I've never played Shovel Knight because I'm not all that into 2D Platformers, but Yacht Club got me with the topdown Zelda approach
This game feels like it was designed for me specifically. Old Zelda meets Castlevania meets Dark Souls, all wrapped in a cute artstyle
The game isn't easy, of course, but it doesn't feel like the game hates you as much as Souls games tend to
There is a hub town, which I always love in a game
Despite looking like a 1998 handheld game, it absolutely does not feel as restrictive as an actual GBC game
I love that the game auto-saves on every new screen. This is a great game to play on handhelds because of that
Losing your subweapon after dying early-game is devastating. You can get lab upgrades to fix this, and I'd recommend doing that as soon as possible
I like the Trinket system. Ever since Paper Mario, I have always been fond of equippable perks and am glad Hollow Knight has woke people up to how cool they are
The music is sublime. Catchy, atmospheric, and Gothic, but in a playful way
I love that the cast is half animals and half humans for no reason besides the devs thinking that would be fun
The game is very good at putting fun twists on things, just generally. The shady back-alley guy opening his trenchcoat to reveal a Kuato-esque guy who's the real merchant is brilliant
Let me just gush again about the visuals. Pulling off good-looking, functional GBC-esque sprites and UI is not at all easy
Once again, one of the most enjoyable and exciting new games to come out in recent times is an indie game that costs less than 30 bucks
I was always embarrassed that I never fully played MM. I've tried before, but I used to get hung up on the time limit. What helped me this time was the realization that nothing, save for the temples, demands a large, unbroken stretch of time to complete
I love that this game took such a different, experimental direction compared to OoT. I understand that was mostly due to the time crunch, but it's still cool
Darker and weirder is my favorite direction for a sequel to go in
MM really shows that you don't need Princess Zelda, Ganon, or even Hyrule to have a Zelda game that still feels like Zelda. Heck, they probably could have thrown out Link too for this one and it'd still feel like Zelda. Take more narrative risks, Nintendo!
I was playing the PC port, which is easily the definitive way to play, in case you're considering a future playthrough
It didn't occur me to until very recently that none of the Deku in this game are named. We didn't get *any* Dekus with a proper name until Echoes of Wisdom. Crazy
I also didn't realize until this playthrough that MM uses different environments than OoT. MM has: a swamp. a snowy mountain, the coast, and the ruins of an ancient kingdom. It doesn't overlap with OoT at all. Wish TotK could have taken the same cue
I appreciate that this game takes some very minor characters from OoT and gives them a chance to shine. Again, I would have liked TotK to have leaned into different characters like MM did
Speaking of, I love that there is no explanation for what the Mask Salesman's deal is. Interesting mysteries are something I look for in my Zeldas
Great Bay Temple sucks. Unfortunate that both N64 Zeldas take Ls when it comes to water dungeons
Tatl straight up says she hates Gekko. Mentioning that because it made me laugh
Speaking of Tatl, I wish the fandom gave the fairy characters a little more love
It's funny that this game does a better job of exploring time travel than OoT did
It also does a better job of actually utilizing the ocarina of time than OoT
The weakest part of this game is the music. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of good new tracks, like Clock Town's theme, the Song of Healing, and the Astral Observatory. More often though, you're either listening to a recycled OoT track or a frankly forgettable new song. Stone Tower Temple is the only temple theme where it sounds like Koji Kondo was actually trying
The developers did their best to design this game around it's time constraints, but it still shows some cracks. Having to fight Wizzrobe four times is tragic
I appreciate that they gave all the returning equipment from OoT a redesign, but man what were they thinking with the hookshot. It's so ugly
The gilded sword and Great Fairy sword are also ugly. What a shame that the best looking sword in the game is also the one you can't keep
When Gomess dies, his scythe stays behind for a bit. For the briefest moment, I thought you might be able to pick it up. That would have been cool
This playthrough has got me thinking about what a modern remake might look like. I think it's only a matter of time, seeing as how we're likely getting an OoT remake soon. Would they just re-use the OoT remake assets, or would an MM remake be treated as a completely independent project?
