cheeriersandals
1994
Unreal puzzle platformer on Game Boy, starts with a fake-out where you play through the four levels from the arcade original before playing some 90ish other levels of varying complexity. I feel it's understated in comparison to the Mario Minis series, which are also unfairly panned. Nintendo could have remade this for Switch.
1995
A continuation of the iterative game design of Kirby’s Dreamland and Kirby’s Adventure.
Kirby’s Dreamland 2 may be a short romp, it’s definitely up there with Game Boy’s best releases overall.
It carries over the abilities system from Kirby’s Adventure with the addition of animal friends Rick, Kine and Coo.
They have different traversal perks, Rick can walk across terrain without taking damage, while Kine is helpful in water and Coo has great flying ability.
I think Kirby games get the short stick and are often down voted for their simplicity in design, and that’s much of the pick up and play appeal of these titles I enjoy, and there is a very very difficult to accomplish end goal of collecting all of the Rainbow Drops to beat the final boss.
It’s a difficult goal to work towards and I’d given up on my Game Boy save, only now with some rewind could I be bothered with a section that required quick dropping of abilities, followed by sucking a block, exhaling it and collecting the ability you just dropped. It’s tedious, and losing the ability meant leaving the level, reacquiring the power and attempting the rote actions again.
For an old school 4 shades of pea green gameboy title. I feel the review score is credible.
Kirby’s Dreamland 2 may be a short romp, it’s definitely up there with Game Boy’s best releases overall.
It carries over the abilities system from Kirby’s Adventure with the addition of animal friends Rick, Kine and Coo.
They have different traversal perks, Rick can walk across terrain without taking damage, while Kine is helpful in water and Coo has great flying ability.
I think Kirby games get the short stick and are often down voted for their simplicity in design, and that’s much of the pick up and play appeal of these titles I enjoy, and there is a very very difficult to accomplish end goal of collecting all of the Rainbow Drops to beat the final boss.
It’s a difficult goal to work towards and I’d given up on my Game Boy save, only now with some rewind could I be bothered with a section that required quick dropping of abilities, followed by sucking a block, exhaling it and collecting the ability you just dropped. It’s tedious, and losing the ability meant leaving the level, reacquiring the power and attempting the rote actions again.
For an old school 4 shades of pea green gameboy title. I feel the review score is credible.
1992
Unreal Game Boy game, uncertain why people are allergic to rating games well on here. For a Game Boy side scroller and a first for Kirby it’s an amazing title, albeit short but it’s Game Boy! It is made for short spurts of gameplay. There’s a “harder” mode after the first run through, I play this yearly easily. Pity the copy abilities isn’t here but hey everything else is!
1994
30th Anniversary Log / Review
I had a quick play today, I love how fast paced and responsive Donkey Kong Country is, it's meant for a CRT display with blending perfect for the pixelised Silicon Graphics which I'm personally in favour of.
The ice levels are slippery and sorta suck, don't bother with 101%. I probably last beat it when I got a SNES in 2013 and probably another tmie since, this was a childhood mainstay I'd borrow from family friends when they moved onto the PS2. Maybe I'll try out the rest of the series in the coming years?
I had a quick play today, I love how fast paced and responsive Donkey Kong Country is, it's meant for a CRT display with blending perfect for the pixelised Silicon Graphics which I'm personally in favour of.
The ice levels are slippery and sorta suck, don't bother with 101%. I probably last beat it when I got a SNES in 2013 and probably another tmie since, this was a childhood mainstay I'd borrow from family friends when they moved onto the PS2. Maybe I'll try out the rest of the series in the coming years?
2023
Insert Credit forum is doing a game club play through of Persona 3 following the calendar year. I’d previously dropped 7 hours into Persona 3 Portable on Switch and have now joined in as the calendar has rolled into June.
I actually like the presentation of P3P and the streamlined map navigation. It looks best played handheld but the flaws do show blown up on a big screen. Portraits and UI look crisp, while 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds can look a little muddy.
The soundtrack balls! In terms of progress I’m probably a long ways off having just finished the school exams and are working towards Floor 25 of Tartarus, on Normal difficulty it’s all manageable.
