Part 23: It's The End...But I Feel new Life
Update #22: It's The End... But I Feel New Life
Well, we're done... That's all she wrote. Short game.
Well, it was the first one, after all.
Do you see why this game bombed in Japan and thus never made it over? People were expecting a lot more than what they gave us. It's unfortunate, because even assuming the developers wanted to make huge, sweeping changes, they didn't have the time, staff or budget to do so.
We joke about the work being handed to the interns, but even if they had seasoned developers instead, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. They just didn't have enough of anything.
The new scenario wasn't horrible, by any means. Really weird at the start, but the character interactions more than make up for MegaMan's weird behavior. It's biggest flaw is not having a strong connection between Roll and MegaMan. You feel that with Harp Note and Geo. Not so much their Battle Network counterparts. You do have to ignore the Starforce 1 Battle Network sidequest, though. Not doing so just causes a mindfuck.
Yeah, tell me about it...
The new content is nice and appreciated. And what they did change was pretty good, but it only sheds more light on the other aspects missed. I would have loved for SubChips at the minimum when I was boss-hunting. There are so many things they could have done to make the worst-selling Battle Network game more appealing to newcomers. Having quick re-releases may turn an easy profit, but putting in the effort will make your series more appealing to newer fans.
They tried their best. If anything, adding in the map was probably the limit of 'extra stuff' they could squeeze in there. SubChips would have been a whole extra menu, as well as extra NPC shops and possibly more BMD changes.
For instance, in the later Battle Network games, you got one final boss at the end once you've gotten all the chips. That would be so easy to simply-
OH FUCK
What is thissssssssssssss
IIiiiiiii don't remember this
2-2-2-200 Aura!? aaaaaaaaaaaaa
2 Scuttlists at the start!? aaaaaaaaaaa
Yes feel Giver's fear and panic that is totally real and not feigned, aaaaaaaaa
...
Yeti.
Yeti, I threw a Quake 3. That deals 150.
And the Scuttlists didn't fucking die!
I hope they stuff you in a locker.
Motherfucker, that laser PIERCES INVISIBLE NOW!?
MOTHER OF FUCK.
I hope you suffer.
This... this will be fun. Finally! A challenge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIAg7BTmip4
There once was a great man named Giver
Who always loved the stage
He faced a fearsome Navi
While Yeti just wanted to rage
god your meter fucking sucks
you start out with haiku and then shift to some iambic, and then i don't even KNOW what you did to mangle the next lines
I'll admit that I had some fun towards the end. But how could I not? Many thanks to Prof.9 for being the
Check the Action Replay code down below to give it a go, unlike BassBS which required a patch. This should work for both the translated and untranslated versions of the game. Disclaimer: this was only tested on the English translation patch.
LifeVirusSP
Serious Geo
You can either talk to Chaud, or go fight LifeVirus in the same place he's normally fought. The difference is being able to use Hub.bat and getting 6/6/6 buster stats.
Yeah, you've got the Aura to deal with. Not many attacks in the game deal 200 or more. To make matters worse:
Geo can't use this chip over the Scuttlist panels. That's a fault of the game, not Prof's.More than that, you need to deal with 2 Scuttlists being on the field as opposed to 1 at the very start. This is still pretty manageable. Wood Scuttlist has a faster Wood Tower, and every Scuttlist can attack you when you aren't in a row. You aren't going to camp them this time.
Your biggest concern at the start? The new timings. LifeVirusSP not only charges at a different rate compared to the Base Level, but he will randomize them...within reason. You won't be able to look at his timings and immediately pick it up. Instead, you'll have to accept that it's beyond your control and find a different way of knowing when he'll attack. It exists, that much I promise you. LifeVirusSP still drops his Aura when he attacks, so it's imperative you decipher this.
