MERCS from Capcom Classics Collection impressions and ques..

Sampling the selection of Capcom Classics Collection titles, but I
spent quite a bit of time with MERCS, just to sample the soundtrack

PROS
+ Freaking awesome 68000 synth soundtrack.. More realized potential
than Final Fight and Captain Commando

+ Weapons are powered up after pickup, so you can switch weapons
without fear of being underpowered in later stages

+ Good detail in the backgrounds, with some occassionally sweet
mountain vistas.

CONS
- Disappointingly short stages

- Cannot hold a diagonal firing position from a stationary position.
In other words, you can only fire diagonally while moving. BOOOOOO!
Even Super C on the NES let you fire in any direction from a
standstill; when you stopped moving, you held your firing position.
Ditto for Commando, which is also featured in this collection. (Super
C's overhead stages were actually rather painless, from a control
standpoint.) Did Heavy Barrel have this problem?

- Very limited use of parallax makes the backgrounds seem even more
boring

- Monoural sound

Terrence Briggs, tooling around with Final Fight, of course. Is it
just me, or is does the control have a lag while playing?

Peace to you...

"Terrence Briggs" <mrman1mrman1.TakeThisOut@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:1156599967.269075.144520@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Sampling the selection of Capcom Classics Collection titles, but I
> spent quite a bit of time with MERCS, just to sample the soundtrack
>
> PROS
> + Freaking awesome 68000 synth soundtrack.. More realized potential
> than Final Fight and Captain Commando
>
The first stage music almost sounds inspired by the Toaplan Twin Cobra
arcade game.

> + Weapons are powered up after pickup, so you can switch weapons
> without fear of being underpowered in later stages
>
Specifically, a separate POW pickup powers up whatever weapon is currently
in use, and that power level keeps when switching weapons. Weapon power
level also doesn't seem to get lost when continuing.

> + Good detail in the backgrounds, with some occassionally sweet
> mountain vistas.
>
> CONS
> - Disappointingly short stages
>
> - Cannot hold a diagonal firing position from a stationary position.
> In other words, you can only fire diagonally while moving. BOOOOOO!
> Even Super C on the NES let you fire in any direction from a
> standstill; when you stopped moving, you held your firing position.
> Ditto for Commando, which is also featured in this collection. (Super
> C's overhead stages were actually rather painless, from a control
> standpoint.) Did Heavy Barrel have this problem?
>

This is not necessarily true for MERCS in the PS2 version Capcom Classics
Collection, but it is very difficult to do without practice.

For MERCS in the PS2 version, holding the analog left stick in a diagonal
direction for exactly two steps while NOT firing, and then quickly releasing
the stick + hitting the fire button at the same time will hold a diagonal
firing position. Any more than two steps, though, and it seems to revert to
either a vertical or horizontal firing position. This seems to be the most
consistent way of always holding a diagonal firing position when not moving,
but still seems like very buggy control.

Trying to stop in a diagonal position from moving and firing is
inconsistent. Using the super explosion also moves out of the diagonal
firing position, as does getting hit by enemy fire.

> - Very limited use of parallax makes the backgrounds seem even more
> boring
>
> - Monoural sound
>
> Terrence Briggs, tooling around with Final Fight, of course. Is it
> just me, or is does the control have a lag while playing?
>
For Final Fight on the PS2 version of Capcom Classics Collection--Guy
control timing seems responsive for jumps and attacks, as does Haggar. Cody
control timing for attacks and jumps seems to delay slightly from when the
button is pressed.