I usually just pick social link options as I go, as well as level ups as I discover them. People love to min-max RPGs but I’m just here to explore and have fun during the process.
I actually like the presentation of P3P and the streamlined map navigation. It looks best played handheld but the flaws do show blown up on a big screen. Portraits and UI look crisp, while 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds can look a little muddy.
The soundtrack balls! In terms of progress I’m probably a long ways off having just finished the school exams and are working towards Floor 25 of Tartarus, on Normal difficulty it’s all manageable.
I usually just pick social link options as I go, as well as level ups as I discover them. People love to min-max RPGs but I’m just here to explore and have fun during the process.
1991
I’ve just beaten Mega Man II in a single sitting just over an hour’s playtime. It follows the same formula of Wily’s Revenge. You get to choose from 4 Robot Master stages from MM2 (Crash Man, Metal Man, Wood Man and Air Man), also in the mix are the Rush Coil, Jet and Marine. Metal Saw is OP in this, I initially had fun with the Air Shooter at first, Crash Man’s weapon is incredibly finite… all of them are useless when you reach Wily Stages.
The Wily Stages introduce the next four Robot Masters from 3, this time they each have a short stage before their boss fights. Top Man, Needle Man, Magnet Man and Hard Man. Ultimately you might use the MM2 powers initially, but once you figure out the weakness system it’s much easier to exploit each boss using the respective weakness.
I found much like in Dr Wily’s Revenge the weapons are really useless beyond their use against Robot Masters, the final Wily Stage doesn’t drop enough energy for you to use each power more than a few times each, forcing you to really optimise each weapon’s use. However, the game can be cheesed, at times I found taking damage and bolting through some rooms easier than actually engaging foes.
The Wily Stages have sections that can be easily navigated with the Rush power-ups leaving more difficult paths unchartered, it leaves the option open for a more difficult pathway for some form of honour. I’m playing all of these over a King’s Birthday weekend so the less time the better.
The new boss Quint is sorta funny, he looks like Mega Man or Proto Man and rides a Pogo Stick, which is the only weapon strong against Dr. Wily. I half think the reason there are so many E Tanks present in the game is so you can use them in the final Wily fight because only the P Shooter can damage Wily.
Overall, I think it’s easier than Dr Wily’s Revenge, but has a lot of general balance issues. I’ve read reviews To say this is a “bad game” is a poor statement, it’s a serviceable Mega Man on the Game Boy, however there are other options. Some preliminary research brought up this blog which details more of the feeling of what is missing compared to other Mega Man games. https://gameboyessentials.com/articles/dmg-w2
Edit: I forgot to talk about the music, some notes are pitched maybe octaves higher than they should be? Somethings up with the ost.
The Wily Stages introduce the next four Robot Masters from 3, this time they each have a short stage before their boss fights. Top Man, Needle Man, Magnet Man and Hard Man. Ultimately you might use the MM2 powers initially, but once you figure out the weakness system it’s much easier to exploit each boss using the respective weakness.
I found much like in Dr Wily’s Revenge the weapons are really useless beyond their use against Robot Masters, the final Wily Stage doesn’t drop enough energy for you to use each power more than a few times each, forcing you to really optimise each weapon’s use. However, the game can be cheesed, at times I found taking damage and bolting through some rooms easier than actually engaging foes.
The Wily Stages have sections that can be easily navigated with the Rush power-ups leaving more difficult paths unchartered, it leaves the option open for a more difficult pathway for some form of honour. I’m playing all of these over a King’s Birthday weekend so the less time the better.
The new boss Quint is sorta funny, he looks like Mega Man or Proto Man and rides a Pogo Stick, which is the only weapon strong against Dr. Wily. I half think the reason there are so many E Tanks present in the game is so you can use them in the final Wily fight because only the P Shooter can damage Wily.
Overall, I think it’s easier than Dr Wily’s Revenge, but has a lot of general balance issues. I’ve read reviews To say this is a “bad game” is a poor statement, it’s a serviceable Mega Man on the Game Boy, however there are other options. Some preliminary research brought up this blog which details more of the feeling of what is missing compared to other Mega Man games. https://gameboyessentials.com/articles/dmg-w2
Edit: I forgot to talk about the music, some notes are pitched maybe octaves higher than they should be? Somethings up with the ost.
