NWR Interactive => Podcast Discussion => Topic started by: Jonnyboy117 on January 13, 2009, 02:02:45 AM
Title: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on January 13, 2009, 02:02:45 AM
This is the official forum thread of RFN's new play-along feature, RetroActive. You can thank Greg for the name. In order to get things going as soon as possible, we decided to simply choose the first game from a list of suggestions provided by RFN listeners in the Ep. 128 Talkback thread. (I will reproduce those suggestions below, and everyone is encouraged to add even more suggestions in this thread.) Subsequent games will be chosen by open poll in this same forum section, from a selection of games suggested by RFN listeners.
The first game we'll be playing and discussing is Dynamite Headdy, suggested by nron10 (a.k.a. Neal Ronaghan, though I didn't even pay attention to who it was until after we made the decision). This Genesis action game from Treasure is available worldwide on Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points. We thought it was an interesting, largely unknown game that would be pretty cheap and easy for us and all of you to try out. The discussion will span one or possibly two upcoming episodes of RFN (just one segment in each, not the entire episodes). The goal is to also have an open discussion about the game among listeners and the RFN crew in this forum thread, and we'll be reading some of the best comments on the show.
Comments on the game selection, the process, and the feature itself are always welcome in this thread. Again, we are continuously seeking more game suggestions (please note that not all ideas will be included in the poll). Finally, you can use this thread to start discussing Dynamite Headdy. Who's going to get us started?
Game suggestions made in RFN 128 Talkback (I'm leaving out obvious jokes and games like Pikmin and Metroid Prime that are to be re-released soon):
Super Mario Sunshine - insanolord Resident Evil (REmake for GC) - Mr. Adolph Vega Baten Kaitos Origins - broodwars Perfect Dark - broodwars Goldeneye 007 - broodwars Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes - broodwars Resident Evil REmake or Zero - broodwars Skies of Arcadia Legends - broodwars Zelda: Wind Waker - broodwars Timesplitters: Future Imperfect - broodwars Super Mario Bros. 3 - GoldenPhoenix Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past - GoldenPhoenix Drill Dozer - TheYoungerPlumber Viewtiful Joe - nron10 Comix Zone - nron10 Kid Chameleon - nron10 Shining Force II - nron10 Super Mario RPG - nron10 Donkey Kong 64 - nron10 Timesplitters 2 or 3 - nron10 Sega Soccer Slam - nron10 Super Monkey Ball - TheYoungerPlumber Shining Force II - DrewMG Super Mario Sunshine - DrewMG Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - DrewMG Metroid II: Return of Samus - DrewMG Wave Race 64 - D_Average Baroque - Flames_of_chaos Shiren the Wanderer - Flames_of_chaos Link's Crossbow Training - D_Average
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: DmentD on January 13, 2009, 12:22:25 PM
I was skeptical about trying this game.....but I did. I haven't played through to much of it yet.....chuckled when I came across the stage "Toys in the Hood" but it seems like a pretty decent platformer. I will post more after I get a true feel for it.
If you have never played this game check this link...or even if you have you may want to check it out http://www.freewebs.com/dhvstb/
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_DrewMG on January 13, 2009, 12:28:12 PM
I'll pick this up tonight and give it a go.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 13, 2009, 01:41:19 PM
This game is awesome. I will bust out my old Genesis to play along with this.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_DrewMG on January 13, 2009, 02:03:04 PM
Also, listening along with the newest RFN, I decided to throw Starfox Adventures onto my Goozex queue so I can give that game a go. I'd be down to do that in a future RetroActive.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Peachylala on January 13, 2009, 02:44:10 PM
<3 Dynamite Headdy to bits. It's so quirky and the boss battles are awesome.
Finding those secret bonus points is really hard though.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: vudu on January 13, 2009, 05:37:04 PM
I think this is a fantastic idea. My hat is off to Sir Greg and the rest of the RFN Crew.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to participate in this particular RetroActive Discussion. I'm currently playing through 4 games and simply don't have the time to properly play this game at the moment. However, I plan to listen intently and hopefully join in next time.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 13, 2009, 06:03:35 PM
I'll download this tonight and have a look. If it's a Treasure game, I'm in.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on January 14, 2009, 03:07:43 PM
Played it just very briefly so far. I saw that the controls have a button for "Cancel Head", but it doesn't do anything as far as I can tell. Can someone please explain?
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on January 14, 2009, 04:00:54 PM
I have added all the (serious) suggestions from the other thread, so now everything is collected here.
I'll create the poll for RetroActive Game #2 this weekend, most likely, so get in your suggestions now if you want them to be considered this time. The poll will probably have five nominees selected from everyone's suggestions so far. If your suggestion isn't included in this poll, it may be in the next one. I will down-select based on criteria such as price, availability, and discussion potential.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_DrewMG on January 15, 2009, 09:03:12 AM
I know this is pretty cliched, as it's already been discussed several times on RFN, but I always love discussions of Majora, as it's one of my all time favorites. so I'll throw that one into the mix for an eventual RetroActive:
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64 or GC Collectors Disc - Hopefully soon on VC)
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Nick DiMola on January 15, 2009, 09:07:08 AM
I'll second Super Mario Sunshine (since I have a love affair with the game and everyone else seems to hate it).
