Submission Text Full Submission Page
This movie aims to complete the odd but difficult NES game Rocket Ranger as fast as possible. Since most people haven't played this game, the entertainment value comes from its ability to make viewers say "what in the heck did I just watch?!" Therefore, I recommend that you watch the movie BEFORE reading the rest of the description...
  • Played with FCEU 0.98.12
  • Aims for fastest time possible
  • Takes no damage
  • Manipulates luck to prevent the enemy from attacking or defending himself in the fistfight sequences, and for the placement of the rocket labs
  • Abuses programming errors (namely, the 1-hit kill glitch for the final boss)
Since this movie is a strange slideshow of random scenes flashing across the screen, I'll try to describe it as best as possible. The game is a strange mix of many different game elements. The storyline goes as follows:
You are Rocket Ranger, an elite soldier with a rocket pack. One day, an alien moon surrounded by a force field appears in the sky and the aliens invade earth, creating their own country. They then go for global domination, and you're the only one who can stop them.
To stop the "Lunarians" you must build a rocket which can fly through their force field. To build the rocket, you must use the 5 CIA agents assigned to you to investigate the countries of the world, locate the 5 rocket labs, fly to each one with your rocket pack, and defeat the (increasingly difficult) guard of each one in a fist fight. You must also fill the rocket with 200 units of the special fuel "Lunarium" (which your rocket pack also uses). When these conditions are met, you can fly to the moon to finish the final two battles and rescue your girlfriend.
But it's not an easy game. There are NUMEROUS ways to screw up- For example, if you take too long to build the rocket, the lunarians take over the white house. If you spend too much time in the war room (say, waiting for your agents to send you fuel) the president arrests you for being a coward. (I had to restart this run 2 times because I couldn't avoid getting arrested)
Here's the breakdown of what I did in the movie:
  • First I go to the war room and make a few months pass (select button) so the agent in Venezuela finds the fuel depot. I then assign him to send fuel back to me every month. I go back to the base, and make a few more months pass so that he sends me some gas (I just barely didn't get arrested)
  • I then load up my rocket pack with the exact amount of fuel needed for the trip (128) and I go to the 5 rocket labs (which are conveniently positioned in a diagonal line- Brazil, Chilie, USSR, Yugoslavia, and Italy). I didn't need the agents to find them for me, obviously. They are placed depending on the frame that the start button is hit at the beginning of the game.
  • For the 4th and 5th rocket lab soldiers- their reflexes are so fast, it's faster to punch them to make them block you and begin your attack the moment they drop their guard.
  • After I got all the rocket parts, I send a SOS (because I'm out of fuel) and get taken back to base. There, I hop into the war room to make a few months pass to give me all the fuel I need for the rocket. I then transfer the fuel to the rocket, hop in, and go to the moon.
  • I fought the lunarians dressed up as women. The gun is very hard to aim (the bullet travels a set distance before it disappears, and you miss if it's not on top of the target when it disappears) and it reloads very slowly.
  • I defeated the final boss with a glitch that kills him if you're ducking at the bottom of the screen when one of his eyes are shot.
That should be all. I hope this movie made you laugh, or at least wonder what the heck kind of a game it was.


TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 15650
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #660: CtrlAltDestroy's NES Rocket Ranger in 03:37.53
Player (36)
Joined: 9/11/2004
Posts: 2631
... How did this game come after the great video game crash? It's just so bad. So infuratingly bad. It's I-cry-bitter,-bitter-tears-of-sorrow-for-the-universe-and-all-life-therein bad.
Build a man a fire, warm him for a day, Set a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life.
Joined: 6/4/2004
Posts: 284
I for one approve of this run, because I requested one for this game. But I'm also impressed that one was made in the first place. This game was obviously inspired by the Sci-Fi serials of the 1950's, where brave, square-jawed scientists/loners faced off weekly against hordes of aliens/subversives, all in the name of Freedom (I sort of wish they had gone all the way and made the Lunarians secretly allied with the U.S.S.R). Some examples would be Commando Cody (who I think they based the main character on), or for a modern example, Captain Proton. ...and now, for all my gushing, I can't deny the fact that this is a boring, boring game. CtlAltDestroy, thank you for your efforts, but this should not be published.
Joined: 4/3/2005
Posts: 575
Location: Spain
I played this game a lot back in the day in my Commodore Amiga, and not only it was very difficult, but also very long! I don't see any Nazis from your description, so it seems that Nintendo destroyed the game, as it did with Maniac Mansion. I'll refuse to see this video just because that. But your time is unbelievable!! By the way, I always thought "Rocketeer" was made after this game.
No.
Former player
Joined: 3/31/2005
Posts: 192
Location: Argentina
Well, those soldiers you have to defeat are obviously nazis, even when it's not explicitly told in the game. Voted yes, by the way.
Ambassador, Experienced player (710)
Joined: 7/17/2004
Posts: 985
Location: The FLOATING CASTLE
This game is terrible, it's up there with Cheetahmen II. It looks like you've done well, but I don't think there's enough here to publish.
