#I have fond memories of playing that game on emulator | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shima-draws · 3 months

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Hi Shima! You have a lot of Pokemon content on your page and I’m sorta curious about the like, world of Pokemon, so would you have any recommendations on what like game I should start with or what I should watch first? Thanks!

!!! YOOOOO OKAY I GOTCHU ANON. Buckle up bc my 20 years of being a Pokemon fan is about to kick in

As for where to start with the games--this is all really depending on how your own personal playstyle! Do you like games that are more easy going and light on plot? Or do you like ones with heavy amounts of story? Or do you prefer games that are a perfect blend of the two? Pokemon's got a mixed bag of all of the above so you really can't go wrong

If you're into that really nostalgia feel I'd recommend starting out with the first Pokemon game I ever played as a kid, which was Pokemon Emerald! You can actually play this for free by downloading a Gameboy Advance emulator and the Emerald ROM. I have a lot of fond memories of Emerald and it's still one of my favorite games to date. I actually even prefer Emerald over its remakes (Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire) bc it just doesn't quite hit the same lol. I think even without having played Emerald as a kid it'll just spark that nostalgic feeling? It's that kind of game, at least to me :")

Going off of that if you REALLY want to hit nostalgia central and start where it all began, Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen is also a good game to start out with. It's a remake of Pokemon Red/Blue, which were the first ever Pokemon games that were made. Personally I'm not a super huge Gen 1 fan bc I feel like it's been WAY overdone at this point (it's had two remakes already) but if you've never played a Pokemon game again it's definitely a good starting point. It's barely got any plot so it's really a game you can just dive into and enjoy without focusing too hard on the story. AND as an added bonus, Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver is the direct sequel to Gen 1 (and a remake of the original Gold/Silver/Crystal) so I'd definitely play that one as well, it's lots of fun!

Of course I will also recommend Pokemon Black/White and Black 2/White 2, which is generation 5 and my FAVORITE mainline Pokemon games of all time. BW released right before the transition to the 3D games so it still has sprite art. It's a GORGEOUS game honestly and I think it's really well balanced with story VS gameplay. It's got great characters and fantastic design elements (with everything honestly like the Pokemon designs are great, the character designs are great, the city/town designs are great, etc) and the most KICKASS soundtrack ever (looking at you Driftveil City AKA Toothless dancing meme music). I could go on and on and on about Gen 5 for hours lmao I really hold it near and dear to my heart. Also it's one of the very few games that actually has a sequel which I LOVE. BW2 takes place two years after BW and I love the story and character progression 🥰

Shouting out Pokemon Platinum as well, I know it's a huge fan favorite and honestly I also love it very much!! Platinum came out before BW did so it's got that early DS era feel to it. It's got a decent plot and classic fun gameplay elements. Also Pokemon Legends Arceus which ties directly into Platinum as its prequel (but you should play Platinum first? I know it's confusing lol). PLA is SUPER fucking fun, it's got a completely different gameplay style and mechanic than regular Pokemon games, and it ties in with Platinum so well.

And to my last few recommendations -

Pokemon Sun and Moon!! There's mixed feelings about this one from a lot of people but it's one of my personal favorites...I think people dislike that it's so plot heavy, there's a LOT of dialogue even when starting the game so if you're not into that I wouldn't go with SM. But I LOVE games that are heavy with plot and SM just does it so well. The characterization is really well done and I love watching Lillie go through her development arc 🤧 But yeah it's SM NOT Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon which are like. The same games but Worse. USUM took SM's plot and stomped all over it so I would not go for those lol

And, of courseeee. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet! These are the most recent mainline games to release and ohhh my god. Is the game laggy and bugged out as hell? Yes. Is it also fucking FANTASTIC and has made me cry multiple times? ALSO yes. If you don't mind occasional shitty graphics then please please PLEASE play SV. The open world aspect is a ton of fun, the new Pokemon designs are so charming, the characters are wonderful, and the STORY??? The plot literally blew my socks off the first time I played it. SV endgame you will always be the king of my heart. It's definitely heavier than any previous Pokemon game and it had me reeling for DAYS after. The story is just. So so so good. And we get a continuation of the story kicking ass in the DLC. I love SV to death it really redeemed Pokemon after the disaster that was gen 8 for me (and it's REALLY fun to shiny hunt in).

And LAST but certainly not least. My favorite Pokemon game of all time period ever in the history of Pokemon. Not a mainline game but a side/spinoff game--Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky!! If you want the classic Pokemon experience I probably wouldn't start with this since it's so different from the mainline games but I'd 10000% play it after finishing your first Pokemon game. It's a dungeon crawler, you get to BE a Pokemon, the music is phenomenal, the gameplay is phenomenal, the story is PHENOMENAL, everything about it is incredible and I will love this game until the day I die. I CANNOT recommend it enough. It's so so SO good and it means so much to me I can't even. Please play PMD Sky this goes to everyone who hasn't played it I prommy it's worth it

So basically:

Easy games with no/light plot: FRLG, Emerald, HGSS

Games with a perfect blend of actual gameplay and plot: BW/B2W2, Platinum, PLA

Games that hit HEAVY with plot/storyline: SM, SV, PMD Sky

Honestly you really cannot go wrong no matter where you start out. Even if it's with one of the games I DIDN'T personally recommend, all the mainline games have their own unique charm and each generation has its die hard fans (UNOVA GANG RISE). I've played all of them and they're all enjoyable!

As for the anime, my personal recommendations are the XY saga and the SM saga! The SM saga is my ultimate favorite, it's really cute and charming and fun, with some heavier plot arcs sprinkled in so it's a good blend between lighthearted stuff and more serious story. XY is VERY plot-heavy especially in the latter part, there's a lot of character development and crazy stuff going on, so I'd go for that one if you want to get hit hard with Feels. I haven't watched as much of the anime so I'm sure other people would recommend other seasons (I know the original saga, the Hoenn saga and the DP saga are fan favorites).

