Alan:
Way back in April editor Tom posted the site’s Super Castlevania IV review. I declared it wasn’t as good as many seem to remember, especially when viewed against genre contemporaries of the time. Against Turrican and Super Metroid it’s just a little bit pony in design, with linearity and Simon Bellend’s lack of a safe word (hence the non-stop whipping) making for some dull gameplay despite the hefty challenge available. My erstwhile colleague, Mr Christopher Weatherley, pretty much agreed with these points, but somehow still managed to give the game an 8/10. An eight out of ten! Sure, the music is a particular high-point, but that in no way makes up for the general stiffness of an 8-bit title masquerading as a 16-bit piece of freshness where the (now dated) graphics subscribe to stylish pontificating in the large space where substance and originality would have been more welcome. What in the blue hell were you thinking Chris?
Being the gentleman that I am, I offered Chris the chance to redeem his utter wrongness in front of our readers. A Super Castlevania IV challenge no less, seeing as we were debating on its merits, to establish just who between us actually knows what the flip they’re talking about. Obviously it’s me, but as I said, I’m a gentleman and a gaming duel is the appropriate way to resolve this matter. Of course my gaming nous should also see to it that Chris suffers further. Muwhahahahahahahaha. To the castle!
Chris:
Finally, after a considerable wait, the two TPE veterans get to dook it out, and so appropriate that the platform of choice is the Super Nintendo. Al could have easily chosen a high-grade Amiga title to embarrass me, and would have succeeded if this was the case, but I guess we are on a level playing field with the classic 16-bit box of tricks. All the more pleased to find out the game would be Super Castlevania IV, a game I have a particular affinity with. Our opinions may differ, Alan being ever confident of his valid but harsh summary. I feel wholesale progress is not what Super Castlevania IV is about; it didn’t need to advance on from its forebears, just build on the atmosphere and challenge. It does this with aplomb as it’s stylish, showy and sharp, the ‘pontificating’ does the job for me, and as hard as my veteran cohorts’ stubbornness to accept that this time he’s wrong. I too am a gentleman, so what better way is there to settle this with some old-skool fisticuffs. With whips!
Buoyed by my prior Wip3out success over Tom, I feel confident I can plunge a metaphorical stake into Alan’s heart and clock up my second pixel duel win whilst drawing a line over our judgment. I do bear in mind however that Al is accustomed to the gaming carnage of Speedball, Cannon Fodder and such like, I don’t take this duel for granted. So, I’ve got the Van Helsing gloves on, and ready to not only vanquish Dracula but also do something that scares the bejesus out of many a retro game reviewer; disprove Mr Alan Passingham.
Way back in April editor Tom posted the site’s Super Castlevania IV review. I declared it wasn’t as good as many seem to remember, especially when viewed against genre contemporaries of the time. Against Turrican and Super Metroid it’s just a little bit pony in design, with linearity and Simon Bellend’s lack of a safe word (hence the non-stop whipping) making for some dull gameplay despite the hefty challenge available. My erstwhile colleague, Mr Christopher Weatherley, pretty much agreed with these points, but somehow still managed to give the game an 8/10. An eight out of ten! Sure, the music is a particular high-point, but that in no way makes up for the general stiffness of an 8-bit title masquerading as a 16-bit piece of freshness where the (now dated) graphics subscribe to stylish pontificating in the large space where substance and originality would have been more welcome. What in the blue hell were you thinking Chris?
Being the gentleman that I am, I offered Chris the chance to redeem his utter wrongness in front of our readers. A Super Castlevania IV challenge no less, seeing as we were debating on its merits, to establish just who between us actually knows what the flip they’re talking about. Obviously it’s me, but as I said, I’m a gentleman and a gaming duel is the appropriate way to resolve this matter. Of course my gaming nous should also see to it that Chris suffers further. Muwhahahahahahahaha. To the castle!
