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[BarrenMind]

I just suck so bad at it that it is frustrating. Really not the type of game I'm usually playing.

Now, I have two MP and a spell equipped, but I still can't use it? Que?

Which spell? Also I'm not sure if you're in a sidescrolling or town section.

If the former, if I remember correctly all spells cost only one "MP", which is one of the flag icons in the upper right.

If the latter, you may have to wait for more of the town to be built before you have enough MP to use the spell. The spell menu should reveal how much MP you need.

 

[Tabris]

I forget the name of the spell, it's like this one where it rains down fire. Once you get that and have enough Max "MP" (the charges), the game becomes insanely easy as you're just able to cheeze the bosses by constantly doing that spell and it will be dead/low HP at the end.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I have little flags, I have magic equipped, but no buttons make magic happen.

 

[ephemeral garbage]

Oh man. This is the only game I picked up on VC that I played all the way through. Such an excellent game. Have a good time, RevenantKioku.

You're using X to cast, and you equipped it at the angel in the Sky Palace before going into the level? I think that's all you gotta do.

 

[pancakesandsex]

I have little flags, I have magic equipped, but no buttons make magic happen.

That's weird, it should be "A"

 

[RevenantKioku]

I have a star showing in my area next to my score. I have six little flags. I press X, nothing happens.

I press A, nothing happens.

 

[-MB-]

So, I have been getting shit from people because I have never played this game. Bought it on the cheap a while back and since my DS is charging right now and I am in a retro mood from having played Chrono Trigger all day, I figured I'd boot this up.

Anything I should know about this game before I get too gritty?

Kind of excited as it is a Quintet game. Soul Blader was good fun and Illusion of Gaia is an amazing game. Terranigma was pretty shit, but since this game was made way before then, I'd wager it has a good chance of not being tainted.

Cart works, so that's exciting. Wish me luck?

Terranigma pretty shit??
That is sacrilege.

 

[RevenantKioku]

It's Up and Y.
Checking a FAQ, they list costs for the Sim mode XP to be a lot more than I have to pay. Guess it's differences between Japanese and US version.

 

[ephemeral garbage]

I have a star showing in my area next to my score. I have six little flags. I press X, nothing happens.

I press A, nothing happens.

Damn, I'm trying to remember... Up and X? Up and A?

It's like playing the game myself over the internet!

edit: glad you figured that out. I'm not sure why they went for a chord when they had two other face buttons available.

 

[boutrosinit]

It's a fucking great game. And the music OMG.

I loved how you'd have the intense hack n slash and then the contrast of the really mellow and serene RTS stuff inbetween. I heard Hexen was a 3D rip-off of Actraiser, but I never got hold of the game. Can anyone confirm / deny?

I believe there's a symphonic rearrangement you can download for free too. Very impressive stuff.

 

[Leatherface]

Actraiser is one of my favorite games of all time. I especially love the sim/roleplaying elements mixed in to break up the arcade action levels. Also, like many have already said, the soundtrack is godly. As a matter of fact "Filmore" is my ringtone right now. :lol


One a side note- I really would love a remake of this or something very similar.

 

[pancakesandsex]

It's Up and Y.
Checking a FAQ, they list costs for the Sim mode XP to be a lot more than I have to pay. Guess it's differences between Japanese and US version.

Huh, i guess it's different in the jp version.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Not really getting the love for the music, actually. It's okay but enh.

 

[BarrenMind]

As a matter of fact "Filmore" is my ringtone right now. :lol

The ringtone for my wife calling is "Birth of the People", the angel/town/sim theme.

It's Up and Y.

*smacks head*

I should have remembered that.

 

[ephemeral garbage]

It's a fucking great game. And the music OMG.

I loved how you'd have the intense hack n slash and then the contrast of the really mellow and serene RTS stuff inbetween. I heard Hexen was a 3D rip-off of Actraiser, but I never got hold of the game. Can anyone confirm / deny?

I believe there's a symphonic rearrangement you can download for free too. Very impressive stuff.

