Tag: walkthrough

Video Games 101 with Professor Brigands

I’ll admit, I’ve sat on this one for months. After posting about U Can Beat Video Games, I started to worry that this blog might get a bit repetitive if I kept posting about video game walkthrough series, and they take a long time to construct because there’s so many links, but it’s been a while since then, and VG101 has been around for years now.

Video Games 101, a side channel of a Let’s Play channel, covers much the same ground as U Can Beat Video Games. Some of the specific games are different. VG101 is a bit more about entertainment than the specifics of beating games and the strategy involved. Professor Brigands has three “TA” characters that assist him: Scary Gary (covering bosses), Blaze (a surfer who goes over the available items in each game) and Fluff the cat puppet, the most fun of the group, who explains game trivia and history.

I’m just putting it off still further at this point. Here is the intro video to the channel, followed by the list of every walkthrough VG101 has posted to date.

NES

Nintendo

Donkey Kong(10m)
Donkey Kong Jr.(11m)
Super Mario Bros.(39m)
Super Mario 3 (Full Walkthrough)(2h58m)
Super Mario Bros 3 (with warps)(21m)

The Legend of Zelda
First Quest(1h28m)
Second Quest(2h2m)

Zelda II(2h13m)
Kirby’s Adventure(2h2m)
Metroid(1h32m)
Kid Icarus(1h27m)
Punch-Out!! NES(47m)
StarTropics(2h8m)
Tetris (Strategy Guide)(23m)
Yoshi’s Cookie (Strategy Guide)(18m)
Dr. Mario (Strategy Guide)(20m)
Yoshi(14m)
Baseball(26m)
Tennis(29m)
Golf(14m)
Pro Wrestling(34m)
Ice Hockey(14m)
Volleyball(23m)
Excitebike(12m)
Pinball(26m)
RC Pro-Am(28m)
Rad Racer(31m)

Capcom

Ghosts ‘n Goblins(39m)
Mega Man(43m)
Mega Man II(1h2m)
Mega Man III(1h4m)
Mega Man IV(1h10m)
Ducktales(30m)
Duck Tales 2(34m)
Darkwing Duck(43m)
Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers 2(44m)
Legendary Wings(38m)

Konami

Gradius(21m)
Castlevania(26m)
Castlevania II(1h3m)
Castlevania III(1h39m)
Contra(21m)
Super C(26m)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES(47m)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game( 1h4m)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III(1h3m)
Metal Gear(1h29m)
Track and Field (all World Records)(15m)
The Goonies II(43m)
Top Gun(38m)
Tiny Toon Adventures(30m)
The Adventures of Bayou Billy(42m)
Blades of Steel(25m)
Sid Meier’s Pirates! NES(1h22m)

ICOM

Shadowgate(42m)
Deja Vu(47m)
Uninvited(35m)

Tecmo

Ninja Gaiden II(52m)
Ninja Gaiden III(51m)
Rygar(43m)

Sunsoft

Batman NES(30m)
Batman: Return of the Joker(25m)
Blaster Master(1h45m)

LJN

Friday the 13th(24m)
A Nightmare on Elm Street(42m)
Jaws(22m)
T&C Suft Design (18m)

RPGs and Related

Faxanadu(1h36m)
Legacy of the Wizard (Dragon Slayer IV NES)(1h16m)
Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest NES)(1h51m)
Final Fantasy(4h)
Crystalis(2h2m)

Brawlers

Double Dragon(24m)
Double Dragon II(23m)
Double Dragon III(29m)
River City Ransom(47m)

The Guardian Legend(1h54m)
Adventures of Lolo(42m)
Adventures of Lolo 2(47m)
A Boy and His Blob(21m)
The Battle of Olympus(1h9m)
Adventure Island(1h7m)
Bubble Bobble(1h2m)
Maniac Mansion(1h1m)
Low-G-Man(41m)
Robocop(25m)
Battletoads(57m)
8 Eyes(49m)
Paperboy(18m)
Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu(37m)
Gremlins 2(25m)
Shatterhand(54m)
Beetlejuice(31m)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(56m)
Rockin’ Kats(50m)
Magician(1h19m)
Vice: Project Doom(43m)
The Three Stooges(26m)
Super Dodge Ball(21m)
King’s Quest V(1h10m)
Kick Master(39m)
Puss ‘n Boots(15m)
Home Alone 2(25m)
Burgertime (Strategy Guide)(11m)
Dr. Chaos(1h7m)
Werewolf: The Last Warrior(1h39m)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary(1h15m)
Bart vs The Space Mutants(48m)
Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout(50m)
Bad Dudes(24m)
The Flintstones(36m)
Total Recall(25m)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(1h7m)
Ghostbusters(24m)
Back to the Future(23m)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?(56m)
M.U.S.C.L.E.(15m)
Ninja Kid(19m)
The Legend of Dino Riki(24m)
Narc(25m)

GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE

Home Alone(56m)

