Demi
BACKER
>finish anything
>PNG of Vega that has the energy of a Spirit Halloween costume preview appears out of nowhere
NOW LOADING
It’s as raw of a port to PS1 as you’re gonna get, extra crunchy exported just for home
>PNG of Vega that has the energy of a Spirit Halloween costume preview appears out of nowhere
NOW LOADING
It’s as raw of a port to PS1 as you’re gonna get, extra crunchy exported just for home
On one very boring day in 2019 I was walking home scrolling on twitter when I saw someone
posting a giant thread about how this game changed their life and going into some of the little moments that stood
out to them. Deep in the pit of my heart something felt off so I tweeted out (not at them just in general)
about how moon seemed a bit "overrated". I then proceeded to create a Youtube video on Shin Megami Tensei If... that
sounded like it was for a 9th grade class presentation. It's surreal finishing this game now because part of the journey of me finishing
it feels like having a conversation with my past self and thinking about where I am with it, how video games are discussed
on the internet nowadays, and maybe something else.
Moon is a game that I've grown to appreciate a lot over the years, even as someone who kind of showed up with an
eyebrow raised with how much the "anti-RPG" aspect is echoed around online I found a few interesting surprises as it's a game
that really isn't as cheap as that tagline sounds but a genuine artistic game that seeks to do more with the medium
as a whole and the past that it had whether it's critiquing or celebrating it (there's literally a slime and rainbow bridge here).
Just to throw this out for a general summary: moon is an adventure game specifically based on acquiring "love" to
progress. Rather than number crunching as a means to generalize player progression like in RPGs, moon is about managing
your time, observing, and exploring using adventure game mechanics like interacting and using items. You make your way
through moon by assessing the strange land you find yourself in while observing the clockwork movement of people, creatures,
and things. In fact I'd say my core issue with this game sadly boils down to the context of its release as someone
who played this on the Nintendo Switch and didn't necessarily think to look at the game manual at first because of
how many games nowadays are presented but I highly recommend keeping this manual handy.
With moon being a game about observing characteristics and interactivity, what really helps make it stand out to me
is how the world has so many small moments within it that you just really would never find in bigger titles. It's
very obvious as you dive further into it but moon very much was a title developed by a small team and it shows
with the unique characters, references that range from Yellow Magic Orchestra, Freddie Mercury, Blade Runner, etc.
and the game's core theme/action of "love" is about as broad and abstract as it sounds to the point that the ending
even pulled a surprise move on me. It helps also that in this game about observing that there's the unique addition
of a music player with actual specific artsits brought on to bring a variety of tracks, I'm almost certain that even
in 1997 corporations wouldn't even think to do something as (potentially) costly as that for a new IP but it's here
in moon and with characters and a deep love of music that's rooted in here why would it not be.
This game reminds me of a moment when I was playing through Earthbound Beginnings this year where I realized that the repeated phone
calls you got from your dad, although very annoying, were a small game design decision that most likely was related to
a subject this game specifically goes after and it somehow feels like a miracle that I was pleasantly surprised by
how this game handled it because it felt like it came from a group of people that meant it and just wanted to make
something.
posting a giant thread about how this game changed their life and going into some of the little moments that stood
out to them. Deep in the pit of my heart something felt off so I tweeted out (not at them just in general)
about how moon seemed a bit "overrated". I then proceeded to create a Youtube video on Shin Megami Tensei If... that
sounded like it was for a 9th grade class presentation. It's surreal finishing this game now because part of the journey of me finishing
it feels like having a conversation with my past self and thinking about where I am with it, how video games are discussed
on the internet nowadays, and maybe something else.
Moon is a game that I've grown to appreciate a lot over the years, even as someone who kind of showed up with an
eyebrow raised with how much the "anti-RPG" aspect is echoed around online I found a few interesting surprises as it's a game
that really isn't as cheap as that tagline sounds but a genuine artistic game that seeks to do more with the medium
as a whole and the past that it had whether it's critiquing or celebrating it (there's literally a slime and rainbow bridge here).
Just to throw this out for a general summary: moon is an adventure game specifically based on acquiring "love" to
progress. Rather than number crunching as a means to generalize player progression like in RPGs, moon is about managing
your time, observing, and exploring using adventure game mechanics like interacting and using items. You make your way
through moon by assessing the strange land you find yourself in while observing the clockwork movement of people, creatures,
and things. In fact I'd say my core issue with this game sadly boils down to the context of its release as someone
who played this on the Nintendo Switch and didn't necessarily think to look at the game manual at first because of
how many games nowadays are presented but I highly recommend keeping this manual handy.
