Would be cool to see this expanded to work on all dvd player software, so that I could burn ESR+FreeDVDBoot backups that just work on any unmodified PS2.
Been eyeing a boxed copy of Neo Contra for ages but I ended up settling for the PS2 version on PS3 Classics at an eighth of the price. But the games I rebought on PS3 which I owned on disc were impressively well emulated (even God Hand had no noticeable latency penalty vs my PS2) so I figured it was worth a go.
I’m digging it a lot. The nuances to the controls are another lesson as to why giving the player unparalleled freedom in movement and aiming isn’t necessarily a good idea, as the bosses, set piece and enemy placement play off your inability to shoot in all directions, all the time.
As expected, the apathetic critical reception at the time - was way off the mark, with the game’s arcade style structure predictably being criticised for making the game too short, and its approach to shooting action criticised for being old hat or shallow despite the distinct play style options the game throws at you and the need to master the game‘s fine-tuned levels in the first place.
My second run still ended in failure and I’m no stranger to this kind of game:
Wow, I was surprised by how much you learn between playthroughs. I finished the game on my third run but I just missed out on a B rank, but you still get the same ending on C rank regardless. The game taunts you with the prospect of more if you get a higher rank, which is exactly what I want.
So after another three runs I just cleared the game - with its two extra extended stages - with an A rank average! But I did also use weapon set D, which you unlock after beating the game once. The heaven laser weapon - used exclusively to lock on to aerial enemies - is ridiculously powerful here, to the point of upgrading my average rank on almost every stage from a B rank to S rank! I feel a bit like a fraud, but it is what it is…
Because of reviews at the time, I totally skipped Neo Contra despite loving Contra Shattered Soldier. I think, like you, that I need to fix this. It’s on my list!
You won’t regret it.
Speaking of reviews, I was hoping Contra Rogue Corps might be similar, but I doubt it after digging deeper. They’ve added modern progression to it, so there’s a lot of grinding and repeated content to unlock weapons and level up characters etc. Would be surprised if it offered a well balanced razor sharp arcade challenge, but maybe it’s a fun co-op shooter. Just not what I’m personally looking for though.
Contra Rogue Corps sucks, and I say this as a massive fan of Contra! It’s a slog of a grindfest with a timer too.
Thanks for confirming - I feared the progression box-ticking would be for the worst. Looking at the credits and 99% of the staff were from Toy Logic, with Nobuya Nakazato only providing the concept. Shame it didn’t get as much internal attention as Super Bomberman R.
Also, you can’t even pause in the game as the timer still goes down, lol. The weapon overheating mechanic is odd as you have to keep switching weapons in order to keep firing…it’s even worse than it sounds and it’s so out of place in a game where you constantly shoot enemies.
Sounds ripe for a cheat code fix?
Lol yeah.
I still use the same chipped PS2 slim I bought to play Katamari Damacy. In the intervening years I added a USB stick to play my collection through OPL so I don’t have to deal with my discs.
Yesterday I added a mini/travel router (GL-MT300N-V2) with USB and Samba support to play my games over Ethernet. So much faster to load! And no need to repeatedly defragment the USB drive.
Why didn’t I do this years ago? Well, better late than never.
My Sata board adapter arrived yesteday.
I haven’t had the opportunity to install it but I’m looking forward to having something a little more reliable than my SD card solution which seems to be susceptible to corrupting during network transfers.
The bonus is I’ll throw the 256gb micro sd into my Dreamcast.
Pretty sure I’m using the same thing for mine. Works fine.
That’s good to hear. I have a clone network adapter with SATA but it’s never been terribly reliable and doesn’t have a working network port so I’ve always stuck with my OEM.
I use the network to test romhacks, translations and update OPL covers etc so it’s a must for me.
Only thing that was annoying was my own ocd in needing to make custom rails to mount the drive I was using. Sure I could have just let it hang in the bay, and I even tested it that way, but it wasn’t good enough for to just just leave like that. Used old gift cards/credit cards that I cut and sanded down to the perfect size to keep whatever drive I wanted mounted there in place and stable while also leaving space for ventilation on the side.
I know what you mean - I have some rubber stands from gutted external HDDs that I’m planning to trim down to fit to achieve the same result.
Hardest part was something completely unnecessary. Making sure the back ends were just long enough that you could plug the network adapter into the back of the system when the drive was already in it and it would attach fully to the drive without also sticking out at all. Had to trash my first try for going from just a little too much to a little too little.
I have that SATA adapter board also. I plugged a 500GB laptop HDD I had lying into mine and it’s been solid. Word of advice, don’t use the provided screws.
These are only for the fat right?
I did see a sata solution for the model slim I have, but they’ve either dried up or I can’t find it again.