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Going to be playing Princess Peach Showtime this week! Join me on twitch (5:30pm -9:30pm PT Tues / Thurs : https://www.twitch.tv/lostleader) for the first week of April 2024

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Game 18: PICROSS S GENESIS & Master System edition (Feb 2023) 💖

Picross has been a really neat puzzle game to get into. It tickles the brain the same way Sudoku or crosswords do, but with math placement. It makes neat little shapes and drawings as you fill in the squares, and gives you a nice little sense of accomplishment when you get to see the pictures move a bit too. But mostly Picross is just a fun game that helps clear your mind, and Picross S GENESIS & Master System Edition is the best version of that fun.

I can't express just how blown away I was by the demo for this game alone. With the additional new modes like Clip Picross and Color Picross it really feels like Sega Picross just understands what makes Picross so fun, and what new ways such a mechanic can improve it's gameplay on. This game just has so many improvements to the hint systems, tutorials, and gameplay that this would make a great starting point for any puzzle fan wanting to try a Picross game. Add in the additional star system to reward veteran players for playing the game well, and new modes just caters to any puzzle fan out there.

The game is absolutely stacked with a huge amount of puzzles to chose from. Not only are the majority of these puzzles not locked by anything, but you also don't need to do them all to be reward for the work you do. This means that doing any puzzles in regular, mega, or color picross will give you a clip picross to work with. These Clip picrosses are often smaller picross puzzles that create a small picture to help an even bigger picture come to life. While regular picross is still as fun as it usually is, being able to break it up with some mega picross or color picross puzzles helps the overall game from becoming too stale. As well, the new featured color picross is perhaps this games main selling point. While most picross puzzles require you to use simple math placement to figure out where to place your next block, color picross also uses various colors to help construct your picture. Sometimes the colors can help immensely or provide to make the puzzle more challenging, but always giving you a new way to play and figure out picross. Attach to this we have a very slick interface with a lot of wonderful sound effects and a nice assortment of Sega music. Rounding everything out, each picross is entirely different through out giving you an entirely new picture aside from regular and big picrosses as they share the same gallery.

Really I couldn't ask for anything more from a picross game, and Picross S: Genesis & Master System Edition really provides for that charming pick up and play attitude like no other picross before it. While there could have been more pictures for mega picross or a larger sound track of Sega's works, there really isn't much more I could have asked for from this game. Sega picross gives far too much from it's gameplay alone, and it's pricing makes it far and above worth your time. There really isn't a better puzzle game that's under 10$ that I could think of.

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Game 10: Psycho Dream (Jan2024)

Psycho Dream is a very keen ascetically pleasing '90s trip to past anime inspirations, and a rock hard crash course of what Nintendo Hard used to mean. In every way I can think of, Psycho Dream feels like a video game that you rent yourself, thinking it's pretty cool, and give up on the first hour because it's just too hard. Just a straight up '90s experience all around; using it's graphics and cool moments to really be impressive on what effectively feels like a let down. It's a bit awkward that Psycho Dream just kinda sucks if you play it seriously. Not that the game can't be mastered, but due to how unforgiving the game can be. It's not so much one thing, as it's everything at once. Psycho Dream just kinda feels like a rogue like bullet hell disguising itself as a platformer. Even if you do manage to pull off an ultimate power up build, that effectively makes the game trivial by holding down the shoot button, Psycho Dream can easily take it away with a few unfair shots mixed together with a barrage of enemies you can't see past the screen. Add that to some generic hallways that feel the same and obstacles that feel like they can take forever depending on your weapon makes for the moments where this game does shine as simply not enough. Thankfully, we do not live in the '90s era anymore, and any given emulator can help make experiencing Psycho Dream at least pleasant. Really under all the difficulty there are a lot of neat moments in this game, and a few bosses that look really cool too. When this game has a chance to give you eye candy, it makes sure your eyes get cavities at what it makes the SNES do. As well, the game is fairly manageable if you make sure to keep your weapons powered up. Really, the only thing that holds Psycho Dream from being a cult classic is not having a good checkpoint system, and if you have that? Let loose and have some fun.