I'd also recommend watching the sub instead of the dub,, especially if you haven't grown up watching the Pokemon anime like me the dub is VERY hit or miss. I prefer subs as well bc the dub actually cuts out a LOT of stuff? I know for SM they had fun extra little bits at the beginning and ending of each episode that the dub just. Didn't include. For some reason? Like they'd cut out entire scenes. Idk. It's up to you either way tho ^^

And that is my introduction to Pokemon list.........if anybody has anything to add feel free! These are just my personal recommendations based off of what I like so naturally not everyone will agree lol. If you have any questions anon don't hesitate to ask, I'm always down to talk Pokemon. And I hope you have lots of fun playing whichever game you decide to go with!!

#Shima answers questions #Long post #Pokemon #Sorry I word vomited there LOL can you tell Pokemon has been my hyperfixation since I was 7 #It is Everything to me <3 #ANYWAY HAVE FUN ANON!!! So glad I managed to catch your interest with my Pokeposting lmao

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munchboxart · 4 months

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Kirby Triple Deluxe is 10 years old already...? Oh my god

It was the first Kirby game I ever owned (though my first games that I played was I think Super Star Ultra (emulator) and RTDL on Wii). I remember getting this near the release date because I was still really hyped from playing RTDL. I remember it being very enjoyable but I still kind of lingered onto RTDL more, but that didn't stop me from replaying it numerous times. The music is still amazing though, Moonstruck Blossom is probably still one of my top OSTs from Kirby, maybe my most favorite for boss themes?

It's kind of disappointing that it doesn't get much merch. I know that This game isn't really that notable since it's overshadowed by Planet Robobot (makes sense), but Taranza used to be (maybe still is, I don't know) one of the most popular characters. But I think I can probably say the same for all of the characters post KTD since there really isn't that many figures for any of the newer characters.

While Triple Deluxe isn't that noteworthy compared to the other games, I still have some fond memories of it, maybe I should draw something small for it. Happy 10th anniversary Kirby Triple Deluxe 🎉🎉🎉

#its kinda fucked up that taranza keeps getting drawn of him remembering sectonia in the kirby promo stuff JNFJKNWEFNDJKGVNDDFKL #TARANZAAAAA NOOOOOOO #taranza is like silver the hedgehog to me #in terms of character tho i like silver more KJNFDKJNGVBDFJNB #idk where im going w this happy 10 years old taranza #u reached double digits!! congrats!#etc

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sevrai · 11 months

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Armored Core

I went on a journey this year. Or maybe I should say I continued an old journey.

On July 10th, 26 years ago, the first Armored Core released in Japan. On an unknown day about 20-ish years ago a young me stumbled upon a copy of Armored Core 3 for the PS2 in a used game store.

It's been some time since I decided to indulge in a lengthy, meandering post about my loves and hobbies outside of awkward Twitter threads, so I wanna air my thoughts on the Armored Core series! (This is gonna be a long post, primarily for my own enjoyment. You have been warned.)

Most who know me online or read my comics will know of my penchant for fantasy, but not all may know of my love for the "Real Robot" subgenre of mecha. As someone obsessed with DBZ and magic, you'd think I'd fall more into the epic "Super Robot" camp of mecha anime, but growing up I felt captivated with Gundam Wing and the Universal Century OVAs that aired on Toonami and Adult Swim. They hard-wired my DNA early on. (With the Escaflowne film later impacting me so hard with it's grounded mecha and magical fantasy setting that it played a huge role in inspiring WOE, though my comic is noticeably lacking in Guymelefs.)

Naturally that awe and love for such works made me feel incredibly drawn to Armored Core 3 when I first saw it. It was my introduction to a series that I wouldn't comprehend the true breadth of for well over a decade.

I was terrible at it, both due to my lack of experience with TPS games and the oldschool control scheme, but the customization, detail, and overall atmosphere of the game were incredible to experience all the same.

It wasn't until the holiday season of 2008 that I was finally able to fight through an AC campaign, when I was gifted a PS3 and several games, among which was Armored Core: For Answer. It blew me away. I already had fond memories of bumbling around AC3, but For Answer's over-the-top presentation, haunting soundtrack, challenging gameplay, and dystopic atmosphere really sucked me in.

Along with Demon's Souls it kick-started a general admiration of FromSoftware and the distinct games they developed. After getting swept up in the excitement of Dark Souls, me and a friend dabbled in Armored Core V and Verdict Day, even playing a decent amount of the territorial multiplayer, but it never drew me in like AC3 and AC4A did.

The years went on and although I always adored Armored Core, I took my sweet time getting around to going backwards in the series. I've always been a fan of emulation and rarely used to feel a particular drive to collect physical games, (can't say the same for myself nowadays. Sorry, wallet!) but I always remembered how much AC resonated with me, and when walking around used game stores I would muse to my friends that I wanted to someday collect all of the Armored Core games in physical form.

I made relaxed progress grabbing the games when I saw them over the years, but at the end of 2022, the Game Awards hit everyone with a bombshell reveal. The show faded to black, the screen eventually being lit by the Bandai Namco logo, followed by a little red light. Something in my soul knew what was coming as soon as I saw that simple red light start to glow, I jumped out of my seat and exclaimed out loud "Armored Core!?"

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It was a trailer for Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, the first new AC game in ten years. It was a surreal moment that still makes me smile now.

The series was always niche, but since it went dormant From has achieved superstar status as a developer thanks to the Souls series and Elden Ring. There's now more attention and interest in Armored Core than it has ever gotten in the past. It didn't dawn on me until a buddy messaged me shortly after the reveal that the prices of the old games were gonna go crazy from the huge amount of people who were From fans but had never heard of AC, and were now interested in trying the old games.

Some were content to wait patiently to see if the market and prices would calm down, but I took a gamble and started shoring up my collection ASAP. Sure it felt embarrassing paying so much more for several of them than they were going for a mere few weeks earlier, but I supplemented my hunt by selling a few rare old SHF and Figmas.

After a few tense months of scanning listings for good prices with some very focused personal criteria, the result was expensive but satisfying;

On top of this investment I even went all-in on the Premium Edition of ACVI. Perhaps people should rightfully poke fun at me for throwing so much money around for video games about giant robots, but it's not often I can say I accomplished a goal of this caliber in my life.

Now with all the games in hand a new journey had begun; from collecting to playing. I've played Armored Core games off and on since the early 2000's, but I was only just now finally making the pilgrimage through the series proper from the very first release, alongside the huge wave of newcomers dipping their toes into the old games before the new one comes out. Like an Armored Core version of Billy Madison.