Also, Perfect Dark/Goldeneye (I don't think you can talk about one without talking about the other).
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Sundoulos on January 15, 2009, 09:43:36 AM
Due to a currently crushing overtime schedule at work and the demands of being a dad to a 15 month-old, I probably won't be able to participate this week. Here are some games I'd like to see considered on the curren or a future poll:
NES: 1. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse This is my favorite of the old-school Castlevania games.
2. Super Mario World I picked this because SMB3 is on the list; SMB3 is still my favorite among the mario games because of all the insane power-ups and numbers of levels within the worlds. There's also something about SMW that shines; I really loved the freedom of movement and "floatiness" of Mario in this game. At least from what I can remember, the levels were significantly fewer in number, but the level design was a bit longer and more complex. Anyway, I wish that NMSB had drawn it's inspiration from one of these games instead of the orginal Super Mario Bros. It would be interesting to hear other people's opinions of SMW as it compares to SMB3. I read somewhere where Miyamoto regretted that SMW was a little more rushed than it should have been.
3. Luigi's Mansion I've been thinking about dusting off my copy of this anyway. I'll admit that my interest in it was sparked after reading IGN's blurb about wanting a sequel. I'd agree with them on this, it was a very pretty, impressive launch title, though I wished the experience had more depth or length. It was still a very beautiful game.
3. Beyond Good and Evil I got this years ago but lost interest early on for some reason. I've still got it in the backlog and would like to give it another chance.
I looked on amazon, and unfortunately it seems to be more difficult and expensive to find a gamecube version of this game.
4. Sin and Punishment Would this count since it is still relatively new to those of us who don't import? This is selfishly motivated... (I haven't played it yet, but it would give me a good excuse to get it on VC) :)
This being said, I'm excited about hearing this new segment on the podcast. I love retro discussions. It's hard to believe I played a couple of these games half a lifetime ago.
Edit: I'd second/third the votes for Majora's Mask, Mario Sunshine, Perfect Dark and Goldeneye. I wish I still had the means to play the latter two. I rue the day that I sold my N64. :(
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: DmentD on January 15, 2009, 05:56:00 PM
Played it just very briefly so far. I saw that the controls have a button for "Cancel Head", but it doesn't do anything as far as I can tell. Can someone please explain?
I was curious about this at first also, but once you get a power up from "Headcase" you can cancel it with the "cancel head" button. ;)
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Dasmos on January 16, 2009, 03:37:40 AM
Super Ghouls & Ghosts
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: vudu on January 16, 2009, 01:29:23 PM
Seconded. I've been looking for an excuse to download this game.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: DmentD on January 16, 2009, 02:34:11 PM
For those of you playing Dynamite Headdy...how far into it are you? I am currently on Scene 5-3 - TOWERING INTERNAL. Some of these boss battles are pretty tricky. This is my first time playing this game, and I must say its a good game to kick off RetroActive.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Peachylala on January 16, 2009, 04:14:52 PM
I would really want Sin & Punishment to get some lime-light. It's one 2nd favorite on-rails shooter, the first being Star Fox 64.
Quote
I read somewhere where Miyamoto regretted that SMW was a little more rushed than it should have been.
Hmm... might make an interesting discussion. It's hard not to start an interesting discussion on which Mario game is better: Mario 3 or Mario World?
I like both, but which one is better then the other? Mario 3, obviously.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 18, 2009, 12:28:12 AM
For those of you playing Dynamite Headdy...how far into it are you? I am currently on Scene 5-3 - TOWERING INTERNAL. Some of these boss battles are pretty tricky. This is my first time playing this game, and I must say its a good game to kick off RetroActive.
I made it up to 3-4 so far.
I don't think it's one of Treasure's best games but it has all of their hallmarks.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Crimm on January 19, 2009, 12:01:13 AM
I played to 4-2 in about 50 minutes. It feels a litte dry for a treasure game.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Yoshidious on January 19, 2009, 12:25:14 AM
Getting deeper into this game, it just keeps getting weirder. By the end of Act 6, it occurred to me that Dynamite Headdy may be to puppetry what Cho Aniki is to homoeroticism. It all adds to the charm though, and I'm enjoying it much more as things are getting harder and more complicated, the boss fights in particular. I'll just never look at nested dolls the same way again.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 19, 2009, 01:44:02 AM
By the end of Act 6, it occurred to me that Dynamite Headdy may be to puppetry what Cho Aniki is to homoeroticism.
I've pondered over this sentence for quite some time and I'm still not quite sure what it means. ??? ;D
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 20, 2009, 07:41:07 PM
The beginning never made much sense to me as a kid. I did enjoy this game a lot despite the problems it has.
