(Part 10 of the Half Century Challenge, created by C_F. You can read their tenth review [here](to be added later))

One of my absolute favorite genres when it comes to video games, as well as what I would argue is one of the most important genres to come from video games, is the Adventure genre. I’m sure that every single one of us, at some point in our lives, have played at least one adventure game at some point, whether it be from games within sub-genres of the genre like Zelda or God of War, more traditional adventure games like King’s Quest and Monkey Island, or even games that try to put a cinematic twist on the typical adventure game, to make you feel more connected to the story and the characters, like Telltale’s The Walking Dead or David Cage’s Heavy Rain.

All of these games, including plenty of others that I haven’t mentioned, have managed to take this genre and flesh it out in numerous ways, not only creating new ways to experience adventure games and new ways to introduce audiences worldwide to them, but they have also created some of the most widely-recognized and beloved franchises in not just video games, but of all media in general, and I have played quite a fair share of these games myself that I still absolutely love to this day. Of course though, every genre has to start somewhere, and when it comes to the action-adventure genre, there is one game that truly started it all, being the springboard that many other games would use to bring forth this genre into the proper limelight that it is in today. That game…….. would be Superman for the Atari 2600, but that game sucks, so we are gonna talk about Adventure instead.

For the longest time, I have heard this game’s name being thrown around in many videos about old-school video games, how it was essentially the game to create the action-adventure genre, and one that pave the way for other games like The Legend of Zelda to come along and expand upon it, leading to many others to doing the same for years to come. I myself have never played it, because… well, why would I play a game like this when there are so many better options out there, but now that I am doing this mini-series of reviews, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to check the game out to see if it really is as influential as many claim it to be. So, I played through as much of it as I could, and for what it is, it still holds up very well to this day. Of course, it doesn’t even come close to other titles in terms of what it does for the adventure genre, but it is still a definitive piece of video game history that I can now fully appreciate now that I have had first-hand experience with it.

The premise of the game is simple: you are dropped into the world as a tiny little multi-colored square, and your objective is to go find the magical chalice and bring it back to the golden castle, before any fierce creatures can stop you along the way. Why exactly are you doing this? What does the chalice do? How would the golden castle benefit from having the chalice? WHO CARES?! You don’t need to know any of that, because you are SQUARE GAMING at the moment, and it is your upmost duty to carry out this task at any cost, or else your entire purpose of existing is meaningless! And believe it or not, despite being a dumbass square with no real weapons, armor, or skills to speak of, you already have exactly what you need from the start of the game in order to carry out this task.

As soon as you are plopped down in this world, you are free to explore the vast limits of it where there is not a wall blocking your path, and there are many sights to see, such as various castles, plenty of ferocious beasts, and even a giant blue maze that you have to navigate to reach your ultimate goal. The only thing you can do is move around, but you can also pick up many items along the way that will help you out on your journey, such as keys that will allow you to open up gates that will let you reach treasures that were previously inaccessible, a weird… purple thing that can allow you to pass through walls to reach new areas, and you can even get an arrow thing that can be used as a weapon, allowing you to slay the dragons in your path before they get the chance to eat you alive! It is all very primitive, but having games like this where you can move around and get items to help you get past obstacles in your quest, while also actually WORKING as a proper game, was extremely innovative for the time, and it makes completing your quest by getting the chalice to the castle all the more satisfying.

But of course, since this is an Atari game, there is a little more going on here then meets the eye. Aside from the first level that I just described to you, the game does also have to separate variations that you can play through as well, and each of these levels actually do add quite a lot to make the game much harder and all the more interesting. For Variation #2, the differences are clear as soon as you hit the start button, with you seeing a new bat enemy come down and swoop the arrow thing from under your nose and flying away, and this is followed up by several other new items and sights to behold, such as a magnet that you can use to attract items towards you when you are on the same screen as them, as well as mazes shrouded in darkness, requiring you to carefully navigate through to figure out where it leads. It isn’t that much more complex, especially with the dark mazes, with them having…. the exact same layout as the other mazes, but it is enough to make the game more interesting, more satisfying to conquer, and MUCH harder, especially with the bats coming in and constantly swiping your shit away from you.

