#and like the platforming challenges and stuff don't feel well designed

[wereh0gz]

I'm gonna be honest I'm so tempted to just look up a playthrough or cutscene comp of final horizon and unblock the tags bc I really don't want to keep playing it lmao

[alexanderwales]

My early impression of Factorio: Space Age are extremely positive, though it's much more geared toward veterans than I would have expected. I guess sushi belts aren't entirely mandatory, but I don't know how you would get by without them. They are easier now, but there are other mechanics that take things up a notch.

Mild spoilers follow, but it's not really a spoiler kind of game, and the UI seems very ready to give you all kinds of information about places you haven't been and things you haven't seen.

It's got a ton of content, the game design is overall fantastic on several levels, the music has been great, and in general I'm just a huge fan of it.

I am curious how well it holds up on repeat play, since a lot of doing a blind playthrough is figuring things out, and after you've figured them out, a lot of the gameplay is gone.

One slightly negative note, at least for me, is that the early game felt much too longer when I just wanted to get to space, and I kind of wanted … I don't know, an accelerated start option, not necessarily something like Faster Start, but a few technologies researched and maybe a tiny starter base or something. Setting up a furnace stack by hand is not something that I feel like I really need to do again, but I did it for the first SA playthrough, because I wanted the default expansion experience. I did kind of regret it in the end though.

I made it to deep space science in SE, so that's the point of comparison for me, and this is far far less of a grind, along with far more interesting challenges. The cheap rockets that can't carry a lot really incentivize building up a proper base on each planet, one that can make its own buildings and infrastructure, which is neat, and thankfully on all but Gleba (and Nauvis) you don't really have to set up permanent defenses against enemies, which can be a bit of a pain if you want to get on to the next thing. I set up defenses on Nauvis, and that was a time sink, but with the enemy expansion mechanics it was very very necessary. I think next time, rail world setting might be better, but I don't know how that would change the other worlds.

I think the thing that I admire most about it is that they really worked hard on making sure that each planet was very very distinctly different from the others, that each planet had some kind of new threat that was very different from the others, that each planet had gameplay mechanics that were very different from the others ... and it all works wonderfully, at least so far.

There are a few things that I wish were in the expansion, which aren't (at least as far as I know), and some of those are a matter of creative vision, some are a matter of development time taking forever, and others are just engine limitations. The spaceships are ... I mean, they're fine, but it's very clear that they're using the "surface" class, which is what I would have expected, but still means that there's none of the cool space stuff like docking procedures and ships that split apart and spinning up for artificial gravity. It's another interesting challenge in terms of game mechanics, but it's definitely aesthetically the worst of the new things.

The spaceships do not particularly look like spaceships, an issue which I think could have been partially solved by having new spaceship wall sprites and requiring the spaceship to be enclosed. The rocket engines look incredibly cool when they fire up, but then you look up at the gun turrets just sort of clinging onto this platform, and it seems a bit jank. But it's also the thing you probably spend the least amount of time on overall, since the ships get built a few times and then never looked at again, moving between planets without much intervention once the design works well.

(The space map is also a bit of a disappointment. I wasn't expecting orbital mechanics, but ... actually, I think I would have liked some kind of simulation of it. Launch windows for shortest time between planets would have been cool. Some circuit-readable calculation of how much thrust/time it will take, which rises and falls with the motion of the planets?)

But yes, overall, very positive on the expansion. I think there are a few kinks that aren't quite worked out, but in my opinion they're nothing major, just some features and mechanics that aren't signposted or a few wonky UI elements.

[beevean]

What's your favorite and least favorite stages in sonic adventure 1 and 2?

Ohh, that's a broad question...

Favorite in SA1:

Emerald Coast (Sonic): it's the first level in the game! The very first 3D level in the series! It has to showcase the amazing power of the Dreamcast and the game as a whole, and man does it succeed. This is just a fun level to traverse, I love how you go from the hotel beach to a more natural beach (progression!), but especially how surprisingly tough its limit in the A mission is: this is where you realize just how many shortcuts you can take with well timed Spin Dashes. Beautiful.

Twinkle Park (Sonic & Amy): Twinkle Park for Sonic is just wonderfully designed, not to mention aesthetic on point. I love how platformy it is, which allows you to use your skills to stay on top or even to perform skips! And Amy's version is her best stage lol, it's mercifully short but the creepy section inside the castle is iconic.

Speed Highway: All three characters! This level was the flagship level of the game and it shows. It's funny how absolutely pointless it is in Sonic's story, but who cares, you get to nyoom on the side of a building! Knuckles' version is a good introduction of his gameplay too, and I love the At Dawn section, how different it feels to explore the calm part of the city with Sonic and with Knuckles, one blasting through the streets while the other climbing between them. As for Tails, it is simply genius that for the whole game, he only plays truncated versions of Sonic's levels, but here, as he races against Eggman for the first time by himself, he gets to explore a part of the level Sonic can't access to, designed only for him! It's brilliant!

Red Mountain (Sonic and Knuckles): it's fuuuuuun I don't know how to explain it anymore I just love the level design of SA1, how many secrets and shortcuts it has! It has engaging platform and an amazing second act that has you dodging lava in an erupting volcano! Its theme? Fucking jawdropping. And exploring the same levels but with Knuckles, who gets to uncover even more stuff, makes me love his story even more!

Final Egg (Sonic): Appropriately long and challenging, a blast to zip through once you get familiar with its hazards. Love the slow descent into the core of the base, I'm a sucker for the feeling of progression. Full of goodies for the final boss too! And only Sonic gets to have the most hardcore track in the game lol.

Hot Shelter (Gamma): I was stuck for years on this level as a kid lol. Now I love it precisely for its challenge! Now you get to fear the timer! It only incentivizes you to perform as many chains as possible in this quite tricky level.

Least favorite in SA1:

All Big stages: yeah his gameplay is just not fun. Either you waste time understanding how fishing works (hi 8 yo me who couldn't read the instructions 🙃), or they're over in a matter of seconds. I do like the extra bits only he can visit, but their only purpose is for the extra missions.

Ice Cap (Tails): It's boring. You can't even fly to take shortcut. I'm literally just replaying the snowboarding section a second time. Out of three, because then Tails has his own sandboarding minigame. So uninspired... and it's the beginning of a long middle point in Tails' story that feels like a waste of time...

Sky Deck (Sonic): A very long level, and not particularly fun about it. I always hated the second part where you need to hang from bits to not be blown away by the wind as cannons keep shooting at you.

Hot Shelter (Amy): As Sonic doesn't visit this one level, Amy, the character with the slowest movements and whose gameplay revolves around gimmicks and clumsily avoiding ZERO, has the dubious honor of having to showcase it in its entirety. It says someting that the A mission's time limit is 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

Favorite in SA2:

All Sonic levels (minus Crazy Gadget): Is it cheating? Yes, but I don't care :P Sonic was the guy who got the most love in the game and it shows. I much prefer SA1's level design as a whole, but Sonic's levels (and his alone, Shadow's levels are a bit blander IMO) do a great job at just feeling... cool. You feel cool running from the military, running on their ships, escaping through the jungle! You do cool tricks and find shortcuts! My favorite is Final Rush and the vertigo it conveys <3 (I say "minus Crazy Gadget" because I just don't find it that fun to go through, even before the infamous Tetris room. It feels slower than the other levels, because of its gravity gimmick. I don't hate it, but eh)

Lost Colony: I don't like the mech gameplay at its core, but Eggman's levels (not Tails'...) are elevated by some pristine atmosphere and cool gimmicks. Lost Colony, especially on the Dreamcast, is just... eerie. The darkness that you need to light by shooting at enemies is a memorable setpiece. Underrated melancholic music too - Eggman has perhaps my favorite style in the game, with his darker guitars.

Weapons Bed: BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM 2000 POINTS this level is a stupid blast shooting at unactive robots shouldn't be this cathartic!

Meteor Herd: This level wins my love because you can take rockets to the very top, then drill all the way to the floor. That's the kind of shit that would have driven me insane if I played this game as a kid. More seriously, while it is perhaps the biggest hunting level in the game (or second, depending on how Mad Space fares), I never found myself lost or irritated in navigating it. Just take rockets to the top and then glide all over the place. I think it's well designed in this sense, better than most levels expanding horizontally!

Cosmic Fall: wheeeeee I love low gravity! Eggman getting to fly is just. good. it's a good gimmick! My only problem with this level is that it kinda overstays its welcome, but I don't mind lol.