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Game 17: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle (Jan 2023)

Blazblue Cross Tag Battle feels like it's fairly uncooked compared to what the story and future roster ended up being. Boosting well over 20 additional DLC characters, and nearly none of them are relevant to the story makes for a lot of missed opportunities, and character interactions that we simply don't get. To say the least, it's about how much better the game could have been if it just waited a bit longer or added more story to it's original campaign. What's the point of having all these characters and just not really use them?

If you said fighting, then ya, I suppose you're right. This was a mainline Evo game in 2018, and I'm sure there were at least a few matches that wow'd the crowd. I certainly won't bad mouth Cross Tag Battles combat system. For what it is, it's a fairly simple one that gives players universal means to understand characters as well as a whole assist face button that works well into it's combos. Really the combat of Cross Tag Battle is just something I never meshed well with, and while I can't say I spent a lot of time with it, I can say it was fairly easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. Although I don't dare go online as this game has a ton of touch of death combos just waiting to eat newbies. Still, if you and a friend are looking for a simple fighter to enjoy at a party, Cross Tag Battle certainly got a roster that's big enough, well if you have all the DLC characters, for everyone to enjoy.

Ya, honestly that's kind of my biggest problem with this game, is the amount of DLC it got over just how low the roster was initially. It doesn't just speak to my collector brain that we don't have the likes of Yang and Blake (from RWBY) on disc, but also the fact that the main campaign for RWBY in this game is heavily missing any real lines or dialogue interacting with Yang and Blake. The other 3 campaigns are fairly good though, and it's probably the biggest reason I'm so upset we don't get much interaction with the DLC characters. Even Crosstag Battle adding in an arcade mode, a staple for any fighting game really, would have been enough to quell my problems with story content.

Cross Tag Battles troubles really are just that it doesn't cater to a single player audience. Like if you enjoy this kinda of fighting game, there was a ton of DLC released and game changes that made you keep coming back. For people that are a fan of the characters in the game tho? We got next to nothing in terms of content to work with. Which I get in terms of marketing and cost would have problem been too much, but us single player types are already used to so little, it really wouldn't have been that hard to please us. Still, the game has plenty of good fundamentals for any fighting game fan, and really deep down that's just what this game is. Just don't expect anything more or less from it.

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Going to be playing No More Heroes 3 Starting 5:30pm Pacific Time Tues / Thurs for the last weeks of March 2024. Come join the no hero zoning laws!

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Game 9: Kirby's Super Star Stacker (Jan 2024)

KIrby's Super Star Stacker is a very simple puzzle game where you link at least two animals of the same kind either vertically or horizontally as long as they are all the same or are a normal block. While the actual concept of this gameplay is simple, the actual combo system of Super Star Stacker is the meat on the bone. Combos are pretty much the only way you are able to do damage, and while it's certainly possible to get big combos with little attention, largely the game can't be beat on pure blind combos. This ends up making Super Star Stacker far more versus oriented over some of it's other puzzle game likes but not for the better. Arguably, Star Stacker is kinda boring without it's combo system, and it's further distanced from the usual make by the game trying to add more after your initial combo. It's certainly neat that sometimes after a two combo the game can position you into an undeserved 10 combo by constantly throwing boxes at your board, but it certainly doesn't feel earned.

While I certainly don't want to belittle this game, the truth of the matter is that it's nicer to look at than play. A lot of the story cutscenes are really cute, the animations of characters attacking each other give some added flavor, the menus are done nicely, the sound effects feel good, and the OST is certainly a pop. Sadly, these are all things that don't help Star Stacker's gameplay in a meaningful way, and largely it just feels like a rather half baked game compared to other puzzle games. While I certainly don't think there is no joy to be had, it really just boils down to "there are better puzzle games out there"; hell what probably hurts this game most is that there are better KIRBY PUZZLE games out there. This game is neat for a first run, but just don't expect much.