The third variation, in comparison, doesn’t really add anything new to the core game itself, just being much, MUCH harder, where even from pressing the start button, you will be bombarded by dragons and bats, immediately coming to take you out and ruin your day, so that is a lot of fun to experience. However, there is one other thing that this third variation is known for, and that is this secret little room that you can find that has… words in it. It looks like nothing else in the entire game, and it spells out a message that says “Created by Warren Robinett”......... I don’t get it! What does it mean?! Well, to answer your question, intellectually-challenged Mega, that is actually an Easter Egg, and while this wasn’t the first one of its kind in video games, it is the one that most people go to when they think of the first Easter Egg in video game history, as it is one of the most important ones out there.

See, back in the day, Atari had a common practice of removing developer and publisher names from the games they worked on before shipping them out, for the sole purpose of keeping other companies from hiring them to develop games for them instead. I think we can all agree that that is a pretty shitty thing to do, and Warren felt the exact same way, hence why he hid his name deep inside of this game so that Atari wouldn’t find it, and he would still get credit for what he created. It is a very neat piece of history, and as you may already know, this single little feature would go onto popularizing the concept of Easter Eggs, and it would lead to many other developers inserting their own little Easter Eggs into the games they made, such as the Konami Code in various Konami titles, seeing different video game characters or series referenced in other games, and even entire games being accessible in other games, such as in the case of Homefront: The Revolution, where if you input a special cheat code into an arcade cabinet in the game, you can play the entirety of Timesplitters 2 right then and there. And to think, all of this spawned from just one guy wanting to receive proper credit for the game that he made………. video games are truly capable of amazing things, aren’t they?

Overall, despite how frustrating it can be and how dated it is compared to the many other action-adventure games made ever since, Adventure is not only a proper pioneer of the genre that should be properly remembered for as long as video games are a thing, but it is also just a solid game all together for its time, giving you plenty to do for what it is, the essential stuff you would expect from a game like this, and enough of that Atari charm and love that can be seen in every single bland pixel. I would recommend it for those who are a big fan of Atari games, as well as those who wanna take a glimpse back into some of the earliest parts of video game history, because this is definitely one of the best parts of it that you could ever look back on and appreciate. It’s just a shame though that we never did get a proper follow-up to this game, even though there was going to be one…….. I mean, there was that one game called Adventure II that was made by AtariAge, which is a fansite that is now owned by Atari, who also gave them permission to make the game, but I dunno, it just… doesn’t feel the same…

Game #636.5

I'm not the biggest fan of visual novels. Most visual novels, or VNs as the community likes to call them, either lack a compelling story or engaging characters, or they drag on for more than 30 hours without achieving anything. Mediterranea Inferno drew me in because of its visual style and advertised player choices that could shift the story. While this does exist, the story is incredibly basic, with some very elementary writing and characters that are as interesting as a wet napkin.

The game's inclusion of queer culture may offend many people, but for individuals like me, it suggests that the story could feature some intriguing characters. The game takes place in modern-day Italy, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (it's mind-boggling to think we've built entire game stories around this pandemic), and depicts the disintegration of these three friends during that period. The overall story hints at how COVID broke friends apart and how the isolation and lockdowns made it difficult for all three of these men to maintain their social lifestyles.

This VN is very "slice-of-life," with not much going on. The endings express no inner turmoil, and there is no gameplay. The choices you make during Mirages imply that the characters might be taking drugs at these moments. A mysterious character appears and offers a strange fruit that you can peel or turn down to alter the story a bit. You get coins to purchase these fruits by interacting with objects in the mirages. This game's best ending for each character requires four tarot cards, but only one character can get them in one playthrough. There are three days and three nights to live through.

We learn a small amount of backstory for each of the three men here, but it's mostly just dialog about complaining or what feels like random, boring daily conversations. I almost wanted to stop the game after the first day, but I kept going, hoping that there would be some crazy plot twist. Sadly, this never happened. I can't spoil too much of the story (like it matters with how bad it is), but there's not much here for anyone. Those who enjoy storytelling, queer gamers seeking a connection with LGBTQ+ characters, or anyone seeking a visually appealing game will not find it appealing. The art, while hand-drawn, just isn't very appealing at all. The game is mostly just a giant slideshow, with an occasional low-poly 3D model thrown in for good measure. 

By day three, I just didn't know what to really expect anymore. The Mirages are weird, abstract, and poetic, but nothing means anything in this game. There's no reason to care or keep moving. Early on in the game, there's no hook to keep you in your seat. Most people will click away before the end of the first day. I understand it takes time to set up a story, but for a game that only has a 2-hour runtime, there isn't a lot you can do. Overall, there's not much here to recommend, as there aren't too many redeeming qualities in this game.