I started playing the PSOne Classics release of AC1 on my PS3, before transitioning to my PS2 Slim once all of the PSX games were in my hands. Learning that both systems used funky software emulation for PSX games I went on a subquest of ordering and cleaning up a SCPH-39001 model PS2, (which was super nostalgic in it's own right since I started with a fat PS2 in 2003,) hooked up to a massive KV-36FV310 via component cables. I even went down a DualShock 2 model rabbit hole. Every game now looks and runs like a dream on this hedonistic setup.

As of the day I'm posting this silly blog post, I am seven games deep. I have 100%'d, (all parts unlocked, all missions complete, all enemy AC beaten both optional fights in missions and in the Arena,) without any Human PLUS enhancements or OP-INTENSIFY used, and even sticking with the default control scheme:

Armored Core

AC: Project Phantasma

AC: Master of Arena

Armored Core 2

AC2: Another Age

Armored Core 3

… And right now I'm just a few percent shy of 100%ing AC3: Silent Line. Sorry if this sounds like juvenile bragging, but it's always been hard for me to focus on and finish games. My ADHD has me jumping from game to game for years on end, never seeing many of them through to the end, so I want to indulge in a bit of pride being able to spend several months blasting through these games without slowing down, and without taking any shortcuts.

Admittedly I haven't played on Hard Mode in any of the games that have offered it, and Silent Line is really pushing me to my limit demanding S Ranks on every mission, but I'm still enjoying it and hoping to finish it up in time to sample a bit more of the games I missed out on, as well as make a nostalgic return to For Answer, by the time ACVI comes out.

Returning to Armored Core 3 felt especially sentimental. Like a return home. I'm sure many people can relate to the feeling of returning to a childhood game with newfound abilities and knowledge, finally able to do what your younger self could not. Having beaten the game that started this whole obsession for me about two decades ago is a really great feeling.

I adore these games. I always loved the few I did play as a youngster, and knew that From was a consistent enough developer that I would enjoy the rest as well, but not to the extent I truly have. Despite the time and money spent collecting them, I still underestimated just how much I'd fall in love with each and every one. Even the aspects others struggle to return to. I love the FCS quirks, the turn speed, the bunny hopping, the heat and energy management, the opponents riddled with cybernetic enhancements pushing you to your limits, I even love the old controls of using L2/R2 for vertical camera movement. For all it's quirks and older design philosophies it's such an engrossing and immersive series.

ACVI will be a very different, (and streamlined,) beast. I'm okay with this. My adoration for old Armored Core will only make it easier to return to and appreciate this storied series I've gone to such lengths to collect, even after the new one releases. I trust From to do the series justice, no matter how easy it is for newcomers to jump in.

I love Armored Core, I love this genre of mecha, and I hope lots of people will learn to love it as well. I want the new game to do well so we can see more in the future. I sincerely doubt anyone will actually have read all of this, but if you did, thanks for your time. I know my rambling can be unfocused and pretentious. I don't need to put this much effort into waxing nostalgic about video games, but I miss the part of me that used to do this on a regular basis.

(I also apologize for how much my comic updating will probably slow down when ACVI drops, regardless of what momentum I can build through July and August.)

#rambling #blog #armored core #video games

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lovehael · 1 year

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what system / console do you preferably play video games on? also what are your favourite games?? :)

Had a bit to say so I'm putting it under a readmore~

Growing up my family had Sega Genesis and PlayStation, but my siblings were usually the ones who got to play them, so I became more familiar with PC games! MMO's and such n American McGee's Alice.

Here I am playing Tomba while my sister uses the family PC... She used to get so annoyed when I won during Tekken from button mashing lol.

Also have fond memories being scared playing Silent Hill 2. Rule of Rose and Haunting Ground are good n spooky too.

Eventually got a PS4 of my own (the cannot download P.T./Silent Hills demo notifcation still haunts me), gained an appreciation for FromSoftware games, as well the Metal Gear series thru diligently watching my brother play the entirety of them. My partner is also obsessed with both Kojima and FromSoft, so we enjoy those together as well. I've always been a big fan of Square/Enix stuff too. There are a lot of games I want to play with an emulator but haven't gotten around to it...!

In recent times I've been playing Elden Ring, Disco Elysium, and just started playing Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

The consoles I currently have are PC, PS4, and Nintendo 3DS (mostly just play Animal Crossing on it). Hoping to get a Switch soon so I can play Splatoon ~w~ I don't consider myself an avid gamer because I ultimately spend more of my free time drawing and reading manga or watching anime/shows/movies tbh, so I'm always open to recommendations and enjoy watching others play too.

This was a nice message to receive, thank you!

#also there are a ton of other games i have played over the years going back to my childhood but #i don't rly play a lot of games in general #🩷

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theoriginoffire · 11 months

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For the Harvest Moon ask game, 🍀 and 💍!

☘ - Which game was the most fun in your opinion?

For me personally, I think the gameplay I enjoy most is Harvest Moon DS / DS Cute. I can play that game for hours upon hours!

I think all the games are fun, of course, but I really like the way DS uses its main quest - I like collecting the sprites by doing various tasks. My only complaint is that for 100% completion, some of the requirements are a bit TOO out there! Still, I have very fond memories of this one.

Magical Melody has a similar gameplay feature, collecting notes, which I also enjoy. I think that level of collection is more manageable, but I still think DS is 'the most fun'. This is actually different to my all-time favourite, Animal Parade, because while I prefer the game's features overall I think the 'funness' of the quests could be streamlined a bit.

💍 - First bachelor/ette you married?

MARIAAAAA, I GOTTA SEE HER

OK but now that SNES has come to Nintendo Online I'm definitely going to be marrying her again. I've married Eve and Nina on other playthroughs, and I'd like to marry Ellen and Ann sometime, but I keep going back to Maria because she's my favourite. She's a bit different in Magical Melody though, I've not married her in that...

SNES must have been an early time for videogames, because never again has a character bold facedly asked me if I believed in God as a Yes/No prompt.

