DisplacedGamers

Why is Contra Force on the NES so SLOW? Plus: Konami, Mappers, and Money – Behind the Code

Why does Contra Force on the NES slow down so often? It seems to me that Konami developed this game for a superior mapper chip like the VRC6, planned to release it as “Arc Hound” in Japan in 1991, missed their intended release date, decided to shift most development to the Super Famicom, and basically […]

DisplacedGamers

How to Reprogram Tetris By Playing It – Behind the Code Leveled Up

In a previous episode of Behind the Code, we talked about how the scoring logic of Tetris can crash the game at high levels. Now what is even more interesting is that you can hook up extra controllers to the expansion port on a Famicom and use them to redirect code execution to the A-Type […]

DisplacedGamers

Crashing Tetris! The Logic Behind the Madness – Behind the Code Leveled Up

This has been a really big year so far for Tetris on the NES. Players have found ways to provide controller inputs at speeds the programmers of the game didn’t anticipate. A technique called “rolling” has allowed players to move pieces at such fast speeds that they can progress beyond level 150! Unfortunately, this might […]

DisplacedGamers

The Wacky Frame Rate and Game Engine of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (NES) – Behind the Code: Leveled Up

While I was working on the previous episode of Behind the Code and researching Jekyll’s walking speed in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the NES, I noticed that the frame rate was rather odd. Turns out it is REALLY odd. If you’ve played the game, you may have noticed that the speed is inconsistent. […]

DisplacedGamers

Reprogramming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for NES – Behind the Code

A friend of mine rented Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it was new, and we gave it a try. It was certainly different than any of the other games we had played on the NES. Try playing Contra or Punch-Out and then switching over to a game that demands patience like this one does. […]

DisplacedGamers

Why is Platforming so Difficult in the Terminator for NES? – Behind the Code

Have you ever played The Terminator for the NES? Landing is difficult. Jumping is inconsistent. Sometimes you appear to land but fall through the ground! Sometimes you fall off the edge of a platform while running even though you swear you pressed jump before you got there. Sometimes jumping to the first ledge works but […]

DisplacedGamers

The Physics Nightmare and Bizarre Jumping of Strider (NES) – Behind the Code

NES Strider feels janky. We’ve known that since it was released. But how bad could it be? … Oh! Absolutely terrible! Jumping, running into a wall, and falling – simple things in any other game seem to be half-baked in Strider. The physics are worse than you could possibly imagine. Why do you slam your […]

DisplacedGamers

How do Boxers Work in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!? – Behind the Code

Punch-Out!! has been on my list of games to investigate for a long time, and I finally have something to show after a crazy amount of research. This video covers how opponent data is used to determine where to branch and what to do in code, how to manipulate boxer behavior, secrets that you will […]

DisplacedGamers

The Critical Hit for the Whip in Castlevania – Behind the Code

If you manage to land a hit on an enemy in Castlevania on the same frame that Simon gets hit, the whip does considerably more damage than normal. But WHY? Let’s dive into the logic flow of the game to figure out the perfect storm of values in RAM that allow this to occur. Timing […]

DisplacedGamers

The Input Lag and Attack Animation Delay of TMNT (NES) – Behind the Code

RetroRGB gets down to business when it comes to measuring lag. That new wireless controller or fancy display might seem cool on paper, but what about performance? Modern devices and emulation of retro games can add to lag, but lag begins with the game code itself. Let’s hop into the execution time for standing attack […]