Where can you find out what game X was?

[jbox]

Just wondering if anyone has come across some site where they don't mind you asking "It was a side-scroller with these pod things you could pick up that could be moved in and out and ..."?

Seems to be a question that comes up every now and then, but when I looked in the sticky threads they didn't say "Don't Ask" or "Ask Here"...

Because, well, there was this side scroller with these pod things you could pick up that could be moved in and out and...

[JoyMonkey]

A good start would be going to http://www.mameworld.net/maws/ and doing a deluxe search for that game type, showing snapshots as a result.
Doing this for category: Shooters/Flying Horizontal , resource type: Parents will give you about 97 snapshots to look at. One of them is bound to match what you're looking for (in your example, probably R-Type or Last Resort).
Adding anything else you can remember about the game is always a help (like orientation, controls, number of players and buttons etc.)

But it's fun to get people to guess sometimes- and you can get some excellent game suggestions that you never would have played otherwise. Maybe there should be a 'What game does this sound like' sub-forum somewhere?

[ErikRuud]

The more details you can remember, the easier it is for us to help.  Many of us like these little "Name That Game" challenges.

It only get aggravating when the description is too vague and the person asking can't be bothered to try and help figure it out. 

[Thenasty]

It only get aggravating when the description is too vague and the person asking can't be bothered to try and help figure it out.

[Chris]

It only get aggravating when the description is too vague and the person asking can't be bothered to try and help figure it out.

[jbox]

Well, if it's details you want:

- side scroller
- little starship blowing things up
- 1P or 2P (simultaneous)
- terrain on top & bottom which kills you, sometimes a few girders in the middle
- two buttons: fire and 'move pods' (first in then out)
- holding down B1 does 'autofire', but at first that's really slow

pods:
- you begin the game with just a starship, which blows up if anything hits it, including enemy fire, enemy units, top/bottom terrain, etc...
- at specific parts of the level a string of 'red bogies' (like 1942 but spaceships) comes out that if you nail them all drops a silver bullet thing with a big letter in the middle (can't remember what it was)
- you pick this up and suddenly you get a pod either above or below your ship that follows you around (like 1942)
- this pod cannot be destroyed, but does not destroy things for you, rather every time you shoot the pod shoots as well
- max 4 pods per player (2 above/2 below)
- pods can be snuggled right up to you for 5 shots at end of level bad guy, or zoomed out to about 1/2 the screen for more coverage
- the pods moved *exactly* with you (no spinning)

weapons: (can only remember a few)
- double sided laser (one going left, one going right for each button press)
- boomerangs (bounce around)
- 'auto-fire' bullets
- weapon pellets are dropped more often, and every half-second switch between the letter for the different weapons available
- if you pick up the same pod as your current weapon, it gets better - lasers get longer, boomerangs get a little bit wider
- initially auto-fire is very slow. the 'auto-fire' weapon itself is crap, but what you do is you collect about four of those in a row - which makes your auto-fire actually get better than human speed
- then when you switch to a different weapon, you keep most of that auto-fire speed on your new weapon (I think you might lose say one powerup penalty)

Full range of baddies - fast flyers, floating baddies, fixed guns, end of level badguys, etc...

Ring any bells? No 'nose pod', and your ship didn't change you just picked up those extra pods and slowly improved your weapon. A lot like 1942 in space, but with being able to increase or decrease the distance between your main (vulnerable) ship and your auxilary (invulnerable) pods.

We played in the early '90s, very good graphics.

[jimj]

Some descendent of Gradius?

[jbox]

ThunderCross II!

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10099&letter=T

Damn that game was cool at the time. I remember the only way to beat one of the bosses was to have 2P with maximum powerups so that the game slowed down enough for you to navigate the like 5% of the screen not covered in "death ray".

Moderator people, wherever yea may be, you need a link to MAWS in a sticky somewhere!