raocow's talkhaus

(5) Popla Cocapetri / (Viddler #5)

I shouldn't have done this stage so early. There aren't any meaningful rewards to get here, and that means my efforts could have easily been put to good use somewhere else. Oh well. We're here now, so we might as well enjoy not having this block party crush us as Zero tries to navigate through this old city. The Double Jump foot chip I picked up after the last stage gets a workout in today's mission.

(6) Mino Magnus / (Viddler #6)

You ever have one of those days where everything's going your way only to have something happen at the end of it to bring you down? That's exactly what Zero experiences in this magnetizing episode. I love the gimmick as it reminds me of Saturn's stage from Mega Man V on the Game Boy. I don't love the boss battle because his size and speed make for one heck of a final hurdle to overcome.

(7) Attack on Area Zero Camp - Craft / (Viddler #7)

Now that four of the Einherjar are out of commission, the Area Zero Camp suddenly finds itself under attack from Weil's forces. This mission is a brutal struggle at both the start thanks to enemy placement and the end because of the reflexes you need on the boss battle. It's also the first stage in which we have an actual mission to undertake as Zero gets to play firefighter.

I touch on this in the description box and less so in the video, but I have never liked games that have such easy to miss items. This game's not as bad as others in the series, but when I found out that this was the only stage to have a certain enemy part in it, I wasn't exactly a happy camper.

(8) The Prison / (Viddler #8)

The second intro stage saw us fight a robot similar to an X2 boss. This second intermission stage should remind you of one that you fight very early on in X3. After a very long plot break, the mission continues. Screwing things up here would mean having to "replay" said break, so I'm glad that only happened to me once before getting this run done right.

(9) Fenri Lunaedge / (Viddler #9)

This is one of the two stages that I would have replaced with Cocapetri's position had I have known what I do now about the place. This is a very simple stage with a somewhat tricky boss. Guess which part has the slippery floor going for it? Hint: It ain't the level I just breeze right through. Still wish I would have gone back for a couple of parts because they were that important, but that's my fault and not the game's.

(10) Pegasolta Eclair / (Viddler #10)

Wind. It is an element. It's not one that we can earn, but it is one that can work against us. Thankfully, with all the trouble here, I won't have to worry so much about it trying to mess up my jumps! No, this place is packed with small platforms and enemies stationed right on or above them. It's easily the hardest of the Einherjar stages, that's for sure. As for my run on this stage? I'll go with an old expression here. When it rains, it pours.

(11) Sol Titanion / (Viddler #11)

It's a race to beat the heat in today's episode, and there aren't that many places to beat it in. I kind of like this level. The enemies aren't going to jump out at you, but you know they're going to be stationed right near where you need to go. If you know me by now, I love fun and fast-paced levels in platformers, and this one fits the bill nicely. I also find out that I could have saved myself some trouble by using my Elf's newest hacking (blue) ability. Can I get a do-over? No? Dang.

(12) Tech Kraken / (Viddler #12)

Because of how we upgraded at the end of the last video, Kraken's stage winds up being both last and least. Seriously, having that max Quick Charge chip will be making my life a whole lot easier from here on out. It also helps that ice elemental bots usually give me little trouble when I fight them in this series, probably because both fire elemental EX Skills are so useful. Then again, maybe it's the fact that there aren't any instant kill traps anywhere in this one... Maybe.

(13) Ragnarok Control Center - Craft (2nd) / (Viddler #13)

Craft's gone haywire, and it's up to us to settle the score for good in this stage! This stage is also a short one, but it has plenty more parts to it where you can mess, especially near the end. Even when you get to him, Craft can rack up the damage on Zero pretty quick if you can't react quickly. I had that problem plenty of times, but at least the music's good enough to keep on trying.

Next will be the collection video. I get a start to it here, but there's still plenty more to come. And yes, that Elf will finally do more than what little I've let it do to this point. Promise.

(14) Item Collectathon Videopalooza / (Viddler #14)

So it's that time again when I go back and get some things I missed out on. This one mostly covers the best spot for E-Crystal farming, leveling up our Elf to its fullest, and a couple of recipes that will ensure our success for the rest of the game... although they should have been made sooner.

(15) Teleporter Base - Randam Bandam / (Viddler #15)

This is the longest stage in the game to date, and it's because of that where things can get complicated. You have to go through and back from four elementally-themed rooms to pull some switches. Some rooms are more difficult than others, that's for sure, but I find that the most frustrating part of this level is at the very end against the boss. He loves to stall for time, and I had a couple of runs end just seconds past the six-minute mark thanks to him. You'll see why.

(16) Teleporter Circuit - Cyball / (Viddler #16)

This is the second to last stage in Mega Man Zero 4. Does it seem like it? We are far enough in the video count for it to be, but the whole endgame downtime will catch some people off guard. The only thing this stage isn't easy on are the eyes, but it's still a simple go for this point in the game. After making one last set of rounds at camp, it's time to head out for the final stage in the series. See you all there.

(17) Final Stage - Ragnarok & Ending / (Viddler #17)

Ragnarok is descending down on Area Zero, and it's up to Zero himself to make sure that potential disaster doesn't happen. He'll have to fight his way through the Einherjar once more and stop the core of this chaos if he's to have a chance. I'm going to say it right now. This is one of my favorite final levels in any Mega Man title, mainly for the whole farewell feel the level and ending have to it. This is what Mega Man X5 couldn't do right, and it's why I think it's awesome.