Enjoyable Mario game available on the GB, I like that it is a little more like Super Mario World except with cutesy and varied worlds.
On the Switch the large size Mario looks good, on original hardware I can understand that it would be a little big and would make the game itself harder to navigate. For a ‘92 Mario title it’s a fun time.
On the Switch the large size Mario looks good, on original hardware I can understand that it would be a little big and would make the game itself harder to navigate. For a ‘92 Mario title it’s a fun time.
Great game, unsure what to say that isn’t just a straightforward statement about what the game is really.
At some point Nintendo realised Mario just can’t be played on Game Boy, the guy is too nimble.
Wario on the other hand, let’s make him a slow beefy guy, with simple movement throw in a tackle, butt stomp, fire mouth and flight. That’s all he needs.
Make the levels more exploratory hide additional hidden levels with secret treasures to collect and have some of them change between plays.
It’s cool seeing the ideas move gradually between Mario to more exploratory, we’re not at Metroidvania yet and the levels aren’t episodic in nature. But it’s definitely Wario that’s for sure.
At some point Nintendo realised Mario just can’t be played on Game Boy, the guy is too nimble.
Wario on the other hand, let’s make him a slow beefy guy, with simple movement throw in a tackle, butt stomp, fire mouth and flight. That’s all he needs.
Make the levels more exploratory hide additional hidden levels with secret treasures to collect and have some of them change between plays.
It’s cool seeing the ideas move gradually between Mario to more exploratory, we’re not at Metroidvania yet and the levels aren’t episodic in nature. But it’s definitely Wario that’s for sure.
1999
Ape Escape is sick, it's probably most notable for using dual analogue in a fairly ingenious way requiring the right stick to be used to swing a net or spin a propeller, also you can compress the stick to crawl and dive. I like the quirks and adjusted to the controls easily.
The mini-games you unlock use the dual sticks further, like a skiing game where you control where each ski independently to race a course.
Story is straightforward, some ape called Spectre gets a hat that makes him smart, he hijacks a time machine or something and you're tasked with collecting apes and catching up with Spectre to save the day.
The apes themselves are fairly funny, I like that it is a collectathon where you have to strategise a little, going in guns blazing could be chaotic whereas using a stealthy approach may trivialise some ape encounters. I can see how they became a mascot character going into the Eye Toy era, they're also sorta proto-Minion in many of their behaviours.
I don’t listed to much Drum and Bass but Soichi Terada has an absolute belter of an OST, I’d recommend listening to Sumo Jungle and Sun Showered to hear a broader selection of his music.
I had a good time playing through the game originally, but upon beating the final stage you're told to collect all the apes for the true ending... problem is I often prioritised apes sitting at the beginning of a stage, this meant I had to play through full stages to find the remaining apes which is a real turn off, especially given the length of many of the late game stages.
As of April 18th I have collected every ape and finished the second Spectre fight , I have no time for Spectre coins and time trials.
The mini-games you unlock use the dual sticks further, like a skiing game where you control where each ski independently to race a course.
Story is straightforward, some ape called Spectre gets a hat that makes him smart, he hijacks a time machine or something and you're tasked with collecting apes and catching up with Spectre to save the day.
The apes themselves are fairly funny, I like that it is a collectathon where you have to strategise a little, going in guns blazing could be chaotic whereas using a stealthy approach may trivialise some ape encounters. I can see how they became a mascot character going into the Eye Toy era, they're also sorta proto-Minion in many of their behaviours.
I don’t listed to much Drum and Bass but Soichi Terada has an absolute belter of an OST, I’d recommend listening to Sumo Jungle and Sun Showered to hear a broader selection of his music.
I had a good time playing through the game originally, but upon beating the final stage you're told to collect all the apes for the true ending... problem is I often prioritised apes sitting at the beginning of a stage, this meant I had to play through full stages to find the remaining apes which is a real turn off, especially given the length of many of the late game stages.
