The Guardian Legend Assorted Artworks

A collection of cool Guardian Legend images I found online.

At the request of many people, I've started playing this game. A few hours have convinced me that this is truly an epic quest. I've owned the cart for years, but never got around to playing it until now.

Looks like this one will definitely live up to Clash at Demonhead and Kabuki: Quantum Fighter, my two previous NES adventures.

The Clash at Demonhead Artwork

You can't play an RPG without a trusty notebook. These are drawings of the characters, the world map, clues, and others notes from playing The Clash at Demonhead, one of my new favorite NES games. I hope you enjoy!

Clash at Demonhead Playthrough Log

I kept a written log of a playthrough of The Clash at Demonhead for the NES.




10-31-2011
5:18 PM:

Just got the first Hermit power in Clash at Demonhead. This game is damn difficult, and sometimes the music can be grating. Also, even though Bang jumps very, very high, he can't jump very far horizontally.

Lot of depth and content here, however. I just realized you could call a shop and I haven't read the Nintendo Power guide or an FAQs yet... don't plan on it either unless I'm stuck for a day or something.

Bought a boomerang gun, but it's much worse than the blaster... I really need a jetpack, but I don't know how to buy one. The world is rather large, and it's going to take forever to explore >:D The variety of environments is nice, enemies are wacky, and some of the tunes are actually really cool.

An intimidating game, to be sure.

Somehow I've always lumped this one in with Conquest of the Crystal Palace as a "wannabe" adventure game, but I couldn't have been more wrong. (Conquest of the Crystal Palace still sucks whatever you can think of).


11/1/11
1:16 AM:

Just got back from a Halloween party, time for some more Clash at Demonhead... I went to 2 used game stores today but got nothing, tomorrow morning I'm going for the third and final store that sells NES games.

Man, this game is incredibly addicting.

I also played a little more Double Dragon II, but I'm still having problems on level 4.



11/1/11
8:11 PM:

Finally got the jetpack in Clash at Demonhead (and the Thunder Gun). However, I'm out of money so it's time to grind before I explore some more.

I really forgot where I supposed to go next, so I guess I'll just stumble around.


11/1/11
8:48 PM:

Finally found a boss in Clash at Demonhead and got my first trif-...err, medalion.

Next I found my friend Michael on a route and he told me to go down the well and get the stone... but at the bottom was a face that looked like a door. I couldn't figure out what to do, so I'm back to wondering around now.


11/1/11
11:39 PM:

Well, I took out another governer! But I keep running into this giant eyeball who kicks my ass everytime. I spent half an hour trying to beat him, very, very frustrating. So I had to look at an FAQ, I realize now that I need the sword to defeat him, so I'll leave it alone for now.

The sprite told me to talk to the Hermit, but I'm not sure what she means... the original Hermit? That doesn't make much sense...

I feel like I'm at an impasse--completely unsure of what to do, but a lot of the map is still uncovered. Which brings me to my next thing of interest:

I'm making a hand-drawn map, old-school style. It takes a little effort, but the satisfaction is completely worth it. I'll post a picture of it when I beat the game, complete with all my notes, pictures, and NPC clues.

I've also collected quite a bit of money and bought all the items, though I think I'm running low on jetpacks and supersuits now. I love how easy it is to get money in this game :D

I've also heard about a shop that can transfer the gold I've found into cash, but I haven't found it yet. An NPC told me where it was (I think), but this was before I started writing the clues down...



11/2/11
4:52 PM:

I've started exploring the entire map now, with the goal of figuring out how to get the sword (in the long run) and collection all 5 (or more) medallions.

I found another boss under the water in a stage, the easiest fight thus far.

I also ran into my old friend, Joe, who was injured and who I left for dead on the ground (lol). Joe didn't offer much new information, other than stating that Guycot beat the crap out of him; remember I've already come across a beaten-up Guycot, and it looks like "Demon" is going to be the real final boss in the game!

Finally, I found the Cash 4 Gold shop and traded in my 42 bars of gold for $4200; disapointing that I didn't get the $42,000, but you can't win all the time.

As the game progresses I find myself more inclined to liberally use the jetpack and aqualung in a search for hidden passages. So far, the jetpack has turned up nothing...

...and the quest continues...



11-2-11
6:25 PM:

I met the motorcyle-dude, Bopper, and defeated him in combat, although he didn't drop a medallion... after more exploring I found Mary, Bang's kidnapped girlfriend--she attacked me so I killed her! Luckily it was only a double and I fought the next Governer, Pandar. With the Thunder Gun he easily fell.

Then there was much exploring--I traversed the other areas of the game, and tried to climb the mountain at the North end of the map, but a monster blocked my passaged. Not discouraged, I continued the quest.