While it's been a little quieter in here than I'm used to, I hope that those of you that did watch this enjoyed this whole run because that's the reason I do these games for you all. Still, I want to take a decent break from things now that I've finally put this one to rest. Thanks for giving these a go!

Castlevania - First Attempt
Castlevania - First 'Successful' Run

I saw that one idea on SA about playing games you never had before for the first time, and I wanted to do something for it. The thread quickly faded, but the idea's a decent one. That said, these videos are just bare bones runs of the first Castlevania title. No subtitles and no commentary... Just gameplay.

I might edit the successful run video in the future for YT with commentary, but for now, I'm fine with the result. See if you can tell where that second video goes from competent to clueless. Somehow, I think you'll figure it out.

Castlevania - Single Segment Run / (Viddler Version)

It's time to wrap this one up with my final run of the game. This one features commentary for the Youtube version and remains silent on Viddler. Unlike the other two videos I posted last time, this final go of things is meant to be a pseudo-skilled run. I think the actual gameplay turned out fine, but I'm more interested to find out what you all think about this one since it's different from how I usually do these things.

(1) Intro & Palmtree Panic / (Viddler #1)

Sonic's back for another run, but he's looking a bit different than he did in my other two series on him. That's because this goes back to the classic era in a game that's garnered a cult following over the years. I happen to think Sonic CD's a pretty good game and an example of how to change up the formula without causing too much of a problem. It helps when the game introduces one of the Sonic franchise's most famous antagonists not named Eggman... or Robotnik.

For most first-time players, you probably won't be running into Metal Sonic for the first time until next video, but even in Palmtree Panic, he's up to no good. Good thing we're up to plenty of good, but will it be enough to save the day? Let's hope so.

(2) Collision Chaos / (Viddler #2)

If you hadn't bothered to locate the projectors in Palmtree Panic, Collision Chaos would mark the first time that you see Sonic and Metal Sonic meet face-to-face. It's a very brief encounter, but the stakes are raised as that other hedgehog's gone done got herself kidnapped. As for the area itself, "chaos" is in the name for a reason here. Hope you're good at pinball.

(3) Tidal Tempest / (Viddler #3)

Take the annoying maze-like portions of Labyrinth Zone out, and you're left with a rather enjoyable water level in Tidal Tempest. Don't tell me that, though, because my brain goes on vacation a few times in this one as I make this easy and somewhat linear level anything but. Competence was on strike in this episode, but we reached an agreement for it to co-star in future videos.

(4) Quartz Quadrant

It's probably the level from the game that people remember the least about, but that's just because it's one of the fastest, especially when you aren't going after the last Time Stone until later on. It's a cave/mine level that is very easy to maneuver around in, and I'm all the more grateful for that after last time. Guess it helps to actual study the layout, huh?

No more back versions from me since the site I put them on is apparently axing any free accounts on their servers.

(5) Wacky Workbench

Is the floor friend or foe? It sounds ridiculous, but that's because it kind of is. Anytime you touch that checkered ground, you'll be sent sky high... whether you like it or not. Depending on what you're trying to accomplish, this can be a major help or a total time-wasting hindrance. Even getting to the generators can be a pain when you see just what it is you have to do to get to them.

In conclusion, never trust any place that calls itself "wacky".

(6) Stardust Speedway

Welcome to the main reason I wanted to do this playthrough. If you take this level wrong, and a lot of people do, you'll be spending a good deal of time lost up in this silly speedway. That won't be happening in this run which culminates with a race to the finish against Sonic's metal counterpart at long last. Who's the fastest thing alive? I'll go with the hedgehog that the series is named after.

(7) Metallic Madness & Ending

It's about time I get to finishing this one up after an unexpected break. Metallic Madness is one crazy level filled to the brim with all sorts of gimmicks that you really shouldn't think about why they were in put in here unless you want to give yourself a headache, that is. Really, all three zones have their own way of trying to trip you up, and all three were successful in stopping me for a good long while.

Once again, my bad on the delay. It was just bad timing on my part, pun totally intended. It's been kind of quiet in here lately, but props to the people that watched it. Hope you enjoyed it, too.

Great playthrough! I really enjoyed your commentary and gameplay: very informative and interesting, especially if you haven't played the game before.

Paperkoopa wrote:Great playthrough! I really enjoyed your commentary and gameplay: very informative and interesting, especially if you haven't played the game before.

No, I had played it quite a few times before over the years, but the first time I beat it was earlier this year with the HD remake. Finally decided to sit down and play through the game properly, and that's when I wanted to record this run, so I did!

Bean wrote:

Paperkoopa wrote:Great playthrough! I really enjoyed your commentary and gameplay: very informative and interesting, especially if you haven't played the game before.

No, I had played it quite a few times before over the years, but the first time I beat it was earlier this year with the HD remake. Finally decided to sit down and play through the game properly, and that's when I wanted to record this run, so I did!

No you got that wrong, I was actually talking about myself, I have no idea how this is really supposed to be written...
It's quite obvious that you've been practising alot before this playthrough as the game seems rather difficult when it's about finding the generators and stuff like that, so good job!