I adore the angular linework of the silhouettes of the characters. It really helps convey that these are supposed to be video game characters in-universe and gives the show it's own look
Making your pilot the beach episode is kind of insane ngl. How are you going to have your MC have trauma flashbacks when her butt cheeks are out
Gobbles having a deep, gravelly voice is odd. Maybe that's the point, but I'm not sure I see the vision
I like how willing Miss Information and Fold are to sabotage each other
They might be my favorite characters so far, very Team Rocket-coded
Of course Vinny is here to voice a character who talks about pizza
I appreciate how often the characters pull out healing items. It's subtle, but I think it does a better job at conveying that these really are characters who have to follow game rules than showing an actual health bar or startup menu
It was 30 minutes! I didn't even notice the first watch
The pacing is a little manic, though I get there's a lot to throw at us initially
Interactive Buddy being referenced in the end credits makes me unreasonably happy
Also, the end credits theme might be my favorite of any Glitch show so far
Overall, I think this pilot is weaker than Glitch's others, but it's not bad at all and I'm still on board for more
There's this upcoming Roblox game called Faucet Freaks, which is basically Saxton Hale Mode with legally distinct Mario characters. I wanted to take a crack at at it's style, so here's E. Gadd
This will sound harsh, but the movie feels similar to Rise of Skywalker. Both are manically paced, and both feel less like proper movies and more like a bunch of random scenes thrown together until they had enough to meet their runtime goal
I was basing my expectations around the first movie, so I wasn't expecting high art. Even with those expectations, I wasn't impressed
I will admit, seeing Miyamoto's name in the opening credits did make me a little giddy
A lot of people assumed (rightly, I think) when Fox was announced to be part of this movie that that means Star Fox is coming back. It's hard to argue with that when the movie pauses itself to inform the audience what Star Fox is lol
I don't think I laughed at as many of the jokes in this one compared to the first
Rosalina and Peach's backstory in this movie retcons Rosalina's game backstory? Not sure how to feel about that
Rosalina and Peach being established as sisters is not surprising. It is kind of interesting that they are apparently just made of stardust, like lumas. So Peach isn't human? That's an interesting direction
There isn't a whole lot of Galaxy in this Galaxy movie, which is unfortunate. How do you expect us to care about Rosalina when she's barely in the movie and most of her scenes are of her losing fights?
Honestly I think Fox might have more screentime than her
It does feel like Nintendo is rushing to make a cinematic universe, which is the exact wrong approach. Marvel took it slow which is why the MCU worked
They took Bowser Jr. in such a strange direction in this movie. He's no Bowser either, which does make this movie feel like a step down from its predecessor
I'm glad Luigi got more screentime. I do like how they characterize him in these movies
It's nice that Daisy is going to be in the next one. Here's hoping she gets more screentime than Rosalina got lol
One of my headcanons has always been that Daisy and Peach are cousins, but surely they can't do that if they already pulled the siblings card with Rosalina. Wonder what her backstory will be
On the whole, the movie just didn't make me feel any emotion strongly. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it
I have no idea where these movies will go after this
I'm hoping for spin-off movies next, ones with smaller scopes that can (hopefully) tell a proper story with more character moments
Caine basically being Biblical Cain was expected but works imo
More official appearances of other circus members!
Queenie!
The smash cut between Kinger re-assuring Queenie and him watching her get sealed away in cellar is oh. Oh this show knows how to punch you in the gut
Kinger being alone for who knows how long until Ragatha came around is rough
I wasn't expecting Caine to turn that sharply oof
I love how pathetic Jax's attempts to drive away everyone is in this episode are. Nobody even responding to his dig about Pomni and Zooble is hilarious
"Oh my god, this is real" this show knows how to get good line deliveries
The reveal that C&A wasn't a game studio, and that Caine wasn't designed to be this family friendly game master, is very interesting. The brain scanning thing seemed to be a separate project as well
Once again Pomni's emotional intelligence saves(?) the day. Of course she understands that the best way to distract Caine would be to hit him with (valid) criticisms
I was getting so worried for Kinger dude
Someone pointed out that all the other circus members got tortured with their real-world traumas and Pomni got... Gummigoo. As funny as that is I don't think this implies she's necessarily had a better life, just that Caine didn't have as much time to know her
The computer scenes do seem to confirm that everyone is just a brain scan, a digital clone of the mind of the real person
Speaking of the computer scenes, I appreciate that the commands Kinger was using were actually fairly legit and comprehensible
Caine getting only a second to register he's about to die followed by him just abruptly disappearing mid-sentence is haunting
As much as I love the guy, and as much as my sappy self was expecting a heart-to-heart with Pomni, I think I would prefer it if Caine stayed dead now. No backup that gets restored, no flashbacks of him, let this be his send-off in the story
The junction system is ambitious, and I'll always give credit to a team for trying to keep things fresh, but it is just not good
People hoard items in RPGs so much it's become a cliche. Making spells consumable items as well was a flat-out bad idea
The game gives you a ton of tutorials, but junctioning, growing GFs, and collecting magic still aren't explained well and also aren't intuitive. I had to watch a video explaining the game to fully understand
This was like my third attempt to get into this game
The game's mechanics are easy to completely break once you know what you're doing. I followed a guide that makes Squall OP within the first 2 hours of the game and it doesn't even involve glitches. Forgive me for not wanting to bother with junctioning and drawing more than I had to
Aeshetically, the game's appeal is not as immediate as something like 7 or 9's. Still, once I moved past the intro I was pretty invested.
