rhinestonehawk
Bio
i know more about games than i actually play them.
i was born stupid however i will not die hungry.
i know more about games than i actually play them.
i was born stupid however i will not die hungry.
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Gained 100+ total review likes
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Being part of the Backloggd community for 1 year
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Liked 50+ reviews / lists
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Gained 10+ likes on a single review
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Become mutual friends with at least 3 others
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Liked
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Favorite Games
123
Total Games Played
019
Played in 2024
308
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This review contains spoilers
i don't like jumping. i don't like collecting. i don't like doing those two things in first person perspective. however, that doesn't mean i instantly dislike a game because of it!
jumpwad is really fun and it has everything going for it. once you get used to the controls you can skim through the levels as fast as a rabbit. the rocket mechanic that is introduced in map05 aka "It's Cold Up Here" is specially fun.
the music is a big highlight. my favorites are the main menu theme, the one from map01, map05 and specially map07 aka "Bread And Bear" (which is a great name for a stage). now,
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EVERY LEVEL IN JUMPWAD RANKED!
#7: Unlimited Ice Cream Factory.
boring song, a more closed interior, not particularly interesting visuals... i admit i skipped through this one.
#6: There's Been a Murder.
i don't understand what the name means. is it a reference to something in specific? i like a few of the ideas, such as using an Archville to jump twice, but the level design is really confusing and not very fun to play. the visuals are also a bit lacking.
#5: Jump City.
well, it is a city To jump alright. my favorite thing about it is that the buildings on the outside are actual buildings and not just a skybox, it looks so cool. other than that, not particularly fun except for a few trickier parts.
4#: Inside Job.
probably the most fun to just jump around? also amazing level design, really cool finding out every path and hidden stuff.
3#: Bread and Bear.
as i said before, amazing music and amazing title. the level slowly unveils itself, seemingly small at first but keeps getting bigger. i don't know what i want more from it but it certainly isn't the best.
2#: Temple of the Jump God.
amazing first impressions. number 4 best song in the game, my favorite visuals in the game alongside number 1 of this list, really gives you enough room to get used to the jumping.
1#: It's Cold Up Here.
i don't know exactly why i love this one so much... maybe because i love snowy levels? i really like the song and that one part where you have to meticulously parkour in these steep ass platforms which are also really high and give you juuuust enough distance to get there... i love it. i could live in that place.
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overall i just wish this wad was more surreal and experimental on the visual side, also maybe use mp3s instead of midis but at the same time i love the midi sounds of the menu theme and bread and bear. i will probably keep replaying this.
jumpwad is really fun and it has everything going for it. once you get used to the controls you can skim through the levels as fast as a rabbit. the rocket mechanic that is introduced in map05 aka "It's Cold Up Here" is specially fun.
the music is a big highlight. my favorites are the main menu theme, the one from map01, map05 and specially map07 aka "Bread And Bear" (which is a great name for a stage). now,
--------------------------------------------------------------
EVERY LEVEL IN JUMPWAD RANKED!
#7: Unlimited Ice Cream Factory.
boring song, a more closed interior, not particularly interesting visuals... i admit i skipped through this one.
#6: There's Been a Murder.
i don't understand what the name means. is it a reference to something in specific? i like a few of the ideas, such as using an Archville to jump twice, but the level design is really confusing and not very fun to play. the visuals are also a bit lacking.
#5: Jump City.
well, it is a city To jump alright. my favorite thing about it is that the buildings on the outside are actual buildings and not just a skybox, it looks so cool. other than that, not particularly fun except for a few trickier parts.
4#: Inside Job.
probably the most fun to just jump around? also amazing level design, really cool finding out every path and hidden stuff.
3#: Bread and Bear.
as i said before, amazing music and amazing title. the level slowly unveils itself, seemingly small at first but keeps getting bigger. i don't know what i want more from it but it certainly isn't the best.
2#: Temple of the Jump God.
amazing first impressions. number 4 best song in the game, my favorite visuals in the game alongside number 1 of this list, really gives you enough room to get used to the jumping.
1#: It's Cold Up Here.
i don't know exactly why i love this one so much... maybe because i love snowy levels? i really like the song and that one part where you have to meticulously parkour in these steep ass platforms which are also really high and give you juuuust enough distance to get there... i love it. i could live in that place.