Least Favorite in SA2:

Iron Gate and Prison Island: putting these together because they are utterly forgettable to me. I don't like the mech gameplay, I think it controls badly, and these levels aren't even saved by a fun gimmick - no, blasting doors is not entertaining. The only difference is that This Way Out is a jam, while Remember Me? is one of the most bland yet grating tracks in the OST 😭

Pumpkin Hill: This level is way too big for nothing. It's just... wide and empty. If it wasn't for the spoopy aesthetic and legendary theme, I'm not sure it would be as well liked as it is.

Eternal Engine: pain. misery even. agony if you will. Between the insufferable Artificial Chaos, the dynamite that if hit opens vacuums into an instant death, and the sheer length of the stage, this level is the opposite of fun. Tails was done so dirty in this game, I don't like any of his stages, but this is just tedious.

Mad Space: when you can barely control your character around the level and the hint system works against you for trolling purposes, you know you have peak level on your hands. Really good idea, excruciating execution.

[squib-fandoms]

The demons took hold of me again

The "demons" being Sally Face... SIGH!! I was OBSESSED with this game in late middle school early high school, and now I'm back baby. Crazy what seeing fanart will do. ANYWAYS!! time to introduce my babeyyyyy

Here are "refs" cause i know these don't exactly count, but eh, i dont like drawing feet/shoes! ANYWAYS!! Slight Sal redesign, I'll probably end up putting him in whatever emo ass fit honestly. Anyways I love cute fashion sooooo obvs had to make my girl cute asf. It's kind of a gap moe moment with her cause my girl has seen the horrors(like literally ANY other of my ocs honestly)

QUICK NOTE ON SAL'S REDESIGN!! The original design is fine, I'm not "fixing" the design or anything, it was simply for fun, I wanted to see him in more emo fashion and thought it fit and looked good! The necklace he's wearing is actually a locket! I can see him having a little picture of all his friends close to his heart(SOBBING ONE SEC) I might also put Sal in gothic and scene outfits eventually as well, I actually thought about giving him scene coontails on the two little front sections!

TRANSCRIPT

Not a super organized outfit, but they don't care, they like their outfit

Emo ass outfits

Prob graphic design tee, I just didn't want to draw it.

Literally will never grow again, wears platforms tho(Note: With platforms on, she's 5'3)

More organized fashion, honestly wears a lot of different styles(Note: usually seen in cute, comfy clothes, but also can wear emo outfits, clowncore, really anything honestly, she likes a lot of different styles!)

Her name is Jellie, not really, but she doesn't really remember her name. The gang picked it out for her(in which they simply asked her what she likes and she said "jellyfish" and they went "okay, Jellie for short" and she's sported the name since) She doesn't live in Addison apartments, but she lives close by enough to walk and occasionally would sleep in Larry's treehouse when she got kicked out(which eventually they offer her a place to stay when that happens)

She's known of Sal since the first day of school for him after moving, and the rest of the cast(Larry, Todd, Ashley, and Travis(and some other Sally Face oc's of mine that are still in the works)) for even longer, however she never had the courage to really talk to them. She doesn't know how to make friends or talk to people and instantly assumes that she'll just be a burden and annoy them and that they'll all hate her. She's also a stickler for rules and is horrified of being late or doing anything to get in trouble, she states that "she'll never get to college and that the teachers will tell her to kill herself" if she's late for even a minute. She's usually pretty stoic or straight up freaking out and muttering self deprecating thoughts.

TW: SELF HARM SCARS!! (not realistic)GORE!!

HERES SOME EXTRA INFO ABOUT JELLIE!!(based off of the doodles)

She cuts, a LOT!! She literally hates herself so much and does a lot of harmful things to her body. She just goes in when she cuts, she doesn't think about placement or how deep she goes, as long as she bleeds and feels pain(please don't cut and get help in you can if you struggle with suicidal thoughts)

She really REALLY like horror and doesn't react much when she watches scary stuff. Not that it existed at the time, but she could handle those 50/50 challenges EASILY!! Girl watches a lot of true crime and goes digging for shit, she straight up just looks up images of dead people(she realizes how fucked up this is in the future)

Literally awful at smiling, you can TELL she has not smiled in a bit. She could be genuinely happy and still would not be able to smile normally. It also hurts her because she doesn't use her face muscles often(hardly spoke for years, only eats dinner, doesn't smile) It is something that gets better in the future, but the cries whenever she laughs!

The way she stares at people creeps them out, she's often bullied for it(amongst a shit ton of other things) She does NOT realize she does this or that it's creepy, she continues to do this even in the future LOL!! Also she's not mad, this is just how she stares at people

If she gets forced to live another life, she wants to be reborn as a Jellyfish. She really, REALLY loves the ocean and aquatic animals!

She has hallucinations and visions(like how Sal has visions) however, she cannot tell the difference between the two. It's easy to tell from an outside perspective when she has visions though because she gets nosebleeds every time and occasionally passes out(the passing out gets worse the older she gets and the more frequent the visions become) She refuses to tell her friends though because she's so happy she finally has friends and is worried that they will be weirded out by them

Finally! Just some art i did of 16 year old Sal and Jellie, it took forever and my hand and wrist are sore(i've just been drawing and writing nonstop for the past week anyways so oh well LOL, the carpal tunnel bouta go CRAZY! Cant wait to get another ganglion cyst) but it was worth it, they are worth it. Anyways! The scenario was that Jellie was hiding from her bullies(idk some random ass background ocs i made for SF) however Sal wasn't expecting Jellie to hide behind him, much less wrap her arms around him. Erm ^^ they cute or whatever

[syrupspinner]

i just completed bomb rush cyberfunk

the sound that plays when you clear a textbox is the spongebob footstep sound and youll never unhear that now

i love the fuck out of this game. the vibes are literally, not figuratively, everything i couldve ever wanted from a jet set radio successor. a lot of people get caught up in naganuma's music, but jsr had way more variety. the original had rob fucking zombie and future had that yoko ono song about cake or whatever. i feel like they did a excellent job keeping a cohesive vibe while still including a wider variety of songs. characterizing the gangs through their mixtapes is such a fun idea and it was done so well

the gameplay is perfect too, like every little bit is fine-tuned to be exactly what it should be. walking feels like walking and skateboarding feels like skateboarding, the way you turn feels noticeably different but in a lateral way that the game is built to accommodate

level design is phenomenal. built from the ground-up for your combo game without feeling like its forcing you onto a single route. manuals were the perfect addition so you dont feel trapped in what the game provides, and lets you get creative with a levels ingredients.

I dig the dream levels and how they twist the formula. levels are normally pretty open arenas, but these are just linear platforming challenges. it's really cool to see what these physics and moves let you do in a different environment. they're super fun for the plot too, I love the bit where red is like "I can't keep the ladder steady, I'm up here with you". no spoilers but I think it ties in super well to the backstory of the character and shines a light on their thought process - you can't get support from someone if they're on the same level as you because they're too worried about keeping themselves steady.

i love how they did achievements for this game. the only story-related achievement is for beating the final boss, and its totally possible for that to be the first one you unlock. it feels good when youve actually gotta work for the achievements, and it adds so much to the endgame. i had so much fun experimenting with the best place to do the longest manual, going back through all the stages for the pictures of the penguin guy, and just playing around for... the, uh... oh christ those are some high scores. welp, problem for the post game.

not to mention all the collectables you can get! this is the perfect amount of side content, i always get excited when i see a pickup in the distance but i never felt bogged down by the need to collect everything. and slowing down to examine the level and look around for everything is a great way to shake up how you usually play the game without feeling like youre doing something that isnt accounted for design-wise.

also, fucking thank you for the maps, and smart move that you can only get em after the main story beat in that spot. it's a shame they don't show the collectables too, cuz finding the last 2-3 is a total pain without a guide, but I'm just glad there's some mercy in finding the graffiti spots. that one in mataan is a bastard, you know the one

the game's pretty easy, i dont think there was ever a point where i lost and had to retry something, with oooooone exception. the cops are all pretty annoying, especially the turret, but not in a way that makes the game unplayable if you have heat. there are certain platforming sections that gave me trouble, like that one on top of the signpost in varsum hill, and... probably another one im forgetting. its hard to hold on to stuff i struggle with, because its just so fun to do fucking anything in this game. moving back into position and trying a jump again is just part of it, yknow?