Big Z posted a link to it on the first page. He is now my hero.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Just chiming in here:

Actraiser 2 does not suck. It just lacks the god mode of the original, which was the best part of the first.

The Platforming in 2 is much better than 1 (which wasn't very good, to be honest), but much, much more difficult.

 

[Mejilan]

The best parts of the first and second games, IMHO, are the Yuzo Koshiro soundtracks. Beyond that, there's little enough there relevant in this day and age. Nice for a nostalgia trip, but not altogether memorable, IMHO.

I didn't like how AR2 stripped out the sim elements from AR1, even if they were simple and easy. It helped give the game its identity, particularly given that the action scenes weren't really anything special.

Edit - Actraiser Symphonic Suite = gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

 

[totowhoa]

Oh man I replayed this about six months ago. So much fun! If you're having trouble with the bosses now, then oh man... wait until the end. The last boss fight is tough shit!

Kind of spoilery in regard to what the last boss fight is like:

Spoiler

you have to fight all the game's bosses one after another megaman style, then fight the final boss who has two or three different forms, with the final one or two being especially rough due to your already low hp/lives.

This game is so much fun, even today. I like that it is short, since that makes for a good and quick retro fix. The platforming is challening at times, but it gets better as your HP and lives increase. Trying to find all the spells is also helpful... definitely try to get the population up by destroying all the early level homes after you've beaten the area boss, since that allows for higher level homes and greater population levels... which means higher stats for that final boss.

Edit: oh yeah, and I agree--this game is definitely more fun when you're putting some cheap whiskey into your tummy as well. I think I was actually sipping on some good ol' Elijah Craig when I played it last.

 

[MadFuzzy]

Not really getting the love for the music, actually. It's okay but enh.

The most amazing thing about the music was that it was in a game that was released only a MONTH after the Super Famicom came out (in 1990) and it took a good few years before anyone else came up with anything that sounded as good.

Yuzo Koshiro was massively on top of his game at the time and it showed.

 

[polyh3dron]

The first time I had played an SNES was when I rented the console with SMW, this game and Final Fight and Actraiser was the one game that really blew me away mostly because of its music. That thing that happens when you go into side scrolling mode where the screen is rotating and zooming in on the world was so awesome I would just turn the game off and on a few times to see it and hear the awesome musical accompaniment to it.

 

[Jinfash]

Prepare to be amazed at what the proficiencies of Yuzo Koshiro and Ken Kutaragi can produce.

:|

Kutagari? WHERE ?!

In honor of Actraiser, I present this badassness.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G :O

 

[Jazzem]

Excellent game, I played it through for the first time on Virtual Console, might pick up an actual SNES copy for the collection one day as well. It's by no means perfect, both the sim and action parts could be tweaked and tightened a little more, but it all comes together really well and if nothing else it's a very memorable experience.

The end game boss(es?) though, oh man

 

[totowhoa]

Excellent game, I played it through for the first time on Virtual Console, might pick up an actual SNES copy for the collection one day as well. It's by no means perfect, both the sim and action parts could be tweaked and tightened a little more, but it all comes together really well and if nothing else it's a very memorable experience.

The end game boss(es?) though, oh man

Haha yeah, that's a good memory... I can't even remember how many game overs it took before I finally saw the credits for the first time it was so worth it though.

 

[Ether_Snake]

im going to download the wii version later today. i have the snes cart but component cables for the win.

Here's the soundtrack.

http://rapidshare.com/files/178770731/Actraiser.Symphonic.Suite.rar

One of the best game album ever.

 

[The Hermit]

Beated 2 bosses and now its in the void of my VC backlog with Paper Mario, Secret of Mana, Vectorman...

 

[cartman414]

The sidescrolling controls in Actraiser were pretty stiff. Though at least you didn't move like molasses as in the sequel.

 

[A Black Falcon]

:lol :lol :lol

if you think the platforming in actraiser 1 is hell, for the love of God stay away from Actraiser 2.

That game may very well be one of the most ballbustingly hard games of it's generation.