As of April 18th I have collected every ape and finished the second Spectre fight , I have no time for Spectre coins and time trials.
1994
Currently Playing for its 30th Anniversary.
It took me ages to get into Earthbound, a friend described the experience as an exercise in mindfulness or taking one's time. Chill out, interact with everyone and mosey through the game. I'm seeing the through-line between Earthbound, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Undertale and more. Having it on Switch is a dream with quick saves, it's an old school RPG for the soul.
It took me ages to get into Earthbound, a friend described the experience as an exercise in mindfulness or taking one's time. Chill out, interact with everyone and mosey through the game. I'm seeing the through-line between Earthbound, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Undertale and more. Having it on Switch is a dream with quick saves, it's an old school RPG for the soul.
1994
Dynamite Headdy is much better than any character action game has any right to be. Once again Treasure had created a visually stunning and vibrant side scroller for Mega Drive, almost like a proto Rayman meets Mischief Makers but much better. There’s a tonne of extras, special awards, bonus games that spell out a word for post-game goodies and difficulty settings. Unfortunately I stuck with standard difficulty and still needed to cheese some sections (rewinds), I don’t have as much time and patience that I used to. Basically a must play for Mega Drive.
Hard to really pin down what makes this game so important. I think it’s the ultimate expression of what Super Mario Bros. 3 set out to do, which is creating a world of consistently snappy and witty levels that differ from stage to stage. There’s a little more focus with collectables and free flowing stage design with less linear progression and never is there a stage reusing ideas. It’s a pity no follow up lived up to this.
1984
Devil World is now available on Nintendo’s Switch Online service, I’ve finally checked out Shigeru Miyamoto’s answer to the Maze genre.
Tamagon is a green dragon infiltrating the Devil World, to advance through stages Tamagon must collect all of the dots in each stage while avoiding walking monsters, however he’s not defenceless - collecting crosses give Tamagon the power to blow fire at foes.
The catch is, the screen moves! On top of the screen is The Devil who is instructing demons to use pulley’s to literally move the screen to the left, right, down and up. This creates an additional layer of complexity, you’re simultaneously juggling the navigation of foes, collection dots and power-ups as well as avoiding being squished against a moving border.
However, this also means you can be left needlessly waiting for the screen to move the direction necessary to collect the final dots. There are also a few Bonus screens that involve collecting Bibles and placing them into a Cross.
It’s easy to see why this was passed on for localisation from Nintendo of America with the religious imagery and themes.
I also think it would have been difficult competing with an already established household name. It’s easy to sell buyers on Tennis, Soccer, Baseball and Donkey Kong. Hard to say, here’s our own PAC-Man.
PAC-Man is a much more immediate maze game that is easy to play but difficult to master, has a simple risk/reward system but has enemy AI and a maze to memorise.
Devil’s World while good, may have a few too many levels of complication in its design.
Tamagon is a green dragon infiltrating the Devil World, to advance through stages Tamagon must collect all of the dots in each stage while avoiding walking monsters, however he’s not defenceless - collecting crosses give Tamagon the power to blow fire at foes.
The catch is, the screen moves! On top of the screen is The Devil who is instructing demons to use pulley’s to literally move the screen to the left, right, down and up. This creates an additional layer of complexity, you’re simultaneously juggling the navigation of foes, collection dots and power-ups as well as avoiding being squished against a moving border.
However, this also means you can be left needlessly waiting for the screen to move the direction necessary to collect the final dots. There are also a few Bonus screens that involve collecting Bibles and placing them into a Cross.
It’s easy to see why this was passed on for localisation from Nintendo of America with the religious imagery and themes.
I also think it would have been difficult competing with an already established household name. It’s easy to sell buyers on Tennis, Soccer, Baseball and Donkey Kong. Hard to say, here’s our own PAC-Man.
PAC-Man is a much more immediate maze game that is easy to play but difficult to master, has a simple risk/reward system but has enemy AI and a maze to memorise.
Devil’s World while good, may have a few too many levels of complication in its design.
Got to 10,000 currency at 12 Days.
