The dolphin journeys continue! Looking past the propping up of Seaworld’s oppression, this is a decent aquatic adventure that I had a good time with.
Subjective game reviews, comic translations, pixel art, and other video game bits & bobs.
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Projects About+Links Ask me anything
July 23, 2019
[Review] Shamu’s Deep Sea Adventures (DS)
July 22, 2019
[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)
There’s highs and lows to the experience of Tri Force Heroes. The premise seems pretty player-unfriendly, but by connecting with an active online community I was able to wring some enjoyment from it.
July 18, 2019
[Comic] Donkey Kong: Candy’s Request
Hey-oh! Look out down below! This scanlation is from Yukio Sawada’s Super Mario-kun volume 23. It’s labelled as “Special Stage 3” and tells a new story set in the continuity of the French/Canadian Donkey Kong Country CG animated series from Nelvana et al, as you can see from the presence of Bluster Kong and Candy Kong’s unique design. Mario’s not even involved apart from a tiny cameo. It’s a short story but a bit of silly fun with the trademark SMk puns and comedic action (not to mention cute chibi character design).
This volume has never been available outside Japan (although it may be getting a French and even Spanish release in the future). But with the help of Horseypope I’ve translated it into English for the first time for fans to enjoy. It’s to be read in its native right-to-left orientation. I didn’t have scans available for this so I actually scanned this story myself (with help from @lupiter), using an unorthodox technique involving glass plates and a DSLR camera that worked out pretty well, except for losing a tiny bit if the printing was too close to the margin.
I am fascinated by works with multiple layers of adaptation; in this case game series->animated series->manga, so scanlating this was satisfying for me. I hope you enjoy it too. Banana Slamma!
See also: My archive of the Donkey Kong Card Game, another Japanese product based on the show.
July 13, 2019
[Review] Jupiter & Mars (PS4)
I was expecting Ecco: Defender of the Future; Jupiter & Mars is not that, but it’s a beautiful experience.
July 11, 2019
[Review] Star Splash: Shattered Star (Wii U)
To kick off a spree of dolphin games, mostly happening on my streams this week (check it out live at twitch.tv/miloscatter or the archives at www.youtube.com/user/Wiseguy934/videos !!) I caught up with this charming Wii U exclusive. It’s a simple little thing, but addictive and fun while it lasts.
July 9, 2019
[Review] Another Eden (iOS)
My friend Gibbon got me on to this game, an indie RPG project that publicised the involvement of Chrono Trigger’s scenario writer Masato Kato and composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Turns out the link was strong indeed, with the game taking pains to insinuate itself as an instalment (technically unofficial) in the Chrono series. Apart from that it’s a nice RPG for the smart device platform, and free-to-play but not exploitative.
July 8, 2019
[Review] Ristar (SMD)
For game club we played our third “non-Sonic game made by Sonic Team”, after Nights and Billy Hatcher. Similarly, Ristar has somewhat of a Sonic feeling but with a heavy focus on a different gameplay hook.
June 30, 2019
Another Eden, low-res pixel style! (2 images)
This mobile RPG is not-so-secretly a sequel to Chrono Trigger, and has an even more complicated time travel story by the same writer, Masato Kato. It’s got characters out the wazoo, way more than Chrono Cross. Many of the female cast have questionable character designs, but you get a lot of freedom to pick your team. Here I’ve drawn two parties: one with the main story characters and the other is who I chose for the majority of my playtime.
1: Aldo, Feinne, Amy, Riica, Cyrus, Helena
2: Parisa, Raven, Krervo, Lokido, Cyuca, Foran
June 28, 2019
[Review] Xeodrifter (3DS)
Xeodrifter builds on Renegade Kid’s Mutant Mudds to create a gritty, streamlined, miniature Metroid-like adventure. And it does so very well.
June 27, 2019
[Review] Lego Harry Potter Collection (PS4/DS/3DS)
Hey old news, I played another Lego game with my spouse. Even older news, it’s a remaster of games we already played before. But they’re prettier now and almost completely bug-free. I also played along with the respective handheld versions. It was all a jolly old time.
June 23, 2019
Roll-chan vs the female Robot Masters, low-res pixel style! (3 images)
This is kind of a thought experiment or very loose idea for an all-female Mega Man/Rockman game. It occurred to me that there were barely enough woman Robot Masters in the Classic era franchise to make a full boss set of 8, and naturally Roll would be the one to take them on with her Roll Buster (as seen in Rockman 1 mobile and the Marvel vs Capcom games), her trusty broom (from Powered Up and Tatsunoko vs Capcom), and her ability to turn her arm into household appliances to be used as weapons (in the Ruby-Spears cartoon). The latter would be her version of the Copy Ability, with each boss giving her a themed appliance/weapon like a souped-up whirlpool blender or rocket stove. Pretty cool, eh?
Shoutouts to Capricorn’s two Rockmen R fangames that star Roll, as well as Zynk Oxhyde’s romhacks that replace Rock with her in all the 8-bit games! More details on the characters chosen below.
June 23, 2019
[Review] Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (3DS)
Let’s make this quick so I don’t get too mad. Paper Jam Bros. has all the wit and engaging battle mechanics of previous Mario & Luigi games, but it has had the soul sucked out of it. It squanders the potential of a Paper crossover and exemplifies the blandness of what the Mario series has become.
June 22, 2019
[Review] Retro City Rampage DX (3DS)
After playing a GTA game and Bro Force recently, I decided it was natural to pick up this next (I like making connections, ok?). Its scattershot approach kept me on the back foot most of the time, but it’s a satisfying little game.
June 21, 2019
My trip to Japan 2019
I’ve been gone for four weeks! No time for this blog. Well, I did that Hitchhiker’s pixel art. Anyway now I’m back and if you’re interested I’ll tell you what video game-related stuff I got up to over there. Then I can get working on more “hashtag content”.
June 11, 2019
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, low-res pixel style!
Douglas Adams’ wonderful stories have entertained me for many years. I’ve been reading the DC comic series from the 90s, it’s a good adaptation! But then there are so many adaptations, aren’t there? Radio to books to TV to the film. Here is the main cast of characters ie. the Heart of Gold gang plus Slartibartfast, from the three versions of the story in visual media. Then, a bonus fourth picture for other “main characters” that are only in non-visual stories.
1. From the 80s BBC TV series: Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, Marvin, Slartibartfast.
2. The same, from the 90s DC comic series.
3. The same, from the 00s film.
4. Lintilla (a character exclusive to the latter half of the radio show’s second phase, which covers a story never adapted; I based the depiction on fanart by Nick Page), Fenchurch (from the fourth book and radio series; I based this on her brief cameo in the TV series), Random Dent (from the fifth book and radio series; I based this on official promo art for the sixth radio series by Trystan Mitchell).
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