continues" guys, yet he's complaining about the game preventing you from credit-feeding.

This is as much as I can muster right now, but I would like to thank you gals and guys for being individuals with good opinions, unlike 99% of the rest of the world (both real-life and on the Internet). I don't think I'm very good at explaining my rant, but I would appreciate it if you can find problems.


Dear Rios Rider,

My site really made you what you are today? Damn, I had no idea I could be that influential. That's kind of scary to me, in fact.

Anyway, I might just have to concede that bullet-hell shooters aren't my cup of tea. DoDonPachi seemed well-made for what it was (great graphics on the final boss and I really dig the soundtrack), but I just didn't want to keep playing the whole game over and over again to be "perfect" at it when so many other games in my library seemed to be beckoning to me and I felt like I'd already seen everything there was to see in it.

As for that review you quoted, I can't really comment on it much since I don't know what game or game series is being described there. All I can really say is that it's not uncommon to find people on the internet who don't like having to redo things in a game or don't like it when they can't beat it on their first try. You'll see that practically everywhere you go. I think what perplexes me the most is the comparison to a 2-hour RPG dungeon with no save points. There exists a shooter with a stage that takes 2 hours to complete? If so, I think that might be a more pressing issue than the lack of instant respawns. If not, then I don't think the comparison is relevant.


Question #225
FROM: Mando Garza

http://junkerhq.net/MetalGear/NES/KyleReese.jpg

I never thought of it, but this is fricking surreal!! I'm totally shocked that I never pick that one up!

Mando Garza


Dear Mando,

The link you gave me just gives me a hotlinking error, but I have a feeling what you were trying to refer me to is this:

http://sweetbee.yuku.com/sreply/1102/Favorite-box-arts-

Which, if that's the case, we beat you to it by about 4 years. But thanks for writing, anyway.


Question #224
FROM: Darrell Albert

Hi. I loved that you reviewed Karnov for NES and threw out the respect it deserves. The game was the first game I ever beat and what got me hooked on video games. I can't understand why so many think that game is so difficult. Since I am an anime fan, I am used to the sort of "strangeness" that comes in certain games like Karnov. (Megaman 4 went for a bizarre feel with it's purple hippos, and people took it wrong and didn't approve. Toad Man;Need I say more?).

Anyway, you mentioned the power-up system. One common thing that many people don't realize in Karnov, is that you can pause the game and select your powerups on the spot while it's paused Mega Man style without having to tip toe through the tulips back and forth!

Keep up the good work!

btw! Also in Karnov's defense, the crappy ending it has really isn't the game's fault. You probably know this already, but the famicom, version has cut scenes and a decent ending! The fault apparently lies with Nintendo Of America's censorship policies who found certain referances objectionable.

Cheers!


Dear Darrell,

Eeeeyup!

Also, the graphics for the ending are still in the American version's ROM. They're just not used anywhere.


Question #223
FROM: Leebo

Hi Flying Omelette,

I really enjoyed surfing your site. I am happy to see there are a few people out there who are keeping the old Nintendo soundtracks alive. there was some really quality music that came out of that 8 bit system, and I remember blowing out the speakers on my old TV playing the games too loud.

I do have a few requests that I can't seem to find anywhere:

*Nobunaga's Ambition* from the NES was one of composer Yoko Kannos works. I'd love to see the title theme if you have that available.

*Metal Storm* - A killer underrated NES game from the waning days of the Nintendo. Great musical soundtrack.

*Afterburner* - Tengen ported this over to the NES and while the 8 bit one probably wasn't as solid as the Sega version, it was still a great set.

*Codename: Viper *Another great ULTRA/ Konami soundtrack

*Jackal- *I'd swear this soundtrack was done by the same crew that did the epic "Lifeforce"

*Stinger*- Weird little kitche game, where you played a space ship that fought fruit and weird.. I can't explain it other than it was fun.

*Pirates!- *Sid Meir port done by ULTRA

*Final Fantasy Legend- *the first one had epic intro and overworld music.

*Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV- *Wall of Fire- another Koei great strategy game with nice music

*Tecmo Super Bowl - *Heck the NES and SNES both had good tunes, especially that intro to get you ready to go but I am looking for the SNES versions.

I'd like to recommend a few of these that I have in my collection:
Super Mario Land (GB)
Super Dodge Ball (NES)
Solstice- (from the minds that blew it with Silver Surfer NES)
Tecmo Bowl (NES)
Tecmo Super Bowl (NES)
Cobra Triangle (NES) (Rare strikes again!)

Thanks for your time and keep up the great work! I'm a follower!
Leebo


Dear Leebo,

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I'll keep them in mind when I update the site again. Just a few things, though:

Code Name Viper was made by Capcom, not Konami/Ultra.

The Solstice music can be found on the Music page of my Equinox Shrine.


Question #222
FROM: Kuro

That makes sense because things like that have happened in plenty of older games and even newer ones. Although, Prima did make a physical strategy guide for Albert Odyssey and I was curious to know what they say about those items on their item list. If you could possibly find scans of said strategy guide, I would be very grateful. I've come across plenty of scanned strategy guides for older RPG's but I have yet to find Albert Odyssey's. Maybe you would have better luck. Anyways, I also wanted to say that your website is pure genius and your writings are never boring to read! Thank you for making the internet a more interesting place my friend! :)


Dear Kuro,

Seems like it's possible to get a used copy of the Albert Odyssey strategy guide from Amazon.com for about $15, which is, coincidentally, exactly what I paid for the game itself. It's not exactly on my priority list of things to buy, but if I ever come in contact with one, I'll be sure to post whatever it may have to say about those strange items.


Question #221
FROM: StarBoy91

Hi, FlyingOmelette.

