Kerorican is just strolling along and vibing, no matter who gets in her way. The scuffed soundscape of the WonderSwan Color, adds an extra layer of charm to an overall immensely charming and colorful rhythm game. The game has a learning curve and getting the controls and flow down especially on the original hardware might be frustrating. Like even critics were divided on the game for that reason, but I feel that button configuration on emulators can make the experience less frustrating, even though the game also has an option for an easy button control scheme. I was surprised that I ended up vibing with this game so much, that it really got me itching to get into more of NanaOn-Sha's games and all the other rhythm games I still haven't tried. Vib-Ribbon is the closest to this one which I loved as well, this strolling kind of rhythm game is just so captivating to me.

A certain Y2K appeal encapasulated in a risque game with photography and a studio to pose the models in. Considering it's a Japan only game and not much information to find about it, there's that allure that makes me want to research and explore every aspect. I genuinely wish there was a volume 2, because that digital model/virtual actor movement that media like Kenji Eno's games, Final Fantasy: Spirits Within, Tomb Raider and Ridge Racer tapped into is so my kind of thing, especially with older CG technology.

I can't believe I wanted this game for my birthday... I liked the movie a lot, so I asked my mom for the game unknown to its quality and wow it wasn't good. Bare bones beat 'em up, with some whacked out vibes which isn't surprising considering it's from the Urban Yeti devs, yet it also has this unhinged Amiga ass soundtrack, which isn't surprising either.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind trying it again just to see how I'd truly feel about the game now. Seems like an inevitability to come across some weird games here and there, if you're at least somewhat enthusiastic about the medium.

Cw: Transphobia, present trans politics

When Haru said that she's incapable of fighting for her rights as a trans person, I felt that. That it's just too much for her to handle, it's something I've actually been grappling with, with all the current anti-trans laws, getting into leftist politics and just growing into the woman that I am. I feel like I should be able to do everything I can to fight back, I want to with all my power, but I'm just not capable of it, I can only do so much and I have to accept that and it really sucks. Even though the game takes place in Japan, the fact that it goes into how it's so hard to even go out with friends and celebrate your birthday in public as a trans person, reflects so much how society still has a massive amount of work to do in accepting LGBTQIA+ people, minorities and diversity in general. For a game to simply explore this hardship in 2019 with its easily digestible writing and cute aesthetics, remaining relevant to my life now, it surprisingly stuck with me. Despite the depressing circumstance that Haru has to deal with in all walks of her life as a trans woman, her friends doing everything they can to celebrate her birthday in whatever way regardless, genuinely warmed my heart. Despite people who are too ignorant or close-minded to be accepting and understanding, despite people who make it their mission to cause others suffering, despite everything wrong with living in a capitalist society, what makes life so unbearable to live will always be triumphed by everything that makes it oh so worth living.

Ridge Racer V is a difficult game, which is a massive departure from Type 4's more pleasant and easy going difficulty, that I feel compliments the game's entire direction. The music is a lot more abrasive, the announcer has a less relaxed cadence and a new racing queen Ai Fukami replaces fan favorite Reiko Nagase. The visual aesthetics are of that Y2K futurism era and even though it's going for a different tone, it does feel like a Ridge Racer game with the mix of urban, seaside views and drifting.
While I do enjoy how it's a tougher game than Type 4, I'll admit that a Ridge Racer game being a relaxing experience appeals to me a lot more. The fact that this game made me question if I preferred it over Type 4 says something about its quality and appeal though and I would love to be able to play the game on original hardware, or at least a smoother experience than how my PC was emulating it.

EDIT June 1st 2023: I must have been playing it on normal difficulty, because I made sure to put it on easy this time and it's a lot more laid back. Also, using a later build of PCSX2 that emulates the game better on my PC, even though it's not perfect, so uh yeah this game rules!

Before the arcade game, before the Simpsons Game, before the Simpsons Movie, before I actually got into the series seriously, this was my go-to for Simpsons consumption. The GBA port of a Crazy Taxi inspired game that actually retained the Crazy Box mission madness from Crazy Taxi, but also had the Sunday Drive mode unique to this game which allowed you to explore the levels without a timer that I vibed with for hours, that shit was magical for me when I was a kid. I really enjoyed how the GBA had so many games that played with 3D visuals and this one definitely stood out to me with the size and variety of the levels.

I had a decent amount of racing games on GBA and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity was one of the first ones I got besides Lego Racers 2. I didn't think this one was too bad, I think the original characters are a decent departure and the machine designs are pretty cool too, the gameplay is basically like SNES F-Zero, it's definitely far from being the worse racer on the GBA, but I don't think it stands out either. Still, I have a soft spot for this game, even though I prefer GP Legend, I played it a lot during car rides.