Just started replaying this on emulator.
How the Fuck did 10 year old me ever beat this shit? I took like 5 tries to beat the first actual boss. It actually holds up really great, but I was not expecting it to bust my balls this hard. I'm getting the hang of it though I think.
I had to rely on cyber elf abuse until 3 years down the road when I started caring about my rank
I purchased the collection a few months ago. In my personal opinion 3 is the best, but the whole ranking system was so confusing to me through the whole series.
So in 2 and 3 you're required to have an A or S rank going into the level in order for the boss to give you their EX Skill, right? Problem is, the rank you're given is based on your ENTIRE playthrough of the game thus far, not just the level you completed. That means if you fuck up too much in early levels, you're basically shit out of luck getting EX Skills unless you reset. Using cyber elves lowers your rank, even using the permanent upgrade ones that give you subtanks or health increases, so you're forced to either forgo using cyber-elves completely or supplement them with enough Instant A/S-rank elves so you can get your remaining EX Skills.
Then in 4, they revamped the elf system in a way that meshes much better with the ranking system... but then they remove the ranking requirement for getting EX Skills. You just need to beat the boss in unfavorable weather. So there's no real reason not to just max out your elf stats right away and forget about rankings completely.
All in all good games, but they feel very unrefined, like they only just started to figure out how to design things properly when the series was on its final installment.
>>323281208
I agree.
Though with the series, I usually just skip 1 and start with 2. Which game would you consider to have the best soundtrack?
It's not my favorite overall, but I love the shit out of 3's Command Center theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7rWvsBqUJs
>>323281878
3's soundtrack was definitely the strongest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjPHMAGwunA&index=11&list=PLAC945CE71DA43EF4
That fucking grungy guitar, mang. Not to mention it's the game with Cannon Ball in it.
>>323282451
I like 3's soundtrack a lot, but I honestly think that 2 is the king.
However, its hard as shit for Z2's tracks to compete with Cannonball from Z3, unless its maybe Departure from Z2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4VvJl20wQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbE5-Obh7RU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsQI7Q4X8Nc
>>323282884
Listening to departure always gives me shivers. So good
>>323281208
Man, 3's ranking system was so stupidly strict now that I remember. You couldn't even go into Cyberspace without it negatively impacting your rank. (with the exception of fighting Phantom). It really made parts of it unfun considering you couldn't really use anything that would give you any kind of advantage.
>>323283078
Yeah, there's a lot of emotion in those tracks. I gotta replay 2, so I can give it all a listen again.
At first, I didnt like the grunge guitar in Z3 because the opening stage theme I felt was kinda weak, but it honestly grew on me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZwtNXtVWzc
>>323278937
It really is pretty fucking challenging. When the MMX Zero theme played in the opening stage, I felt so pumped and was so confident it was gonna be an amazing experience, and it kind of was, but there were times where I just wanted to throw my GBA into the wall and never look back.
>>323283187
That's because cyberspace was easymodo by letting you use and abuse every elf you could without killing them, and, IIRC, some stage gimmicks are also lessened as well. It was the precursor to turning "weather" off in Zero 4, except not nearly as casual or retarded.
Also, you could still have an advantage by using satellite elves (and you can raise and change between ALL satellite elves you own literally whenever the fuck you wanted, which essentially let you go all out with customization, even moreso than the forms from 2, and especially more than the shitty elf from 4), combined with body/element chips, head chips, and foot chips (double jump being the best until you beat phantom, because you can dash-jump twice, unlike the X series).
In addition, learn to use the motherfucking shield boomerang. Goddamn, son.
>>323278937
>having trouble with aztec falcon
I know he's the casual filter of Z1, but he's not nearly as demanding as some of the other bosses in the game or the sequels, along with some of the cunts in the ZX games.
Watch the following for some easy ideas on how to deal with him. You don't even need the charge saber in Z1, especially because the 1st saber slash can chain on itself and because it can stun some bosses out of their attacks (both behaviors pretty much exclusive to Z1).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjCKNFUr4Bk&list=PLFF96586630B17B4C
>>323285063
nah, I've a ranked all of zero 1-4 and having to fight aztec with one or two slashes and no charge is one of the most suffering bosses in the series.
>>323287716
Not particularly.
As long as you get his patterns down, he's fine.
I mean, hell, you also have the buster shot as well, so even when you can't sweep in for a slash, you can still pelt him from afar.
>>323278937
Things get much better once you reach Z3.
>>323288549
Yea, when you learn him. Most bosses in zero you can beat without dying more than a couple times, but aztec will wreck you until you learn it. Coupled with the fact that he's one the the only bosses that's slash immune in some areas for SOME REASON it makes things confusing an unnecessarily difficult.
Say what you will about 4 but the finale was the shit.
>My Ragnarok is moving on it's own
>JK I'm not dead Zero
>>323288682
You mean his hitboxes?
Yeah, some are a bit weird. And his magnetism shit can throw you for a loop if you go on the offensive all the time, so you have to balance it.
Still, a minute and a half is still too long to beat him. At least he became a joke in-series.
>>323289063
Weil should have been the final boss in 3, because most of 4 felt unnecessary as all fuck.
Yes, I'm saying that the final boss in 3 should have been a 5 stage battle.
Fuck it. Lagoon had 6.
Hell, Weil 2 was just a rehash of Omega 2 anyways, and at least you got a nice one-on-one after that. Weil 2 just kinda ended.
>>323285063
When I first fought him when I was younger he kicked my shit in.
Then after I got the collection I beat him in one try.
It was honestly anti-climatic.
>>323289587
Yeah. He's pretty predictable honestly. You just have to be careful not to get trapped, while still keeping up that bob and weave balance.
Again, not nearly as tough as some of the other shit that pops up.
Feel free to call me a fag, but I find that fights with walls aren't nearly as tough as fights without them, primarily because you can't use your long ass wall jump or go back and forth between them in a sort of "z" maneuver to both dodge and lead into an attack.
And fuck fights with pits and spikes. Fuck em.