Remember, though, that he's playing the Japanese version of the first one. The Japanese version is a lot harder than the US one -- essentially, the main game is as hard as the Professional (Hard) Mode game of the US version, except with the sim stages too of course unlike the Professional Mode you unlock in the US version after beating it.

That is, the main game in the US version has a quite a bit easier difficulty level than the only difficulty level available in the original Japanese game. Professional Mode in the US version is as hard as the Japanese game, but removes the sim stages, sadly. But honestly, the action stages are challenging even in their easier US incarnations... the sim stages are really easy, but the action stages are tough. The Japanese version, having action stages the same difficulty as Professional Mode... that would be quite tough.

I don't know, but I'd bet ActRaiser 2 is the same in both regions. That would explain part of the discrepancy, at least.

 

[Tobor]

:|

Kutagari? WHERE ?!



A-M-A-Z-I-N-G :O

The sound chip.

God, I love Actraiser. I would sacrifice the villagers of a real town to get to play a new Actraiser on the DS.

 

[Jokeropia]

I believe I beat this game for the first time about a year ago on the VC. I'm not sure, but I think I never got through

Spoiler

the boss rush at the end

when I was young.

 

[pancakesandsex]

Remember, though, that he's playing the Japanese version of the first one. The Japanese version is a lot harder than the US one -- essentially, the main game is as hard as the Professional (Hard) Mode game of the US version, except with the sim stages too of course unlike the Professional Mode you unlock in the US version after beating it.

That is, the main game in the US version has a quite a bit easier difficulty level than the only difficulty level available in the original Japanese game. Professional Mode in the US version is as hard as the Japanese game, but removes the sim stages, sadly. But honestly, the action stages are challenging even in their easier US incarnations... the sim stages are really easy, but the action stages are tough. The Japanese version, having action stages the same difficulty as Professional Mode... that would be quite tough.

I don't know, but I'd bet ActRaiser 2 is the same in both regions. That would explain part of the discrepancy, at least.

In what way is it easier? damage taken vs damage dealt?

 

[RavenFox]

I cannot see how anyone has a hard time with Actraiser. I breezed through it.

 

[Mutagenic]

One of the best game album ever.

I'm really digging this soundtrack. Is his Streets of Rage music as good?

 

[-WindYoshi-]

Get ready for the time of your life.

YES.
Though it is a bit archaic in ways, you will shortly find the flow of gameplay and it will be bliss from there.

 

[RavenFox]

I'm really digging this soundtrack. Is his Streets of Rage music as good?

Yes. Especially 2

 

[RevenantKioku]

The most amazing thing about the music was that it was in a game that was released only a MONTH after the Super Famicom came out (in 1990) and it took a good few years before anyone else came up with anything that sounded as good.

Yuzo Koshiro was massively on top of his game at the time and it showed.

Oh, I know it was an early Super Famicom game. Still, it's not bad or anything but I'm not getting horny for it.

 

[djtiesto]

I'm really digging this soundtrack. Is his Streets of Rage music as good?

Hell yeah, at least 1 and 2. But they are more influenced by early 90's house and techno, rather than orchestral, which may not be your thing (it's surely mine...). Just whatever you do stay away from SOR3's soundtrack, I don't know wtf he was thinking with that one.

 

[camineet]

Always wanted an ActRaiser III with a return of the simulation mode.

 

[big_z]

so i bought this on the VC since i cant find all my snes stuff. it's been a while since i played some wii but my god the system has shit video quality even with component cables. i hate how some colors like light blur and red have after images to the right... oh well.

i think i might pick up a classic controller tonight. buttons are mapped weird on the cube controller.

 

[A Black Falcon]

In what way is it easier? damage taken vs damage dealt?

First...

Japanese: one difficulty, the same as the challenge level of the hardest difficulty levels of the US and European versions. No other options.

US: two difficulties: Normal, the main game, and Professional, a mode with action missions only, no simulation, with the challenge of the Japanese version. Unlock Professional mode by beating the game in normal.

Europe: three difficulties, Beginner (a new option), Standard, and Professional, all available from the start and full games, unlike the US Professional mode.