but that exception, damn. theres one boss fight that fucked me up. it was the first time i actually died in this game. and the second, third, fifth. heres a hint: youve gotta deflect the projectiles. dont worry, you didnt miss anything, you cant reflect any other projectiles (i dont think there even are any) so there isnt some tutorial you missed. it may seem like youre supposed to get close to the machine and spray it like every other fight in the game and youre just struggling with the hitbox or something, but no youre doing the wrong thing. it may also also seem like the reflected projectiles are designed to miss because they keep just barely avoiding his head, but there youre just doing the right thing the wrong way and need to aim better. not with your camera, but by changing the angle of your player character. it may also also also seem like youre meant to use the deflected projectiles as a chance to stun him and close the gap between the two of you, because since he jumps across the map whenever you get near him, there is going to be a gap. this is also one of team reptile's clever tricks, as the stun is so short you need to dodge the projectiles to get in close (but not too close!) and only then start to reflect them. wow, this is inexplicably misleading for a game thats been really tightly designed until now. you think since i get texts all the time like "dont forget to earn points by doing tricks!" someone could communicate the brand new mechanic to me at some point

another thing with this game and communicating mechanics, nobody explains the secret things that all the different ride styles can do, so thisll be your spinny tip of the day: skateboards can balance on fire hydrants and do a trick to unscrew them and ride them up; bikes can stand in front of those garage doors with bike symbols to open them; and if you manual with the skates you can break glass. yeah i only figured out the bike one on my own. i get this is going for that good ol days vibe where there was just cool hidden shit the game doesnt tell you about, and too its credit you only need to know these if you want 100%, but i found them pretty unintuitive. like, i had my board out and fucked around with a hydrant at one point, and i didnt stumble on the secret, just because theres nothing that flags to me to consider jumping on it. this is obtuse, but not as mood-ruining as the boss fight.

also, this isnt really a complaint, i think im just confused. there are tons of spots that are designed like hidden loading screens? theyre usually transitions between parts of the map, like between the entrance and the wide-open parts of the mall. im not sure why though, because it seems like the game doesnt need them? like theres one in pyramid island separating the lower and upper parts, but... you can fall from the higher part to the lower part without a stutter. theyre both clearly loaded all times youre in the area, and the game isnt shy about loading the levels when you move from one spot to the other. is it just to stop combos from going too long? that seems strange in a game thats like, about combos. again its not a big deal at all i just dont really get it?

oh, i should talk about the plot. no spoilers, but im super into stories about the psychology of the characters, shit like repressed memories and identity. if you didn't know, I'm actually working to become a counselling psychologist, so it's really cool to see how games tackle really mental-based narratives. it's like being a plumber and appreciating the manhole design. the central theme is roots, as in where you come from and how it effects you, and they did a pretty cool job exploring how that would be handled in a sci-fi setting.

the story does a great job of having a protagonist thats important but doesnt feel shoved into the world. a lot of stories have to establish a status quo and then introduce how the protagonist is fucking with it. here, the status quo is already shaken up cuz the streets used to be between the big three, but now theres only one left. the protagonist is born from this distruption and has to work backwards to try and get out of it, all while still embracing the world around him. it really helps players get acclimated without making it feel like a hand-holding isekai

and of course you know im gonna dig the anti-cop through line. i like how there are focal characters within the force to show that while its corrupt on a systemic level, there are still individuals inside that system that arent immoral. and once they conflict with the corruption, their choices are to abandon their morals and assimilate (which is why one of those characters disappear from the narrative, they were faced with the realization but discarded it to become assimilated into the general mass of the police) or to abandon their position and fight against the corruption (the other character doing so to help our heroes survive the oppressive force).

oh, and i also dig how they specifically draw attention to how police think. the chief states that he sees all crime as bad because of the slippery slope fallacy, saying that citizens witnessing that the laws dont matter would encourage more reprehensible criminal activity like homicide or piracy. i can see how someone raised in a system that values order and obedience could develop such a black-and-white thought process, and we see how its propagated through the whole police. i also love how, even without saying it out loud, theres a point to be made about how the police are so overfunded that theyre running out of shit to justify it. yeah sic the swat team on those teenagers, who gives a fuck if youre just treated like an inevitability of society and have more money than god. theyre also so everpresent that theres little pods where i think the fuckers just wait until their inescapable silencer system picks up the slightest hint of disobedience. saying the quiet part quietly, but still saying it.

uhh what else. i also appreciate that we see what a cyberhead looks like before we learn why red is exceptional. thats just good plothole-covering, cuz if that didnt happen, i totally wouldve been like "wait are they all like that?". im trying to be vague but its the thing in the mall chapter

alright lets talk about what youre here for: what it was like to 100% this thing. my process was this: normal casual playthrough of the story, getting pickups i saw along the way and making a point to seek out all the optional characters. the second thing is to go back and tag all the graffiti spots, which you should get out of the way so you dont have to worry about the police later and so you have the rep to unlock all the oldhead-gates. after that, go back through the boroughs a third time and pick up all the pickups i missed. you should use a guide for this, those fuckers are really well hidden. by all means look around first, like i said earlier its fun to take it slow, but it devolves into "where the fuck is the last thing" pretty quickly. if its not fun, why bother, yknow? turn it from a scavenger hunt to geocaching. the fourth step is doing the other gangs' score attack challenges to unlock them as playable. I thought it'd be super hard, but theyre tough but doable if you keep a single combo through the whole thing and do the boost trick. the only thing is if you drop your combo, you gotta march your ass back to the challenger to restart, or get your phone out and wait the timer out, there's no quick restart. it's not THAT big of a deal, but I shouldn't be taking my phone out in the middle of your video game, just saying

then there's the high-score steam achievements. this is bar none the hardest part of the game. unlocking futurism in mataan just takes 5mil points, which you can do in a few minutes. the achievement asks for 16mil, more than triple that. you have unlimited time, that's still a pretty bad leap. the best way to get your score up is to up your multiplier with unique billboards and rail corners, but that only works once per combo. even if you exhaust most of a stage, you're still gonna be pretty short, with the multiplier only getting you to a couple mil. so, what do you do when you have no time limit? find a rail that loops, rubber band your joystick to the side, and go to bed.

...that's what I thought at least. I tried this in mataan and I bottomed out at about 6mil after going grocery shopping. and I gotta walk a kilometer and a half to the store and back, so it was like... a little over an hour. that doesnt sound that impressive but still i didnt wanna just wait. I feel too self-conscious about running up a power bill I split with my roommate to do it overnight, so let's try plan b and just... do it. and yeah, its still the hardest part of the game, but... its still very doable. i dropped my combo like two or three times, but i ended up with 20 million before i even realized it when i went for varsum hill, which is wayyy overshooting. the only problem area was pyramid island, and thats just because i had to march my ass back to the top when i dropped my combo. i totally overblew how much of a pain these would be

i think thats it! with a single 15-minute-or-however-long-that-fight-took exception, and disregarding the post-game optional character missions having no quick restarts, this game is fantastic from beginning to end. i know it sounds like that fight was a huge detraction, and yeah ive got problems with it, but a single blemish cant ruin a whole game. i can see myself loading this up and just fucking around with it even after ive perfected it, which is a HIGH complement from me. its got that same sauce as all the games i played as a kid, where it feels like if you only got one game per year, you could play the fuck out of until that whole time without getting bored. you know the kind of games im talking about, those jrpgs and zelda-like adventure games where it just feels like the game doesnt want you to leave. like yeah there are games where its fun to replay the campaign over and over, and this feels like one of those too dont get me wrong, but it just feels like its giving you so much to play around with, to explore and unlock and even just to fuck around and exist in the world. sure, as an adult it feels kinda nice when a game is short, cuz you know you wont have to be married to it for a year while you balance real-life shit in between the video games, but thats why it being optional is so thoughtful. also 30 hours is a totally healthy length for a game to be completed in

i guess what im saying is that bomb rush cyberfunk knows exactly what its doing. this feels like how a game from the era its paying homage to should feel, how it would be designed with the sensibilities of the time, but without subtracting from what i appreciate about modern titles. if you told me this was a remaster of an OG xbox game that added shit like autosaving, id totally buy it if i didnt know better.

im worried im underselling how much i love this game, so i guess ill just say that i love jet set radio. jsr classic has some of the best vibes in the medium, and future is straight up my favorite retro game of all time. and brc eclipses both of them combined. i would like to apologize to anyone who has any interest in working towards xbox emulation. i fear that interest in the field will somehow decrease even further now that the only xbox game worth emulating that hasnt just been ported to pc has been totally outclassed. good luck trying to top this, sega

[azzydoesstuff]

ultrakill update review!!!!

SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD

IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE UPDATE YET FUCKIN' DO THAT NOW

okey now for the review:

7-1: GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS

i mean, it was fine. pretty good i guess. the atmosphere was wonderful, sure, but on my first try i spent 90% of the time tryna figure out what i was meant to do. i mean, i get that its SUPPOSED to be like a maze, but when actually gets you lost it kinda goes from "cool and lore accurate" to "lore accuracy at the cost of mild inconvenience". the second half of the level w/ the minotaur was sick, though. i will admit, i DID rage the first time i fought the minotaur cause its kinda not obvious what you're supposed to do to hit him (that stomach hitbox is the size of a fuckin hair) but after you get the hang of it, its a neat fight. i do feel like the railroad situation was kinda wasted by only bringing in 2 trams with enemies and then starting the bossfight with the third one. it woulda been cool to see many trams come and go with enemies on 'em, but oh well. also, jumpscare warning, thanks. very funny hakita. cool joke cool prank there. you got me with that one

7-2: LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

good level. i loved that war aesthetic and shit. the subway station area was a bit mid, and the hook platforming was kinda boring, but not that big of a deal. it introduced my favorite enemy of the update, which is a plus. *cough cough* guess which enemy i'm talking about *cough cough* gutterman *cough*. the challenge was actually pretty creative. wasn't easy to figure out, but also didn't take me like an hour. the archive area where you had to take the correct path was cool, the area just looked cool in general.

7-3: NO SOUND, NO MEMORY

imo: best level aesthetically, kinda mid gameplay-wise. i will admit i may or may not have shat pant when scary flashlight intro. in general, the level layout is spirally at best and messy and confusing at worst, but it's made up for with the amazing cherry blossom trees scenery. the blood tree thing mechanic was actually a really cool idea (also the trees are pretty) but i feel it was executed kinda badly. the whole blood monsters thing just feels weird. i think it'd have been better if it was just normal enemies whose blood fed the tree. the final area was really cool though, nice to see the dual wield powerup back in action. the whole infighting mechanic was also neat, with the way it gets wat harder if you mark yourself for death and disable it.

7-4: ...LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN

this level is just... mwah! climbing up a colossal machine was awesome, the idol shield area was cool with the time limit and stuff, the escape sequence at the end was awesome (i love escaping from crumbling/soon-to-detonate buildings in games). everything about this level was absolute perfection... except for the bossfight itself. both of the bossfights, actually. look, the defense system had a cramped arena with lackluster attacks and the whole fight was generally really boring and stupid. did not have fun at all. just move around in a circle to dodge the laser while you attack the turrets, ooooooohhhh thrilling... and don't even get me started on the core fight. absolutely idiotic. i hated it. the spinning laser walls felt awkward and the idol shields were infuriating. it sucks so bad that one of the laser walls is at an awkward height that requires you to dash mid-air to move at its level. the whole level was great but the bossfight ruins it for me, really.

ENEMY REVIEWS

MANNEQUIN:

honestly, not a big fan. the design and lore are good, but the attacks are just... annoying. its like a fly that pisses you off from afar. just buzzing around, making itself your problem. they really felt the need to give them prime boss-style combo melees and mindflayer's horrid homing projectiles, huh?

GUTTERMAN:

easily my favorite enemy of the update. i love it when enemies are easy to parry/style on. so satisfying and dopamine-inducing. when i saw the teaser i thought their machine gunning would be annoying, but surprisingly they're only really a virtue-level threat if you ignore them for too long and that's about it. very nice enemy

GUTTERTANK:

easily my LEAST favorite enemy of the update. super inconsistent, fast moving makes it hard to follow, random explosions everywhere with me having no idea where they're coming form, AND you can't even get close to them to heal because they just fly-swat you right away with an unparryable smack. the terminal says to bait out the attack, but the cooldown is so small that they can just do it twice. better off just dash-boosting through the hit to ignore it.

MINOTAUR:

hated at first, but now grew fond of it once i've mastered its patterns. it was like fighting the ferryman all over again, really. i felt cheated and as though it was unfair at first, but once you get the hang of him he's really not that difficult to deal with. also, really sad lore. sorry minotaur.

EARTHMOVER:

i mean what's there to say about it. i already talked about the fight in the 7-4 section what's there even to say here. cool design, i guess?? nice lore entry...?

BIG JOHNINATOR:

big johninator

NEW FEATURE REVIEWS

sharpening of some pixelated textures:

they made the projectile and maurice charging laser sprites less pixel-ey. i'm not too happy with this change, actually. i thought it looked fine, now it just looks... weird.

charged freezeframe rockets:

if you hold a rocket frozen for a second, it'll turn blue and "supercharged", causing its explosion to be WAYYY bigger when shot. this allows for INSANE new nuke tech, it's unbelievable. compare the size of the previous biggest possible explosion (shotgun core + malicious railcannon) and the one you get now with charged rocket + malicious railcannon, it's unreal. literally the size of the cybergrind arena. this changes EVERYTHING. i'm like 90% sure this massive explosion size is unintentional and is getting nerfed within a week.

dying mindflayer knuckleblasting:

when a midflayer is doing its death animation, you can punch it with the knuckleblaster to make it go flying and firing its laser everywhere and exploding after a bit. it's actually fucking hilarious but has zero use in-game because of how situational and difficult to pull off it is.

[aquilamage]

Rain world is really good but the difficulty is defo one of my biggest gripes. Like, it sets out to be a hard game, and it is, but there are straight up some areas you may fall into that are so hard to get out of people suggest just restarting! Which feels weird and bad, to me at least. The wall jumping also drives me crazy, I feel like I can only sometimes get the rhythm right for it. I’ve found tho that if possible, putting a stick in the wall as a kind of ‘check point’ helps (you may already be doing that tho haha)

I am all for a game being designed to challenge the player in whatever ways because you can genuinely get some cool things out of it, and it's fine if that's considered the 'default' mode. But there's two caveats to that.

There's a difference between well-balanced and reasonable difficult and stuff that's hard either just for its own sake without thinking about whether it's enjoyable to play/overcome or hard because it's not designed as well as it could be. I'm by no means an expert on game design but having parts of the game where the common advice is just "yeah if you end up here just restart the game" that's not like. a glitch. Doesn't seem the greatest to me.

People have said this way more eloquently than me but even if the intended experience is for the game to be difficult, even extremely so, putting in features you can select that make the game literally as easy as possible should just be the default because that just means there are now more people who can or will play the game and it doesn't actually take anything away from people who want to play it with the highest difficulty.

Literally I think my game experience would be so much improved if there was just an option for more forgiving wall-jumps or even just a plain wall-climbing option. (I don't have that much platformer game experience overall but like. I've done all of Hollow Knight's platforming challenges except the White Palace and I'm almost done with chapter 7 of Celeste and iirc those are at least considered somewhat challenging as platformers. So I think I'm allowed a little bit of saying this is related to how this game's mechanic works). And if there were other options to make things easier I might take those too and that's fine! Because otherwise you have me sitting here contemplating whether I can keep playing a game I genuinely like because of it just being too much stress on me to be healthy probably! And y'know, maybe not fun enough to be worth it, I don't know yet.

It's like how about halfway through playing Subnautica I got too frustrated with being attacked and just put in the cheat code that let me not be attacked by the monsters. Even turned off oxygen a couple times when watching that made me too claustrophobic and it was great because then I just got to concentrate on playing the game and enjoying it; and it didn't feel like a lesser experience.

And yeah depending on how popular the game is overall and how many people might feel the same there may be a mod for this kind of stuff out there. But! As I said I have the switch version and I shouldn't have to buy the game again and play on a platform that doesn't work as well for me (or at all depending on how much it demands of a computer) just to get a version that's more accessible!

All that aside I do still think it's a neat game with some great design aspects to its gameplay. Wouldn't be talking about this so much if not or contemplating other options to experience it; I would've probably just dropped it.

(Oh yeah I definitely have been doing the spears-in-the-wall to facilitate climbing. All the time, including some spots where I made a ladder of several because searching for more spears was easier than doing the climbing. Super appreciate the tip though because if I hadn't that would've been SO useful to know)

[miloscat]

[Review] Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (3DS)

This puck has legs after all.