If I try to cast my mind back, I think the first bachelor I married was probably ... Pierre? I didn't play Mineral Town until much later, and the only way I could play DS Cute for ages was on emulator. It would've been Carl if I had the means, I still tried to propose to him as a dude :(

#sorry for the delay on this one!#durotoswrites #HM:SNES #HM:MM #HM:DS #Ramblings

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doomed-jester · 1 year

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Alright so I just finished Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions (for like the 8th time, definition of a comfort game)

For anyone curious, it runs nearly flawlessly on the steam deck. I ran into two or three crashes and got nearly 100% completion which is pretty good for PS3 emulation imo. Some minor audio issues but only in the pre-rendered cutscenes, and could probably be fixed by tweaking the settings on the emulator a little but I never touched that. Anything actually running in the engine worked fine, no glitches or bugs I hadn't experienced playing it on actual hardware.

Anyway, I love love love this game. It was what introduced me to Spider-Man Noir and 2099 and I have very fond memories of reading and rereading the Wikipedia page, falling down a rabbit hole and learning all the stuff about the comics I (at the time) couldn't access. Playing the game again as an adult with a more developed, critical eye, I can see a lot of flaws with the game, but also really get to the meat of what made me love it so much.

Wayyy too much to say but I'll drop some thoughts under the cut

Noir's sections would have been better if there was more variety and different ways to deal with the situations (Spider-Man PS4 has very similar stealth mechanics but they're much better refined, usually give you the option to just go in guns blazing outside of specific challenges and story moments, and give you ways of distracting enemies so you have more control over the situation and room for strategy. That's what this game needed.)

2099 was probably my favorite, Miguel is probably my favorite Spider-Man outside of 616 Peter and maybe Noir depending on how he's written. It's interesting that they chose such a mature voice for Miguel but reused a lot of stuff from the Timestorm storyline, which implies a way younger version of 2099. This probably had the best bosses, Hobgoblin 2099, Scorpion 2099 and Doc Ock 2099. 2/3 are original characters created for this game specifically. I wouldn't mind seeing this version of Hobgoblin come back in some capacity, maybe in the comics. I do wish they brought in more 2099 classic stuff though.

Ultimate is probably the most satisfying in terms of moment to moment gameplay, and I love that the cell shaded art style makes it feel like a graphically enhanced version of Ultimate Spider-Man (PS2). Almost makes me wish that game got a remake, but this was a very satisfying alternative. A lot of continuity nods to the comics, it can seem a lot like Ultimate Peter and Amazing are so similar that they didn't need both, but I really think the worlds they exist in are different enough to be worthwhile.

Amazing is where the game falls flat for me, unfortunately. The art style isn't as fun or unique as the others, the choices of bosses aren't as interesting (aside from Sandman, that level is perfect). He's really the all-rounder, no real gimmick to make him stand out. I think this version could've benefitted from some retooling. Maybe if his combat had been based more on speed and chaining hits rather than just being Ultimate without the crowd control capabilities. I also think they could've gone with a better choice than Juggernaut, and I'd maybe shift the order so Sandman was the first boss and make Kraven a little more difficult. I think I'd swap Juggy for The Lizard and make the level focus on chasing him through the sewers while the tablet lets him turn other people into lizards. Something like that

Overall, I love this game. I think it's a big part of why Mysterio is one of my favorite villains, and it was a big contributor to my love of multiverse stories.

I'll play Edge of Time next when I get a minute and probably have a more detailed post about my thoughts on both games then.

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sinister-faye · 11 months

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Gamedev Blog #1: Playstation 1 aesthetics and the unreal engine. + Game tease

Unreal engine 5 has been pushing the limits of real-time rendering. But some of us, myself included, have gone WAY back to rendering chunky, blocky PS1(PSX) styled graphics.

The tip of this spear is the Gorgeous Goth Goddess @b0tster with their twofold Bloodborne PSX and Bloodborne Kart projects respectively.

The reasons we choose the style are simple. Firstly those of us who are leaning hard on this aesthetic were in our formative years during the fifth console generation, so we have fond memories of playing games that look CHUNKY. And secondly, perhaps most importantly, it is the easiest (kinda) 3D content pipeline to do as a solo developer.

No need to bake meshes, no polygon budget, no texture streaming budget, Installs that won't even approach 100 gigs(let alone 10g), and guaranteed 60fps is a minimum. Low poly art style has a lot going for it.

-Getting the style

The Unreal engine 5 does have to be modified a little bit. Since it has features that were not even dreamed of in 1998 set as default, We actually have to use a shader to emulate the lower fidelity colors, resolution, and lighting effects. Starting the project means turning off things like: anti aliasing, motion blur, HDR lighting, ETC.

My current post processing effect.

Since most people aren't playing on old Sony CRT tv's and have modern 16:9 monitors, we have to just divide the HELL out of the resolution and color space. This shader (shown above) is very adjustable, and is just the first step on the PSX-esque look.

The next step is modeling and texturing. I'm used to 3d modeling in high resolution, so I had to learn to think like a 90's developer and get as much detail as I can squeeze out of as little polygons as possible.

A WIP of a character in my upcoming project

High polycounts give artists the freedom to make their characters as realistic as possible, BUT making them look exactly right, and more importantly animate in a way that looks real is hard to pull off. Low poly models require much more precise and EXACT modeling and texturing, but allows for a more artistic interpretation of how characters look and move. The human eye is more forgiving of caricatures of people.

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Another popular effect for most PSX throwback games is the model "jitter" where models would not place vertices in their EXACT location on the screen(check out the video above!). So it looked like the character was shaky until the camera got right next to the character, to save on memory. I am currently debating using this effect in my game.

The game

So the game I'm working on is: Codename Cardboard Box. (the title is pending some stuff)

As you can probably surmise from the codename it is a metal gear solid homage. I will be taking the Tactical Espionage Action gameplay, and long stylized cutscenes of the serries and putting my own spin on it.

I have been playing through the whole serries recently(again lol), and have noticed so many Queer pieces of subtext than I did as a teen. But it seems like there was a heavy censoring hand on the story creators to push that aside, for example in MGS 2 there was cut dialogue in the script where Otacon would have mistakenly called Snake "David". Implying a much more familiar relationship. MGS4 showcased a lot more "for the male gaze" designs, and camera angles. (I swear to god Naomi's boobs have more screentime than Meryl in total) and the whole serries seemed to have every woman who talked reinforce gender stereotypes, or was just a non stop flirting machine for snake to banter with. The only one who sort of escaped this fate was Emma Emmerich, but even then there were a few lines that made my eyes roll.