A few days ago while I was playing Equinox: Solstice II on the SNES, something really weird happened in the Ice Palace. It happened so unexpectedly that I did not see it coming. Anyway, when I entered Room 08-4B, I eradicated the blue blob but kept getting hit by either the pink or white blob. I only died a four or five times in that room (this was my second playthrough of the game), and after having died for the third or fourth time, I encountered a weird glitch. After I died that time, the "Paused" box appeared, but I didn't even press the Start button, and the room looked like it had flipped both horizontally and vertically (it's kind of hard to describe it accurately, but it pretty much looked like that). After I pressed the Start button to leave the "Paused" menu, I started the room again, but then the unthinkable happened: Glendaal's body was headless, and his head was misplaced!!! I was completely shocked at this, and I hoped that it wasn't going to glitch-stop the game. But when I left the room, Glendaal's body and head were intact, which meant the glitch was over, so I returned to that room. I'm glad the game didn't glitch-stop, otherwise I would've had to start over from my previous saving point. I'm hoping this glitch cannot be reproduced. Has something like that ever happened to you before while playing the game?

This is off-topic: but regarding my first message to you, at first I tried sending it to you by the "epost" link; only problem was, there was something that completely confused me about it (it was the first time I tried doing the epost link), which is why I sent it to you by AOL. I wasn't sure if it was going to reach you, but when I found out that it did I was surprised. If it sounded like I came out strong in that message, I'm sorry.

- StarBoy91


Dear StarBoy91,

I have never seen a glitch like that happen. It sounds interesting. Too bad you couldn't have gotten some screenshots of it. The only really wild graphical glitch I can recall happening while I was playing Equinox was the time a key lifted up off its pedestal and began circling the room in 04-01 of Atlena.


Question #220
FROM: Kuro

Hello, I happened to come across your Albert Odyssey Legend of Eldean game shrine and it seems as though you know quite a bit about it. I was wondering if you could explain what I do with the random uses items you pick up along your quest. For example, the Silver Candlestick, Sunglasses, and the Black Rosary. There are many others but they I'd have to get on the game to read them off. They all are marked with "???" once you highlight them. I'm assuming they are used as side quest items but I don't know who to give them to. I've search all over the forums on the internet and it seems as though no one knows what the items are for. I was hoping to find some scans of the official strategy guide online in PDF format because I'm sure it would have the answers I need but of course I couldn't find any. Please help me out if you can, I've been trying to complete this game 100% for awhile.

Thanks in advanced!


Dear Kuro,

I know exactly what items you're talking about, but unfortunately, I have no idea what any of them do. I don't own the strategy guide and like yourself, have seen no mention of any uses for those items anywhere. My best guess is that they either have some use that no one has yet to discover, or they were meant for a sidequest (or sidequests) that got cut from the final version of the game. This might be something I could add to a future installment of "Unsolved Video Gaming Mysteries".


Question #219
FROM: Darrin

Hi. First off I want to apologize for how I handled my comment post. I started out just wanting to list some games for you, and then I wanted to put up links when we realized your not omniscient and you don't know all these covers instantly. I am a very sensitive person, and I don't like it when I make people angry. I'm the type to sulk for days.... Anyway, I have to say that when my twin bro and I read your list, it really affected us. For the last two days we have been looking through our collection for our favs over the years. We agreed before we saw your list of MANY of those. Great job, and that was a fun thing for us to think about. It's a subject that is far too often ignored. Anyway, I don't know if you just want to put our original letter up with the basic game listings, or if you want these here with links on them for your fans to see. Perhaps others will put up their favs as well. It don't matter. At any rate, at least you can check out some of these if you want. There are some additions. Thanks and apologies. Feel free to put up the following Unabridged letter if you want instead:

love your box art choices!....I agreed with so many of those before i read it! I also like:

Ogre Battle 64: Simple, yet effective

Ogre Battle 64

Wizards And Warriors: speaks for itself

Wizards & Warriors

Dracula The Undead:

Dracula the Undead

Super Asteroids/Missile Command:

Super Asteroids & Missile Command

Castlevania III: beautiful

Castlevania III

Castlevania Harmony Of Dissonance: I also love the Symphony of the night look....And I happen to love the so called "effeminate" features she paints on her males.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Phalanx: I loved it back in the day, when others were complaining.Now we have the GBA shot which is forgettable in comparison.

Phalanx

Most Atari 2600 games look awesome. I love the bleak hopeless worlds they put on their covers. Space Invaders, and Defender come to mind. I totally agree with your Pengo shot!

Defender

Usually Japanese artwork is really creative, and "risky" too for games....Obviously Ico comes to mind. But in this case, the American one is awesome for these two Ikaruga shots.

Ikaruga Japanese cover:

Ikaruka (Japan)

Ikaruga American:

Ikaruga (US)


Dear Darrin,

First of all, no need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm really glad both you and your brother enjoyed that box art article, as I was hoping it would be a means of showing off just how great video game box art can be. I also loved seeing some of your own choices, and I actually do agree that they're pretty good. If you thought I was mad because I didn't respond right away, keep in mind I'm usually incredibly busy on a daily basis and I also only update Q&A once a week, and even then that's only if I actually get anything for it. I'm actually quite grateful for your submissions since it's been awhile that I'd had anything to post here.

I like the Ogre Battle 64 box art, too, and I think I already had Castlevania 3 up there. The American Ikuraga box art is nice, but I just wish they hadn't put that stupid IGN quote on there.


Question #218
FROM: Darrin

Your pics were great. I agree about CG covers are not as cool. Some of the covers I mentioned in my email earlier appear below

Phalanx

Super Asteroids & Missile Command

Dracula the Undead

Defender

Wizards & Warriors


Dear Darrin,

This is in response to my "Favorite Box Art" article, right? Yes, those are definitely some awesome choices, too. I always liked the Defender artwork and even remember thinking it was a little scary when I saw it as a very young kid. I also like the Phalanx box art and I clearly remember thinking it had to printing error when I first saw it on store shelves many years ago. Wizards & Warriors is a classic, too, and has a bit of "Castlevania-ish" flair to it.


