I played the rest, then played the best. This remake collection was a great way to round out a Spyro retrospective, as it shows that the original games have aged very well.
Subjective game reviews, comic translations, pixel art, and other video game bits & bobs.
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March 13, 2019
[Review] Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4)
March 4, 2019
[Review] Trials Fusion (PS4)
It’s almost five years ago that I played Trials Frontier, the mobile companion to this game. I assumed at that time that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, and I was right!
February 24, 2019
[Review] Hover (PS4)
As Jet Set Radio Future is one of my all-time favourites, any game that draws inspiration from it is going to get my attention. Despite its low-budget indie status, Hover manages to evolve the formula and create an exceedingly fun experience that I won’t soon forget.
February 10, 2019
Other Doctors, low-res pixel style!
In the Doctor’s long life, they have had many incarnations and alternate versions. Here’s a lot of them, from various media. I’m greatly indebted to Paul Hanley’s depictions of the more obscure characters.
February 6, 2019
[Review] Snowboard Kids DS (DS)
SBK: Snowboard Kids appears to be one of those reboots that forces an edgier tone, but it’s actually decent and retains a sense of fun.
February 3, 2019
[Review] Spyro: A Hero’s Tail (PS2)
Eurocom saw fit to shake things up slightly with their take on Spyro. A lot of the formula remains but there are tweaks that seem small but change the whole experience. It’s still good but it marks the beginning of the era where the series began drifting away from its roots.
January 26, 2019
[Comic] Sonic Comic
In 2016, Sega published a series of 25 comics (plus one bonus) on their Sonic Channel website to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. The comics each centre around a “day in the life” for a different character in the series; originally the website also published a biography of the character and their game appearances. With the tireless help of Horseypope, I’ve translated just the comics into English. They were already printed to be read left-to-right, which helps!
Now I found out when I was almost finished this that these comics have been officially translated through a pack-in with some Tomy toys. But I couldn’t find a scan of these books, nor could I find any other fan translation attempts. Either way, if you’ve seen these before or not I hope you enjoy my translation of them.
The comics have a great style to them, with spot-on designs by Eitaro Toyoda, who mostly works as a level designer on the Sonic games. I love how each has a key colour and uses different shades of it. The gags are pretty good too! Anyway, please spread this around if you can! Special thanks to Sonic News Network, I used some of their translated titles.
January 25, 2019
[Review] Spyro the Dragon (Mobile)
My final Spyro handheld game to cover is this poorly-titled java phone release. It was released alongside Shadow Legacy and uses the same light/dark world mechanic, and it’s an OK game.
January 24, 2019
[Review] Spyro Fusion (GBA)
Having covered Spyro’s isometric handheld history, there are two sidescrollers for me to play (not counting the Legend games on GBA and mobile). The first is the famous Crash Bandicoot crossover, Fusion (also known as Spyro Orange). To be quite honest, it’s a miserable slog.
January 23, 2019
[Review] Spyro: Ripto Quest (Mobile)
As a quick postscript to Spyro Adventure, I played this mobile game that was released as an accompaniment. It’s not good, but it’s short!
January 22, 2019
[Review] Spyro Adventure (GBA)
The third of Digital Eclipse’s GBA trilogy eschews a numeral and “Season” titling of its predecessors, and for good reason. It tries for a more open structure unlike any previous game, so it feels very different.
January 21, 2019
Doctor Who monsters and Masters, low-res pixel style!
To follow my “classic DW Doctors and companions” art, here’s a selection of the top 8 monsters/baddies, plus eight of the Master’s incarnations. Some of these were difficult to draw and didn’t turn out so well, but I love the Dalek!
Dalek, Cyberman, Sontaran, Silurian, Ice Warrior, Auton, Zygon, Weeping Angel
Delgado Master, Pratt/Beevers “Decayed” Master, Ainley “Tremas” Master, Roberts “Morphant” Master, Macqueen Master (from the Big Finish audios), Jacobi “War” Master, Simm “Saxon” Master, Gomez “Missy”
January 20, 2019
The Arcade Era Power Hour: Episode 004 - News Update Jan '19
My friend @imtherealgibbon and I recorded an episode of our podcast for DK Girder. This one is about all the “Arcade Era” news of the past two years relating to Donkey Kong and its relevant spinoffs. This should lead into more episodes to come!
January 19, 2019
Donkey Kong Country 2′s Animal Buddies, low-res pixel style!
The Animal Buddies, or Animal Friends, are one of the coolest part of the DKC games. And DKC2 is the best game ever made I reckon, so here’s a bunch of my favourite gaming companions (including the GBA remake, which added an ostrich racing minigame). This picture was drawn as an entry to the DKVine “DKC2 Relay” community event, which I am participating in by streaming DKC2′s Gloomy Gulch this coming Friday at 1pm AEDT.
Rambi the Rhino, Rattly the Rattlesnake, Squitter the Spider, Squawks the Parrot, Expresso II the Ostrich, Squeaks/Flapper the Parrot, Enguarde the Swordfish, Glimmer the Angler Fish, Clapper the Seal
January 18, 2019
[Review] Spyro 2: Season of Flame (GBA)
My review of the first GBA Spyro game is required reading, as this is very much an iterative sequel. The iterations were welcome though, for the most part!
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