Originally I thought of a mod that would change the genders of all the main characters of the MGS serries, to make it way gayer. But then I thought, firstly, Konami is quite litigious, and that I don't think that changing the voices and character models would do much to the overall queer representation and messages of the story.

So Codename Cardboard box (CCB) is going to be an original new story to represent what it is to be queer in the world right now.

The style I am going for is pretty specific, not quite 1:1 PSX or N64 in graphical fidelity. More like a step between Metal gear solid 1 and 2 as a port to the PC in 1999.

Hopefully I can capture the exact aesthetic, I'm still experimenting between MGS 1 style and MGS 2. I don't fully want to commit to one or the other. So I'm toying around between super low textures (64x64-128x128 max) of MGS1, and the medium detail models of MGS2 (with eyes and a single mesh). This is what I have landed on so far, but things may change in the near future.

I also will be using more modern real time lighting solutions, as I think there can be some gameplay choices that can be effected by this (darkness being a great asset).

As far as gameplay goes I'm going for a patchwork of mechanics from across the serries. So here is a small list to represent how it will feel to move and attack with the character:

The over the shoulder / top down view toggling options from MGS3.

The 3 stance options (stand, crouch, prone) of movement from MGS4.

The auto aiming from MGS2, with the over the shoulder toggle aim from MGS4. (no first person view, for now)

The ledge climbing from MGS 2.

No Stamina bar like in MGS1.

And surprisingly enough a hybrid of the MGS 1 item selection (where you just have all of your weapons available to select at any time, rather than using a backpack)

And of course some other cheeky mechanics that I can't spoil just yet.

But of course all of these screenshots, mechanics, and ideas are works in progress. While they fit the game now, they may be changed to fit the vision of the game better in the future.

So that is it for blog post #1! I will tease the next update just below, but after that I am going to continue my personal gamedev history below that!

Next time:

Blog 2- animation, scripts, and themes.

So Personal gamedev journey. The most vivid memory I have of making a choice to be a game developer was in the year 2002. I was playing Diablo 2, after completing a multiplayer halo 1 campaign . My friends and I were just in awe of games as a storytelling medium. We had been playing on a LAN connection and were thinking about making our own diablo 2 mod or even whole separate homage game. We all chose roles of what we could do to make the game. And none of them really did anything beyond a conversation. I was enthralled thought.

I dabbled in halo moding (I never released anything, so don't bother looking it up.) and thought about making games through the rest of high school.

After graduation I kind of dropped it while I just kind of goofed off for like 3 years. So in 2007 I took some 3d modeling classes and learned how to use 3ds max at my local community college.

I made a few cool looking mechs, but I remember just not being able to do much with the software. If you don't know 3ds max is not a very good 3d software.

So from 2008 to about 2014 I was a bit of a mess. I didn't really do much with my life as I was a disassociated mess ( see blog post 0 for more info) I just was kind of drifting from one job and activity to the next. Those friends I mentioned earlier started a video production company, we made a few short videos for youtube, never got over 40 views. And we just kind of fizzled out. I was the 3d artist of the team. But nothing really clicked.

I felt trapped, cuz I lived in a super expensive area and with my parents. So of all things I moved to Utah to strike out on my own, where I tried to kickstart a 3d printed miniatures company. (I beat hero forge by a little bit, but they had the more solid everything)

After that the unreal engine 4 came out. I poured more and more time into it. I had 0 programming knowledge and had seen games like braid, and fez become popular. So I started just making stuff. When I found a dead-end due to a lack of knowledge I would then try to educate myself on that blind spot. Slowly I learned, UV unwrapping, animation, sprite art, rigging, and more!

That took all of 6 years off and on. Then one day I decided that I had not gotten my shit together. So I looked inward (once again read post 0) and found that I had ADHD and other hang ups that were causing me to not commit to any one project. So I got medicated, and therapated, and learned how to properly learn. So After about 50 false starts. I'm throwing my hat into the ring again. This time doing it for myself. I'm not going to use this blog as a method of checking in, I'm using it to document my journey. No matter where it takes me.

The goal is to release a game on itch.io and steam. I don't care how many units it sells. I want to release something to have fun, and to see where I can take myself.

I will do some attempts at the social media game, if it finds an audience, awesome. If not. K. My only hope is that a queer person somewhere plays my gay ass game and has a gay ass time.

-thanks for reading this loooong poooooost!.

#unreal engine #ue5 #transgender #game development #metal gear solid #MGS #low poly #pixel art

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game-boy-pocket · 1 year

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- Do you prefer the Koopalings (à la SMB3/SMW) or Baby Bowser?

- Did you play any of the Virtual Boy Mario games (Clash, Wario, Tennis), and if so, did you enjoy them? (I had Mario’s Tennis and I remember liking it. I can still remember the music vividly)

- What’s the classic Mario game you wish they’d bring back, either as a remake or via emulation? (I think you mentioned NSMB Wii recently, which I have fond memories of)

- If you were put in charge of Mario stuff at Nintendo right now and had free reign/carte blanche, what would you do?

Did you mean Baby Bowser or Bowser Junior? Not that there's much difference... either way my answer is the Koopalings by a huge margin.

Yes, I'm not big on the Tennis game, Mario's clash is interesting to me as a fan of the Mario Bros Arcade game, and another game where Wario is the Antagonist, I'm always for that. And Virtual Boy Wario Land feels like it's exactly part of an alternate timeline where Wario Land is a series that I would be more likely to enjoy. It's like the first Wario Land, but without screen crunch and with Wario being speedier. I do still need to finish these games. I did get a pair of 3D goggles so I can play on my CRT with stereoscopic 3D using an emulator.

If it's only a remake or emulation, then I guess I'd go with Super Mario RPG... I mean... I can play it on my SNES... but a remake would be dope as hell. But even if it was just a straight up port, I know it's not on the NSO right now so I would like other people to get the chance to play it. Of course if I could have a new entry in a dead Mario series, I want an updated version of Mario Bros. Arcade, with new abilities, new power ups, new characters and enemies, and new modes, online play and leaderboards. That or Wario's Woods.

That last one is a pretty big question.