After Inti Creates phoned it in for the first 3DS companion game, Monkey Bar Games handled all versions of the sequel themselves. The result is a 3DS port with (I think) feature parity on the console version, albeit with graphical compromises and fewer enemies populating the levels. PMatGA2 is a pretty simple 3D platformer from a fixed perspective, with the occasional rail shooter/vehicle section/2D zone to mix things up, but the key difference from the first game on 3DS is that this actually feels good to play.

Pac is quick on his feet, has a double jump, and can chomp ghosts in rapid succession, so the action feels snappy. The transformations can slow things down at times but no one section really lasts long enough that it drags. This time, Pac's forms are given to you when necessary and he can only use one at a time, so levels are more often built around their abilities. You're usually jumping between platforming setpieces and mini-combat arenas where a bunch of ghosts spawn in, although these can often just be skipped if you would rather keep moving.

The forms include the returning fire (now with a cool gliding ability), ice, magnet, and chameleon, as well as the more limited rock ball, now joined by the rubber ball form. Also advertised are Pac-Zilla and Pac Kong but these are only used contextually for brief boss fights. The Pac-Zilla fight feels like the stilted Giant Battles in certain Mario & Luigi games, whereas the Kong one is a more engaging beat-down with a T-Rex. Some levels have you do a decent if basic rail shooter sequence, which is where Pac's off-the-rack friends get to have a playable appearance.

The gameplay doesn't change too much from world to world—from the city to an Atlantis take to space to prehistory to the underworld—but each one at least looks distinctive. The story has a little more focus than the perfunctory plot in Inti's effort; there's voice acting here along with interstitial cutscenes. From what I can tell there's a lot of rehashing stuff from the show, but the turncoat ghosts, who I consider to be the most interesting characters, don't have much of a role, sadly. I did learn from in-game bios that Pinky and Cyli, basically the only two female characters in the main cast, have a jealousy subplot over Pac's affections. So that sucks! Makes me all the more glad that the show was cancelled and this new standard for the Pac-Man series has been left in the dust.

I don't have too much more to say on this one. It's never very challenging which is just fine; in fact the game extravagantly throws extra lives at you, such that I was at the max of 99 in world 2 and never dipped below 95. It's just an easy, breezy 3D platformer which is a nice thing to have on a portable in particular. I would like to take this opportunity to have one final dig at the design of Pac himself, which is just so ugly, especially when he makes any kind of facial expression that's not the classic "wide open eyes and mouth". Rest in pieces, Ghostly Adventures.

[lostplay]

Game 18: Kitsune Tails Feb2025 It's a bit odd to say this game's main flaw is having to play it again with a new character because, like, it's really not that bad in hindsight. With that being said Kitsune Tails is a delightful blast from the past with a sapphic twist as it plays very akin to the popular Super Mario Bros 3 platformer while having it's own proper identity to boot! And when I say akin, I mean this game feels like a downright tribute band without the stigma of being one. The ascetics, power ups, levels, overworld, and even mini games give it such a nudge at being like the old school platformer while never directly copying it. In a lot of ways it both falls short from the greatness of the game it's mimicking and improves the formula to give it more of a mixed goodie bag.

All in all tho, I'm genuinely shocked how well this game feels both as a platformer, and like a psuedo dream hack featuring the main Mega Man X series protag, Zero. Like I don't like making mentions of other games too much in reviews, but one of the characters you end up playing as genuinely feels like they wanted to put Zero in Super Mario Bros 3. And like, Zero is the type of character that does these cool techs with their sword slashing up and down and basically using the air as their own play thing. So when you bring a Zero like character to a platformer, you can do a lot of cool stuff really really fast that you can't do normally with Yuzu. And like this isn't a knock on Yuzu's gameplay here. That's the character you start out with, and honestly has her own share of quality characterization and gameplay attached to her. I really like Yuzu, she's plucky, sweet, and has a lot of cute costumes and power ups. This also kinda means that while Yuzu may struggle on some stages, she's great in other ones, and vice versa for our Zero like character we pick up later. Really the only trouble here is that the game basically forces you to play the same levels over again, and while I certainly like the interactions being different, it still feels like the game is padding itself over simply just ending the game with one playthrough. If it gave a few different worlds or at least a few different levels I don't think the criticism would be as warranted though.

With that in mind, I got to say the level design and overall aesthetic of this game are fantastic. It also noticeably follows the Kabuki act structure along with making Yokai the proper baddies through out your playthrough. Just familiar enough monsters to feel pleasing to the eye yet distinguished enough to give this game a boost in it's personality. On top of that all the overworld map design just looks absolutely neat, and honestly better than the standard fair you see in the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3. While the level design is just so cool because it matches the difficulty of SMB3 while still being modernized enough to not be as mean as it. Like I can't express enough just how much easier this game feels while still being challenging in a way I like. Plus each level is built with both characters you play as in mind, and they each have their own way to handle the levels and experience them far differently.

Overall Kitsune Tails is a game with a fun story and charming characters the likes of indie platformers haven't really seen before. It's not a carbon copy of anything you played before either, and yet it still feels familiar to boot. Mixed that together with some good voice acting, great ascetics, and fitting music and you really get a delightful experience. The only problem is the second act having far too much sameness to it while still providing enough difference to not feel like a complete loss either. If only this game had a few more worlds for it's second character, but as it is, it still does quite well on it's own. A great game with lots of charm and slight repetitiveness.

[stardust-sundae]

Emily Plays Sonic #2 - Sonic Adventure!

Masterpost

Eeeee, this is a game I didn't really know anything about going in, but I was super excited and ended up absolutely loving it!

It definitely shows its age, but it's got so much charm and it's an absolute blast to play, it's one of my favorites in the series!

Stuff I Love

This game has soooo much of what I'd want in my dream Sonic game! I love getting to run around in a big city map that the story centers around, talking to all the different people in Station Square between levels was so fun for me! Having an open hub world to run around in is something I really love in Sonic games, and not enough of them do it!!!

The soundtrack was fantastic, Welcome to Station Square was an instant fav that I think set the game's entire feel for me, and there's so many other songs that instantly burned themselves into my brain for all eternity

Just something about the game feels so Sonic to me. Going on a big high-energy adventure, but having so much time to just, chill and relax, talk to people, the sun is shining and the water's so blue, yknow? It's so perfectly in-line with Sonic's character and the stuff I love about the series in general, aaaaaa I love this game so much

Gameplay

The game is very rough around the edges and occasionally frustrating, but for the most part I didn't actually have a ton of issues! I was pretty dang impressed with Sonic's "rough transition into 3D" haha

Most of the time, I was just rolling through the levels, having a blast while listening to great music and playing some pretty fun platforming!

It did vary a little depending on the character (which I'll get into), but in general the game usually never felt painful or unfair

All-in-all, had an amazing time, can't wait to play it all over again!

The Characters

I've realized that what makes like 80% of my Sonic game experience is the characters! Having all of Sonic's different friends running around with their own stories, getting to interact with each other and show off their personalities does sooooo much to make me fall in love with a game

So, this game having 6 different character stories to play through is obviously right up my alley ^^

I have different thoughts about each character, so let's go into all of them!

Sonic

Sonic was very fun! He's definitely the most polished of the characters, which makes sense, and his levels are super fun to play once you get the feel of the game down

His story is fun, just a simple "find the chaos emeralds and stop Eggman" plot, but that's not really a bad thing!

I'll also count Super Sonic here since he only gets one little bit, his story makes a pretty cool ending for the game and kicks off the "Super Sonic fights kaiju in awesome final battle" formula for the series (even though they trip themselves up by having the cool main vocal theme play in the first phase and having the battle end with generic scary boss music, but thankfully they learned from that by SA2) I love Sonic's whole "No! Sealing Chaos away again won't stop this from happening again! I'm going to beat him up until he starts being good!" thing, that's so good

Tails

Tails is funny because he's basically just Sonic but you can skip straight to the end of every level He's still fun though! I liked it when they tailored levels more for his flight, like his last level in particular is mostly designed for flying platforming, and the race against Eggman makes it a fun challenge!

Also I liked how Sonic is constantly talking up Tails in their levels, throughout the whole thing he'll be going "Way to go, Tails! :D" and it's really cute <3

Knuckles

Okay Knuckles was actually my least favorite, I like Knuckles fine but I never really get super excited about him, so going in I already wasn't gonna be very invested His levels are sorta eh, I'm not big into the treasure hunting, and really I just don't think he's inserted into the story very well! He's mostly off doing his own thing the whole time, and it even ends with him commenting on being separate from everything and not knowing what was really going on the whole time I think that having a sort of disconnected outsider perspective is a fun idea, but they already have a character like that in the game! Big!!