With moon being a game about observing characteristics and interactivity, what really helps make it stand out to me
is how the world has so many small moments within it that you just really would never find in bigger titles. It's
very obvious as you dive further into it but moon very much was a title developed by a small team and it shows
with the unique characters, references that range from Yellow Magic Orchestra, Freddie Mercury, Blade Runner, etc.
and the game's core theme/action of "love" is about as broad and abstract as it sounds to the point that the ending
even pulled a surprise move on me. It helps also that in this game about observing that there's the unique addition
of a music player with actual specific artsits brought on to bring a variety of tracks, I'm almost certain that even
in 1997 corporations wouldn't even think to do something as (potentially) costly as that for a new IP but it's here
in moon and with characters and a deep love of music that's rooted in here why would it not be.
This game reminds me of a moment when I was playing through Earthbound Beginnings this year where I realized that the repeated phone
calls you got from your dad, although very annoying, were a small game design decision that most likely was related to
a subject this game specifically goes after and it somehow feels like a miracle that I was pleasantly surprised by
how this game handled it because it felt like it came from a group of people that meant it and just wanted to make
something.
An interesting collection in the sense that it has the INCREDIBLY SHORT bizarre 2D platformer known as Pac-Man Tilt while also including absolutely fun additions like Pac-Man Championship addition and Galaga Legions which was mostly why I kept coming back to this collection over and over again and it’s probably why I’m the kind of weirdo now who has more hours in Pacmania than Super Mario Bro. Wonder rip
1981
When you’re really walking around an arcade with some of the pre-Pac-man titles you start seeing how one verb mostly can capture the whole essence of a game for better and worse.
While Galaga is a game with “SHOOT” as the main verb, what sets it apart and makes it stand next to Pac-man in my opinion is how it adds the mind games of dog-fighting with maneuvering your vehicle to avoid bullets and other vehicles and having your shooting be timed properly. When you suddenly have enemy ships maneuvering at you, the game takes off the training wheels and more surprises come from strange new ships.
It is indeed galaga
While Galaga is a game with “SHOOT” as the main verb, what sets it apart and makes it stand next to Pac-man in my opinion is how it adds the mind games of dog-fighting with maneuvering your vehicle to avoid bullets and other vehicles and having your shooting be timed properly. When you suddenly have enemy ships maneuvering at you, the game takes off the training wheels and more surprises come from strange new ships.
It is indeed galaga
2012
Not gonna pretend like I was going to arcades all the time as a kid but suspiciously when this one started showing up around the ones I’d go to every light gun game just started disappearing and it’s kind of bad when your main gimmick is idk blowing air at me and seeing that I definitely did have too much caffeine in my bloodstream
1982
Somehow this predicted AAA games going by image factor and flexibility of small gameplay ideas into separate sections to add variety which is, interesting but absolutely about as shallow and thin as those donut discs they use in the movie
Summary: insert fictional boardroom meeting where Disney execs said “no you can’t just make the motorcycle game into an arcade cabinet you need more”
Summary: insert fictional boardroom meeting where Disney execs said “no you can’t just make the motorcycle game into an arcade cabinet you need more”
1980
You ever think about how an entire space had to be filled to compute something that’s in like, a tiny section of a Warioware game while also having Star Wars/Doctor Who/etc. stuff funneled into it as the only means to express said game mechanics across to realize a fantasy as small as “having a fire fight with evil alien guys saying nonsense”.
Thanks semiconductors
Warning: This is not the Berserk that can make you (me) cry
Thanks semiconductors
Warning: This is not the Berserk that can make you (me) cry
Definitely not a mega man fighting game and more of a proof for the theory that Mega Man is a lot more than just a set of iconic bosses to fight but rather the evolution of movement that makes fighting said bosses intense and fun
Says enough I had to be like “oh yeah there’s a ground dash from Mega Man 6” while playing this game and I haven’t beaten a Mega Man game since 2020 (as of the time of me writing this)
Says enough I had to be like “oh yeah there’s a ground dash from Mega Man 6” while playing this game and I haven’t beaten a Mega Man game since 2020 (as of the time of me writing this)
1983
More like working at Starbucks than anything I’ve seen at any bar I’ve been to in my life tbh
It’s not really a big surprise (especially looking at other reviews) that there was something disappointing about the New Super Mario Bros. series.