First off... I would try to have a little more synergy between the different spinoffs, mostly in the Mario mainline series if I can justify their inclusion. Daisy, Wario, Donkey Kong, and the like. To paint a clearer picture of what I mean, if I had control earlier on, Tatanga would have been in Galaxy assisting Bowser and Rapheal the Raven would have appeared as a miniboss since they both make sense in that setting, Nabbit never would have existed and it would have been Wario stealing power-ups that you have to chase down, he'd regularly be causing grief to Mario in the main series, not even necessarily working with Bowser, Daisy would have been in the Sand Kingdom and Foreman Spike would have been in New Donk City... though I wouldn't be trying to cram in anyone and everyone, I'd just like a tad more synsergy when it makes sense.

I wouldn't do this as much for the spinoffs, like I wouldn't have a Donkey Kong Country game where DK is fighting the Koopa Troop, but I would once in a while imply that the Koopas do in fact exist, maybe a little throw away line from Cranky Kong or something.

I'd also try to revive dormant Mario series and bring ones that fell from grace back to a state that resembles what people remember the most fondly, while still trying to inject new ideas. Wario Land comes back taking a cue from WL4, with Waluigi as a player 2, Donkey Kong Country would bring back the Kremlings and make the other Kongs playable rather than make them powerups, Yoshi's platformers would stop all the papercraft stuff and go for a more hand drawn look ( and I mean flat art like Wario Land Shake It, not that garbage on the 3DS )

I'd make a new Mario RPG series that resembles a mix of all the Mario RPGs up until now. You get established Mario characters on your team both well known and obscure as well as new characters made up for the game, yes typical Mario enemies with accessories and hair like the Paper Mario Partners, i'd let the Paper Mario series keep going in it's current direction since it's got it's fans, I think Paper Mario fans would just be happy to have something resembling the first two games again.

I'd bring back Mario Vs. Donkey Kong but I'd get rid of the mini wind up toy things, just make a good puzzle platformer like DK '94, and possibly have more elements from both Mario and Donkey Kong's home series. In a twist, the post game would take a cue from Donkey Kong Junior and allow you to play as Diddy trying to release DK from Mario's chains.

I'd go back to having Mario make odd ball cameo appearances in other Nintendo games, if not straight up appearing like in Punch-Out, then having expies like Talon/Tarin in the Legend of Zelda or Mr. EAD in F-Zero.

And lastly, Mario Kart would turn into more of a celebration of Mario. Characters from any spinoff or any era could appear as racers. A good quarter of the tracks in any new Mario Kart game would be based on existing Mario games and their spinoffs, kind of like the Yoshi's Island track we recently got, but like... more of that.. and yes RPG characters could appear to.

I could probably spend all day on this question my dude so I think i'll end it here.

#ask pocket

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erenaeoth · 1 year

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what's ur favorite fighting game

In terms of games I've played, probably Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I really like the large roster, and have fond memories of playing it 4 player, passing round controllers and inventing lil tournament rules as I played with friends. I also have a very fond spot for Soul Calibur II, my first fighting game, in which i mostly button mashed people with Kilik off cliffs or spent hours recreating the whole cast of my fantasy novels in the character customisation. And of course Smash Melee which was a staple in my house.

In terms of my favourite beyond that, I havent played except in emulators, but I like Tekken 4 for its story, aesthetic, and the merciless way the writing team came for every character and gave them chronic depression. I love seeing so many old stories returned to in it and Heihachi in his essence as meglomaniacal CEO in his fully glory. I think there were so many brave choices in that game that really stand the test of time. It's my favourite game to edit for on the wiki and that little sound as you open up a character prologue is ingrained in my brain.

#asks #fgc #tekken #soul calibur

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spyhop · 2 years

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do you have pokemon fangame recs?

I DON'T TEND TO PLAY FANGAMES BUT I HAVE FUZZY FOND MEMORIES OF ASH GRAY AND SNAKEWOOD. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT ELSE. BUT JUST EMULATE GEN5 GAMES LOLOL

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purityvalentine · 2 years

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What are your thoughts on the Pokemon franchise in general?

Do you like the games? If so, which one is your favorite?

Do you mind if I go off on a few tangents here? Thanks.

(I added a little header to the part where I actually answer your question...)

My first introduction to Pokemon was actually through the cards! When I was in primary school (elementary?) it was a big thing with all the kids and I still have very fond memories of trading cards with other kids and 'playing' Pokemon where we'd basically play as if it was Top Trumps.

We also had the movies as a kid and Pokemon 2000 was my favourite! I've watched it more times than I could tell you!

It wasn't until Kisaka who I followed on YT because of Tokyo Crystal Mew did some playthroughs of Moemon that I even really knew about the video games! So I grabbed an emulator and played some FireRed myself soon after (and I was not very good at it but the Moemon were very cute).

I think I've mentioned before how I didn't really have any Nintendo devices while growing up, my first one was a DSi. My first real pokemon game was actually Pokemon Diamond, which came out when I was in secondary school, and my friend bought Pearl so we played it together...

And then I played Black, Black 2, Y and then... I did buy the remake of Ruby/Sapphire but I kind of fell off the series then... I haven't really had much to do with the main games since. I liked the spin offs I've had chance to try! Pokemon Go and Pokemon Quest were both significant timesinks for me.

[SKIP TO HERE FOR THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION]

Pokemon Black is my favourite! I have really fond memories of playing it for the first time, really loved the aesthetic of Team Plasma, N was such a good character, Ghetsis really shocked me as the bad guy, I liked the pokemon (and Zorua from that gen is still my fave)...

And there was just something so... charming and wonderful about the style. Of course it was mostly still all pixel art but the main city you go into? Parts of that with the 3D and the perspective?

And that's when the sprites were still pixel but like... had animated parts and I just...

...For me, even though I didn't have Pokemon (games) from as young as a lot of people, they represent some of what I really did love about my childhood.

I still have some of the cards from back then too. Nothing rare, just... silly things like where I pen wrote an 'R' next to the picture of the pokemon because that meant it was a TEAM ROCKET pokemon.

It's very nostalgic for me.

#anonymous #ask #SORRY I WENT OFF MORE THAN I EXPECTED #pokemon

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bellafragolina · 2 years

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It seems like a lot of people have a lot of love for the Johto starters, because Cyndaquil os the only starter I have a lot of love for. Not that I don't like the others, but I have such fond memories of playing HG/SS, having a male Cyndaquil named Cloud and just exploring and loving Johto.