Chris:
Finally, after a considerable wait, the two TPE veterans get to dook it out, and so appropriate that the platform of choice is the Super Nintendo. Al could have easily chosen a high-grade Amiga title to embarrass me, and would have succeeded if this was the case, but I guess we are on a level playing field with the classic 16-bit box of tricks. All the more pleased to find out the game would be Super Castlevania IV, a game I have a particular affinity with. Our opinions may differ, Alan being ever confident of his valid but harsh summary. I feel wholesale progress is not what Super Castlevania IV is about; it didn’t need to advance on from its forebears, just build on the atmosphere and challenge. It does this with aplomb as it’s stylish, showy and sharp, the ‘pontificating’ does the job for me, and as hard as my veteran cohorts’ stubbornness to accept that this time he’s wrong. I too am a gentleman, so what better way is there to settle this with some old-skool fisticuffs. With whips!
Buoyed by my prior Wip3out success over Tom, I feel confident I can plunge a metaphorical stake into Alan’s heart and clock up my second pixel duel win whilst drawing a line over our judgment. I do bear in mind however that Al is accustomed to the gaming carnage of Speedball, Cannon Fodder and such like, I don’t take this duel for granted. So, I’ve got the Van Helsing gloves on, and ready to not only vanquish Dracula but also do something that scares the bejesus out of many a retro game reviewer; disprove Mr Alan Passingham.
The Challenge:
Alan:
A fairly easy one this time round. From the start of Simon’s adventure the winner will be the player with the highest score on a single play through. No continues allowed; once you’re out of lives you’re deader than tank-tops. Both Alan and Chris will get three attempts to venture as far as they can through Super Castlevania IV’s harsh level design to build up the necessary competitive high score. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Chris is first up to test his metal. |
The Challengers:
Chris - Attempt #1:
Despite being a bit whip-rusty, things got off to a great start. I dispatched the Skeletal Horseman, Medusa, Hydra and Skull-head with ease. I even finish two levels with 99 hearts. I make it to level 4 whereas after beating the revolving room and tough but awesome looking cylinder crypt, I get squished by the floating stones. Piss-poor timing on my part. I resume and beat the Stone Giant, again progressing well, until I fall on some spikes after the chandeliers in the Ballroom level. Rubbish! 3 lives left. I fall twice in the detestable Library stage, (this stage I have to agree with Alan, is very boring) but pick up a spare life during. The dreaded Dungeon lies in wait next but too my surprise I smash it in one! I repeat this in the Treasure Room, and then promptly get skewered in the Clocktower. I regroup; battle it out and make it to the end with little health left. The Mummy boss hits me off the clock face instantly! Down to 2 lives, I give old bandage features a whipping, literally, and get to what some regard as the hardest and most impressive level in the game; The Staircase. I fall at the beginning, a victim of the flamboyantly dressed headless zombies, and just before reaching the top of the first part, fall again and get chewed up by the stalking saw-blade from hell! One chance left, I reach the same point and some wall rock monster basterdo sends me to my doom! To rub salt into the wounds, I miss the screen grab, so can only prove my score from my last try at The Staircase. Still, happy with that effort for a start. I’m sure it’s made Al mutter a muted ‘Mwah…?’.
Score: 187,380
Level Reached: B-2
Death: Knocked off Staircase by Wall Rock Monster
Alan - Attempt #1:
Gulp. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Chris has made mincemeat out of a particularly tough game and progressed much further than I had dared to anticipate. How would this affect my first attempt in the challenge? Well, it proper f*cked it. That’s what it did. Despite the first two stages being knocked off with barely breaking a stride, things start to go oh so very wrong in the latter half of stage 3. First, Simon is skewered by Merman p!ss right between the eyes and falls to an embarrassing instant death. Although I manage to rectify this error on the subsequent life, the tension is already beginning to show. Knowing that the loss of that life has crippled my bonus points at the end of this level (based on time and number of hearts remaining) I begin to push a little too hard. The result: a cluster-fuck of epic proportions! The remainder of stage 3 is a complete nightmare. Stupid prat-falls, particularly falling off the screen when just about to defeat the hydra like an inept clown, make for painful viewing and a fistful of expletives. It doesn’t get any better. Stage 4 starts with just two lives remaining. Both are inexplicably lost by failing to master the easy double jump across the rotating trapdoors early in the stage. I don’t even reach Skull-head. Absolute cock of the highest order and a total embarrassment. I consider throwing the controller into the screen before sitting in the corner and crying myself to sleep…
Score: 58,250
Level reached: 4-1
Death: Falling through a trap-door like a f*cking plum!