-
My thoughts on the “new” super Mario bros series:
When I finally replayed New Super Mario Bros. on the DS back in 2022, I was having a blast with the game but it really was not up to par with any prior 2D Mario. I walked away sort of feeling that the game was more of an interesting time capsule of pre-iPhone portable games rather than a new Mario that really changed anything. The collectible hidden coins felt more like a way to keep getting more out of the bite-sized experience and the mini-mushroom power-up that changes how you traverse stages being tied to said secret coins says enough really
New Super Mario Bros. Wii was more of the same but you can argue that being able to play Mario at the same time with 4 people is at least new enough to be special in the long term.
After finishing it, I immediately sold New Super Mario Bros. 2.
-
So what makes this one different/better/good?:
There is a retooling of the design to prioritize fun over anything else. One of the major issues I ran into with New Super Mario Bros. on the DS was that it was just not fun to keep collecting the same coin over and over when I knew where it was but just had to finish the stage. Super Mario Bros. Wonder not only makes tiny changes like allowing you to keep going after collecting secrets, but also brings back-to-back variety. It’s not fun seeing the same thing over and over again and that’s what this game does correctly that makes it different from what I played of the “””””new”””””” super Mario bros series.
With that being said though, I don’t believe this game hits the levels of Super Mario 3 or Super Mario World frankly because of the very real and reasonable design of it being a game “for everyone” according to what modern games have to go for really. While there’s a lot of variety and many ways to challenge yourself (especially with a special world that very much aligns with what was in Super Mario World), I just didn’t personally feel enough push from this game whether it was the talking flowers or maybe being spread thin with how much there was.
I only say this cause it’s on my mind but I see this being more of a design decision occurring because of the context of its release rather than it being bad.
-
In summary: game very good and the team that worked on this should do a new Warioland for real
-
My thoughts on the “new” super Mario bros series:
When I finally replayed New Super Mario Bros. on the DS back in 2022, I was having a blast with the game but it really was not up to par with any prior 2D Mario. I walked away sort of feeling that the game was more of an interesting time capsule of pre-iPhone portable games rather than a new Mario that really changed anything. The collectible hidden coins felt more like a way to keep getting more out of the bite-sized experience and the mini-mushroom power-up that changes how you traverse stages being tied to said secret coins says enough really
New Super Mario Bros. Wii was more of the same but you can argue that being able to play Mario at the same time with 4 people is at least new enough to be special in the long term.
After finishing it, I immediately sold New Super Mario Bros. 2.
-
So what makes this one different/better/good?:
There is a retooling of the design to prioritize fun over anything else. One of the major issues I ran into with New Super Mario Bros. on the DS was that it was just not fun to keep collecting the same coin over and over when I knew where it was but just had to finish the stage. Super Mario Bros. Wonder not only makes tiny changes like allowing you to keep going after collecting secrets, but also brings back-to-back variety. It’s not fun seeing the same thing over and over again and that’s what this game does correctly that makes it different from what I played of the “””””new”””””” super Mario bros series.
With that being said though, I don’t believe this game hits the levels of Super Mario 3 or Super Mario World frankly because of the very real and reasonable design of it being a game “for everyone” according to what modern games have to go for really. While there’s a lot of variety and many ways to challenge yourself (especially with a special world that very much aligns with what was in Super Mario World), I just didn’t personally feel enough push from this game whether it was the talking flowers or maybe being spread thin with how much there was.
I only say this cause it’s on my mind but I see this being more of a design decision occurring because of the context of its release rather than it being bad.
-
In summary: game very good and the team that worked on this should do a new Warioland for real
I had the fortunate opportunity to have a college campus with Capcom vs SNK 2 and Street Fighter 3 arcade cabinets so I just wanna put that up front as I state that this game very much at its core feels like a good presentation and realization of the gameplay concept of a crossover.
There’s a celebration of arcade games in general with weird/interesting cutscenes, the art style changes based on your style, and a roster with very stripped down move sets that allow for a simple way to keep coming back and mastering the mechanics.
While I think the sequel fleshed out said mechanics, there’s an evident initial burst of love for Capcom and SNK as companies that made arcade games and the hype/presentation here with that crossover honestly is about as good as (and sometimes better than) what you even get with most Smash Bros games
There’s a celebration of arcade games in general with weird/interesting cutscenes, the art style changes based on your style, and a roster with very stripped down move sets that allow for a simple way to keep coming back and mastering the mechanics.
