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Battletoads2 Stars So much potential, but the difficulty really prevents most players from getting very far
Ah yes, "Battletoads". In gaming culture, this game is home to one of THOSE levels. You know, the kind that appeared impossible when you first played it, and then . . . after a broken controller and lots and lots of swear words and three hours later STILL appears impossible.
Then you YouTube the level, and like watching someone play Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Instrumental "Eruption", you see someone pass the level with (oh God) apparent ease! These players must be cheating!
There are lots of levels like this in the NES catalogue. "Adventure Island" 8-3. "Ninja Gaiden" 6-2 and then the end bosses. "The Legend of Zelda" Dungeon Six. The Dam level on "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". (At least with TMNT at least the title of the level makes you feel like you're swearing which is probably pretty cool when you're twelve). Pretty much the ENTIRETY of the nightmare that is "Ghost and Goblins". Also "Silver Surfer".
Of course the level I am referring too is the speed bike level, which is the third one early on in the game.
"Battletoads" is one of those games that Tradewest, the developer, had crafted in hopes of turning into a TMNT type franchise. Colorful characters, over the top villians (in this case a Darak Queen), and anthromorphic toads. For early 1990s the concept fit right into popular culture.
There's only one problem. The game is hard. As hell.
Yes, you want challenges. But honestly, so many people stop at level 3 because they can't get past the friggin' stage. And this was a game marketed for kids. By the time you give up you're so beat and humiliated you don't want to see another battle toad as long as you live. It's kind of hard to feel connected to a franchise when you can't even get past the third level.
What is so unfortunate is that beyond Level Three there are some intrinsically intriguing, well designed game play (the Surf level, the Elevator Shaft, the Dark Queen's Tower). Unfortunately most people never saw that game play. Then there is the Snake level, which is almost as insane as the speeder bike level. Of course, there is a SECOND speeder bike level, and this time the stones you crash into are MOBILE!
An earlier reviewer said that "Battletoads" isn't a game, it's a sequence of memorized button sequences. While that could be argued for a lot of games, it gets to the heart of the main problem with "Battletoads". For a game primarily marketed for kids, the game is simply too difficult for its main audience, and for most other players as well. Of course, TMNT had similiar difficulty issues, but that was already established.
Another rather famous attribute to this game is the co-op game play. Although Nintendo has said in recent "Iwata Asks" interviews that they have been trying to get co-op gameplay in "Super Mario" titles since 1988 with "Super Mario Bros. 3", other developers were able to get co-op play without issue (this game, "Contra"). However, given how frustratingly difficult this game is, there is a gamebreaking bug which if you get to the Dark Queen's Tower with two players (which is highly improbable to begin with you think the Speeder Bike level is hard with ONE player? Try TWO!), apparently there is a game breaking bug that completely freezes the game. That would be so rage inducing I'd probably just throw the NES out the window.
Tradewest who owned both franschises did a cross over title, having the "Battletoads" team up with "Double Dragon", another legendary video game franchise with the 1993 title "Battletoads & Double Dragon". Although Tradewest owned the "Double Dragon" franchise back in the early 1990s they have since sold the tile.. Although a genuine cross over, the focus is largely on the "Battletoads" franchise. There are also some inconsistencies between the "Double Dragon" canon proper and this title. The game is also very difficult, just like the original "Battletoads", though thankfully there are no God-awful speeder stages or snake stages this time around.
Overall, decent game that is marred by its most famous attribute: its difficulty. And the fact the difficult stages come so early on, it prevents most players from really seeing what the rest of the game has too offer.
The video game website IGN rated this title as the 76th greatest game on their top 100 NES games of all time.
(For those looking for great unknown NES/Famicom games, you simply MUST play "Moon Crystal", a criminally unknown Famicom exclusive. The graphics are astounding with cutscenes that even outdo "Ninja Gaiden", amazing music, in depth gameplay, and a fantastic storyline. Absolutely amazing! Had this been released in the US for the NES, I feel it would be as revered as the other heavy hitters in the NES canon)
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I was one of the many lost youngsters that couldn't get past level 3 of Battletoads. So many years on, in today's day and age, with my sleek grey hair and walking stick at my side, when I have the time, and the arthritis in my thumbs is bearable, I still play this game. Why?Without exaggeration, it is one of the greatest games ever made in my experience. Displaying some awesome graphics for it's time, stomping soundtracks, an incredible blend of fighting and platform adventure, and through such a vast variety of levels, it presents a great challenge to even the most experienced game player.
The toughness of this game should not deter any prospective player, no matter your experience. It was published by Tradewest (who you might recognise from the Double Dragon series), and developed by RARE, who got the vital ingredient of this game down to perfection. That vital ingredient being: Playability. Although the game is difficult, especially for newcomers, it is still extremely playable, which gives it an almost everlasting appeal.
It is true, that you simply cannot play parts of this game without trial and error, meaning that you ARE going to die, many times!! But in doing so, you begin to LEARN (however long this takes), until you are able to skillfully overcome the many obstacles and master each level. From the beginning to the final stages, this game has been set up with many intricate, and ingeniously designed tricky situations to work your way through. Such situations can be frustrating at times, on a bad day, you might just give up, but they make it all the more satisfying when you are able to overcome them, in your battles to arrive at the next stage.
After all these years, I still haven't managed to complete this game as of yet, although I can get through to the final stage, and without cheating mind you. After getting this far, it makes me reflect upon how enjoyable it has been to play Battletoads.
More importantly, I must share my realisation that those who give up on this game in the early stages, are actually missing out on experiencing just how much of a well thought out game this really is. Battletoads was quite possibly ahead of it's time in some aspects, and there is few (if any?) games like it. So, whether you are looking for a new challenge, or if you were once a kid who struggled to get past level 3, it might be worth picking this game up again and being persistent with it.
As a bonus, if you have been playing games since before the times of Battletoads, playing it again now, you may be struck with the brilliance of nostalgia throughout different parts of the game and it's level design, as it incorporated some themes and gameplay from games not too long before it's time (eg C64) and somehow mashed it all together, with a pleasing result. If you get to see it the way I do, this game is a pure stroke of genius, that has much more to it than punching, kicking and head-butting...
A handy hint, there is a specific place where you can build up a large amount of extra lives early in the game. Although on screen you only see enough space for 5 lives, you are able to gain well beyond this, as your extra lives will continue past the 5 count.
In the second level of the game, you have the opportunity to kick, or hit ravens with the sword (if you have it). The ravens can be hit off the side walls like a game of hand ball, and with each consecutive hit your points increase, until around the 7th consecutive hit, you will be rewarded a 1up. It takes practice, with the right spacing and timing, but you can gain a lot of extra lives this way to set you up for what's ahead of you!
And finally, (if you really want to become obsessive)
For every 100,000 points you will earn a 1up (until you reach 999,000), so something you can work on is getting to know your enemy in each part of the game, and how many hits it takes to eliminate them. Certain types of attacks award more points than others, and can also vary in how quickly the enemy is eliminated (depending on the situation), so if you decide to attune yourself to this you can formulate the most rewarding strategies for combat to milk your points for all they're worth.
Honest reviews on Battletoads
I played this game a long time ago. I likedit a lot its better than super battletoads in
my opinion. Its a good fast paced game.
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Previously I stated that this product did not work, i recently found out that the only reason it was having problems is because this game does not work on the RES, retro entertainment system. Word to the wise, do not buy a copy of Battletoads if you do not have a real NES.My Apoliges for badmouthing a good distributer
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