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Game 16: Mega Man The Power Fighters 2 (Jan 2023) The Power Fighters is perhaps better off dead with the likes of how 1 and 2 game out. The games aren't outright offensive, but what presents itself as a fighter is absolutely just a boss rush in disguise. There can be something said about the different paths you can choose and the addition of Duo compared to the first Power Fighters, but it simply isn't enough to make this game work.

Really, the tragedy here is that the Mega Man franchise would absolutely work wonders as a fighting game, and instead of trying something new and interesting, we just got the usual find the weakness of the robot master you're facing. By all means, Power Fighters does a bit to make the fights themselves interesting by adding in more detailed areas and giving the returning robot masters new sprite work and attack patterns, but it's just not enough to hold attention. There really isn't a move list to go by or any kind of Hadoken input to put in, it really is just jumping and shooting the whole time.

As well, Power Fighters 2 artwork isn't exactly on the level of most arcade sprite work at the time, and coming from the likes of Capcom that had series like Darkstalkers and Street Fighter, really just made this game feel lazy overall. And really, that's what Mega Man 2 The Power Fighters is, it's lazy. There is next to no charm with it, and the little features it adds compared to it's first game are so minimal that really it just feels like a "super" remake or a 2.0 of what they wanted the original to be. Would I want an actual fighting game with Mega Man and all his Robot Masters? Absolutely, but not like this.

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Game 8: Neodori Forever (Jan 2024) Neodori Forever really does capture this really ascetically pleasing polygon look that both makes it look dated and a treat to the eyes. It's what charmed me into getting it, and it's what ultimately helped me push through this wonky game. Controls and track design are so fundamentally important to racing games that if you mess with it too much it can make the game unbearable. Sadly, Neodori does not have a proper sense of control nor does it use standard track design. Like I wish I could tell you the game gets challenging, but really the biggest challenge was the controls, and figuring out how to work the first initial tracks. It's not that there isn't track design, but there isn't unique track design. Like it's not exactly to the point that each track feels the same; it's the fact that they are never the same track twice in a row. For a racing game, memorizing track lay out is important as it helps you get better as you learn the game's deeper mechanics. Neodori however favors learning how to drift with it's simple controls, and while that's not inherently bad, THE FACT DIFFERENT CARS HANDLE DIFFERENTLY AND YOU MUST UNLOCK THEM THROUGH A GACHA SYSTEM, IS. Both these factors of never having the same track twice when going into a level on top of not being able to control your own handling made for a lot of trial of error in the beginning, and nearly all the game fell apart once you get the drift mechanic to work properly along with a car that works with your handling. This really isn't to put down Neodori as I respect the game on an aesthetic level, and once you beat it you unlock so much content compared to the initial asking price. It's just that these odd design choices can also come with a very unfavorable beginning that can turn anyone away due to how trying it can be. Add that to the fact this game has a lot more modes to offer that may never be played because you're locked out of it makes for a rather bad concoction of suffering so you can have fun later. Overall tho, I can tell how much love went into Neodori, and if you like the look of it I really don't think you should let the fear of un-intuitive controls get the better of you. After all Metal Gear Solid still has plenty of fans.

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I will be playing it on my twitch channel Thursday 5:30pm - 930pm Pacific Time https://www.twitch.tv/lostleader