Question #217
FROM: Mike McGinley

Hi there! I was watching the movie Ernest Scared Stupid and while listening to the intro, i realized that it sounded familiar. It sounds like the Mystic Cave Zone from Sonic 2! What do you think?


Dear Mike,

I have no idea what to think because I've never seen Ernest Scared Stupid and can't remember what the Mystic Cave Zone music in Sonic 2 sounded like.


Question #216
FROM: rico swave

i found a weird thing in dk 64 ! it is where you start out as dk. after you learned how to dive. use swim through vertical walls and swim under dk's treehouse towardscrankys lab. you shoul see discoloured land and a cliff.......look up in first person mode and sometimes you will see a platinum banana floating there! is this a glitch or am i crazy?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


Dear Rico,

I played around with that glitch and looked around for several minutes on an emulator and didn't see any bananas floating anywhere in that area. I did see a lot of butterflies in the air, but no bananas. It would be nice if you could somehow get a screen capture of it, or more precise instructions on where to look.


Question #215
FROM: Jason Carrillo

I was just looking at the oddities site you have, and actually figured out the Donkey Kong County 2 K. Rool Returns song source. It sounds russian and it suddenly clicked. It draws heavy similarities to the National Anthem of the old Soviet Union. Thought it was kind of interesting.


Dear Jason,

Thanks for the information. After listening to the song on YouTube, I can hear similarities, but it's not exactly the same song. I'm thinking there might yet be something closer.


Question #214
FROM: Ryan

Hi there!

Great website which brings back my nostalgia from my younger days on the NES and SNES.

By the way, I've been looking high and low, but I was wondering if you could help me find a place to download the soundtracks to level 1 of Alpha Mission 2 (Neo-Geo) as well as the whole soundtrack for Cybernator (aka Assault Suit Vulcan on SNES)?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Regards,

Ryan


Dear Ryan,

I don't know about Alpha Mission 2, but Cybernator's soundtrack can be found at snesmusic.org.


Question #213
FROM: StarBoy91

Dear FlyingOmelette,

I love the soundtrack in The Lost Vikings, and I was wondering if you could upload it someday? I like the soundtrack's really catchy themes, especially the one that takes place in the Mechanical Era.

Could you also upload the title theme to An American Tail: Fievel Goes West someday, please? I think it's a really good song, but it clearly doesn't reach the next loop during the game {because it fades to the demo} (if only it had a sound test). Could you also upload the final boss theme against Tanzra from ActRaiser, please? I also think it's a good song.

- StarBoy91

I don't know if this message might reach you, 'cause I'm sending it from AOL.


Dear StarBoy,

I have no means of getting the music from The Lost Vikings. For the others, check snesmusic.org.


Question #212
FROM: Adriano Floro

Hi! In the section Q & A,Question 193, The meaning of the "HH" in the hoods of the Happy Happyists is actually "Heil Hitler", meaning in english "Hail Hitler", a german greeting used in WW2 and before.


Dear Adriano,

I thought it stood for "Happy Happy", or "Happy Happyism", the cult-like religion of Happy Happy Town. I can't find anything that confirms the "Heil Hitler" reference, though if it could be interpreted that way, I suppose that might be why Nintendo censored it.


Question #211
FROM: Kadaj26

I think you got the music mixed up

Bradshaw Manor belongs to Ghost ship & Spoooky Swamp. and fun Fair is fine


Dear Kadaj26,

Looks like I did. I'll fix it... eventually...


Question #210
FROM: ReyVGM

Dragon Spirit

Do you know what the conditions are for the girls at the end of each stage NOT to appear as a shadow?

To tell you the truth I didn't remember it happening until someone from GameFAQs mentioned that you have to beat the game 2 times for the girls to appear normally (you allegedly had to rest to start over). I knew that wasn't right, so I played the game and all the girls appeared normally. I played it again today and only one appeared as a shadow.

Do you happen to know what triggers that? Is it the score? Or the type of dragon?

Super Aleste

The japanese version of Space Megaforce (Super Aleste) has cool story intermissions a completely different ending and other stuff removed from the USA version.

Zelda Link's Awakening

This is something probably some people might know already, considering it's a Zelda game and all. But from what I've seen, the vast majority don't know how much Link's Awakening shares from other games.

The first one is how the Link's Awakening engine seems to be based on a previous Game Boy game called Kaeru no Tameni Kaneha Naru (For the Frog the Bell Tolls). This game was made by Intelligent Systems and here are some pics.


Funny thing about that game is that when you engage with an enemy (by ramming into it, like Ys), your character gets into a brawl with the enemy cartoon style.

And if you have a more powerful sword, they quickly run away from you scared like hell.

Also, your rival in this game is none other than Richard from Richard's Villa in Link's Awakening. And the Richard's Villa theme is a remix of the over world theme from Kaeru no Tameni Kaneha Naru (For the Frog the Bell Tolls).

The character Mr. Write in Link's Awakening is actually Dr. Wright from Sim City. Mr. Write's music in Link's Awakening is the exact same music on Sim City when Dr. Wright gives you a tip.

On the file select, enter your name as ZELDA and the music will change to a remix of the Zelda over world theme.

In the Japanese version however, enter your name as Totakeke and the music will change to Kazumi Totaka's now popular theme found on numerous Nintendo games. You can also get the Totaka theme in Richard's Villa if you let the music loop enough times.

There's more. In the GERMAN version of the game, if you enter MOYSE as your name, a different music will play. Clause Moyse is apparently the one who translated the game to German.