Player (206)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
Yeah, I guess it is a little repetitious... Though that's part of the fun...
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Joined: 3/2/2005
Posts: 18
Location: Linköping, Sweden
Despite reading the description, this game was nothing like what I expected. Seeing it played like this only made it look like a parody of computer games, which made me laugh out loud at the game's ending. I'll pass on voting.
Former player
Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 146
Location: Dirty South, USA.
That was just weird. If you put the speed up to 800% on "The Girl" the guy looks like he's gonna go crazy. =P
If for honesty, you want apologies, I don't sympathize.
Former player
Joined: 8/12/2004
Posts: 651
Location: Alberta, Canada
I watched it when you first submitted it, and sat on it until now trying to form an opinion. I still don't have one, and I honestly don't know what the think about the run. It was... uhh...hmmm.... interesting...?
Former player
Joined: 3/31/2005
Posts: 192
Location: Argentina
Well, in my opinion the run is very well planned and executed, bordering on flawlessly. I mean, he beat the game in less than 4 minutes, that's crazy! Even more considering this is described as a very long and difficult game (both in CtrlAltDestroy's description and in the FAQs and Reviews you can find at web sites such as Gamefaqs.) Granted, this game competes with Superman 64 for the title of Worst.Game.Ever, but the speed run CtrlAltDestroy made of it couldn't be possibly done better.
Skilled player (1418)
Joined: 10/27/2004
Posts: 1978
Location: Making an escape
Strange movie indeed. Even after reading your comments and everyone else's, I wasn't quite ready for how... surreal this one would be. A yes, but a hesitant one. Not from the "I like it" perspective (I'm really not sure what the heck to think about it), but rather from a "we need more weird runs" view. Edit: I forgot to add, is it just me, or do some of the sounds effects sound like they come from a keychain noise-maker? The final boss especially sounds like something from some cheap, pocket-sized electronic sound device.
A hundred years from now, they will gaze upon my work and marvel at my skills but never know my name. And that will be good enough for me.
Joined: 11/15/2004
Posts: 804
Location: Canada
Okay, I don't get it. You beat up some soldiers, then fight a few people on the moon? What was the point of this game? That was worse than my Where's Waldo speedrun. At least there was some variety in that game. Perfection is perfection and all, but man does that game blow.
TASing or playing back a DOS game? Make sure your files match the archive at RGB Classic Games.
Skilled player (1410)
Joined: 5/31/2004
Posts: 1821
Not trying to offend you, but it's definately not worse than the Where is Waldo speedrun. A while ago I tried a Defenders of the Crown movie, but stopped because I couldn't get some extra part of the game (saving the woman) filterred out of the movie by luck manipulation. The game is made by the same makers, and would probably seem a little the same to people who have played neither of the games. I got Defenders of the Crown a loooong time ago for my birthday, and it was actually very enjoyable and difficult. It took me quite some time to finish it the first time. I'd love to see that game speedrunned, so I can fully understand why some people like this speedrun.
Joined: 11/15/2004
Posts: 804
Location: Canada
Fair enough, but what's there to see? Sorry, just a little too repetitive for me.
TASing or playing back a DOS game? Make sure your files match the archive at RGB Classic Games.
Editor, Expert player (2481)
Joined: 4/8/2005
Posts: 1573
Location: Gone for a year, just for varietyyyyyyyyy!!
This is one of the funniest games and time-attacks I've ever seen. The movie is very short and I think it has more variation than many other published movies. So, yes.
Former player
Joined: 8/15/2004
Posts: 422
Location: Minnesota
This movie seems like an inside joke to those who have played it (or broke their Nintendo trying to figure it out). I usually like bad games played fast, but unlike Dark Castle for instance, this game is not entertaining. So, no.
Former player
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
You have confused me into voting Yes. I will admit that I didn't expect backroom fist fights with pseudo-nazis or shoot outs with space-women, but I guess that's the kind of stuff that went down back in the day...
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
Former player
Joined: 3/31/2005
Posts: 192
Location: Argentina
Wow, this thread has been revived... >_>; It looks like they're hesitant to accept this movie, even though it has a majority of "yes" votes. Not that I can't see why, though. The game is as bizarre as it can get. Anyway, I still enjoyed the movie, for its undeniable "WTF" factor.
Active player (328)
Joined: 2/23/2005
Posts: 786
Well, I couldn't care less about this movie now, even though it did teach me to use frame advance. I'll go ahead and cancel it, because it really isn't material for this site.
TASVideosGrue
They/Them
Joined: 10/1/2008
Posts: 2794
Location: The dark corners of the TASVideos server
om, nom, nom... blech, stale!
Joined: 4/14/2010
Posts: 146
Location: France
Editor, Publisher, Player (47)
Joined: 10/15/2021
Posts: 377
This weirdo game could use a YouTube encode: Link to video