It reminds me of Mischief Makers/MM reminded me of this.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 20, 2009, 10:55:52 PM
At least MM made some sense, as crazy as it was. Dynamite Headdy is just out there. Half the time I don't even know what's going on...at the end of the first level I'd accrued points and "beaten" something, but I had no idea what the hell I did.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 20, 2009, 11:25:59 PM
Yea, the first level doesn't make much sense. It's like, you're running and there's a robot. Your friends get captured. You kill the robot. Then you fight a cat puppet.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on January 22, 2009, 01:41:19 AM
I got to the doll-on-chains boss and ran out of lives, so now I have to start over. But I feel like I can do much better this time.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 22, 2009, 12:49:14 PM
Doll-on-chains boss is a bitch
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_DrewMG on January 26, 2009, 08:29:01 AM
Yea, the first level doesn't make much sense. It's like, you're running and there's a robot. Your friends get captured. You kill the robot. Then you fight a cat puppet.
Yeah, that echoes my thoughts as well. I'll keep playing a bit, but this game is confusing the hell out of me. After I beat the cat puppet thing I went to what appears to be some sort of hub world with training rooms.
Very strange little game.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: gojira on January 26, 2009, 11:42:09 PM
I'm a huge Treasure fan, so I picked up this game for my Genesis some time ago. But I've never really put a whole lot of time into it before now. I'm happy this came up and gave me the motivation to play through the game again.
I played the game a bit tonight and got through 5-3 which is just after Stair Wars. The aesthetic of the game really reminded me of Paper Mario. The world feels very alive and is extremely dynamic especially for a 16bit game. And since it is Treasure, you can see them pushing the hardware. There is some very nice use of 3d effects in the game. It isn't as impressive as what they probably could have done on the SNES, but I was very surprised and happy that they were easy to navigate. A lot of pseudo 3D back in the 8bit and 16bit era was rather clunky. And with a game as hard as this, the last thing you need is poor controls.
There's a very WTF? feeling when it comes to the story of the game. And with the gameplay being pretty straightforward, I'm not surprised this is one of Treasure's least heralded games. It's still a fun game that I'll definitely play a few more times, but I think it's a hard sell for most gamers out there.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Cambot on January 29, 2009, 02:44:10 AM
The levels in Dynamite Headdy are like sweating through one fever dream after another. I also got as far as the puppet-on-chains boss and lost all my lives there. I respect the difficulty in this game, in that it's an old-school "win-or-die-trying" style platformer, but I'll admit, I gave myself continues with the level select cheat code.
Another thing I like is how this game takes me back to the 90's. Aside from it being on Genesis, There's a bunch of cheesy 80s and 90s movie title puns in the names of the stages: "Mad Mechs, "Terminate Her Too" and, oddly, "Mad Dog and Headdy."
And as always, big ups to Treasure for pushing Sega's hardware. They tend to pull off little graphical tricks that look even cleaner and crispier than if they were on the SNES.
Take that Mode 7!
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on January 29, 2009, 03:20:09 AM
I'll have to see if I bought Dynamite Headdy on VC or not.
It is kind of funny that Treasure was able to get some impressive visuals, that people doubted could be done, on Genesis but their Wario game on GC was, um, pretty dang ugly! :)
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on January 30, 2009, 06:05:28 PM
Square? You mean Treasure. :-) And I think it was pretty clear that Wario World was a sub-par effort in many ways, not just visually.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on January 30, 2009, 06:07:50 PM
Square? You mean Treasure. :-) And I think it was pretty clear that Wario World was a sub-par effort in many ways, not just visually.
Ehem. Yes Treasure :P.
It is funny though Treasure is known for having such diverse levels in their games yet Wario World played like a game developed by (cues Crimm) Ubisoft.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 30, 2009, 10:15:58 PM
Actually, James' Ubisoft rage has really toned down lately. He's downright docile nowadays.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: gojira on January 31, 2009, 07:08:25 PM
Just listened to the newest show and had a couple of thoughts about what was said about Dynamite Headdy.
I've looked at some youtube videos that show the differences between the Japanese version and the NA version. It was funny hearing Greg talking about stuff that different in the version the others played. The biggest difference is that the cupie doll that shoots lasers out of her eyes in the Japanese version is a robot in the NA version.
I've also heard Greg say there was only two continues. In the NA version there are no continues until you earn them. After you beat a boss a bunch of stuff shoots out and after you collect a certain number of them you earn a continue.
Also the number you're supposed to remember after bonus levels is to gain access to a secret final boss. You have to complete the bonus level four times before beating the game. After beating the game you be asked to enter the code (it's different each time you play). Then you fight a business man (The President of Sega in the Japanese version).
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Yoshidious on January 31, 2009, 07:31:14 PM
I've since discovered that the Japanese version is significantly easier than the North American version -- certain bossess require many more hits to beat in the NA release. I also think you can earn extra continues in the Japanese version, but you are given some to begin with unlike the NA version as gojira said. Apparently, somewhere between when the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was too hard to be released in the West and Dynamite Headdy's release in 1994, Americans got much better at games! :)
However, Bullseye Doll of Death is just so much better than some run-of-the-mill robot.
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Plugabugz on February 02, 2009, 12:19:55 PM
Can we get, eventually, a set of gams which may be rarer to find (and less likely to appear on VC)? Lke McDonaldland?
Title: Re: RFN RetroActive Discussion (Game #1: Dynamite Headdy)
Post by: Cambot on February 02, 2009, 08:37:54 PM
