Jeremy Parish

NES Works 137: Cobra Triangle (Patreon)

Published:

2024-05-22 12:13:25

Imported:

2024-05

Tags:

Cobra Triangle Rare Ltd nes nes works nintendo

Content

Somehow, I missed most of Rare's original creations back in the day between R.C. Pro-Am and Battletoads. That is, the games that weren't created under contract crunch for a publisher who landed the rights to some sort of toy or Hollywood license and commissioned a quick-and-dirty production (though, come to think of it, my generally unerring sense of danger that steered me away from bad licensed games kept me from playing most of those, too). Which is to say, Cobra Triangle was new to me going into this video. And, yet, somehow... it managed to be exactly what I expected. Is there a word for playing something you've never played before but feeling like it's totally familiar because it's totally on-brand for Rare? I bet the Germans have a word for it. (German patrons, please fill me in here.)

Files

There's a snake in my boat: Cobra Triangle | NES Works 137

Our pals at Rare are back to apologize for that whole John Elway mess with a slick, high-speed combat racer. At the same time, they've ratcheted up the difficulty to utterly painful levels as a way to punish everyone who complained about John Elway. Our pals at Rare giveth, and they taketh away. As long as you can abide by the extreme challenge level, which would inform future original productions by Rare, Cobra Triangle has a lot going for it. Technical finesse! A variety of mission types! Slick graphics! A Gradius-inspired power-up system! And, somehow, it rips off Ocean's Waterworld for Virtual Boy six years before Ocean's Waterworld or the Virtual Boy ever existed. That's a neat trick. Truly, was anything beyond Rare's abilities in the NES era? Production notes: Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Why watch when you can read? Check out the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works, available now at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books)! SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I is available NOW, and Metroidvania: The First Decade is due in 2025. NES footage captured from Analogue Nt Mini. Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4X and 720p with xRGB Mini Framemeister.