SNES

Super Mario World
Part 1(44m)
Part 2(41m)
Part 3(45m)
Part 4(52m)
Ghoul School(34m)
Illusion of Gaia(7h4m)
Super Metroid(2h46m)

Super Mario RPG
Part 1(3h2m)
Part 2(3h2m)
Part 3(2h42m)
Part 4(2h41m)

Secret of Mana
Part 1(2h29m)
Part 2(1h59m)
Part 3(1h59m)
Part 4(1h48m)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past(3h57m)
Super Punch-Out!! SNES(34m)
Mega Man X(1h25m)
Mega Man X2(1h29m)
Final Fight(43m)
Sunset Riders(34m)

NINTENDO 64

Star Fox 64
Easy Route(47m)
Medium Route(43m)
Hard Route(51m)

Super Mario 64
Part 1(1h13m)
Part 2(59m)
Part 3(1h7m)
Part 4(51m)

Goldeneye 007(1h52m)

MISCELLANEOUS

Oregon Trail(26m)
Quest for Glory(1h4m)
Myst(1h29m)
Alley Cat(17m)

Video Games 101

We’ve linked the Youtube channel U Can Beat Video Games a number of times here previously. Their posting rate has fallen off a bit lately, likely because they’ve been tackling longer fare. It isn’t a simple matter to construct comprehensive video strategy guides and walkthroughs to lengthy JRPGs like Final Fantasy IV or Dragon Quest II.

While we wait for their next effort-intensive guide, we can watch episodes off Video Games 101, courtesy of Brigands and his other channel Let’s Play With Brigands. It’s been going for a couple of years now, and has tackled some formidable games, including The Adventures of Bayou Billy, Castlevania III and the infamous Battletoads. A particular one to check out is the bizarre Dr. Chaos (1h,7m), a game that’s half janky platforming, half haunted house exploration.

VG101 has a very different vibe from UCBVG. It doesn’t try to be nearly as comprehensive, mostly showing a typical playthough. It doesn’t provide maps or many secrets. But it does have some strategy callouts, mostly provided by their whimsical “TAs,” three side characters who wear silly costumes. The best of these is undoubtedly Fluff, a fairly realistic cat puppet, who lives in a lavish study and smokes a bubble pipe, and who provides interesting trivia about the games being played. It’s worth checking into if you have the time and inclination!

Fluff could hold down a channel all by themself!

A Walkthrough of Barbuta (UFO 50 #1)

We’re on UFO 50 kick here, there’s so many nice games in there, and of such a wide variety. And that starts right off with the first game in the set, Barbuta, a simple but mysterious platformer.

I suggest walking one tile to the right, then immediately restarting the game. You’ll see why.

Barbuta is made in an old school style, and it’s rough, although short. You get seven lives, instead of the one a really old game might give you, but there are no continues. The very first screen contains a death trap. It’s the kind that you won’t fall for more than once, but it teaches an important lesson: pay attention to the terrain. Anything that looks unusual, different from its surroundings, could be important, or deadly.

Rather than tell you of my findings, which might not be too useful since, while I’ve gotten some ways in, I haven’t finished it yet, I present a Youtube walkthrough from sylvie (32 minues). If you just need a nudge you could just watch a few minutes, until you find something that gets you unstuck. That’s my recommendation, anyway.

U Can Beat Video Games Video Directory

We’ve linked the Youtube channel of U Can Beat Video Games repeatedly in the past, most recently for their sprawling guide to Final Fantasy II(IV). Yet they keep making new videos. Just a few days ago they did a video on all of of Book I of Ys for the TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine, with one on Book II promised soon. And since they post (usually) weekly, if I did a post here every time they released a video, it’d become one-seventh of our posts!

Here is the video on Ys Book I, it’s 2 hours and 2 minutes:

And here is a directory of every game video U Can Beat Video Games has put up to date. I haven’t inlined the videos because there’s over a hundred!

NINTENDO

SUPER MARIO

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

METROID

STARTROPICS

OTHER

RPGS

FINAL FANTASY

  • Final Fantasy (NES)
    Part 1 (2h59m) – Part 2 (3h38m)
  • Final Fantasy Adventure (Gameboy)
    Part 1 (1h37m) – Part 2 (2h57m)
  • Final Fantasy IV (II in its original US release) (SNES)
    Part 1 (3h44m) – Part 2 (4h8m) – Part 3 (4h17m) – Part 4 (3h36m)

DRAGON QUEST

NIHON FALCOM

OTHER RPGs & RELATED GAMES

BEAT-EM-UPs (“belt scrollers”)

TECHNOS

OTHER

KONAMI

GRADIUS

CASTLEVANIA

CONTRA

METAL GEAR

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

OTHER

Bucky O’Hare (NES, 1h6m)
The Lone Ranger (NES, 1h57m)
The Adventures of Bayou Billy (NES, 56m)
Jackal (NES, 44m)
The Goonies II (NES, 48m)

CAPCOM

MEGA MAN (a.k.a. RockMan)

GHOSTS ‘N GOBLINS (a.k.a. Makaimura)

DISNEY

OTHER

TECMO

NINJA GAIDEN

OTHER

SUNSOFT

RARE

WIZARDS & WARRIORS

BATTLETOADS

OTHER

LJN

STAR WARS

ICOM ADVENTURES

THE SIMPSONS

Uncategorized

and…

EXTRA: Top Ten NES Missed Secrets (17m)

U Can Beat Video Games Covers Final Fantasy IV

I’ve posted about the great Youtube walkthrough channel U Can Beat Video Games several times in the past, so I try not to report on every video they do. And lately, as they’ve been tackling bigger projects that take a lot more time to finish, there haven’t been as many to post about.