Knuckles kinda just felt like he was there out of obligation, I didn't really get into him or his story at all XP

Amy

YOU CAN PLAY AS AMY.

OBVIOUSLY I was gonna be super excited about this since she's my favorite character, so boy did I have a good time!

I like how Amy really gets to do her own thing for the most part in this game, which, I know I just criticized Knuckles for kinda doing that too, but for Amy it works really well! And it's an actual story, not just going around collecting emerald shards!! Amy gets to have a fun plot, protecting her new bird buddy, meeting Gamma, going off on her own little adventure, and she really really shines in this game! I didn't like Knuckles's story because it just felt really basic and bland, and didn't do much with his character. Like, Knuckles is an interesting guy, but they don't put him in a story where he gets to show that off or develop in an interesting way. With Amy though, I think they really did a lot with her! She goes from just being a minor character in the classic games, who's kinda just Sonic's cute fangirl, to getting to go her own way and have her own goals. She gets an arc, she develops, it's great!!!

Gameplay-wise I think people tend to not really like her levels because of how she plays, but I think she's actually pretty fun once you get a handle of how to use her well! You can get her going pretty fast if you use her hammer jump right, and getting that down made doing her A-levels really fun

Big

Okay so controversial opinion, Big's, like, really great? Idk, I just love this big silly guy and his best frog friend <3 I'd heard about his levels being awful but honestly, you just need to catch Froggy? If you just read the instructions when you start his story, I don't think you should have a very hard time with it. You could probably finish his whole story in like 45 minutes, and most of that'll just be walking between each level (which granted is a little painful but XP)

Now that being said, the very first thing I did after finishing the game was to start working on his B and A levels, and THIS is where his gameplay ACTUALLY becomes a nightmare. The instructions will help you catch Froggy no sweat, but when going for 1000 or 2000kg fish, that's when you need to understand the arcane secret nuances of Sonic Adventure's fishing mechanics. I spent 20 minutes trying to catch a single fish at one point. 20 minutes of mashing my keyboard. AND THEN IT JUST DISAPPEARED. I think it just got too far away, because that 20 minutes of mashing did not involve it getting any closer to me at any point in time. Ughhhhh

Eventually I managed to find a random guide online that had the right trick, and after that finishing all his A-levels was pretty quick and easy. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was. I am so, so sorry.

Still, that's just bonus completion content, aside from that I found Big's story just a charming and chill bit of downtime among the action of the other stories, and I am 100% endeared to Big <3

Gamma

Holy moly, this was my first taste of genuinely emotional drama in a Sonic game, and it did not disappoint

Gamma's gameplay is fun enough, it doesn't take too long to just blast through everything in your way and roll to the finish, but the real event is obviously his story

It hurtssssss

The whole discovery of Beta, his moment with Amy, godd the ending...

Those last silent moments of Gamma just staggering away, before he falls down and explodes...

And the little bird flies away to rejoin its family...

Nnnnnnnggg........

Last Stuff

So yeah, Sonic Adventure was an absolutely amazing time! I actually had such a good time with it that rather than immediately move on to SA2 (which I was really excited to get to), I stayed with it to try and 100% it!

I got all the A-Levels on every character, found all the emblems in the map, played the bonus games, and even did all the missions which you don't get anything for Unfortunately I couldn't actually 100% it, because to do that you need to earn all 130 emblems to unlock Metal Sonic, and then do all his levels (which I think are just repeats of Sonic's) And I can't do that because the last emblems I need are all the Chao garden ones I really loved the Chao garden, it's such a cute thing and plays into the vibes that I love about the game But goddddd levelling up your Chao and winning all the races takes absolutely forever, I can't believe they lock the last emblems behind it!!! I'll get to it eventually, but man it'll take so long... and I'll have to do it again in Sonic Adventure 2...

Oh well, one day...

[veebs-hates-video-games]

I've been slacking on posting when I finish/give up on stuff again, so you get to drink from the firehose.

Everything is going to be OK: On the surface it's cute and silly in a kind of cartoony edgy way, but actually it's all about coping with adversity through absurdity (and poetry), whether that's depression or trauma or misogyny or the devaluing of artists or any number of other things. I haven't managed to do everything in it yet because it does not play nice with the Steam Deck and my desktop has no sound for a couple more days, but what I've managed to get through without it breaking is good.

KarmaZoo: I love the idea of a multiplayer game that actively uses game design to incentivize and require cooperating with other players and being nice to them. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anyone playing it anymore when I've tried.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: Most of my time with it was actually closer to when it came out, but this is when I've officially decided I'm done with it. I get along with it a lot better than BotW/TotK, but I still don't like the core design principles of the current phase of the Zelda series. Like I get why other people do, but they're just not doing much for me. I hardly ever feel like I came up with a clever solution to a puzzle, just threw random kludged together crap at it and it worked anyway, so it's not very satisfying. The handful of more challenging/interesting puzzles have been totally optional stuff like a few of the heart pieces. I think I'm done with Zelda until they get this out of their system and try something else in another 5-10 years, which is a shame because I've been playing and mostly enjoying them since the first one was the only one.

Be My Horde: Or what of it is currently finished anyway. Another bullet heaven game, this time with a dommy mommy necromancer. I like how it plays a bit differently from the typical stuff in the genre because of how everything is built around resurrecting the enemies you kill and ways to modify that ability, but how well it works in the end will depend on how much more they add to the base that's there now and if that manages to create some more interesting interactions and viable ways to build.

Pesticide Not Required: Also bullet Heaven, but this time it's...a hybrid with a farming sim? Also you're a frog. Sure, why not? Very silly idea that actually somehow works, fighting off bugs while growing crops, mining ore, and catching fish. Different builds ultimately don't feel very different (aside from focusing more/less on farming/mining/fishing), and a lot of weapon combinations ultimately end up playing exactly the same. Also for such a cute and lighthearted games the different frogs' abilities feel designed less in a "here's an interesting puzzle for you to solve" way like Halls of Torment's unlocks and more "screw the player and I hope you enjoy having stat nerfs that make the game feel bad to play". I say all that, but I still think it's mostly reasonably fun overall.

Golf Club Nostalgia (or Golf Club Wasteland, depending on where you look): Surprisingly more interesting than I expected. Post-apocalyptic golf (which I'm glad I played on "you can't lose" story mode, because I suck too much at it to even attempt getting par on some of those levels) with a not-so-subtle story that doesn't name names but is clearly about Elon Musk having destroyed Earth and now moving on to destroy Mars. The most interesting bits are the worldbuilding done through the radio station that plays in the background, both the songs and the stories people tell about the past.

Spitkiss: I really want to like it more than I do, and I actually did for the first couple chapters. It's I guess technically a puzzle platformer? Except about little guys who communicate through bodily fluids and emojis. This is not the first time something like this has lost my interest by adding moving creatures/enemies of some sort that make the puzzles a lot more timing-focused right after I started getting into it. Oh well. In conclusion, these bitches gay. Good for them.

Will The Man Get Frog: I had to find out what it was just from the name, and what it was is a PICO-8 haiku game based on very limited and randomly chosen words. I had coincidentally just been remembering magnetic poetry was a thing, so great timing with that. Great idea, fun to mess around with, and I could see myself keeping it installed and spending a few minutes with it here and there when I don't know what else to do with myself.

[sapphire-mage]

Another Really Fucked Up Dream I Had

cw: Unreality (This isn't a fic, this is a legit dream I had)

I just woke up from a really fucked up nightmare. If you know me, I never just have 'scary nightmares'. I gotta have creepy ass experiences that make me question reality.

I had a dream I was playing a horror video game. The dream created this vision that a lot of streamers that I enjoy had played and recommended this game to everyone. It started off almost like a Tomb Raider game in someone's mansion, but you're playing a detective played by Drew Barrymore (even though the graphics are VERY choppy). After some platforming and puzzles, you discover the body of the mansion's owner, with little knowledge of how she died.

The scene cuts to a segway, in which you find that the mansion owner's grandaughter has killed her mother, is implied to have killed her grandmother, and now kills Drew Barrymore's character, ending with her shrieking.

Game cuts to static.

