Topic: How is Gunman Clive 2?

"I really can't justify buying short games anymore, no matter how great the experience."

Not singling you out, here, but I've never understood this mindset. Ever. How on earth is the quality of the experience secondary to the length of the experience? You wouldn't compare anything else that way.

Is a root canal superior to a kiss from a supermodel because it lasts longer? Is a five-hour long movie that you don't enjoy a better purchase than a 90 minute movie that you like? Would you rather listen to a long song that annoys you than a short one that you enjoy?

Video games have to live up to this ridiculous standard where length is one of the first reason a game gets struck off the to-play list. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mega Man 2 is one of my favorite games ever. I can beat it in about 40 minutes. Yet because I enjoy it so much, length doesn't matter; I replay it endlessly, finding new ways to enjoy it (and, to be honest, repeating old ways that I've already found enjoyable). Not to mention something like Pac-Man, which I've played for hours on end on a good day...or less than a few minutes on a really bad day.

Length has nothing to do with it. And Gunman Clive (both games) are a great example of that. If you choose to miss out, you're really missing out, because these are some very good games that become great games the longer you spend with them.

I got it yesterday and I like it a lot. Maybe I made a mistake going for Bob first, or the game is harder than the first one.

I am actually a bit bummed about the price, because Bertil deserves more than 3 measly dollars from me for this.

I am only against really short games when they are like Mighty Switch Force which has probably 5% of great content. (If the whole game was like that I would love it).

sorry dude but this is misleading - the first Gunman Clive was a one hour game, full stop. If you try to beat it with all three characters on hard mode (like I did) you can get to 3 hours maximum, but there's no way you can squeeze FIVE times that time out of it, unless by "100% it" you mean do no-damage runs, blindfold runs, one-handed runs and taking a long nap while the game was paused.

The first Gunman Clive was alright...I mean, its selling point was that for 2 bucks you got a perfectly fuctional run'n'gun platformer with enough well done stuff to play like a proper videogame (2 dollar games hardly play like proper videogames). I bought the GC2 today on the strength of the first one and, 45 minutes in, I'm a bit disappointed. So far, it feels as if it's made of leftovers from the first game. It also feels much more based on platforming than gunning, compared with its predecessor (which had a lovely balance of these two components). I hope the best is yet to come.

It's only misleading if you don't pay attention to the actual words I type. By 100%, I mean 100%. Getting No Damage and Speed Run badges for all three characters in every level took me a shade under 15 hours to complete. I'm fairly good at platformers, so I would imagine most people would be in this range, or longer. I suppose I could probably shave off a little because initial playthroughs are included in the activity log time, but after 100%ing the game my activity log showed around 15 hours. How is merely beating the game once considered "100%"?

Now, I realize many people do not care about 100%ing a game, and therefore I didn't say /everyone/ would get 15 hours of gameplay out of it. I said I got 15 hours of gameplay out of it attempting to 100% it.

Ok just started up this game and I am stuck on the Panda bear riding level where you get chased down by the buzz saw. I keep getting caught by the saw no matter what. Any tips?

Jump early. Try to land near the top of any obstacle so that the panda has less vertical ground to cover.

Ah ok it sounds like knowing the level helps out alot here. Thanks for the info. I was trying all kinds of things like shooting the saw to slow it down to trying to jump over it.

Ah, this game is very satisfying. I really love the riding stages. I just beat the panda stage, but one thing that caught me off guard was, what's the plot of this sequel?

It's gimmicky. Feels like a random cobbling together of different concepts, most of which don't seem to work out very well.
The original was definitely shorter and more simple, but it was charming in its simplicity.

Currently on the night-time stage. I can barely see the screen. I feel like I'm playing on a Game Boy, and I don't mean that in any fond, nostalgic sense.

Still, its $3, so I can hardly complain.

EDIT: Oh joy, a barely-visible night-time level with Donkey Kong Country-style minecart platforming.

To compensate for its shortness, I play it w/o speeding through it. Once I complete a few stages, I go back a play them again, just for fun. I also don't play it in extended play time sessions, since I don't wanna beat it right away. $2-3 is, to me, appropriate in light of the fact, I consider this a quality title, w/ good replay value, in a genre that I enjoy. I wanted this bad enough that I ignored the e-Shop sale, to save my remaining funds for GmCl2. I waited for it, & d/led it w/in the hour it was uploaded to the e-Shop. One of my anticipated e-Shop titles.

But not everyone enjoys the same thing, so if something is amiss to someone, in regards to a particular title, no worries, just different tastes.

Also, a kiss from a supermodel is, in every way, superior to a root canal.