On Route #7, by the beginning of the game, I found another Gov., the "Tiny Devil," This guy was tricky, and it took 3 tries to finally defeat him. The trick, which is obvious in retrospect, was to kill his spawns first instead of focusing on him. That made 4 medallions.

I decided to climb the mountain from the other side, and discovered a mysterious ice cavern, but it was apparently empty.

The fifth was achieved by beating Bopper a second time. He had a machine gun, but the battle arena provided plenty of cover to safely take him down. I was at the entrance to the final dungeon, I think, but because I didn't have all 6 medallions I could not proceed.

At this point the entire map has been explored, and I'm still short a medallion and I still don't know where the sword is. I remember that the sprite Fayasa told me to go see the Hermit again, and since that's the only clue I've got, I guess it's time to pay my old friend another visit...




11/3/11
12:08 AM:

Just finished the game.

-Talk to hermit, told me to get the sword from route 40 robot.
-Got the sword with the magic stone!
-Fought the demon via the secret passage in route 40,
-Got the final medallion
-Entered the spaceship atop the mountain
-Fought the head Alien
-Fought another head Alien
-Raced to the bomb which was activated with the real boss's death
-Failed to disarm the bomb and had to do it all over again :D
-Disarmed the bomb via a simple game of "mastermind"
-Saved the world

Now for the best part: I've been hand-drawing maps and drawing characters from the game... I'm going to scan all the pages tomorrow and post em here (8 pages of drawings, about 15 drawings in all. I drew the game as I envisioned it, giving it a MUCH darker tone than the NES).

Kick Master NES Nintendo Power Scans

Another title I'm just now digging into, Kick Master haunts used game stores all over America. Most will probably dismiss it because of the generic title, but new player will undoubtedly discover much depth and adventure with Kick Master. From Issue 28 of Nintendo Power (1991), enjoy these awesome scans! They covered quite a few levels, and nothing compares to the Nintendo Power strategy guides.

Kick Master starts like any other platformer, but an experience system which increases your available combat moves, rocking music, and jaw=dropping boss fights separates this one from the pack.

Pixel Art: RPG Sprites 2

An 8-Bit RPG Party complete with (from right to left), a hero, cleric, monster (no equipment, but strong physical attacks), soldier, and wizard.

I tried to make them as small as possible, but I wasn't very strict about this.

Song of the Week: Phantasy Star Tower Theme

Phantasy Star has some of the best music on the Sega Master System (plus it's my favorite 8-Bit RPG!).

The Tower theme has a tension too it, and drives the player to explore. There is a subtle note of triumph in the song as well; it gives me the impression that hard times are going to follow but victory eventually awaits.

Vice: Project Doom Review and Nintendo Power Scans

Vice: Project Doom is a champion among games. It unabashedly copies the Ninja Gaiden formula, but with improvements. You play as Hart, a secret agent who has no qualms about killing people left and right. Armed with a laser sword, spy car, grenades, and a gun, you hack your way through 11 stages of men, monsters, and giant radioactive rats. Released in 1991, it managed to stand out against the SNES thanks to the Nintendo Power spread and high-quality.

Some stages play like Spy Hunter, with you driving, and an overhead perspective. Others are similar to light gun arcade games (Jurassic Park, House of the Dead). These stages keep the gameplay fresh, and, most importantly, feel 100% polished.

But the real meat is the platforming, and Vice: Project Doom doesn't disappoint. You can duck and run, and attack while ducking and running; the environment will collapse around you; enemies drop power-ups (and coins which will grant a 1UP with 100). Enemy drops are very generous, so once you start to get the hang of things taking a hit here or there doesn't completely trash your chances of beating the stage.

The challenge is fine-tuned, with a nice progression of difficulty. Overall, however, Vice is easier than Ninja Gaiden, but harder than Super Mario Bros. 3 (for whatever that's worth).

In-between stages present a cinema-driven story. As the title suggests, you are, I suppose, a narcotics officer. The Bad Guys are using some substance, "gel," to turn people into mutants and monsters. Aliens get involved, and the story degenerates into hilarity and awesomeness. The music is sometimes brilliant, sometimes not-so-brilliant, but most tracks fit the mood of the stage well.

Vice: Project Doom received significant Nintendo Power attention, including the cover spread. A creepy thought that while your character is hopping and bopping through stages, monsters lurk in the third dimension watching you. And why identify this mutant with the reader? I never even noticed the guy in the background until I really started to look at this image. It's fucking bizarre.

The Nintendo Power article covers up to stage 9, and shows off the nice boss artwork and grand scope of the game. Vice: Project Doom is an 8-Bit epic--don't miss it!