There are so many segments of the characters just awkwardly waiting around. Why is that
This is also one of the few FF games where the villain is a woman, so that's cool
I honestly had fun with Triple Triad, though it might be mostly because it gives you actual, good rewards for playing
I appreciate how Squall is the complete opposite of Cloud in terms of character design. Cloud has big pants and no jacket, so Squall has a big jacket and tight pants. Cloud is blonde, so Squall is a brunette
The costume design in general is pretty whatever, though. I love Quistis, but her weird detached sleeve things and frumpy orange two-piece dress kill me
The gunsword having a Mario RPG-style action command to boost damage is really fun and it's a bummer that it's the only weapon type that has that
Rinoa pleasantly surprised me. I was (perhaps unfairly) expecting her to be a generic anime-love-interest but she does have her own agency and personality
Laguna was another pleasant surprise. It's refreshing to play as a total loser in an FF game lol
I've always had a problem with how FF7 sets up its plot as eco-terrorists against the evil megacorp that's ruining the planet, and then discards that plot like 5 hours in in favor of fighting the inhuman prettyboy who's in Cloud's head. This is to say that I appreciate that Squall and co are introduced as Garden mercs and stay Garden mercs
I also like that the game sort of has a hub in Balamb Garden. It gives the game an unexpectedly cozy feel
The sequence of Squall rescuing Rinoa in space is so pretty
Speaking of which, space! It's awesome to have an FF that goes there, even if it's just briefly
The final boss was straight up torture, who gave that the okay
Despite how many problems I had with the game, it still grew on me. There's enough of the classic FF magic for me personally. Good story, setting, and characters can make up for a lot in an RPG
I can see why the show's staff said this episode would be divisive and make people mad.
It wasn't until my second watch of the episode that I got the joke behind Caine making a cigarette and milk casserole
Zach Hadel jumpscare
It's nice that we have an official Ribbit render, as well as a new one of Kaufmo
I liked the upbeat music during Jax's... dream
So Jax hitting the button was definitely that "worst thing he's ever done" Goose talked about right
It's just like this show to reveal that there is no Abel, really. C&A probably doesn't even stand for Caine and Abel
It figures that Jax is the most suspicious of Abel and his story
Both Jax and Caine hit new lows this episode. Jax wasn't a surprise, but holy hell Caine, that wasn't cool
I never really expected the show to dive into the mechanics of how the game works or how people get into it, and Abel's lies about it are probably all we're going to get. I'm not upset about this of course, I know TADC isn't that kind of show
The set design in this show is so gorgeous oml. This show nails the "90's abstract CG render" look
The reveal that Abel's locket picture was of a hot dog made me lose it
I've already seen some people criticize the episode because "nothing happens in it" but that's not true. Caine just lost the humans entirely (not that they ever liked or trusted him much to begin with) and that's absolutely going to have consequences
The Warioware series is set years after Mario went on his adventures
Toadette has a secret crush on Wario
Peach is considering Toadette as an heir
Toadsworth doesn't appear anymore because he was a regent and Peach finally came of age (the age to be able to rule by yourself in the Mushroom Kingdom is relatively old)
The previous ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom was a Toad King who was eaten by Bowser's father
Peach disliked Daisy when they first met
Rhythm Heaven, Banjo Kazooie, Conker, and Chowder share a setting with Mario
Pauline and Mario dated when they were both young and aimless and they had an ugly breakup
The events of Odyssey repaired Mario's relationship with Pauline which is why she shows up more now
Donkey Kong the arcade game is an in-universe movie written after the discovery of Kong Island and has no basis in fact
Pauline's grandmother was the lead actress of that movie
Peach is genuinely fond of Bowser Jr. and sends him cards and gifts on holidays
Bowser Jr. has no mother. Bowser literally just wished for a kid and got one
The Koopalings were heirs to Bowser who were supplanted when Bowser Jr. came along
"Kamek" is a proper name that eventually became a title, like Ceasar
There have been multiple Kameks serving Bowser throughout his life
Peach and Mario aren't officially an item because neither feels like they can live up to the other
Daisy and Luigi did not have similar hangups
Daisy gave up the throne of Sarasaland to live life her own way. She was respected enough to be allowed to keep her title
Shy Guys are creatures made of solidified shadow. Underneath their masks is nothing but pure darkness
Birdos are from Dinosaur Land
Rosalina was blessed with immortality by the high star spirits for her gentle care of Lumas. She is not God, but could be considered a god
Wario is Mario's cousin who has disliked Mario since they were both kids
Wario was a mechanic when he was younger
Wario has the biggest car collection of the main cast and likes to flex on Peach, who has the second biggest collection
Honestly Cinderace seems like a really weird pokemon to have as your partner cause like. that's a person. That thing is intelligent and understands language and has a will. It has arms and legs and fingers. The only thing it can't do is talk back. These pictures look more like siblings than a trainer and a pet. That's just Gou's soft butch sister who really likes sports.
What I'm saying is you could definitely teach a lot of pokemon sign language and just integrate them into society.
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