Dear Rey,

Once again, thanks for all of the information and screenshots. This is all very interesting stuff. As for the question about Dragon Spirit's helper girls, I have never figured out the conditions for all of them. I do know that it's possible some of them won't appear if you're already at full HP when you beat the stage because some of them refill your HP for you. If it's full, they're not needed, so they don't appear.

I had heard that Richard in Link's Awakening was from another (Japan-only) game, but I hadn't realized to what extent LA had taken inspiration from that game besides just him and his frogs and theme song.

Link's Awakening certainly has no shortage of cameos. The picture Christine gives to Mr. Write is that of Princess Peach. Mamu the Frog King is clearly Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2. Kirby-like enemies appear in one of the dungeons, complete with his inhaling ability. Some dungeons and areas have enemies resembling Shyguys, Goombas, Boo Buddies, Pokeys, Bloopers, Cheep Cheeps, and Pirahna Plants. Bowwow is a Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros. 3 (though these appeared previously in the Turtle Rock dungeon of A Link to the Past). There's a Yoshi Doll for a prize in the Crane Game. It's also arguable that Tarin was based on Mario and the man in the hen house bears slight resemblance to Luigi. Turn a Buzz Blob into a Cukeman with Magic Powder, and it seems to spout vague information about a certain (then) upcoming 64-bit console. Even an unused dungeon tile from A Link to the Past seemed to be granted a final resting place in LA.


Question #209
FROM: ReyVGM

Heya FO.

Here's some oddities/trivia stuff I've posted on forums that you might find interesting or not know about:

Blaster Master
In Blaster Master, as the tank, you can shoot the 3-way missiles upward by holding Up and then pressing Down + B.
And as Jason, you can STRAFE by holding the grenade button and pressing A.

The Japanese version of Blaster Master (Meta Fight) has some ending differences:



SSF2
Beta SNES Super Street Fighter 2 pics showing Cammy wearing lycra pants

Ken Lobb
Sorry to link to a forum post, but check out the Curious Case of Ken Lobb and all the NES games he worked on and the stuff he did on them. I even "interviewed" him if you're interested. Check the bottom posts too for more stuff from me.
http://www.gamespite.net/talkingtime/showthread.php?t=8405

Golgo 13
Cherry from Golgo 13 gets naked in the Japanese version!

Battletoads

Battletoads has FOUR endings! I never noticed it! (The SNES version too).

Here are the Dark Queen's ending messages:

- I GUESS YOU SLIPPERY SUCKERS THINK YOU'RE PRETTY HOT STUFF, HUH? WELL, YOU DON'T CHEAT THE DARK LADY THAT EASILY! TILL NEXT TIME, CATTLE LOADS!

- NO! THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! MY ENTIRE DEFENSE SYSTEM, BEATEN BY A COUPLE OF MUCUS-LOBBING SLIME-JACKETS! BETTER DISAPPEAR, REAL QUICK, BEFORE SOMETHING REALLY NASTY HAPPENS! ADIOS, FOUNTAIN FREAKS!

- ROBO-MANUS? BLAGGIE! SPEAK TO YOUR QUEEN! HAVE THOSE VILE SLUSH-HOPPERS CRUSHED YOUR CRANIUMS...WELL, DON'T WORRY - I'LL RESTORE YOU BOTH. YOU SNOT GOBBLERS WILL PAY FOR THIS!

- WHAT?! I LOST! THIS CAN'T BE! I'M THE DARK QUEEN! WRONG IS BETTER THAN RIGHT, DARK IS STRONGER THAN LIGHT! GRRRR! I HATE YOU, BATTLETOADS! I'M OUTTA HERE!

And here are the bird character's ending messages:

- OKAY, LET'S BREAK OUT THE SODAS AND JUNK-FOOD - IT'S PARTY TIME!
- WAYDIGO, 'TOADS! THE BIG GUY'S BACK AND THE PRINCESS IS SAVED!
- WHOO! ALRIGHT GUYS! THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS TO CLEAR OUT THOSE CLOGGED SINUSES!
- WOW! YOU GUYS OUGHTA BOTTLE THAT SKILL AND CHARISMA - YOU'D MAKE A FORTUNE!

Bayou Billy

The Japanese version of Bayou Billy, titled Mad City, allows you to make one of the best decisions ever: to run the hell away from that psycho girl you just rescued. This was removed in the USA version.

In the Japanese version, after you beat the last boss, you have the option of moving around while your girl (which is wearing a dress, instead of some Daisy Dukes) comes out of a door. If you avoid her by running in circles, she starts to cry and you get a bad ending.

The game also has 2 more endings cut out from the USA version.

Kid Icarus

The Japanese Kid Icarus for the Famicom Disk System, titled Hikari Shinwa Parutena no Kagami, had an extra ending not found in the USA version. To our defense, the NES version also had an ending not found on the FDS version.

The Japanese version's worst ending was removed for the USA version, but the USA version added a best ending not found in the original.

8 Eyes

Not big, but something most people don't notice is that 8 Eyes is actually written as 8 Eye's :P

Adventure Island 5

There is another title in the Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Shima family (Adventure Island's name in Japan), titled Takahashi Meijin no Bugutte Honey. It came out right after the first one (Adventure Island) and it could be considered its sister sequel (it came out before Adventure Island 2).

I've known about this game for a while and it's obvious it has ties to Takahashi Meijin (called Master Higgins in English), but what I didn't know was you actually get to play as Master Higgins after stage 2 for the rest of the game

Milon's Secret Castle

The game has an extra ending if you beat it two times in a row!

Fantasy Zone rip off

there's this Famicom SHMUP called Fuzzical Fighter that rips off Fantasy Zone in some ways.

When you start the game you might think it's an RPG, but in some ways it is. Each level has a town where you can buy weapons, armor, magic, items and increase your HP and MP. Once you buy what you need, you enter the shmup stage.