Game suddenly returns, everything is greyscale, and you're now playing in the slums of an area, working with other men and women in hazmat-like suits. There are only two characters not wearing these suits: A creepy old guy dressed like a stuff animal, and a vertically challenged man who kinda functions as 'your boss'. Despite being your boss, the latter was incredibly kind to you, but it never shows me what became of him. But a lot of your co-workers are missing after going deeper down into the facility where you all work at. So you, the player, have to go down further.

The game functioned like most FP indie horror. It's a bit static-y like Signalis, but all the characters look like those jank 2D models that continuously face you as you rotate around them. Apparently, that's by design, as the game reveals that the co-workers you're looking for have become 'corrupt' by something they witnessed, and now they stalk you until they eventually decide to try and kill you.

I remember wandering the empty floors of the game for a while. Greyscale, no music, static and buzzing like sounds. Eventually, the game led to a final segment: The only survivors are yourself, your closest co-worker, and a woman. Although you can't see anyone's face (since they're all in hazmat suits), somehow you can sense the woman's eyes. And she really, REALLY likes looking at you, and you know it's because she wants to kill you.

Meanwhile, you're closest co-worker (a guy) is eyeing her, because he has the hots for her. And you're stucked in this panicked situation, because you just know, she's ready to kill you or him at any second. So, I drew first blood, and took her out before she could take me. My closest co-worker lost his shit and came after me, causing me to put him down as well. The game concludes implying that because I made these choices to end them, I was already corrupted and too far gone. All of us already were. The game ends...

And then the game starts again. I completely get the same vivid visuals of playing the opening segment of the game all over again, with the segments of playing as Drew Barrymore and her character dying and everything. After clearing it, it sends me back into the hazmat suit character again, and I mentally took a notice that I was repeating the game again. And I verbally thought to myself, "Yeah, this was a cool game. But I'm kinda done."

And then I woke up. I was sleeping upside down on my bed (feet at my pillows, head towards the bottom of the bed). I got up slowly, questioning the fact that that was just a dream. I was like, "No... That was a real game! Penny Parker recommended it, and everyone was talking about Jackscepticeye playing it. And it's name was..... GOD, what was the name of that game..."

I could never remember the name. I don't think my dream DID give it a name. It just made it feel so real.

I couldn't find my glasses around my bed, cause I left them in the bathroom. I sat around, looking around to make sure none of that was real. And that I wasn't going crazy from a similar horror plotline happening in real life.

And then, I came here to type this.

......MAN WHAT THE FUCK!?!

[designmantra]

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A large portion of anyone’s life is spent in a bedroom, as the best place to relieve from anxieties, worries, and hurries. Family feels secure and free in this room and thus it needs the best ambiance, facilities, and provisions. Bedroom furniture like cot, side tables, wardrobes and dressing table mostly occupies almost all the space in a normal bedroom. In order to maintain bedroom excellence, it is important to choose bedroom furniture in matching style with your bedroom interior design. This is where you can use the expertise of top interior designers like Design Mantra Studio. They can make and provide the bedroom furniture in perfect size to fit the space. Come to Design Mantra Studio and explore the options for custom-made bedroom furniture to create the best comfortable bedroom.

As bedroom interior designers, We Design Mantra Studio suggest our clients the right choice, and also make sure that everything within the bedroom is placed as per the convenience of the client. We value the belief and the trust our clients put in us, and we design their place by keeping the requirements as well as Vastu in mind. A bedroom is a personal space of a person, and everyone wants their bedroom to look beautiful as well as pleasing to the eyes. We keep the taste of the person in mind and then do everything accordingly. Since the time of inception, we have designed a lot of bedrooms, and every time we have been appreciated for our flawless and remarkable services. As the Bedroom Interior Design in Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, we have many more designs available, from which you can choose one as per your choice.

Here are some tips to decorate a Beautiful Bedroom:

Pile up Book on the floor:

Stack up some coffee table books to use as a skinny side table.

Duck into Corners:

A corner seating nook for lounging, reading, and chatting is a bonus in any bedroom, especially in a tiny one

Practice Restraint:

Sometimes all it takes is a modern light fixture and offbeat paint color to perfect a small bedroom.

Use Lucite:

Lucite is your best friend in small spaces; Fine opted for a Lucite side table for a hint of modernity that doesn't make the room feel too cramped.

Build Narrow Custom Storage:

If you don't have a closet, but you do have a clothing collection, stay organized and polished with custom wall built-ins that store everything behind closed doors

Paint Exposed Materials White:

A coat of white paint helps the exposed brick wall blend in and feel much less heavy.

Use All Available Surface Space:

One of the biggest challenges in a small bedroom is finding places to put all your stuff since the bed takes up most of the room. Be resourceful! Even a windowsill can provide extra storage space for decor, lighting, and other essentials when there's no room for an extra table.

Tuck Your Bed Away:

If you live in a studio or need or use your bedroom for more than just sleeping, consider a DIY trundle bed or a solid platform with a retractable bed under it. In this space, the wooden platform makes room for a sofa so there's somewhere to sit instead of the bed. It's kind of like a Murphy bed but easier to create yourself.

Add Mirrors: Fake space ‘til you make space. Closet mirrors make this small bedroom feel larger than it actually is

[computerkit]

i played toree & toree 2 a few days ago and i did not like either all too much i think. for reference they are small short indie 3d platformer games. thoughts below read more, it kinda long!

toree 3D, i liked the environments, like i thought they looked good, but i wouldnt say it was particularly 'fun'.. being toree is not very fun to me, you are not too fast and the jumps are always a little shorter than you're expecting them to be. i didn't feel i had incentive to replay or do better on levels, either ... there IS a ranking mechanic but its so strict that i actually thought it was just a joke where you could only get a "C" no matter how well you did.. and the level design, well, i am no expert, but i feel like maybe in its quest to emulate old stuff it is dropping in stuff that is accurate but not really fun or the stuff that anyone particularly liked about these old games. like the elevators, which you just get on and wait until they drop you off at the next elevator, and if you fall off then you have to do the elevators again.. i also remember a lot of 'struggling not to accidentally fall off ledges', which, i guess is not inherently bad, but i dont really come to games for the feeling of 'i have to be careful or else'.. pairing the slippery ice section with skinny bridges and an attempted short time incentive felt like a cruel joke!!! there's also this creepy element which i feel really neutrally toward. i don't know, it doesn't go hard enough on it for me to have anything to say about it. i like that sort of thing sometimes but felt sort of artificial(?) and aimless. like dev had the idea to make a cute 3d platformer thats kind of creepy sometimes and then just went for it without really thinking about it or how to make it fit

i think the dev realized some of this stuff, cause toree 2 is a lot better. i still don't know that i'd say i 'like' it or 'have fun' playing it, but it could just be that it is too short for me to have warmed up to it, considering a lot of my enjoyment of things is actually based off of familiarity. there is a lot more "going fast", and consequently it doesnt feel crappy to be and move around as toree anymore. the ways you interact with the environment are a lot more to do with speed and height and a lot less to do with waiting or being careful now, which i thought was just better, although it could just be that it aligns more with my personal tastes. the ranking system was noticeably less strict, which made me consider trying to get better times on the levels, and the checkpoint + timing system was changed to be a bit more player friendly (maybe too much?). the dev must've thought the creepy stuff was maybe unnecessary too - it is much less prominent in toree 2. the identity of the whole game actually feels a lot different as a result of all this stuff, so it shows developer is learning and making choices. but i would say. that it feels. maybe too easy? in comparison to the first one? i dont know, it's hard to get good ranks, but you can typically do ok by just kinda blasting through stuff, which is fun but feels unearned i guess. maybe it could do by being a bit more like toree 1 in this regard - not player unfriendly but a little more challenging. i guess my sweet spot for difficulty was maybe the car levels in toree 1. However. this criticism. does NOT. Apply. To the final boss. initially i was pleased that it decided to add a final boss at all because, like i mentioned before, i thought toree 3d's ending was anticlimactic - but the final boss is actually just exponentially harder than literally anything else in the game. i havent even beat it yet. i tried for so long man. once "oh cool they are doing a boss this time" wore off there was simply no fun to be had in that fight. some of the attacks feel impossible to avoid and i think it goes on much too long. i think you have to get lucky in order to beat it, or maybe just be better than i am. either way, it's stopped me from playing any more of it.