Despite being a bit whip-rusty, things got off to a great start. I dispatched the Skeletal Horseman, Medusa, Hydra and Skull-head with ease. I even finish two levels with 99 hearts. I make it to level 4 whereas after beating the revolving room and tough but awesome looking cylinder crypt, I get squished by the floating stones. Piss-poor timing on my part. I resume and beat the Stone Giant, again progressing well, until I fall on some spikes after the chandeliers in the Ballroom level. Rubbish! 3 lives left. I fall twice in the detestable Library stage, (this stage I have to agree with Alan, is very boring) but pick up a spare life during. The dreaded Dungeon lies in wait next but too my surprise I smash it in one! I repeat this in the Treasure Room, and then promptly get skewered in the Clocktower. I regroup; battle it out and make it to the end with little health left. The Mummy boss hits me off the clock face instantly! Down to 2 lives, I give old bandage features a whipping, literally, and get to what some regard as the hardest and most impressive level in the game; The Staircase. I fall at the beginning, a victim of the flamboyantly dressed headless zombies, and just before reaching the top of the first part, fall again and get chewed up by the stalking saw-blade from hell! One chance left, I reach the same point and some wall rock monster basterdo sends me to my doom! To rub salt into the wounds, I miss the screen grab, so can only prove my score from my last try at The Staircase. Still, happy with that effort for a start. I’m sure it’s made Al mutter a muted ‘Mwah…?’.
Score: 187,380
Level Reached: B-2
Death: Knocked off Staircase by Wall Rock Monster
Alan - Attempt #1:
Gulp. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Chris has made mincemeat out of a particularly tough game and progressed much further than I had dared to anticipate. How would this affect my first attempt in the challenge? Well, it proper f*cked it. That’s what it did. Despite the first two stages being knocked off with barely breaking a stride, things start to go oh so very wrong in the latter half of stage 3. First, Simon is skewered by Merman p!ss right between the eyes and falls to an embarrassing instant death. Although I manage to rectify this error on the subsequent life, the tension is already beginning to show. Knowing that the loss of that life has crippled my bonus points at the end of this level (based on time and number of hearts remaining) I begin to push a little too hard. The result: a cluster-fuck of epic proportions! The remainder of stage 3 is a complete nightmare. Stupid prat-falls, particularly falling off the screen when just about to defeat the hydra like an inept clown, make for painful viewing and a fistful of expletives. It doesn’t get any better. Stage 4 starts with just two lives remaining. Both are inexplicably lost by failing to master the easy double jump across the rotating trapdoors early in the stage. I don’t even reach Skull-head. Absolute cock of the highest order and a total embarrassment. I consider throwing the controller into the screen before sitting in the corner and crying myself to sleep…
Score: 58,250
Level reached: 4-1
Death: Falling through a trap-door like a f*cking plum!