Notice how the weapons shop (top store) has an icon that looks exactly like Opa Opa (the Fantasy Zone ship). No biggie since the actual Fuzzy ship (yeah, that's how it's called) looks a lot like Opa Opa too.

But it becomes really obvious when you reach the boss of stage 7. He behaves exactly like the last boss in Fantasy Zone, he draws lines on the screen much like the FZ last boss lays impenetrable wall/lines on the screen.

Act Raiser

The Japanese Actraiser has a bunch of stuff that was removed/changed for the USA version.

- First land is called Filmoa in the Japanese version.

- In the first battle stage, the static enemy tree drops seeds that sprout into enemies. I don't remember that being in the USA version.


- The second battle stage of the first land (Fillmore) has the same music from the first battle stage instead of its own dedicated track.

- Some enemies on the battle stages seem to take more hits, but on the sim stages they take less.

- In the sim areas, you only regain SP when you gain a level instead of everytime the hourglass resets.

- The winged fish thingie that jumps from the bloodstained waters in Bloodpool's first battle stage are completely different.

- The falling parts of the bridge in the first Bloodpool battle stage don't have any indication of being broken. I remember the USA version having different colored sprites for the parts that fell.

- Some parts of the stage seem to be arranged differently.

- The platforms in the boss area are arranged in an annoying manner.

- It takes SEVERAL turns for the people to start building and procreating!

- Since it takes so long for the people to procreate, you have to wait lots of turns before you can seal your first monster lair (since you need over 8 people to do it).

- Desert stage is called Casandra, not Kasandora.

- The Pyramid in Kasandora's sim stage now has an eye.

- In Kasandora's second battle stage, there are some blue enemies with a sword wearing Egyptian type clothes, in the Japanese version they are just plain naked blue enemies with a sword.

- I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in Aitos.

- Marahna is called Marana.

- The boss in the first Marahna stage hides his weak point while in the USA version it is always uncovered.

- Everything was the same in Northwall and Death Heim

Duck Hunt

I'm sure you must know this but... you can shoot the dog in the Arcade version of Duck Hunt (Vs. Series).


Dear Rey,

Thanks for sending in all these interesting tidbits and screenshots. Some of these things I did know about already, like the Blaster Master ending differences and shooting the dog in arcade Duck Hunt, but some of those things I either never knew about before or only heard unconfirmed rumors. I just recently found out about the excised "worst" ending of Kid Icarus that was only in the Japanese version. According to what I've heard, it's actually the hardest ending to get because of how low all your equipment and levels have to be when you beat the game to get it. It's pretty disturbing, too, to think that Pit now has to spend the rest of his life with the entire upper portion of his body turned into a Specknose.

I had heard that the Japanese ActRaiser was harder than the American version, but I never really heard any details as to how it was harder until now. Some of the changes I can understand (the eagle man enemies certainly look better on the American version), but why remove the eye from the pyramid, I wonder?

I also never knew that Ken Lobb worked for any other game companies before he worked for Rare.

Man, and here I thought the scene with Cherry in the American version of Golgo 13 was risque...


Question #208
FROM: Keaton

I really would like to try these codes the only thing is i have no idea how could you either tell me how or add some info to the page on where to put the codes and how to use them. Heres my emulator info i use SNES 9X

Thanks,
Keaton


Dear Keaton,

All you do to use Game Genie or Pro Action Replay codes on SNES 9X is to open the Cheat Menu and put them in.


Question #207
FROM: Mando Garza

http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Docs/NESReligion/KingNeptunesAdventure-1.png

and

Maniac Mansion's Green/Purple Tentacles??? You gotta tell me that they look idential!

Mando Garza


Dear Mando,

Looks most like the Green Tentacle to me.


Question #206
FROM: James Among

I cent remember if it was Gamespot or EGM, but in a review of the game the reviewer mentioned that a "Ghost of Andre" was a hidden character. Is this true? (I figure you'd be the right person to ask.)


Dear James,

I don't know why you'd think I was the right person to ask. I've never played that game. I'm sure if it was true, then many cheat code sites or FAQs would have mentioned it by now. Check places like GameFAQs or Gamewinners.


Question #205
FROM: nensondubois

nensondubois here again I've found something insane!

While playing The Pagemaster Beta version for the SNES and while searching for unused music, I found this insane oddity. The text"fucked you fucker" is actually in the game and it's not hidden! Maybe they were pissed that they had to make this game or were pissed that they had to have something made in time for a certain deadline or game designers were just joking around becasue this is really... (I have no words to explain my emotion on this O: ). It was removed from the final game because I'm sure something would have happened..

Here's how you see the message in game

First off: You'll have to find and download the rom yourself even though it's a beta version.

Enter this code into your emulator I used the debug version of snes9x to trace the text and make a text pointer and start modifier code (not an actual text modifier because there are graphic glitches with it for some reason) the code. You can just use ZSNES and start the game up to see it.

PAR Code: (See "Fucked you Fucker" text
7E002604
7E01A908
037CB3C4

You can just use my code and press Start button to see it for yourself. If you are using ZSNES, just start the rom with the codes on and you'll see it.

To see the code in a hes editor, the address is

0x001D82E6

I was very shocked when I saw this.

here's a picture




Dear nensondubois,

HA HA HA HA!! That's a great discovery! My guess is that they knew they'd have to change the game anyway before the final version was released, so they decided to have a little fun. I also remember hearing that The Pagemaster was the first ever simultaneous movie and video game release, so that may have really been some sentiment aimed at the deadline issue. Either way, it would have made for a great "Game Over" screen.


Question #204
FROM: nensondubois

I'm nensondubois and I noticed something interesting about the SNES version theme song from Top Gear 2.

