Game club this month took a look at one from Mitchell Wolfe’s childhood, the first Pajama Sam game from Humongous. Not being familiar with adventure games, this was a good introduction to the genre and especially the specific oeuvre of Ron Gilbert.
Subjective game reviews, comic translations, pixel art, and other video game bits & bobs.
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Projects About+Links Ask me anything
July 17, 2018
[Review] Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside (PC)
July 13, 2018
[Review] Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (DS)
Oops, this blog has become all Star Wars! Bear with me, it’s drawing to an end soon. So here’s something I never considered looking into because I don’t care for the latter two prequels. But when I saw the sprites on the back of the box in a shop I had to check it out!
June 20, 2018
[Review] Getsu Fūma Den (NES)
For Game Club this month, Gibbon picked this Konami classic. Well, it seems to enjoy classic status, with ties to Yugioh, Castlevania, Wai Wai World, and Otomedius. It is well made, for a Zelda 2 clone, but with an unbalanced pace.
June 17, 2018
[Review] Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP)
I’ve played a version of this game before, on DS. As with Lethal Alliance, I figured the PSP version as the lead platform would give a better experience. Turns out that unlike Lethal Alliance there are pros and cons to both, and I ended up preferring the DS version! Note I left the multiplayer component—ostensibly these games’ selling point—completely untouched and just judged the campaign.
June 4, 2018
[Review] Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance (DS)
Released alongside Lightsaber Duels for the Wii, this game also attempts to replicate the feel of a clash of sabers… but with touchscreen tapping instead of Wii remote waggling. I like the original plot, but the gameplay leaves something to be desired.
June 3, 2018
[Review] Bomberman Tournament (GBA)
June’s game for Game Club was this Bomberman spinoff, the second RPG-like of the series. It’s a light Zelda-style adventure game, with puzzley grid room dungeons separated by overworld sections and towns, plus a very tacked-on monster battling mechanic. The plot is poorly developed but it’s colourful and looks nice, and the mix of formulas makes a refreshing brew.
May 4, 2018
[Review] Illustlogic DS + Colourful Logic (DS)
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, my obsession with Picross should be clear. Hudson did their own take on Jupiter’s Picross games with Illustlogic, an even more tortured portmanteau but a great take on the concept.
May 3, 2018
[Review] Tamagotchi (GB)
For Game Club in April, we played the first console conversion of the Tamagotchi brand. I had a unit myself as a young lad, but being more mature now I found myself attaching more to my baby, albeit with a slight layer of irony at times.
April 15, 2018
[Review] Sega Superstars Tennis (PS3/Wii/DS)
After playing Sumo’s two Sega crossover racing games, I decided to check out their earlier entry in the larger “Sega Superstars” series, despite having had negative feelings about tennis games in the past. As it turns out, playing tennis matches is my least favourite part of this game.
March 29, 2018
[Review] Drill Dozer (GBA)
This month’s pick for Game Club saw us tackle a rare Game Freak non-Pokemon title. I can tell a lot of effort went into the core mechanic and the game’s style, but I’m not sure it fulfils all its ambitions.
March 14, 2018
[Review] Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (PS3)
Since I’ve been watching The Clone Wars, I thought I’d check out its primary tie-in game. As an action game it’s mediocre, and as a representation of the show it’s messy. Is there anything to like? Ummmmmm
March 8, 2018
[Review] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)
My friend @imtherealgibbon is a noted fan of NST’s work to succeed DK94 and keep the spirit of the old Donkey Kong puzzle-platformers alive. Inspired by his example, I sought out his recommendation: the fourth in the series, and the last one with a real “plot”.
February 26, 2018
[Review] Sonic Generations (PS3/3DS)
After falling for Sonic Rush I intended to pursue its lineage through Rush Adventure and Colours DS, before finishing at Generations 3DS as the final evolution of the formula under Dimps. I had to move the schedule up though, for the Streetpass opportunities that my trip to Japan afforded me. Consequently I played through the 3DS version while over there, then followed it with the console version when I got back.
February 21, 2018
[Review] Mario’s Super Picross (SNES)
Guess what, I played a Picross game. Running this through my New 3DS kept me company during travel in Japan and on some quiet nights at home. Mechanically it’s identical to the Game Boy instalments but having colour and larger puzzles (that aren’t broken up as in 2) makes a difference.
February 20, 2018
[Review] Nights Into Dreams… (Saturn)
This month for the retro game club, the biggest Saturn fan I know chose–to the surprise of no one–the archetypal Saturn game. Sonic Team’s first 3D venture is imaginative and unique, but doesn’t quite succeed on all its aims.
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