Chris - Attempt #2:
Mirroring my first attempt with the early levels, I make it to the Clocktower stage only 1 life down thanks to the alarming camp Dancing Spectres. I quickly become ridiculously frustrated with the chain lift sequence. I keep getting knocked off, the axe throwing knight things doing the damage, suddenly becoming as accurate as Robin Hood! 3 more lives down, I reach the evil Staircase stage just shy of 200000 points and expect the same grim death as before. After foolishly falling at the floating platforms courtesy of a spike in the bonce, I get to the top and reach the final sequence with 2 lives intact and start to feel a little better. 3 bosses and the chief blood sucker himself now await me. I beat the first two minions with ease, these have never posed me a problem, but then get to face a right double-hard gimboid; The Grim Reaper. This guy is friggin’ tough to beat down, and I quickly lose a life in my first battle succumbing to his devilish flying sickles. Going again on my final life, I somehow scrape through the second fight with merely 2 bars of health left, knowing this doesn’t stand me in good stead, I make my way to Dracula’s chamber with a miserable trudge. Despite being rather depleted, I make a good fist of battling Mr Drac’s and get him down to half health before he strikes me down for good. Pleased having salvaged an improved score total from some iffy moments in this attempt and judging by Alan’s rather limp first try, I think this could be a hard target for my esteemed colleague to challenge…
Score: 216,740
Level Reached: B-4
Death: Killed by Dracula
Alan - Attempt #2:
Dracula? Sh!t. You’re now about to witness my finest attempt at ice-skating up a hill, getting a stitch half-way and collapsing like AC Milan in the 2005 Big Cup final. The tough just got impossible. Still, after that awful first attempt I have some pride to salvage, so throwing in the towel is not an option. Concentration is key and owing to a lack of dicking around I surpass my previous round rather majestically – all lives intact as I sail past those wretched trap-doors. But I’m now over-confident. And I start dicking around. Skull-face is dispatched with little difficulty, but the rotating room has it in for me. Two lives lost, first from a medusa-head bumping Simon off the narrow platform to the spikes below, followed by me acting the tit, swinging too much with the whip as the room rotates for a second time and catching another spike by a nano-metre. No plasters and TCP here; just instant death for such transgressions with sharpie objects. And whilst I clear the section third time round I soon bodge up again, this time squashing Simon like a grape in the moving vertical platform segment.
I pause the game and punch myself in the face. This seems to work! The rock golem boss succumbs to my awesomeness and, as always, stage 5 poses about as much threat as Fernando Torres hitting a barn-door with a banjo. But just as soon as things are looking up the game throws in one of its major frustrations. Whilst I can’t really complain about the life lost mistiming a jump on the rather excellent swinging chandelier section, I can moan about the unfairness of jumping down from a ledge to the platform below and falling through the stairs to an instant death that is clearly nonsense. This makes me irritable and is a timely reminder of just why Super Castlevania IV is a touch overrated. Such bullsh*t does have an immediate effect though. The remainder of stage 6 feels my wrath; stage 7 is pissed on from a great height; and with additional lives collected I reach the castle’s dungeon with three of them left to chance my arm further. I goof up terribly though. Speed- running through the level when perhaps caution would have been the better option, I collide with every sharp object going and before you can say ‘arse-biscuits’ my second attempt is over. Done. Finished. I prevent myself from throwing the controller at the wall by going to the kitchen, putting the kettle on and wishing we were playing Turrican instead…
Score: 136,000 (or there about)
Level Reached: 8-1
Death: Jumping into sharp objects like a right f*cking doughnut.
Mirroring my first attempt with the early levels, I make it to the Clocktower stage only 1 life down thanks to the alarming camp Dancing Spectres. I quickly become ridiculously frustrated with the chain lift sequence. I keep getting knocked off, the axe throwing knight things doing the damage, suddenly becoming as accurate as Robin Hood! 3 more lives down, I reach the evil Staircase stage just shy of 200000 points and expect the same grim death as before. After foolishly falling at the floating platforms courtesy of a spike in the bonce, I get to the top and reach the final sequence with 2 lives intact and start to feel a little better. 3 bosses and the chief blood sucker himself now await me. I beat the first two minions with ease, these have never posed me a problem, but then get to face a right double-hard gimboid; The Grim Reaper. This guy is friggin’ tough to beat down, and I quickly lose a life in my first battle succumbing to his devilish flying sickles. Going again on my final life, I somehow scrape through the second fight with merely 2 bars of health left, knowing this doesn’t stand me in good stead, I make my way to Dracula’s chamber with a miserable trudge. Despite being rather depleted, I make a good fist of battling Mr Drac’s and get him down to half health before he strikes me down for good. Pleased having salvaged an improved score total from some iffy moments in this attempt and judging by Alan’s rather limp first try, I think this could be a hard target for my esteemed colleague to challenge…
Score: 216,740
Level Reached: B-4
Death: Killed by Dracula
Alan - Attempt #2:
Dracula? Sh!t. You’re now about to witness my finest attempt at ice-skating up a hill, getting a stitch half-way and collapsing like AC Milan in the 2005 Big Cup final. The tough just got impossible. Still, after that awful first attempt I have some pride to salvage, so throwing in the towel is not an option. Concentration is key and owing to a lack of dicking around I surpass my previous round rather majestically – all lives intact as I sail past those wretched trap-doors. But I’m now over-confident. And I start dicking around. Skull-face is dispatched with little difficulty, but the rotating room has it in for me. Two lives lost, first from a medusa-head bumping Simon off the narrow platform to the spikes below, followed by me acting the tit, swinging too much with the whip as the room rotates for a second time and catching another spike by a nano-metre. No plasters and TCP here; just instant death for such transgressions with sharpie objects. And whilst I clear the section third time round I soon bodge up again, this time squashing Simon like a grape in the moving vertical platform segment.