When the guy says "You might be missing some of the benefits that stereo can provide is actually taken from a 1994 song called "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters. They probably did this because it was the 1990's and dance techno music was popular then (Hip-hop sucks). This is just something I wanted to bring out.


Dear nensondubois,

The only time I ever heard anything about Crystal Waters was when I saw this In Living Color sketch that parodied one of her songs years ago. I know that's only tenuously related, but I had to mention it.


Question #203
FROM: Chell

Hello again!

I have a couple of glitches I've found.

The first one is on Mario Kart 64, and is extremely hard to actually do. I've only done it once, and that was by accident.

On Blockforts, battle mode, me and my friend were playing, him as Bowser, Me as Wario (I'm not sure if it works with any other character combination). At the start, I got a boost, but my friend didn't. By the time I reached him, we were under the bridge closest to him, and I jumped to go over his head. While I was over his head, he also jumped, propelling me into the underside of the bridge. Still 'attached' to the underside of the bridge, I skidded, losing a balloon, before falling back down from the bridge.

The second is on Super Mario Sunshine, on Gelato beach. Go to the high wire closest to Sirena Beach / Pinna Park, and jump off the wire towards the water, that end of the level. Mario should hit an invisible wall, bounce off, and fall through the ground, landing on an invisible ground beneath, and hurting himself on the landing. He stands up (rubbing his ass and saying 'ow' in the process), and then dies once he's stood up.

Also, one time when my NES was acting up (As it does), it mixed a lot of the sprites around on Super Mario Bros. 3. Me and my friend had a laugh at it, playing, as you would, jumping on replicas of Mario's head. The strangest part was when I paused it, instead of saying 'PAUSE', it said 'PAPSE'.

Well, that's all. Ciao for niao.

Chell.


Dear Chell,

Thanks for sharing your glitch discoveries with us. I've had that Mario Kart 64 bridge glitch happen to me (or at least something very similar). I remember driving slanted for a few moments before Lakitu came and took me back to the start of the arena and took a balloon away.


Question #202
FROM: Wildcat

Hi FO:

I know you're in the middle of a move, but I wanted to say thank you so much for updating your Memory Card link (which deserves a thank you in its own right) to my site to its new location (and name!). I've been meaning to let you know, but it's been slipping my mind. XD I've included a new link banner for your link page that is the same size.

Hope your move goes smoothly, and take care, my friend.

Wildcat


Dear Wildcat,

Thanks again for writing! With the exception of the phone company messing up and not switching our phone and internet when they said they would, the move went pretty smoothly. I'll get my links page updated with your new site URL soon.


Question #201
FROM: Kev

2 tracks.... 1st is from the menu, 2nd is the Overworld theme, I think. Either way, they rock.

Kev


Dear Kev,

Those files you sent me didn't work because they were in .cda format, and according to filext.com,

"A .CDA shortcut file is a small file generated by Microsoft Windows for each track on an audio CD. The file contains indexing information and are named in the form TRACK##.CDA. The files contain no audio and are basically useless when a CD is ripped to a computer's hard drive or converted to MP3 and written out as files to a CD. Some software makes it appear the files contain audio as recorded material starts when a .CDA file is clicked on but that's just the software operating and not music in the .CDA file."


Question #200
FROM: W R

I'm certain someone has to have asked you about this by now, but I couldn't find anything anywhere on your website. I was wondering if you haven't yet listened to the amazing Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack yet? It's easily the best score in the entire series, for my money. Other than "Dire, Dire Docks" from SM 64, the music from the other Mario games has just been too silly, too cheery overall to really be enjoyed on its own. I know I'm in the minority there, but for Galaxy, I feel the quality is unimpeachable, at least partly due to Nintendo finally shelling out for an orchestra performance, and also for the overall more "epic" tone in general.

I pulled a couple of tracks off the soundtrack CDs, which were, incredibly, actually worth the crazy price I paid for it on eBay. These two tracks are both from late in the game, but really the entire package is just as high quality as these. I hope you enjoy them if you haven't heard them already. Cheers.

Bowser's Galaxy Reactor

Melty Molten Galaxy


Dear W R,

Thanks for sending the MP3s. The songs are nice, but I'll still contest that Super Mario RPG has the best "Mario" game soundtrack.


Question #199
FROM: Kev

Your musical selections on this site have brought me loads of joy and nostalgia.

So, I'm not the biggest fan of the Metroid Prime soundtrack, but there are 2 in particular that I found to be quite stellar. Problem is I have them only listed as track 2, and track 6 (Overworld theme, I believe). Would love to share if ever interested.

Kev


Dear Kev,

Sure. Go ahead and send them to me and I'll take a listen.


Question #198
FROM: Leigh

we found it straight-away. many thanks for your help!


Dear Leigh,

You're welcome! Good luck on the final two dungeons.


Question #197
FROM: Leigh

Hey,
I really enjoyed your review/guide etc of equinox, and managed to pick up a system to let my 7 year old (and me) play it.

we have just completed afrolona but can't find our way to the ghost ship. i figured it the way might be to jump around on the small islands by the mountains but i just can't seem to get that way. i also tried jumping onto one of the crosses and playing the harp - but it puts me in the middle of the sea.

if you can see your way to advising us we'd be very grateful :)

cheers
Leigh


Dear Leigh,

One of the exits from the Afralona dungeon puts you on a small island with a cross. You play the harp on that cross and it transports you to another island that has the Ghost Ship.


Question #196
FROM: Kieran Chell

Hey! Any chance of there being mario kart music on the site?

I was also looking for the solstice music for ages, until I discovered the nes & snes music section. I was extremely happy when I found that.

Awesome site, by the way!


Dear Kieran,

Right now, I only have the Super Mario Kart ending music, which is on the Game Ending Songs Extravaganza. I'll try to get more from the soundtrack in the future.