Decided to pick up a play through of Pikmin 2 given it's 20th Year Anniversary. I like the Wii control scheme where the pointer is used to direct your Pikmin.
Pikmin 2 occurs immediately after the original, Olimar returns after his harrowing experience shipwrecked on an unidentified planet (Earth). The company Olimar works at has just filed for bankruptcy however some stowed away goods from the original game seem to fetch a pretty penny, Olimar returns to Earth with a subordinate Louie to make back his bosses loan.
Talking about Pikmin 2 is often considering what it does compared to the original. Gone is the 30 Day time limit! You've got 2 additional Pikmin including the Purple which can lift 10 and weighs 10 Pikmin and can stun enemies if thrown at them. The White Pikmin are immune to poison, are poisonous and can dig out treasures. Red (fire + building), Yellow ( lightning + heights) & Blue (water) return.
Also new are a tonne of sub-areas, caves that have a degree of randomised floor structures and require strategising Pikmin load-out to solve. These don't have a time limit and save between floors.
I've been playing the game straight without save scumming and I'm blowing away a tonne of Pikmin, it's cathartic knowing I'm going throwing away little plant men in order to make ends means in a capitalistic world. It's a little disheartening when the game throws a random bomb that kills a tonne of Pikmin off screen.
Will update thoughts when I finish.
25/4 - I'm up to the Submerged Castle and this game has just ass pulled the craziest rogue-like enemy I've ever encountered which wiped me immediately due to poor spawning. I'm not above save-scumming, but I was playing the game organically up to this point. What the fuck!
4/5/24 - Saved Louie, I have a few random treasures to get and a whole dungeon to tackle. Feeling some burn out with the difficulty, I’ll give Pikmin 2 a rest and may return later this year.
Decided to pick up a play through of Pikmin 2 given it's 20th Year Anniversary. I like the Wii control scheme where the pointer is used to direct your Pikmin.
Pikmin 2 occurs immediately after the original, Olimar returns after his harrowing experience shipwrecked on an unidentified planet (Earth). The company Olimar works at has just filed for bankruptcy however some stowed away goods from the original game seem to fetch a pretty penny, Olimar returns to Earth with a subordinate Louie to make back his bosses loan.
Talking about Pikmin 2 is often considering what it does compared to the original. Gone is the 30 Day time limit! You've got 2 additional Pikmin including the Purple which can lift 10 and weighs 10 Pikmin and can stun enemies if thrown at them. The White Pikmin are immune to poison, are poisonous and can dig out treasures. Red (fire + building), Yellow ( lightning + heights) & Blue (water) return.
Also new are a tonne of sub-areas, caves that have a degree of randomised floor structures and require strategising Pikmin load-out to solve. These don't have a time limit and save between floors.
I've been playing the game straight without save scumming and I'm blowing away a tonne of Pikmin, it's cathartic knowing I'm going throwing away little plant men in order to make ends means in a capitalistic world. It's a little disheartening when the game throws a random bomb that kills a tonne of Pikmin off screen.
Will update thoughts when I finish.
25/4 - I'm up to the Submerged Castle and this game has just ass pulled the craziest rogue-like enemy I've ever encountered which wiped me immediately due to poor spawning. I'm not above save-scumming, but I was playing the game organically up to this point. What the fuck!
4/5/24 - Saved Louie, I have a few random treasures to get and a whole dungeon to tackle. Feeling some burn out with the difficulty, I’ll give Pikmin 2 a rest and may return later this year.
A real fun and creative 2D Zelda title, compact over-world, ingenious dungeon designs utilising thumbelina-esque exploration. Also includes some great callbacks to contemporary (at the time) Zelda’s and old, with a few Mario foes thrown in for fun.
Just want to say this, people find the game too easy! Also they want to obsessively fuse kinstones in the hope of 100% completion.
Forget about obsessively collecting heart pieces, explore the over world and do dungeons and have fun with it.
Just want to say this, people find the game too easy! Also they want to obsessively fuse kinstones in the hope of 100% completion.
Forget about obsessively collecting heart pieces, explore the over world and do dungeons and have fun with it.