I pause the game and punch myself in the face. This seems to work! The rock golem boss succumbs to my awesomeness and, as always, stage 5 poses about as much threat as Fernando Torres hitting a barn-door with a banjo. But just as soon as things are looking up the game throws in one of its major frustrations. Whilst I can’t really complain about the life lost mistiming a jump on the rather excellent swinging chandelier section, I can moan about the unfairness of jumping down from a ledge to the platform below and falling through the stairs to an instant death that is clearly nonsense. This makes me irritable and is a timely reminder of just why Super Castlevania IV is a touch overrated. Such bullsh*t does have an immediate effect though. The remainder of stage 6 feels my wrath; stage 7 is pissed on from a great height; and with additional lives collected I reach the castle’s dungeon with three of them left to chance my arm further. I goof up terribly though. Speed- running through the level when perhaps caution would have been the better option, I collide with every sharp object going and before you can say ‘arse-biscuits’ my second attempt is over. Done. Finished. I prevent myself from throwing the controller at the wall by going to the kitchen, putting the kettle on and wishing we were playing Turrican instead…
Score: 136,000 (or there about)
Level Reached: 8-1
Death: Jumping into sharp objects like a right f*cking doughnut.
Chris - Attempt #3:
Confident, I again make rapid progress through the early stages which pose no problems at all now, but I suddenly get struck down with a case of the ‘yips’ and stupidly fall at the merman stage, I then repeat this school-boy error and fall in the revolving crypt, the pink duvet of a skeleton giving me a right boning. Arggghh! However, I regroup and get to the Dungeon with no further loss of life. This tough level is in no mood for leniency this time and I lose 3, count them, 3 lives at the vanishing platforms. A bitch of a sequence. Feeling rather annoyed at being down to just 2 lives with only 160,000 on the board, I become consigned to believe this attempt will not best my previous one. However, I need to prove Alan wrong about this game so I continue on, gaining a 1-up during my way to the Staircase, which I lose yet again on the floating platforms. Deciding to simply just go all out whips blazing with the end bosses, to my astonishment beat them all unscathed, even the reaper! I have 2 chances now to complete the game and surely notch up a winning total, but then I notice my score. Even if a do vanquish Dracula, I doubt the win will bring my tally higher than before having rushed through some parts and missing out on some additional bonuses. I never get to find out anyway, as Dracula gives me a harsh lesson in electro-telekinesis on the first try. I take my screen grab at this point but should have hung on, because I get tantalisingly close to defeating him on the second. Down to 2 bars of health each, I miss-time a head shot, get my position all wrong and get blasted down by the lightening again. Belmont – Dead as bell-bottoms! The score is again respectable but not better than before. I hope my efforts have been enough to thwart the gaming skills of TPE’s most wittiest and frank writer. Oh, and it may be worth pointing out to Al that if he had pushed diagonally up on the D-Pad whilst falling onto the stairs, he wouldn’t have died, simply landed on the steps. Tsh, Castlevania novices…
Score: 211,660
Level Reached: B-4
Death: Killed by Dracula Again, Boooo!