Question #195
FROM: Mr. Mando

The Magic of Schehezada and separate at birth

Pumkin reminds me of a character from Return to Oz. In fact, Mecha reminds me of that tin man!


Dear Mr. Mando,

I've had people point that out to me before. I still have the emails and the pictures they sent, I just haven't had time to get them put on the site yet.


Question #194
FROM: Mr. Mando

Andre The Giant

He is probably in many games including Final Fights and infamous WCW Master (Giant Machine), making him the only wrestler to be in WCW and WWE/WWF.


Dear Mr. Mando,

He's definitely in WWF Wrestlemania and WWF Wrestlemania Challenge for the NES, I know that much.


Question #193
FROM: Mr. Mando

Earth Bound Oddity

Is it me or do I notice that there is an odd homosexual implication between Tony and Jeff?

Insane Cultist is nothing more than Ku Klu Klans wearing blue!


Dear Mr. Mando,

From what I heard, the Happy Happyists had the letters "HH" on their hoods in the Japanese version, but it was taken out of the American version. Now, why, I'm not even quite sure, except that maybe the "HH" could be mistaken for a "KK".

As for Tony and Jeff... well, Tony's not really in the game much, so make of it what you will.


Question #192
FROM: Mr. Mando

Another notice... separate at birth?

Psycho Mantis and "Karl Ruprecht Kroenen" from Hell Boy.


Dear Mr. Mando,

Uh, okay... Pictures please?


Question #191
FROM: Jim

I've tried sending a few e-mails to programmers for help now, with absolutely no luck, so I'm forced to beg you now lol! You even have a Legend of The Mystical Ninja section where many don't, so here goes... The title theme of the game, when you first decide one player, two players, password, etc. --- I love that song and NO ONE has ripped it. Not even a cheap midi version. PLEASE help me out! An mp3 of that song would be AWESOME!

Thanks (hopefully) in advance,
Jim


Dear Jim,

I'm not sure what song you're talking about. If it's this one, I converted that months ago for someone else who requested the same exact song. And it's definitely been ripped, because that's what I converted the MP3 from - an spc that can be downloaded (along with the entire rest of the set) from this page.


Question #190
FROM: Tweeter

Hey FLO I have some questions for that there Q and A! Maybe more than you can answer in a single lifetime!

Alright. Ok. Yeah. First may I have twenty bucks? Twenty American dollars?

What time is it?

Would you rather play Double Dragon or Bad Dudes?

Why do people think Legend of Zelda games are RPGs?

Know any cures for addictions? Any addictions, nothing in particular. O_o

Who's better....Godzilla or King Kong?

Victory victory and even more victory?!

"MINAMOTOOO!!!!!!1111 RAAAA!!!!11" ?

When was the last time you flew around and shot lasers at people in real life?

Ok that's all I am able think of right now. Ues...that's about it. Have fun pondering these eternal mysteries.

Your's truly,

Tweeter


Dear Tweeter,

1. If you can find it, you can have it.

2. 9:25 pm, by my computer's clock.

3. Not real sure. Bad Dudes is funnier, but I thought its play control was even worse than Double Dragon's.

4. The Legend of Zelda games have some things in common with RPGs, like exploration, power increases, and fantasy settings, and I think that's what causes the confusion. Zelda 2, which actually had you earning experience points from defeated enemies, also contributes to that belief.

5. If I knew cures for addictions, I wouldn't still be running this site.

6. Godzilla, but not the shitty Matthew Broderick version.

7. The last time I flew around and shot lasers at people? Just yesterday, coming home from work. Hey, c'mon, the driver of that Kia Spectra shouldn't have been in that lane if he wanted to go that slow.


Question #189
FROM: Zairak

Hey there FO, I'd recently linked to your site from a forum I used to moderate for.

That forum has recently gone down, the admins just couldn't take the stress anymore, and that was just for some mildly bad members.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is how you've dealt with being an admin for this long when I know you've had to deal with worse.

-Zairak


Dear Zairak,

Without knowing the exact situation, it's difficult for me to comment on it. I try to have as much patience as possible when dealing with problem users. Sometimes it's possible for them to wise up and turn around, but if they don't, then banning them is really the only thing you can do. I think I'm extraordinarily lucky that I have a supportive community I've been very close to over the past 10 years, and they make it worth dealing with the occasional nutcase.

Not only that, but I've been around so long that there isn't much I haven't already seen, so I'm not easily phased by things. We're pretty good at outsmarting intentional troublemakers. =)


Question #188
FROM: Stu

Hi FO,

My mistake, it turns out the Life Force glitch isn't actually a glitch. Turns out you get sent back to level 4 if you don't destroy the giant orb after the final boss. I never knew that made any difference. Seems a bit harsh, sending you back all that way instead of just making you restart the level.

-Stu


Dear Stu,

After I submitted that Q&A, I began to think that I'd heard it was possible to get sent back several levels if you didn't do something right at the end of the game, but I couldn't remember what the circumstances were or if I was confusing it with another game. I've always killed Zelos's heart so I've never had this happen. Thanks for the clarification.


Question #187
FROM: Alexandria Dee Boice

Just read the latest round of game oddities. One of them concerns the odd little alcove in the Spaceport Alpha level, and makes a few inquiries concerning the DS remake. A few notes about that...

1. While the little nook in the original never holds anything, in the DS remake, it contains a special powerup. It's one of the new power-ups exclusive to the remake that can be used to grant you the "highest" form of whatever you use it on. (These are different from the ones in the original; these are unique to the remake.)

2. In the remake, instead of saying "To Be Continued?" after the end credits, it advises you to visit Taj, suggesting that he might have more for you. There's a lot of stuff to collect in the remake (as is Rare's wont), and I suppose it's merely trying to goad you into getting it all.