While I think the sequel fleshed out said mechanics, there’s an evident initial burst of love for Capcom and SNK as companies that made arcade games and the hype/presentation here with that crossover honestly is about as good as (and sometimes better than) what you even get with most Smash Bros games
1981
It’s almost shocking how expressive and pure this game is really. From the way your abstract pinchy yellow avatar slightly leans in the direction of your slight knob twist to even the act of transitioning between stages allowing for movement and danger. Tempest is a game that feels like it was just ahead of the curve in respect to having clean vector graphics (that very literally will always just be a bunch of direct shapes no matter how nice your screen looks) with pure colors for every entity in the game and a control scheme that only works with this kind of game.
I didn’t know anything about this game besides it being a big deal vector game but it’s almost shocking how fun a game that looks like it’d be Pong’s weird roommate is
I didn’t know anything about this game besides it being a big deal vector game but it’s almost shocking how fun a game that looks like it’d be Pong’s weird roommate is
1987
I forget if it was kindergarten or 1st grade but I vividly remembered someone playing a port of this game on a DS and having my mind blown.
Having played it now, I can say that this is a fairly interesting continuation of Pac-Man in the sense that there’s an attempt to not only having something a bit new but also let old-school players jump into the deep end if they want.
The isometric perspective that stuck out to me all those years ago is used to hide a lot of the maze that’s entirely visible in previous Pac-Man games which pivots the gameplay being less of a broad attempt to map your route and more of immediate decision making. This is evident with the inclusion of a jump button which allows you in early levels to cheese everything until the game throws ghosts that jump when you do.
Overall, I’d say my interest and expectations were met with this one as it isn’t just more Pac-Man but a retooling of the base mechanics of the game into something that really feels different
Having played it now, I can say that this is a fairly interesting continuation of Pac-Man in the sense that there’s an attempt to not only having something a bit new but also let old-school players jump into the deep end if they want.
The isometric perspective that stuck out to me all those years ago is used to hide a lot of the maze that’s entirely visible in previous Pac-Man games which pivots the gameplay being less of a broad attempt to map your route and more of immediate decision making. This is evident with the inclusion of a jump button which allows you in early levels to cheese everything until the game throws ghosts that jump when you do.
Overall, I’d say my interest and expectations were met with this one as it isn’t just more Pac-Man but a retooling of the base mechanics of the game into something that really feels different
Somehow this game is simultaneously the most heartfelt and heartless Kingdom Hearts game you could really play.
On one hand there’s a cohesive narrative, plot, and cast that feel tangible and fun to experience (almost sort of feeling a bit like they just borrowed stuff from the new Persona games ngl) but also very much grounded in the reality that the DS basically was the “iPhone” before the iPhone made people think for some reason it could replace consoles like the 3DS or PSVita even if it’s part of the “PS2 games on DS” trilogy the developer was secretly making (see FSR and KH: recoded)
On one hand there’s a cohesive narrative, plot, and cast that feel tangible and fun to experience (almost sort of feeling a bit like they just borrowed stuff from the new Persona games ngl) but also very much grounded in the reality that the DS basically was the “iPhone” before the iPhone made people think for some reason it could replace consoles like the 3DS or PSVita even if it’s part of the “PS2 games on DS” trilogy the developer was secretly making (see FSR and KH: recoded)
2007
https://youtu.be/ses2n0o5Oqw?feature=shared
It’s very strange but this game’s title rings in my head a lot and I think the fact I can say that and enjoy it as a dumb action game says enough really.
The phase “no more heroes” is about as direct and profound as this game gets, a bold outer layer of brutality and violence with humor that sticks in your mind and blatant/joyful stupidity even in the grind and down-to-the-wire side missions. The hidden meaning is found from an analysis of what it is against and why it is stated but also you really could just say “no more heroes” in a bold dumb casual way because hey it’s just a statement, we don’t need heroes and the guy saying it probably isn’t a hero.
You shake the (Wii) remote to jerk off your cool beam katana in this game also btw just in case it sounds like I’m turning this in late for English class
It’s very strange but this game’s title rings in my head a lot and I think the fact I can say that and enjoy it as a dumb action game says enough really.
The phase “no more heroes” is about as direct and profound as this game gets, a bold outer layer of brutality and violence with humor that sticks in your mind and blatant/joyful stupidity even in the grind and down-to-the-wire side missions. The hidden meaning is found from an analysis of what it is against and why it is stated but also you really could just say “no more heroes” in a bold dumb casual way because hey it’s just a statement, we don’t need heroes and the guy saying it probably isn’t a hero.
You shake the (Wii) remote to jerk off your cool beam katana in this game also btw just in case it sounds like I’m turning this in late for English class