Alan - Attempt #3:
Dracula? Again? Hmm, Chris is obviously dosed up to the eyeballs on Red Dwarf’s luck virus! One more attempt to go then to Mr Flibble his arse and, surprisingly, I’m feeling rather confident. That second round had proved I wasn’t a completely inept mung-bean and the potential to post a decent total was indeed within my grasp. And that confidence is not misplaced. Early doors it’s easy. Only skull-face proves a nuisance taking me down to two health bars, but I plough on through the rest of stage 4 without getting hit, only to be vanquished by the stone golem boss. He’s easily defeated when Simon’s topped back up to full health though. A further life is lost on stage six against the spectral dancing couple but I reach stage eight with fully five lives intact. This time I ignore the clock and ease my way through the level. It’s a tactic that delivers. Simon avoids the carnage of instant death on display with relative ease and reaches the vanishing platforms having lost just the one further life. I then skip past these platforms like a walk in the park (in these circumstances I’m a massive fan of small victories) and follow this up by kicking Frankenstein in the nut-sack for chuckles. Stage 9 is a breeze until the bat boss, although I sneak it with just the one hit point left. Six lives left – looks like it could be my day. Alas, no luck virus. Three of them disappear climbing the first tower, all via mis-timing Simon’s jumps off those blasted cogs. And whilst the Mummy is unravelled expertly, the remaining three lives cannot content with the pure evil of the staircase. One disappears falling off a staircase only to be caught by the wheel of doom. The other two are taken via the floating platforms – headbutting spikes again. Simon you Bellend! I look at the score… bollocks…
Best of five Chris?
Score: 195,260
Level Reached: B-2
Death: Failing to duck and cover on the floating platforms
Confident, I again make rapid progress through the early stages which pose no problems at all now, but I suddenly get struck down with a case of the ‘yips’ and stupidly fall at the merman stage, I then repeat this school-boy error and fall in the revolving crypt, the pink duvet of a skeleton giving me a right boning. Arggghh! However, I regroup and get to the Dungeon with no further loss of life. This tough level is in no mood for leniency this time and I lose 3, count them, 3 lives at the vanishing platforms. A bitch of a sequence. Feeling rather annoyed at being down to just 2 lives with only 160,000 on the board, I become consigned to believe this attempt will not best my previous one. However, I need to prove Alan wrong about this game so I continue on, gaining a 1-up during my way to the Staircase, which I lose yet again on the floating platforms. Deciding to simply just go all out whips blazing with the end bosses, to my astonishment beat them all unscathed, even the reaper! I have 2 chances now to complete the game and surely notch up a winning total, but then I notice my score. Even if a do vanquish Dracula, I doubt the win will bring my tally higher than before having rushed through some parts and missing out on some additional bonuses. I never get to find out anyway, as Dracula gives me a harsh lesson in electro-telekinesis on the first try. I take my screen grab at this point but should have hung on, because I get tantalisingly close to defeating him on the second. Down to 2 bars of health each, I miss-time a head shot, get my position all wrong and get blasted down by the lightening again. Belmont – Dead as bell-bottoms! The score is again respectable but not better than before. I hope my efforts have been enough to thwart the gaming skills of TPE’s most wittiest and frank writer. Oh, and it may be worth pointing out to Al that if he had pushed diagonally up on the D-Pad whilst falling onto the stairs, he wouldn’t have died, simply landed on the steps. Tsh, Castlevania novices…
Score: 211,660
Level Reached: B-4
Death: Killed by Dracula Again, Boooo!