As for what's different between the difficulties, there are two main things I immediately notice -- you take less damage per hit (one block instead of two from standard enemies in the first level), and enemies take fewer hits to kill -- one hit instead of two for many enemy types, for instance. It makes the game a lot easier... but as I said, even so it's still tough. I haven't played the European version so I don't know what they did in Beginner.

The US version also had some censorship of course, like pretending that the Master wasn't a god, etc, thanks to Nintendo's censorship policies at the time.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I remember getting stuck once in this game in the snow region, where I think I managed to drop the wool thingy you had to give to the people or something.

 

[Night_Trekker]

The best parts of the first and second games, IMHO, are the Yuzo Koshiro soundtracks. Beyond that, there's little enough there relevant in this day and age.

I completely disagree.

Just chiming in here:

Actraiser 2 does not suck. It just lacks the god mode of the original, which was the best part of the first.

The Platforming in 2 is much better than 1 (which wasn't very good, to be honest), but much, much more difficult.

That's why I don't like it. It's just way, way too hard, and you don't have those enjoyable sim segments to break it up. In the original, you had the platforming levels to look forward to during the sim levels, and the sim levels to look forward to while platforming. ActRaiser 2 is just a long, infuriating platformer.

 

[mosaic]

My one regret is never having had a girlfriend who wanted me to call her Arctic Wyvern during coitus.

 

[polyh3dron]

Always wanted an ActRaiser III with a return of the simulation mode.

This. Do it, Squeenix! And bring back Koshiro!

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

I'll never understand game designers who think simply making stuff hit harder or take more damage constitutes harder difficulty.

In our relentless pursuit of excellence aren't we already going to attempt to play through games taking as little to no damage as possible? So why not figure out better ways to make the game more challenging like more difficult enemy placement, new attacks/patterns, and so on?

I'll never grasp why game designers continue to fall back on the cheapest and laziest elements to challenge players.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Getting really tired of these platforming segments. This damn plant boss is annoying mostly because I can't get to it with near full health and my magic doesn't even touch it while I get tentacle gang banged.
I should have known better when the most positive thing I heard about a game is it's music. Never a good sign, haha.

 

[pancakesandsex]

Getting really tired of these platforming segments. This damn plant boss is annoying mostly because I can't get to it with near full health and my magic doesn't even touch it while I get tentacle gang banged.
I should have known better when the most positive thing I heard about a game is it's music. Never a good sign, haha.

Best thing you can do in the game, especially for bosses, is not rush. If you get impatient and try to get that extra "maybe" hit in you won't, you'll die, and then you will hate the game.

 

[polyh3dron]

I should have known better when the most positive thing I heard about a game is it's music. Never a good sign, haha.

This is only because it's the best video game soundtrack ever. Doesn't mean it's a crappy game by any means.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

You should have a particular spell that ruins bosses shit quite easily(one summons meteors from the sky, another creates a whirlwind of light around you..both do obscene amounts of damage and can be spammed). It also helps to destroy any and everything in the sim sections. A lot of helpful items like extra lives and extra spell scrolls can be found by going over every nook & cranny(plus some areas have other problems even after killing the second boss). You can use the earthquake spell to wipe out houses that haven't reached the final evolution(there are three models IIRC) to scrounge up a few more citizens and thus maybe snag another levelup.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Best thing you can do in the game, especially for bosses, is not rush. If you get impatient and try to get that extra "maybe" hit in you won't, you'll die, and then you will hate the game.

Yeah but still, the fact that the magic just coasts right over the boss is kind of annoying.
The stiffness of the controls just began to piss me off.
The thing is with this time limit I know I'm doing something wrong, but there really is no foreseeable solution. The fucking tentacle comes over quickly so each time I get one MAYBE two hits in. Magic is lucky if it gets in one point of damage. Granted, I've been out of magic 5 lives ago so, now I'm just slowly pecking at it.

 

[abstract alien]

I remember renting this game and being completely lost when the over world section came up :lol

Like the first time i rented dragon warrior, i had no idea what a turnbased rpg was. You should have seen the brawl i got into with my controller.