-☀️🌙

The game is definitely on my list due to totodile being in it! It’s just a matter of money and finding the game online, or just finding an emulator that doesn’t make my poor computer weep because it’s old and sad lolol

I’d like to think Cloud and my totodile Nile Crocodile would be good friends, yeah?

~Renee

#☀️🌙 anon

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retphienix · 2 years

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I unironically recommend any monhun fan with the means to do so gives monhun 1 a chance.

I'm NOT saying they should play through the entire game or some crazy nonsense like that, I just mean for like a first-hand experience of where the series started- that was fascinating to do.

Monhun 1 for the ps2 feels like rubbing your tummy and patting your head.... and reciting the alphabet backwards.... and a bunch of Velociprey and Bullfango are biting your ankles.

It somehow has some of the worst controls I've ever been willing to put up with and part of that is because you can JUST BARELY see what they are going for with the various weapons.

Like, it's bad, I loathe it, it is the worst at forcing claw grip because it HAS a right stick and your brain screams at you the entire time that you should be able to use it.

But they like... put combos in it? On a right stick control scheme? Like the SNS can do jump attack, triple sword, side spin by pressing Down, Up Up Up, Left (or right). It's like aping on fighting game inputs or something, it's so weird and I won't lie- it kinda feels good sometimes but I hate it with all my soul lol.

But it ain't just controls, there's plenty more and I truly recommend anyone interested just toss it on something like PCSX2.

Small monsters have infinite rage in their hearts. Egg quests (because of this) have never been more stressful. It has absolutely zero of the QOL changes the series has incorporated over the years- some of which I hadn't even considered like needing to have the materials to craft IN YOUR INVENTORY to make new armor or weapons (small but crazy to see lol).

Stagger and trip mechanics don't seem to use any form of resistance build up and there is an entire meta built around stunlocking the head FOREVER.

The end game fight (Fatalis) has THE MOST ABSURD lock condition of HR20 (Super fair!), Doing every online quest (There's some doozies, like 50 banana habanero hunts and just general filler, but Okay, Okay, Fair), AND HUNTING 50 RATHALOS AND 50 RATHIAN. OOF.

GS, as many already know, doesn't have charge attacks so the optimal combos (outside of hit and run, obviously) is all those meme movesets you're not supposed to do (like overhead into side swing into overhead infinite).

Hammer almost unironically feels the same as normal oldschool titles because charge is on R1 and pressing Left Up or Right all does the triple down slam/golf swing so honestly Hammer feels pretty good.

Lance is meta defining because of headstun and INSANE motion values.

But really I just say all this because giving the original version of MH1 a chance revealed a lot to me and I found it fun in more ways than one.

And that's surprising tbh. It felt like shit most of the time, but it also was kinda super fun tbh, like to the point where I sat down trying to figure out how to get PCSX2 to play online (to no success sadly) because I was toying with the idea of beating all the online content (until I saw what you have to grind out to do Fatalis).

It's.... FUN.

It's HORRIBLE. So horrible that I legitimately do not as of writing this understand how Monhun survived. Like I know Monhun thrived after Freedom came out as handhelds allowed it to explode on the Japanese market- but that's just it. I GET how MHF survived. I GET how Monhun after Freedom lead to FU, 3U, 4U, GU, World, all that.

But literally HOW did MONSTER HUNTER 1 ON THE PS2 spawn sequels??

I might have to seek out a retrospective or something that emphasizes how MH1 survived to the point where it could thrive, because yes- The DNA of monhun is in MH1. So like, it's not a 0/10 travesty.

It's more that MH1 is Just Barely offputting enough where I would expect it to be some niche fond memory game, not a game that was given a chance to continue and became what it is today.

I kinda love it. If I ever get my hands on a reasonable emulator that easily allows me to play it online, I fucking am. I'm fucking trying to get to Fatalis. But until then it's sitting there as a remarkable relic and a mystery all in one. Pretty cool.

#Monster Hunter #Monster Hunter 1 #MH1 #Monhun #RetPlays

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remzarci · 2 months

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My experience with DBZ video games is a tad limited.

I remember during my ol emulation days I would go to a site called "GamerZparadise" and download all manner of ROMs for my ZSnes emulator.

Among them was the super butoden games and Hyper dimension but one that really stood out was "Super Saiya Densetsu". It was an RPG where during fights you would select cards and the characters would do some high speed brawling, do their familiar attack attacks and such.

it went allllll the way to the freeza saga and to this day I have never really beat it.

but dammit do I have fond memories of playing it, super metroid and earthbound on those lukewarm fall afternoons.

#toonami #dragon ball z #dragon ball z kai #akira toriyama #thank you toriyama

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gaymer-hag-stan · 6 months

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On the 24th of November, twenty three years ago, the PlayStation 2 was released in Europe. Playing on it was among my favourite pastimes as a kid and I have many amazing and fond memories. To celebrate, I wanna share my favourite PS2 era games of all time. Not all of them are PS2 exclusives, in fact I think most of them aren't, but for me there were no other options honestly. I had no idea what a GameCube or an Xbox were until much later in life and PC gaming, due to my very old pc from the 90s, and due to thinking that you can only play with your mouse and keyboard, always looked inferior to me.

Now, most of these games on the following list I own, or owned, a few of them I had either borrowed from friends, played with said friends on their PS2, rented or only played demos of (until much later) and a very few of these games I actually played later on PS3 or PS4 remasters, but I decided to include them anyway because of all the fond memories I had, even if they were made in my teenage or young adult years, I think they still count lol

1. Tomb Raider: Legend - Tomb Raider is my favourite video game series ever and Lara Croft is my hero. It all started with Legend!

2. Tekken 5 - My love for fighting games probably started with this one. It was the very first fighting game I ever owned, possibly the very first I ever played too.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - I fell in love with the world of Narnia when the respective movie came out and dove deep into the books and franchise as a whole. This was the very first PS2 game I ever purchased, before my dad would only get me the demos included in the official PlayStation magazine as he thought it was better value for money to get multiple games at once, even if it were just demos lol

4. Sly 3: Honour Among Thieves - This is probably the game I rented the most. It was during summer vacation styling at my uncle's place. My cousins also had a PS2 of their own and my uncle would take us to the video store after going to the beach and we would each rent a game. This was my choice, most of the time, until I finally beat it! It was among the first games I ever beat!