Alan - Attempt #3:
Dracula? Again? Hmm, Chris is obviously dosed up to the eyeballs on Red Dwarf’s luck virus! One more attempt to go then to Mr Flibble his arse and, surprisingly, I’m feeling rather confident. That second round had proved I wasn’t a completely inept mung-bean and the potential to post a decent total was indeed within my grasp. And that confidence is not misplaced. Early doors it’s easy. Only skull-face proves a nuisance taking me down to two health bars, but I plough on through the rest of stage 4 without getting hit, only to be vanquished by the stone golem boss. He’s easily defeated when Simon’s topped back up to full health though. A further life is lost on stage six against the spectral dancing couple but I reach stage eight with fully five lives intact. This time I ignore the clock and ease my way through the level. It’s a tactic that delivers. Simon avoids the carnage of instant death on display with relative ease and reaches the vanishing platforms having lost just the one further life. I then skip past these platforms like a walk in the park (in these circumstances I’m a massive fan of small victories) and follow this up by kicking Frankenstein in the nut-sack for chuckles. Stage 9 is a breeze until the bat boss, although I sneak it with just the one hit point left. Six lives left – looks like it could be my day. Alas, no luck virus. Three of them disappear climbing the first tower, all via mis-timing Simon’s jumps off those blasted cogs. And whilst the Mummy is unravelled expertly, the remaining three lives cannot content with the pure evil of the staircase. One disappears falling off a staircase only to be caught by the wheel of doom. The other two are taken via the floating platforms – headbutting spikes again. Simon you Bellend! I look at the score… bollocks…
Best of five Chris?
Score: 195,260
Level Reached: B-2
Death: Failing to duck and cover on the floating platforms
The Outcome:
The Final Word:
Alan:
Well at least that third attempt was more like it. No d*cking around, doing the right things and putting a decent score on the board. If anything it should prove enough that I’m no Castlevania novice! But I can’t help thinking about what could have been. Chris’s first round and my third go ended at pretty much the same point, but with my score 7,000 points for the better. Imagine what could have been if my first two efforts weren’t full of the lousy mistakes indicative of a gamer on mere autopilot? But I’ll rue that lack of concentration for another day and another challenge, when I finally get to tear someone a new one (Turrican anyone?). Until then I’m just going to sit over there in that corner and cry myself to sleep…
Chris:
To be frank, I’m shocked that Alan didn’t get into his stride sooner. From his declared history, I know he doesn’t take his gaming frivolously and no one can proclaim to have survived the brutality of Speedball 2 and not be playing to a high standard on this. I think his viewpoint of the game as a whole has hindered him a touch, not fully embracing Simon’s plight and therefore affecting his efforts in the early attempts. That or the fact I have been a Castlevania fan for many a year. Still, that’s not for me to worry about, as I can now claim my second pixel duel win with a cheesy grin and a belly laugh. But part of me does wish that this challenge was closer throughout. So, I’m foregoing the chance to mock my colleague that much, and accept his suggested challenge for the future. Turrican? Let’s do it! Now, I’m off to celebrate with a thrash metal version of ‘Vampire Killer’. Classy eh?
Well at least that third attempt was more like it. No d*cking around, doing the right things and putting a decent score on the board. If anything it should prove enough that I’m no Castlevania novice! But I can’t help thinking about what could have been. Chris’s first round and my third go ended at pretty much the same point, but with my score 7,000 points for the better. Imagine what could have been if my first two efforts weren’t full of the lousy mistakes indicative of a gamer on mere autopilot? But I’ll rue that lack of concentration for another day and another challenge, when I finally get to tear someone a new one (Turrican anyone?). Until then I’m just going to sit over there in that corner and cry myself to sleep…
Chris:
To be frank, I’m shocked that Alan didn’t get into his stride sooner. From his declared history, I know he doesn’t take his gaming frivolously and no one can proclaim to have survived the brutality of Speedball 2 and not be playing to a high standard on this. I think his viewpoint of the game as a whole has hindered him a touch, not fully embracing Simon’s plight and therefore affecting his efforts in the early attempts. That or the fact I have been a Castlevania fan for many a year. Still, that’s not for me to worry about, as I can now claim my second pixel duel win with a cheesy grin and a belly laugh. But part of me does wish that this challenge was closer throughout. So, I’m foregoing the chance to mock my colleague that much, and accept his suggested challenge for the future. Turrican? Let’s do it! Now, I’m off to celebrate with a thrash metal version of ‘Vampire Killer’. Classy eh?