Dallas_Five
Terry Bogard's Taylor
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2004
- Posts
- 1,691
With all the change recently, it’d be nice to get back to teh ROOTS. There is a good faq out there for Magician Lord, but I love this game and recently got it on AES. Thought I’d post some thoughts…
The difficulty seems to be what most people talk about. It IS tough- I’ve read that MVS is actually easier, but still, the game is definitely designed to take your quarters- but like many shooters/platformers, the game is all about patterns. I know some peeps hate these types of games, but I actually find it satisfying to figure out a strategy and successfully pull it off. If you don’t have unlimited continues or the debug chip, though, I could see a hate developing for Magician Lord. But after the recent platformers I’ve played the hell out of (Aria of Sorrow, Zero Mission), the difficulty level is a refreshing challenge. There truly is a sense of accomplishment to clearing a stage…
The controls are really nice for an older game. Elta responds quickly to the joystick, the jump button is pressure sensitive so you can adjust to specific situations, and you can control your character mid jump. The jump is SLOOOOW, though; you feel like you’re floating through the air (damn cloak!). It took me a minute to adjust to shooting while in the air cuz I kept pressing the button early. However, each form Elta takes controls differently and this changes the gameplay and factors into strategy. For example, Dragon Warrior=flame weapon that can shoot diagonally=more effective for killing those annoying-as-fuck birds and flying head things. There is a chart in the manual that breaks down each form’s strength, so take advantage of knowing what works in what situation. While picking up spheres is usually a good idea cuz they heal you, it may be more advantageous to keep a certain form if you are near full strength.
Some tips: Once you figure out when to move, when to stop and shoot, when to hop back, etc., it becomes a matter of execution. I find that I easily slip into a rhythm of stops and starts after playing a section for a while: Go, go, stop and shoot enemy, wait for enemy bullet to leave screen, go…you get the idea. It’s important not to go too slow, cuz some enemies respawn, but if you try to bust through a level SMB style you won’t get too far (until you actually know the level, that is). Also, there is more than one way to do things in this game. If you find yourself dying at the same spot all the time, try another way of navigating the section, changing your pattern of jumping and shooting, or picking a different path.
I can only get to level 3 on one credit right now. Anyone else have thoughts/tips?
The difficulty seems to be what most people talk about. It IS tough- I’ve read that MVS is actually easier, but still, the game is definitely designed to take your quarters- but like many shooters/platformers, the game is all about patterns. I know some peeps hate these types of games, but I actually find it satisfying to figure out a strategy and successfully pull it off. If you don’t have unlimited continues or the debug chip, though, I could see a hate developing for Magician Lord. But after the recent platformers I’ve played the hell out of (Aria of Sorrow, Zero Mission), the difficulty level is a refreshing challenge. There truly is a sense of accomplishment to clearing a stage…
The controls are really nice for an older game. Elta responds quickly to the joystick, the jump button is pressure sensitive so you can adjust to specific situations, and you can control your character mid jump. The jump is SLOOOOW, though; you feel like you’re floating through the air (damn cloak!). It took me a minute to adjust to shooting while in the air cuz I kept pressing the button early. However, each form Elta takes controls differently and this changes the gameplay and factors into strategy. For example, Dragon Warrior=flame weapon that can shoot diagonally=more effective for killing those annoying-as-fuck birds and flying head things. There is a chart in the manual that breaks down each form’s strength, so take advantage of knowing what works in what situation. While picking up spheres is usually a good idea cuz they heal you, it may be more advantageous to keep a certain form if you are near full strength.
Some tips: Once you figure out when to move, when to stop and shoot, when to hop back, etc., it becomes a matter of execution. I find that I easily slip into a rhythm of stops and starts after playing a section for a while: Go, go, stop and shoot enemy, wait for enemy bullet to leave screen, go…you get the idea. It’s important not to go too slow, cuz some enemies respawn, but if you try to bust through a level SMB style you won’t get too far (until you actually know the level, that is). Also, there is more than one way to do things in this game. If you find yourself dying at the same spot all the time, try another way of navigating the section, changing your pattern of jumping and shooting, or picking a different path.
I can only get to level 3 on one credit right now. Anyone else have thoughts/tips?