5. Sonic Heroes - I was obsessed with Sonic the Hedgehog as a kid. I still think very fondly of the series, but haven't kept up with it as much after Unleashed I think. Heroes will forever be my favourite because of how many of the series characters are to play with!

6. Jak X: Combat Racing - This was actually the first game I ever owned but, I didn't purchase it, I actually got my cousin to give it to me lol. I think it ignited my love for kart racing lol

7. Final Fantasy X - I remember trying a demo of it as a kid and thinking "Wtf is this, why do I select combat moves, why can't I move around this sucks"... So it wasn't until I was a young adult that I actually gave the franchise a fair chance and X is definitely among my favourites now.

8. Sonic Mega Collection Plus - This I included because of the retro games in general. Of course I spent hours playing this on my PS2 and then I gave it to my brother who still loves Sonic a lot. But before that, we used to have an old PC at Grandma's house in the countryside where we would spend summer vacation. So an older cousin had installed some sort of emulator featuring tons of old Sega games on that PC and me and my younger cousins would play hours upon hours of Sonic 1, 2 and 3 on it before eventually moving the party to PS2s in later years!

9. SoulCalibur III - This is peak SoulCalibur for me. I used to play the demo of it before eventually managing to get my hands on a copy of it during the PS2s later years (c. 2008-2010)

10. Tekken Tag Tournament - I remember a friend of my dad's gave away a bunch of old games he had to us, so I got this after Tekken 5 was already out, but I still loved getting to play as Jun or Kunimitsu or Forest or Michelle and I also loved playing Tekken Bowl. Even my mum, who doesn't really play video games, enjoyed playing Tekken Bowl with my brother!

11. Resident Evil 4 - Okay. This might sound weird but, until c. 2010 I had never ever heard of Resident Evil in general, I don't know how or why, and I never actually got to play any of them until I played Resident Evil 6 with a friend. By the time I had gotten my PS4, I had become very invested in the series and started trying to get my hands on as many of them as I could. Resident Evil 4 is definitely among my favourites so, even though it's cheating, I'm including it on my list.

12. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures - Funnily enough, I never had any interest in LEGO, I was on team Playmobil, or Indiana Jones for that matter, I think I only became aware of who he is after the fourth movie was out and promo for it was everywhere. But when it came to LEGO video games, I had tons of fun playing demos of LEGO Star Wars (another franchise I did not and still don't care for) and LEGO Batman before it and I had tons of fun! So I decided to pick Indiana Jones up as the first full LEGO game I owned. I wouldn't necessarily call myself an Indiana Jones fan, but I got around to watching the first four movies multiple times, all because of this game!

13. Sly 2: Band of Thieves - This is another cheat, because I played this game through the PS3 collection remaster for the first time, but my love for the third game prompted me to include it on my list. And it's a great game on its own of course.

14. Tomb Raider: Anniversary - By the time Anniversary was out, my original fat PS2 had died so I asked for a new one, and guess which game was bundled with it! I only owned a demo version of Legend before that, so Anniversary was actually the first Tomb Raider game I owned, despite being the third one I played!

15. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I got into my Harry Potter phase sometime between the release of the fourth and fifth movie. In between that time period I read all the books that were out at the time (were Deathly Hallows already out? I don't remember) and played as many of the games as I could get my hands on. Order of the Phoenix is my favourite book, movie and game of the series.

16. The Sims 2: Pets - I was debating between this and Castaway but I ultimately went with this. I know it's nowhere near comparable to the PC experience but I didn't know what Sims on the PC was all about at the time so I felt like this was the shit 🤣 it still has its own charm regardless

17. Ultimate Spider-Man - I was never big on comic book heroes. Batman and Spider-Man were probably the two solo exceptions. I guess it's no coincidence that these two get the best video games too! I haven't really bothered with the PS4 and PS5 games, played a little bit of the first one and didn't much care for it, but THIS one I really like!

18. Final Fantasy XII - Again, like with Final Fantasy X, this is a cheat, but I'm too invested in this game lol

19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - While I much prefer Order of the Phoenix's free exploration of Hogwarts, I love that you can choose between Harry, Ron and Hermione in this one!

20. Shadow of the Colossus - I only owned a demo of this which ended after defeating Barbas so I never got to experience the whole thing until the COVID lockdowns when it was included as the free PS+ subscription game at one point or another and I finally got to play the whole thing! But even then, the little I had played as a kid was enough for it to be permanently engrained in my mind. I was so in awe by this game, still am.

21. Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore - Dead or Alive is my second favourite fighting game series after Tekken, and it's all mostly thanks to this game. Although I never actually owned it myself, a friend and then my cousins did so we would spend hours playing together either this or Tekken 5.

22. Sonic Riders - Again, only ever owned a demo of this. I did end up buying Zero Gravity, but there's something particular about this game's aesthetics that made me obsessed with it. The concept on its own still sounds so unbelievably cool to me and I wish Sega and Team Sonic would revive this sub-series some day! It's intro cinematic is the coolest shit ever.

23. SoulCalibur II - "Is that the one with Link in it?" No, because the GameCube does not exist silly, remember? I remember playing as Cassandra in the demo of II. The game is amazing, and I can see why many prefer it over SoulCalibur III, but to me it's the other way around. Still a great game though

24. Madagascar - I only ever played demos of it and rented it but never completed it. I did get the second one, but this was the shit. I vividly remember doing various tasks that would earn me pieces of a makeshift Statue of Liberty that the gang was making in hopes that someone would see the fire from the torch and come get them. I remember actually making drawings of castaway statue of liberty lol.

25. God of War II - I never cared much for excessive violence and gore or naked ladies but, greek mythology is right up my alley so this aspect of god of war always appealed to me. It's also why I don't care for the newer games as much; I appreciate that Kratos is no longer annoying and screaming but I got enough of my Norse fix from Skyrim and Valhalla, I really don't care to see any more of it. Also: Greek Mythology > Egyptian Mythology >>>>> Norse Mythology. I'm sorry it's the rules

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