3. Future Fun Land does not gain a battle track in the remake, sadly. There's also a new world included just for the remake--a genuinely Donkey Kong-themed level called, of course, DK Jungle--but it doesn't have a battle track either. Hmmph.


Dear Alexandria,

Thanks for clearing that up. I guess some of those things may have been planned for the original version but didn't make it in.


Question #186
FROM: Stu

Hi FO! Sorry to hear about your car...

I stumbled upon a rather unfortunate glitch on the NES game Life Force: it seems that after beating the final boss, near the end of that long corridor of traps, a glitch can send you all the way back to the start of level 4.

This was on a cartridge, and I'm not sure yet if there's a special condition that triggers it (maybe it has to do with the fact that levels 4 and 6 both scroll vertically?), but it would suck for this to happen to someone on their first playthrough.

-Stu


Dear Stu,

Interesting. If you find what triggers the glitch, let me know. As far as my car in concerned, the insurance company of the vehicle that hit me accepted 100% liability, so I don't have to pay anything to get it repaired. The repair shop said that it should look good as new once it's fixed because the damage was minimal.


Question #185
FROM: axbattler7

Hey there! Smashing site. Honestly, some of the most honest NES reviews out there. Keep it up! Oh, and anything I might be able to contribute? I have a boodle of old games myself...


Dear axbattler,

Depends on what you want to contribute.


Question #184
FROM: Mario the Fool

Are you aware of Kirby Super Star for the SNES? I noticed you don't mention it anywhere, or have any of it's songs available for download. If I had to make a guess, I'd say you probably heard of it and assumed it was simply a compilation of existing Kirby games, and stayed away. It's not actually a compilation, though. It's an original game made to look like a compilation. Kinda strange, actually. But anyway, it's definitely one of the best Kirby games (I'd say it's the best one, personally), and if you're a fan of the series you should definitely check it out.


Dear Mario,

Yep, I own Kirby Super Star and played a little of it a long time ago. I beat a couple of the mini-games, and I thought some of the music was pretty good, so you can probably expect me to put some of it up on the site in the future.


Question #183
FROM: Seth Koopa

Dear Flying Omelette,

On your Top 50 Game Ending Songs page, you say that you used Dragon Spirit: The New Legend's sound test to hear the ending song. But how do you access this sound test? I can't seem to be able to locate it.

Best wishes,
Seth Koopa


Dear Seth,

You need to use a code to get the Sound Test on Dragon Spirit. I couldn't remember what it was off the top of my head, but a little research tells me this: On the start up screen hold A, B, and Up on Controller 2 and then hit Reset. Hope that works.


Question #182
FROM: Strawberry Eggs

Dear Flying Omelettes,

I call myself?Strawberry Eggs. You may recognize my name?from a few?SABs I sent some time ago. Regardless, I've been visiting your site for a few years now, and I still really enjoy it. I believe I first came here because of your EarthBound oddities? and have kept coming back since. I enjoy many of your sections, especially the Game Oddities section and the RAU Gallery. I also admire that you are not afraid to admit that you like certain games?that people?think are?"bad", like Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I myself love a few games that many people look down upon like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (now there's a game that proves you don't have to be Nobuo Uematsu to make a great FF soundtrack!)?and Sword of Mana. I would?really like?to read an FFMQ review from you, if you ever get the chance to write it.

And to get back to EarthBound for a bit, I have?some?questions. I noticed that there isn't a lot of mention on Japanese-only or import games, but I though I should ask anyway. Have you ever played EarthBound sequel, Mother 1 aka "EarthBound Zero" or the sequel Mother 3? If so, what do you think of them?

Oh and before I end this, I thought I should mention this, I recently discovered that "Zumo" is Spanish for "fruit juice".? Seeing as Zumo loves fruit, something tells me this is not a?coincidence ^^;.? I'm sorry if this has already been pointed out, but I couldn't really find anything on the site and haven't looked all that much around the Port Saiid forums, either.

Anyway, I think I rambled on enough. Thank you for reading this, Omelette, and keep up the good work!

Strawberry Eggs


Dear Strawberry,

I have a cartridge with Earthbound Zero (Mother) that I got from NESreproductions.com. I haven't put a whole lot of time into it yet, but one thing that stood out to me was that the music was really good. Other than that, it seemed very similar to the SNES game, but a little more slowly-paced.

I didn't know that "Zumo" is Spanish for "fruit juice", but he was created and named so long ago, that it's possible that I could have picked the word up in a high school Spanish class. Or it could just be that I made it up and it's coincidence, like "Lizaki" being a Polish candy.


Question #181
FROM: SethraShnoo

Hey FO,

You certainly get yourself banned from a lot of boards, don't you? Your latest sketch actually made me sit back in my seat, and I can't remember when that last happened. I hate to admit this, but I got a little choked up by that. Have I really come to care about your stories and characters this much? I hope that when I start my own sketch comedy I can pull off half of what you do.

Also, just to be sure, I didn't think you were being a jackass at all when you criticized The Minerva Project: Dawn of the Red Arc. While I was very much aware of many of the flaws and problems you pointed out, knowing that you cared enough to read it again and hearing your perspective on it helps guide me in the direction I hope to go with my writing.

I guess we are older adults now and it's easy to look back on that old stuff we did and laugh at how bad it was. I've never really been able to recuperate after the loss of my old website, but my time with the entire Port Saiid/DHN community has been well spent over the years.

Don't ever let anyone put you down and keep on singin' the good songs.


Dear Sethra,

Thanks, friend. I have no doubts you'll be able to come up with something pretty good if you put your mind to it. We've all learned from some of the best. :)

Maybe you should even focus more on that than worrying about Quote Corner since James is doing a good job of harvesting a lot of the better and funnier posts from the forums anyway.

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