Yep, it was tough to implement, but we officially have Invisible piercing in this game. The laser now deals 10 damage per frame for a variable total between 330-390. The damage changes slightly depending on what column you find yourself in. If your dumbass sits in the laser like a deer in headlights, you deserve to eat this damage. Since your mercy frames are removed whilst inside the laser, don't be surprised if a Scuttlist decides to hit you for a nasty combo attack.
Don't test him. If you think you're safe with an Invisible in the middle, then you have another thing coming. This isn't going to be the global solution you think it is. Even if you camp in the corner, you're gonna have to take a hit to the face once your chip comes off cooldown.
When he's lost 25% of his HP (<1500), he'll immediately summon a 3rd Scuttlist. Compare this to the first LifeVirus that started with 1, then ended up with 2. The fight is now officially difficult. The Scuttlist have their own respawn timer, and you'll need to keep track of those as well as LifeVirus SP's own attack openings. You may be great at dodging, but you'll eventually make a mistake and eat a nasty hit. You need to keep the Scuttlists down at all costs. I had to dedicate whole sections of my folder specifically to clear those damn bugs and that isn't an exaggeration.
He also introduces his Meteor attack even earlier now. Mixing this in with a triple Scuttlist threat is...yikes. Sure, you can use Invisible, but remember that LifeVirus loves to invis-pierce you when you aren't looking. It'll be tough, but you need to keep track of what he's doing and what his minions are doing.
If you have any massive AOE attacks, I suggest saving them for this phase. If you burned them all to get to here, well...
At half HP is when you will seriously start to hate Prof. He starts mixing in constant falling rocks. Luckily they only fall while he's charging an attack, but they still deal appreciable damage. Even if you knock out the Scuttlist, you're going to have to watch this and watch for your openings and be mindful of the Scuttlist spawn timer. Missed your chance? Oops. Now 3 Scuttlists spawn and now that just adds more to your plate.
Don't be surprised when you're just a tad off and your opening is gone. I suppose you could always force a trade; deal damage in exchange for your own HP, but that just gives the boss a bigger lead.
This is it, the final stretch. I personally dig the nice visuals that signal this attack incoming. There are several tells for this move, and all of them are on display. Spotting them is key to preparing for this. The lasers that come out of this attack are stronger than the attack he uses the whole fight...by 50%. The kicker? The lasers come out in a random formation. This is going to be a test of your reflexes. The cost of failure is high. Imagine all the HP you lost to get to this point only to now be expected to control your emotions and do careful dodges. I love it.
Look familiar?
You need to keep track of the rocks AND the Scuttlist respawn timer AND all the shit on the field AND the visual tells that signal this attack AND the hint you learned to attack LifeVirusSP properly in order to get up to this point. All while choosing your chips carefully at each step. I hope you budgeted your chips properly. No, seriously. If you burned your AOE to get this far, you're probably dead.
Don't deal with the constantly respawning Scuttlists? You're definitely dead.
Can't keep track of the elements on the field all at once? You're pretty dead.
Forgot that Multi-Laser was a thing you need to watch out for? Better hope you get lucky...or you're dead.
Can't dodge the rocks but you did well up until halfway through? You just lost your lead.
Chose your chips in the wrong order, even once? You just fell way behind.
I've had runs where I made a small fuck-up and half my HP evaporated. Laser into Scuttlist attack is something you'll have to respect. Mind you, the attacks themselves do less damage than Bass. They do. It's just that now the attacks can either box you in, or come at you faster. Despite the damage being lower overall, you're just hit so many times more.
Our QA tester made an interesting comment:
QA Tester posted:
Given what you can do in Battle Network 3 and this game, between BassBS and this, I think LifeVirus SP is the harder boss.
Make of that what you will. There is no S-rank chip reward this time. So just go for the win at all costs. I was able to do this without a perfect save, so if you were just playing along, see if you can beat this challenge. Now tell Yeti to stop being a puss and beat this boss.
Sit on a controller and spin, you asshole.
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I guess this LP has given us....life. Eh? Eh?
This. This is what you wanted to end the LP with.
There's no accounting for lack of taste, I suppose.