Training Update - 10/4/08

For an introduction / explanation, go to: http://megamanmarathonrun.blogspot.com/2008/08/mega-man-marathon-run-introduction.html

Falling up...

That's the best explanation for what happened in Mega Man 1 today. I was enjoying my recently obtained technique of using the magnet beam to cross my favorite area of Ice Man's stage. I climbed higher and higher until I was basically completely above the screen. When I jumped high enough above the screen, I died. No explanation, no energy spewing out in the traditional pattern, just the sound of a death and a re-spawn. Needless to say, this was just the weirdest event in a completely off week.

First of all, I thought I was losing my mind, or perhaps simply becoming fatigued from the weeks of Mega Man training. My previous post eludes to such a tale. Mega Man 4 was sub-par, but I ended up beating it without dying after a few tries. Mega Man 5 was horrible, and I didn't actually beat it without using a CONTINUE. Then Thursday, it all started to make sense. I had become sick. Whether it's cause or effect is still unknown, but my body starts to fall apart shortly before I become sick. I didn't even have the attention to practice Thursday. MM2 training was completely skipped.

I felt much better today, and I thought it was my duty to get back on the horse and continue the roundabout. It felt good to play, and while I'm not 100%, it was a reasonable effort given this week's circumstances.

Here's how I did:

MM1: 4 points - No surprise here. Aside from the most bizarre death in the history of the game, I did well. While I died at the spot I always used to die, I did it in a very spectacular way, so I'm not too upset. I'll be upset if I let it happen again. This is focused training for Tuesday.

MM2: 8 points - Apparently, the early levels of the game did not suffer from failing to practice on Thursday.

MM3: 1 point - Yes, 1 point. I knew it would happen eventually, I just didn't know when. I have focused so much attention to these other games that I haven't spent much time at all on my absolute favorite. I died in Gemini Man's stage in the tricky jump section over the water. To be fair, I think even the best players die at this spot once in a while. This is my focused training for Wednesday.

MM4: 8 points - While I was shaky in spots, there were no deaths. I'm also happy with how much better I'm getting at fighting Ring Man, who has been a problem in the past.

MM5: 8 points - Maybe all of that horrible play on Wednesday actually meant something after all.

MM6: 0 points - I died early on in Wind Man's stage in a hole near one of the fans. I was knocked off a ledge by one of those rocket things on the ground. This isn't the first time it has happened, and it probably won't be the last, but it makes for a disappointing start to a game I did great on the rest of the way through. This is Thursday's focused training.

So, I had a total score of 29/46, or or 63%. That's a little down from last time, but it shows a lot of promise. This is especially good considering my scores in MM6 and MM3 were far below expectations. I died a total of 3 times in 6 games, which is the same as last week. When I am 100% healthy, I'm going to really start pressing to hit this roundabout goal.