Beat Faxanadu, game is stronger at the start since enemy patterns/placement start to get "cheap" later in the game, detracts from the enjoyment.
Best parts:
- music, by Jun Chikuma of Bomberman fame, she has a soundcloud in 2018 with amazing music!!!
- atmosphere
- story, which is basically about dwafs mutating and going insane due to worshipping a meteorite
- monster designs, which are darksoulsy nightmare fuel
OK:
- level design is delightfully confusing
Worst:
- monster placement, patterns
Playing it on my 3DS, I favour handheld games bc the screen real estate was used in about the way it needs to be in order to be enjoyable when played in that format. I.e., I think Zelda: LTTP on 3DS would feel a bit cramped. But Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is perfect.
PSA the Lufia game that was for GBC and now on virtual console is /very/ good. I had never heard of this game but one hour in and it's plainly a masterpiece.
Also finished reading The City & The City by China Mieville, what a great book!
Faxanadu when you die it just says:
"Don't have negative thoughts. Remember your mantra."
There is some really evocative text in this game:
"As long as there are still crazed dwarfs, the threat of the meteor will loom over us"
It reminds me that you can make stuff and it can be less than perfect and it can still be awesome and special :)
Another thing is how storytelling can create an entire alternate universe, this is the purest human magic.
Finished watching Record of Grancrest War. One thing I kind of love about anime is that sometimes roughness in production shows through, and it reminds you of the humans working hard to realize their vision. This was a really ambitious show, a bit rough in places (on many levels) and a bit cheezy (in an enthusiastic way) and so enjoyable.
CRT + NES adventures: Have been playing SMB2, it's really good. I can't quite believe how good and immediate the control is, curious if the 3DS emulated versions feel that good. I feel like Spelunky on VITA had zero input lag; maybe that's the last game I played without input lag?
I have to say the NES + CRT setup I have organized here for myself is, if anything, much better than I expected. Just playing SMB2 and things are so immediate, I know this as a fact in my brain but it is really incredible, I can detect no lag at all from when I press jump to when the mario is jumping.
Oooof! After a longish twitter hiatus I went back there and it really didn't take me long to feel all that anxiety and awfulness. I am really done with that website, I'll build a thing to post my thoughts via the API and show me notifications and that's it :P
I still like it here, though
I'm buying all kind of game crap, somebody has a ps2 with a bunch of games for ten dollars and I'm going to get it I think. I never had a PS2 though!
One thing I've learned is it's possible to get a VGA -> composite cable for very little money. If I can get that, I'd like to play some pixel art indie PC games on my CRT with my SNES USB controller.
Other games I'll review: ALIEN SYNDROME - the opening of each level has pixel of art of a space ship and these are amazingly well done. Playable game, kind of atmospheric. AFTER BURNER - nearly-incomprehensible chaos but it makes me happy nonetheless. ALEX KIDD IN MIRACLE WORLD - I dont' know how to feel about the cover art. Sort of a strategy-platformer, which is interesting.
Another great SMS game is GREAT GOLF, which is sort of proof positive that attention to detail can make up for presentation. Very basically presented golf game but somehow it feels like a very realistic simulation. Some issues with course design because it always faces you to the pin and it's relatively easy in many situations to OUT OF BOUNDS but... IDC! Very fun golf game :)
I purchased a CRT finally, actually an amazingly beautiful old wood-cabinet HITACHI. We absolutely do not have room for this but somehow, it fits already. It's maybe even from the 70s but somehow... SOMEHOW in perfect condition.
I was playing SEGA MASTER SYSTEM games on it, given to me graciously by a friend. Most of those games are (sad to say) second rate compared to many NES games however Wonder Boy In Monster Land is kind of a treat! Fun to think how many people played this last year :)
These have been some programming thoughts. I really enjoy computer programming, it's a delight!!!
So I am using overall a little bit older computers for my things, and let me say: there is a certain peace of mind in using a computer that doesn't change how it works in some small way every 6 hours!
I think programs should not have a wrapping limit, each line should be a logical thing and if it long for a good reason, it get to be long...
"But I like to diff it side by side"
Yeah but that's a tool issue!
"But github something something"
Git is not my boss why's it yours?
That said I would like a programming editor that could wrap comments, and comments ONLY. This is the only part of a computer program that feels like it should actually text-wrap, to me.
So much anime I remember hearing about when I was a teen and it was just not. available. Except as piraty, which I could not do, because (urf) my hdd was never big enough for very many episodes!
Bubblegum Crisis looks cooooool as all. get. out. How is it I already know it won't be available except as a $237 box set on Amazon............ :///