---------------------------------------------------------
overall i just wish this wad was more surreal and experimental on the visual side, also maybe use mp3s instead of midis but at the same time i love the midi sounds of the menu theme and bread and bear. i will probably keep replaying this.
hell yeah.
or, alternatively:
i've always had an admiration for kusoge. when i was 12 and i played spelunker, something unearthed in me. a realization that, games don't need to have smooth controls to be fun. games don't even need to be fun to be fun. games don't even need to be good to be good.
i don't remember if i was 12 or 13 when i decided that, somehow, hong kong '97 was my favorite game of all time. i had not played it at that point but all of its parts combined formed a very compelling case for it in my head. the mind-numblingly repetitive song, the backgrounds, the politics. it was a bad game that didn't take itself seriously but at the same time did with its political theme that was by no means Metal Gear Solid levels of complex but even so, somewhat noble for the time.
the idea gets across very easily. capitalism vs. socialism. coca cola vs. deng xiaoping and, you, supposedly jackie chan but with a sprite that resembles much more a normal chinese citizen, vs. an army of "ugly fuckin' reds", who much more resemble normal chinese businessmen.
the game leaves a lot up to your interpretation due to its lack of context. just because a point isn't directly told to you, doesn't mean it isn't there, and just because the creators didn't think of it, doesn't mean it can't be real.
the song that plays repeatedly, I Love Beijing Tianamen is the most obvious political jab here. it literally sounds like endoctrination, and it might as well be somewhere. i like the song though! i don't mind its endless repetiton as someone who defends and enjoys reptition in music fiercely. it has a vibe.
gameplay-wise, the only difficult thing is honestly getting insta-killed and booted back to the title screen, which can be easily routed around with save states. but no one really cares about the gameplay in HK97 because sure, that's what makes it a kusoge, but that's not what it makes it HK97.
HK97 is as much of an art game as it is a shitty game. and, maybe there are art games that try to be deep and fail miserably, but the funny thing is that HK97 doesn't really try to be deep but ends up being somehow. and sure, kusoge are a form of art in and of themselves, but this is different. it's not "the art of kusoge", it's "the art kusoge".
or, alternatively:
i've always had an admiration for kusoge. when i was 12 and i played spelunker, something unearthed in me. a realization that, games don't need to have smooth controls to be fun. games don't even need to be fun to be fun. games don't even need to be good to be good.
i don't remember if i was 12 or 13 when i decided that, somehow, hong kong '97 was my favorite game of all time. i had not played it at that point but all of its parts combined formed a very compelling case for it in my head. the mind-numblingly repetitive song, the backgrounds, the politics. it was a bad game that didn't take itself seriously but at the same time did with its political theme that was by no means Metal Gear Solid levels of complex but even so, somewhat noble for the time.
the idea gets across very easily. capitalism vs. socialism. coca cola vs. deng xiaoping and, you, supposedly jackie chan but with a sprite that resembles much more a normal chinese citizen, vs. an army of "ugly fuckin' reds", who much more resemble normal chinese businessmen.
the game leaves a lot up to your interpretation due to its lack of context. just because a point isn't directly told to you, doesn't mean it isn't there, and just because the creators didn't think of it, doesn't mean it can't be real.
the song that plays repeatedly, I Love Beijing Tianamen is the most obvious political jab here. it literally sounds like endoctrination, and it might as well be somewhere. i like the song though! i don't mind its endless repetiton as someone who defends and enjoys reptition in music fiercely. it has a vibe.
gameplay-wise, the only difficult thing is honestly getting insta-killed and booted back to the title screen, which can be easily routed around with save states. but no one really cares about the gameplay in HK97 because sure, that's what makes it a kusoge, but that's not what it makes it HK97.
HK97 is as much of an art game as it is a shitty game. and, maybe there are art games that try to be deep and fail miserably, but the funny thing is that HK97 doesn't really try to be deep but ends up being somehow. and sure, kusoge are a form of art in and of themselves, but this is different. it's not "the art of kusoge", it's "the art kusoge".
dont remember when i read this but was a couple months ago maybe.
hallucinate looks amazing, perfect aesthetic. writing and story not so much. i liked it though. flanca is VERY big with lots of branching paths, i got one, didnt interest me enough to see others.
hallucinate looks amazing, perfect aesthetic. writing and story not so much. i liked it though. flanca is VERY big with lots of branching paths, i got one, didnt interest me enough to see others.