But now they’ve completed their four-part series, each at three-plus hours, on one of the most iconic JRPGs from the era, Final Fantasy IV, which of course got released in Western markets as Final Fantasy II. It goes over everything in the game, every secret, every step of the story, a lot of cool tricks and strategies, and more.

I understand some people use this as background for doing other things, or as their adult replacement for Saturday morning cartoons (look them up). In any case, it makes for a lot of viewing, so block off a fair amount of time for this.

Here are the direct links and embeds:

Part 1: Beginning to Cecil’s promotion to Paladin (3h44m)

Part 2: To Dr. Lugae in the Tower of Bab-Il (4h8m)

Part 3: The Underworld and up to the Bahamut optional fight on the Moon (4h17m)

And finally:

Part 4: The remainder of the game, and the ending (3h38m)

If you think this is huge, it’s only going to get huge-r when they reach Final Fantasy VI (er, III)!

Completing Arcade Dragon’s Lair

Dragon’s Lair was the original laserdisc arcade game, and a big hit at the time. It immediately caused a large part of the ailing arcade sector to swing around to doing laserdisc games, a trend that will seem very familiar to people who have been following NFTs, overwhelming the market and ultimately further contributing to the downfall of the golden era of U.S. arcades instead of saving it. Dragon’s Lair, and its sequel Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp and spinoff Space Ace, were by many accounts among the best of the era, with excellent cel-drawn animation provided by the studio of former Disney animator Don Bluth.

Now that I have properly introduced the concept to those who might not have known, I can now introduce this video (14 minutes), put together by the Youtube channel Broken Arcade, which demonstrates how to complete Dragon’s Lair. It’s not a perfect playthrough, but it is done on one credit, and while it plays the player explains what movements he’s doing on the joystick and button, along with notes on timing and tips for getting each scene right. The directions and button presses needed to finish each scene (which are presented randomly in the game) are also listed in the description to the video.

Even if you’ve never heard of Dragon’s Lair before, it’s worth it to watch the lush animation! Here it is embedded:

U Can Beat Video Games: Super Mario Bros 3

We’re brought up U Can Beat Video Games before (here’s all of the videos they’ve done to date, and here is their home page with a merch store), but this time they’ve covered Super Mario Bros. 3 in their typically completionist style, covering every level and every secret in the entire game. Sometimes they split a long game into two or even three videos, but not this time, this one video goes through the whole game, and it’s three hours and 23 minutes long! The other reason to link them this time is it’s their 100th video!

They’ve done some other interesting games since the last time we linked them, which was when they covered A Link To The Past. Some particular games they’ve done in the meantime:

Even if you don’t have an interest in seeing these games taken apart so thoroughly, many people enjoy using their videos as background while doing other things. In a Youtube environment where video makers feel encouraged to go nuts with editing and fill their footage with distracting noises, UCBVG is a model for how to create interesting and informative videos. They are great! And they have a couple of adorable dogs who appear in every video, too!

U Can Beat Video Games: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

U Can Beat Video Games (their YouTube channel) has only been around for a bit over a year, but they’ve already covered a lot of challenging games. It serves as a complete video playthrough, often revealing all the game’s secrets, and has remarkably restrained and helpful audio commentary by YouTube standards.

UCBVG videos cover the entire game, and can be long. The most recent, the covering A Link to the Past with a second part, is nearly two hours but it uses YouTube’s timeline annotations to mark any potential trouble spots you may have. Even if you’ve mastered the games he covers, I find it relaxing to watch anyway to refresh my memory on these decades-old amusements.

To date, UCBVG has covered 70 titles across the NES, SNES, Game Boy, and Mega Drive/Genesis. Some highlights include their videos on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES (the first game on the channel), Mega Man I, II, and III, The Legend of Zelda, its second quest, and it’s sequel, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Legacy of the Wizard (a.k.a. Dragon Slayer IV), Castlevania and Simon’s Quest, Blaster Master, Punch-Out!!, Ninja Gaiden and its first sequel, Clash at Demonhead, Metal Gear, Crystalis, Wizards & Warriors and its sequel Ironsword, Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy (in two parts), Actraiser, The Guardian Legend, Kirby’s Dream Land (including Extra Mode!), the weird and unique The Magic of Scheherazade, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even the notorious Battletoads, among many other games.

They update weekly, so why not take a look!