i wouldnt say either of them are bad... but it obvious to me that the dev is learning. this means these first 2 games are flawed, but on the flipside, it means the dev is actively looking for ways to make the next one better... i played toree jolly jam, which released this year and is (basically) a single level. i liked the art more, and i thought it was definitely more fun and with a better atmosphere / feeling than either toree 1 or 2. in fact, just writing this i am somewhat feeling the urge to play it, which did not happen with the other games. toree does a little squash and stretch when jumping now, and there's a new dash / jump-to-object mechanic, both of which i'm not really sure if i like or not but i'm glad to see the dev experimenting. the camera is better too - i think it is obvious the dev took a look at and really thought about every aspect of this game in this installment. i feel this especially with my favorite change - you don't have to hold down shift to run anymore. that was something you had to do in toree 1 & 2 and i didn't really question it until jolly jam took away the run feature and made toree have 1 consistent speed and i realized 1) that i had not stopped running for the entire duration of both games and 2) that my hand was sore as hell. so. thank you for quality of life. genuinely made it inherently so much better to play just because its not Painful anymore LOL

i thought it was still a bit too easy as well (although yeah, again, i didnt get above a C hahaha - easy to start hard to master?) but i thought its clear that jolly jam is more focused on Cozy Speedy Good Times than it is Hardcore Platforming Challenge so that is not really problem i think. and the secrets were cute too. that 1 level makes me a lot more excited for toree saturn (the upcoming installment) than anything in toree 1 or 2 has, so if anyone reading this is considering playing toree, i'd say to just play jolly jam. it's free, too! although, the other games are 1 dollar each, and it's not christmas anymore either... hm.. hating on one dollar games.. am i being a grinch right now???

well thats it. this is all just because i got toree 1 & 2 through an itch.io bundle and cant leave a steam review but i like to beam my thoughts into the brains of the public

[melloggd]

Review: Pac n' Roll

Namco • Namco • 2005 • Nintendo DS • Played on Nintendo 3DS Read it on Backloggd: (x)

Lets all be on the same page: This game's kinda stupid, yeah? Its a complete novelty of a game made to experiment with a new gimmick in a really weird way. Its not aiming to be some paragon of solid game design or emotionally invigorating, masterclass game, I'm sad to report. Its a stupid game at its core, and that's exactly what drew me to buy it for the five bucks I found it for. A platformer with no jumping, controlled with whats essentially a trackball? I HAD to see what the hell this even was, and if there's anything to be gained from its gimmick.

And, I mean, kinda?

It feels like a game that taps into knowing how inherently fun it is to interact with its systems, like how Mario 64 was made so open ended to make its fully analog controls really feel natural and worthwhile. What you get here then is a bunch of ramps, slopes, straightaways and seesaws that all highlight the simple joy of Being Ball, but unlike Monkey Ball its not made to be ball-bustingly challenging and demanding you master its physics: Rather, it just asks you to have fun with them.

Honestly the vibe of the game in general feels extremely N64, not just with the aforementioned "look'it our cute gimmick" game feel that stuff like Glover or Chameleon Twist had but also just its visuals and sounds. Its a lot more vibrant, yet simple compared to Pac-Man World. It has that very specific "5th gen 3D game" kind of design where it kind of has objectives and escalating challenges, but it feels more interested in just letting you faff around, not really endangering you until way late in the game.

And sure, there are collectibles, much like the Pac-Man Worlds, which are more traditionally structured "escalating challenge" 3D platformers, yet it doesn't feel like Pac N Roll is all too interested in you getting 100% completion. (Though, having unique Time Attack layouts for all levels is a nice touch)

And, well yeah, the game does honestly feel quite nice to control to where I wouldn't have been opposed to 100%-ing this if I was a kid. The Pacster stops with a still tap of the screen but otherwise rolls with the momentum you give him, mixed with whatever the slopes are up to. There's a level near the end of the game that's all just one big slide a la Mario 64, except here due to the great sense of Ball you have it feels really intense and satisfying to get through, but you still are able to stop yourself at any time. Its such an interesting setup! The last two worlds in general are when the gloves come off and the game actually starts doing stuff with its insane setup, having stuff like multiple seesaws in a row you need to manipulate carefully to move across, bumpers that send you careening off stage, etc

For as middling as the experience can feel there's a kind of charm to seeing them try to add depth to such a gimmicky setup. Like, the speed burst move you get by stopping the stylus at the very edge of the screen, or the power-up hats that make you lighter or heavier. Silly stuff for sure, and they don't really ever test your prowess in Gaming, but they're there just to add a little more sauce to the weird meal you're having. Same kinda goes for the bosses, they're not really that hard but just toss you about in a new way from before.

All around, yeah, its a pretty ho-hum game--EXCEPT that the final boss, I shit you not, is a 5-phase GAUNTLET that is as big in level design length as the game's actual levels. Its genuinely insane but it has some of the most creative concepts in the game. Controlling the ball in a pinball machine? How about controlling the ball on a platform that's teetering all kinds of wild directions unpredictably! How about controlling one in a funnel, where taking any moment to rest sends you rolling toward the pit in the center?

Its this kind of variety, paired with the game's unreplicateable control setup, that makes me sad we'll probably never get a game like this again. These kinds of medium-budget, "hey this idea seems funny" games just don't happen anymore outside of...idk, mobile? VR? Its sad, but we should appreciate the quirkiness we got. Go hunt down those weird games! Concept seem ridiculous? Try it!

Typing of the Dead, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, DK Jungle Climber, Sonic & the Secret Rings...Are all of these games great? No, not really! But their attempts at the bizarre concepts nobody else dared to try are worth experiencing, remembering, and learning from.

[Playtime: 10 Hours] [Key Word: Silly]

[linuxgamenews]

Backpack Hero: Crafting Your Way Through Roguelike Dungeons 

Backpack Hero 1.0 launches for the deck-building roguelike game on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. The imaginative and skillful efforts of developer Jaspel have brought this dynamic title to life. Available on Steam, GOG, and itch (with Steam key) plus 87% Very Positive reviews. Backpack Hero is a fresh take on the deck-building roguelike genre which now hits 1.0 on Linux and Steam Deck. Here's what makes it special, especially if you're into titles that require smart thinking and strategy. In this game, how you arrange your items in it is very important. The better you organize, the more powerful your items become. This is a unque twist since it's not just about what you carry but how you arrange it. You'll also explore various places like dungeons, caves, and swamps. Plus each area in Backpack Hero 1.0 is more unique and offers new challenges. As you journey, you'll meet interesting characters and face tough opponents. The game's world is full of surprises, so you need to be ready for anything. Don't worry if you feel lost at first; that's part of the adventure! One of the best parts of Backpack Hero 1.0 is rebuilding your hometown, Haversack Hill. You use the resources you find on your adventures to make the town better. This isn’t just about fighting and exploring; it's also about creating a nice place for people to live. You can buy and sell things, research new stuff, and unlock new heroes, challenges, and quests. By building the perfect village, you help save the world of Orderia and its animal inhabitants.

Backpack Hero 1.0 Launch Trailer

Backpack Hero 1.0 has really grown and changed. At the start, it had just Purse, but now it's got four more characters, with updates to two. There's a huge variety of over 800 items and 100+ enemies to encounter. The developers have added support for controllers, and it's compatible with Steam Deck. The best part? The community's involvement. Since their ideas and mods have been a big part of shaping it. The new Story Mode helps you progress even between play-throughs and makes it easier for new players to get the hang of things. This mode lets you explore at your own pace and discover the secrets of Haversack Hill. Designing the town layout is going to be a fun challenge! But there's more to come in Haversack Hill! After the 1.0 release, the developers will keep adding more stuff. This includes Kickstarter rewards, seasonal events, more items, NPCs, and quests in the town. They're also planning to add more music, improve mod support, and update holiday events. Plus, they're always fixing bugs and making balance tweaks. If you're just starting with Backpack Hero, welcome to 1.0! There's a lot to explore and enjoy. Check out the character guides, learn about Haversack Hill, and definitely join the Discord community to stay in the loop and also impact future developments.

Platform Support:

Play Anywhere: You can play this 1.0 launch of Backpack Hero on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. Plus it also works well with a controller. So you can enjoy it at home or on the go. Backpack Hero is a deck-building roguelike game that offers a lot of fun, strategy, and variety in the 1.0 launch. Whether you're battling through dungeons or building up your town, there's always something new and exciting to do. It's a great title for anyone who likes to think, plan, and see their clever ideas come to life in a vibrant, ever-changing world. Priced at $16.99 USD / £14.23 / 16,14€ with the 15% discount on Steam, GOG, and itch (with Steam key).