Edit: The music is awesome! "The Cowboy's Back In Town" is my fav.

I have to disagree with you. I thought the first game was good, but a little to simple and generic. Gunman Clive 2 actually has some personality and really neat level design. Granted, not every concept is great, but it's a whole lot more interesting.

On a side note, does anyone know if you can switch characters without starting a new file? I beat the game with Clive but I can't find any option to switch to one of the other characters.

The first game had an identity, though. You're a cowboy, and you have to rescue your girl. For some reason this involves shooting a lot of ducks. The artstyle is unique but never interferes with the gameplay.

I have no idea what's going on in the sequel. One minute you're riding mine carts, the next minute you're riding dinosaurs. It constantly throws boring vehicle levels at the player. Moreover, the color scheme of the level sometimes interferes with the gameplay. It feels like the creator just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall and fashioned what stuck into a completely uneven game.

But, you know, opinions and all that.

You know, my reaction to playing Gunman Clive was that it was very Mario Land 1 in all the good ways (mainly by being a super simple game I can beat in one sitting when I'm bored and want to play a game for an hour), so the fact that the sequel is trying way too hard to be creative without being able to live up to the gameplay makes complete sense with that comparison (read: Mario Land 2 is not a particularly great game).

So, if there was a simple "Save the Princess" story thrown on, you would like this game? The lack of a story on par with Mario games is one of your biggest complaints of the game, eh?

Ooooookay.

I have no problem with the lack of story. It lacks identity. It doesn't feel like a world you make your way through. It feels like a randomized assortment of levels from 5 different games.

DKC has little to no story, as far as I am aware, but it has an identity and a persistence to the world that makes it feel like you're on a journey of some sort. Same with any decent platformer, really. This doesn't have have that.

My biggest problems, now that I've just finished it, are:
1) Awful color schemes making gameplay difficult (dark purple backgrounds? Seriously?)
2) Boring vehicle segments constantly popping up.
3) Lack of any sort of identity. World lacks coherent. Feels less like a sequel and more like a level pack.
4) Stage design isn't as solid as it was in the original CC

At least it has some decent bosses. That helicopter/robot guy was pretty cool.

I thought the variety was what made the sequel so much better. I don't know why it has to make sense if the levels are a lot more creative and dynamic, but okay. The flying sections are kinda meh, but there are only two in the whole game. I like the minecart personally. I don't know how the backgrounds could interfere with the gamplay, maybe you need to turn your brightness up? Your character has a glow around them in the dark stages, so seeing where they are shouldn't be a challenge.

I actually greatly prefer Mario Land 2 over the first game - I felt the first game could've used more creative design and more meat to it, which the second game had - so I like this comparison.

Off-topic, I think SML26GC was as creative as SML, if not just slightly more, albeit a little cliche. I think SML26GC's problems came from the game being easy, short, the slightly sorta steep change in difficulty for the final area compared to the rest of the game, & some occasional platforming that literally required you to either purposely power-down, or enter the area w/o power, in order to access certain areas of certain levels. But, I love SML26GC!

Back on-topic, if the gameplay is dark, try to increase the brightness of your system. Also, try cleaning your top screen, if it needs it. Also, you may need the XL system, glasses, &/or potentially stop playing your system if it starts hurting your eyes, or you find playing negatively affecting your vision. Assuming you have max brightness currently, &/or other things I mentioned, I would use this as a good reminder in the future, to be extremely selective about 3ds titles, since colors used in-game could make the game playable, or not, therefore making the experience enjoyable, or not.

I actually like the dynamic color schemes, but I can totally understand it being hard to see for some people; sometimes, I lose track of myself in Smash. Also, I use the original 3ds, &sometimes under certain light, from certain angles, it is difficult to properly see what is happening on the top screen, 3d on, or not.

I have played it a bit more and I confirm the disappointed I stated earlier. It feels like they wanted to bring the game to the next level but didn't have enough ideas. It's too much based on platforming, and the platforming sections feel gimmicky and never ending (especially those boring gravity circle things - I'm not sure they were on the predecessor too, but there's way too much on GC2). The first one was a nice mix of Mario and Megaman, but this one has less enemies than Mario!! The flight sections look good but they are boring (and since you seem to be shooting at a slight angle, why not including an aiming system?!). As for graphics, I also find the pastel colours highly unappealing, especially the weird combinations like green + purple...but that's just a trifle. To sum things up, I have played the first GC a lot, even after beating it in every way, because it's a satisfying game to play and feels good. Gunman Clive 2, I'm just forcing myself to play it so I don't feel like I've wasted three euro.