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Game 15: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Jan 2023) I always thought that Turtles in Time just had a port on the Genesis, but when my friend told me that it was straight up a different game. Not really in the sense that it wasn't as good as Turtles in Time, but that I didn't know a different Turtles Beat'em up was around. As much as I do think this is a cheap imitation of Turtles in Time, it's still a pretty narly game. By all means, the music, sprites, and levels weren't as memorable as Turtles In Time. Sadly, this is mostly due to this games difficulty and length. While the levels are longer than Turtles In Time, Hyperstone Heist has about half the levels IV did and the difficulty just isn't up to par with usual beat'em ups. While I'm usually a big fan of easier games, the problem with Hyperstone Heist is the lack of any challenge causes for a lot of moments to be fleeting rather than memorable. Boss aren't nearly as interesting either, and with a lot of them just having boring attack patterns and just being bigger punching bags; leaves for little impression on what otherwise is a good roster of baddies. Hyperstone Heist still has it's own identity and merits as a beat'em up. It gives us some neat new stuff, and at times can be just as fun as it's SNES counterpart. Really it has all the DNA of what made Turtles In Time as good. Using the same kind of sprites, game mechanics, and presentation. If that means that it may be a shorter, slightly easier, and different game, I'm all for it. Variety is the spice of life, and hey, can you really be mad at having two cakes?

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Game 7: one night, Hot Springs (Jan 2024)

This is a pleasant surprise, a game about a transgender person's experience about society, and how going out of your comfort zone can led to new experiences. While I can't say that it's a define experience for transgender people to open up, and the world to just be kind, at the least One Night, Hot Springs puts a positive spin to attempting to grow out of your comfort zone despite previous hardship.

Sadly, it's only real downfall is perhaps being too positive and short while trying to explain some rather complex feelings in a small amount of time. Despite this though, one night, hot springs still manages to juggle all it's characters well and give rather unique dialogue and experiences with each new choice you make. The fact that I wanted to see all the endings immediately, and experience more of the world is a testament to how good this game is, but it's sadly still too brief to satisfy me.

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Game 14: Samurai Shodown V Perfect (2023) Judging Samurai Shodown V is a hassle because they are effectively 3 games that are exactly the same with minor differences that make 2 of them better than the first one, and largely it just comes down to game feel. V Perfect has everything that Special had as well as a story mode, kinda, and some more tweaks and balances of the cast. While I do think that V Perfect is a better version of V Special and V Special is a better version of V; I don't think V Perfect is (ironically) that special.

I think the major problem V Perfect has is that it can only improve so much on itself. Literally a game that feels like it cooked itself for too long that just feels like it should have been it's own game. Perhaps V Perfect's saving grace is simply that it's not packaged as a standalone game as it's paired with the Neo Geo Collection of Samurai Shodown rather than being sold separately. Like don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying V Perfect is a bad game, it's just how much can you really improve V Special before you just have a new game on your hands? V Perfect does have some nice text story to character endings, and some slightly better presentation tho. The problem is that, that's about it. V Perfect was made after Samurai Shodown VI, and thus has to work with the constrictions that come with that. While I do think you can replace V Special with V Perfect; really it just comes down to how much time you have had with either game. If V Special feels like it's version 1.5 of Samurai Shodown V then I'd say V Perfect is a 1.6 version.

Largely your enjoyment of V Perfect is the novelty of it. For those newer to the series, V Perfect is perhaps the best version to play Samurai Shodown V, and literally the latest version of said game. For those that had more time with V Special, I'm sure V Perfect just feels like a glorified patch that does some nice things for lore, but ultimately doesn't really make it worth the same amount of time you put in with V Special. Don't want it to seem like I'm not grateful for this game's existence though as going from the cancelled final game for Neo Geo to being a neat little bonus in the Neo Geo Collection is pretty great. Just don't expect a big jump in quality compared to it's previous versions.

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Game 6: Armor of Heroes (Jan 2024) Tanks fighting each other in an arena is a really neat concept, but with this execution it feels like no thought process went into it after the fact. While I certainly understand Armor of Heroes and it's sister games were made as a showcase of demo games that didn't make full develop, I can tell this one barely made it past any development. There's little regard to map design, controls, AI, weapons, scoring, or camera angles beyond the fact it functioned. While I'm sure it's a playable venture with friends, I feel like nearly any other party game would simply be more enjoyable than the buggy mess this came out to be.