Initially, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd write a review for this Kirby entry, but after replaying it, I think it deserves a review.

Believe it or not, Kirby 64 was one of the first two games that started my video game collection. Before then I mostly stuck to what was on modern platforms at the time as I was a kid with limited knowledge on anything that came before the Wii (despite owning a Ps1). However, the N64 was the first "retro" console I took a real interest in as it has Super Smash Bros, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 (which I actually had played a few times previously), and this game. So when I had enough money to buy an N64 and some games, I went to a retro game store and got myself an N64, Smash Bros, and this game. In hindsight, I would have got Quest 64 too as it was dirt cheap, but I didn't know what it was let alone that I would actually come to like it when I finally did get it. But enough reminiscing! Now its time to get into the game itself!

If you've played any other Kirby game then you'd know what to expect with this one. You run, jump, inhale enemies, and get cool power-ups, but this time with a twist. You can mix & match two power-ups to get all sorts of different abilities. It's a really cool gimmick that as far as I know hasn't returned in any future game and that makes me sad. My personal favorite combination was the fire sword and I would love to use that in another Kirby game.

Kirby is a series that is known for being of the easier franchises that Nintendo makes, but Kirby 64 on the other hand actually does have a decent amount of challenge in it. While the game certainly isn't "the Dark Souls of 2d platformers," it still does have enough challenging moments that make it stand out from some of the other entries in the series that I've played. Skill wise, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore gamer as I've used save states for my fair share of difficult games that I most likely would never have beaten otherwise, but in a series like Kirby, I do enjoy that the game also isn't a total cakewalk either and I respect it for that.

Another thing I'd like to mention is that the game's visuals are pretty sharp as far as N64 graphics go. I've probably said that about a handful of N64 games, but the game genuinely looks beautiful.

As far as negative things about this game, there aren't many if any that I can think of. I'd say it's a little on the short side, but then again Kirby games are usually pretty short. As far as Kirby games go, its definitely one of the better entries in the series. If Kirby's Dream Land is a sugar cookie, this game is a cake with frosting & sprinkles.

I REALLY loved Borderlands 1. I've replayed that game so many times over that I could theorycraft builds for each character and their skill trees from memory, but I never played any of the other Borderlands surprisingly. It's not like I didn't try, Whether it was on PS3 back in the day, or PS4 multiple times, I just couldn't really get even to Sanctuary until this recent playthrough

TBH, it's really the side quest. When Borderlands 1 came out, ain't nobody did anything like it so it was refreshing to just do everything to get that new cool gun. Yet, by the time of Borderlands 2, and even then by the time i'm playing it, this is like industry standard. I try my best not to judge games based on standards that weren't there when it was released, but even then I was starting to get disillusioned to the boring side quest (See my giant list of MMOs that aided in this process). Doing that first bullymong side quest always filtered me to stopping a playthrough.

Borderlands 2 has a scaling problem. It expects you to do every side quest before continuing. It scales its levels based on this principle. So egregious as to have a whole 5 level enemy jump from completing one story mission to the next. Which fucking sucks for someone like me who does not do side content if I don't find it fun. I didn't like going back to grind these boring ass missions out, while listening to mind gurgling banter. Like I get it and at the time 9th grade me probably would've eaten this writing up, but I'm pushing 30 now so I get what Reviewers were saying now at the time.

I quit around Chapter 15 (which makes me gag realizing I only had 3 more chapters to go). I just couldn't do it anymore. I was stuck with damn near infinite spawning Badass Loaders 5 levels above me while all I could do was whittle at their life bars with my corrosive peashooter.

I think another thing that didn't help was I didn't find a strong enough class identity with the roster of characters. Axton is a worse Roland. Maya is a worse Lilith. Zero has a boring kit for the style of combat the game require, and Salvador is basic. Like dual wielding should be cooler but...it's boring. Axton was my guy for this play through, but I just couldn't figure out what tree to focus on or what to really build. Granted, I only got to level 24, but in the first game, that's when your play style is starting to get defined already. Whereas in 2, I feel like I'm just getting the first couple of perks still. Maybe I should've done all the boring ass side quest to be overleveled for the main quest. Idk.. I'll probably do like I did Tomb Raider earlier and pick this up years later to finish off this playthrough but for now...

this aint it