mousewife
6 reviews liked by mousewife
Rumbleverse
2022
i miss this game every day. nothing like it.
Kirby's Adventure
1993
I think it's only fair to review my favorite game of all time while I suffer from executive dysfunction in relation to, well, everything right now. As it turns out: work fucking sucks the life out of you. And then some.
Speaking of sucking. Kirby does that. I'd go further on that, but the common mind would waver into the depths of juvenility. Instead, I'll just mention that Kirby can obtain abilities. That's the point of this character, right? This is the first game in the series where he... they??? they can do that. Kid me was fucking pumped for that. Did I mention this was the first game I've ever played in my life? Would that count as some sort of bias?
Either way, whether it's the first game I've ever played or not, it's also the game I've played the most times. Of course, we're not going to count playtime, that'd be cheating. I'm talking about playing a game and finishing it over and over again. I can't ever get enough of this game. Its pacing and action is so much fun. Even if it's on the easy side for an NES game, it still provides unparalleled entertainment for such a primitive console. A lot of people would complain about the framerate being bad, well I've gotten so used to it that I've been using it to my advantage. After all, what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.
The graphics are so colorful and the palettes are used super well for each world. Every world has its own thematic and, as a kid, I would dream of going to the many castles Kirby would visit there. I still remember those dreams. I was like, 4 years old. The progression of the worlds being from more down to earth, to straight up being in nothing but a dreamlike setting, just hypnotizes me. It's something that's so hard to explain, I just love the atmosphere of this game. I want to live there.
What with the graphics comes the audio, oh god, the audio. Permanently cemented on my mind is the rainbow resort track. Nothing in this world has come close to emulating a literal dream. I am dreaming when listening to the soundtrack, I am dreaming when seeing the world of Dreamland. Sakurai just understood from the get go on how to create a literal dream world.
This game holds a special place in my heart. I bought it for every single possible platform, yes, even the 3D one on 3DS. I'm gonna piss you off however and say that Nightmare in Dreamland on GBA is not Kirby's Adventure to me. It's not the same, it just ain't. I will forever treasure the japanese copy I bought from ebay, I'm ready to call it my family heirloom.
You should play this game, I think. Dream about it, if you will.
Speaking of sucking. Kirby does that. I'd go further on that, but the common mind would waver into the depths of juvenility. Instead, I'll just mention that Kirby can obtain abilities. That's the point of this character, right? This is the first game in the series where he... they??? they can do that. Kid me was fucking pumped for that. Did I mention this was the first game I've ever played in my life? Would that count as some sort of bias?
Either way, whether it's the first game I've ever played or not, it's also the game I've played the most times. Of course, we're not going to count playtime, that'd be cheating. I'm talking about playing a game and finishing it over and over again. I can't ever get enough of this game. Its pacing and action is so much fun. Even if it's on the easy side for an NES game, it still provides unparalleled entertainment for such a primitive console. A lot of people would complain about the framerate being bad, well I've gotten so used to it that I've been using it to my advantage. After all, what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.
The graphics are so colorful and the palettes are used super well for each world. Every world has its own thematic and, as a kid, I would dream of going to the many castles Kirby would visit there. I still remember those dreams. I was like, 4 years old. The progression of the worlds being from more down to earth, to straight up being in nothing but a dreamlike setting, just hypnotizes me. It's something that's so hard to explain, I just love the atmosphere of this game. I want to live there.
What with the graphics comes the audio, oh god, the audio. Permanently cemented on my mind is the rainbow resort track. Nothing in this world has come close to emulating a literal dream. I am dreaming when listening to the soundtrack, I am dreaming when seeing the world of Dreamland. Sakurai just understood from the get go on how to create a literal dream world.
This game holds a special place in my heart. I bought it for every single possible platform, yes, even the 3D one on 3DS. I'm gonna piss you off however and say that Nightmare in Dreamland on GBA is not Kirby's Adventure to me. It's not the same, it just ain't. I will forever treasure the japanese copy I bought from ebay, I'm ready to call it my family heirloom.
You should play this game, I think. Dream about it, if you will.
komasan is in this game
This review contains spoilers
I think Fallout 4 is mostly pretty okay to actively bad and harmful, except for Far Harbor, which is I think the best thing written under the Bethesda Games Studio roof. No other Bethesda story builds out and rapidly hits on singular themes the way Far Harbor does. Every last console entry, dialogue choice and bit of visual storytelling asks you if it's worth it to erase and rewrite this world if it means saving your people.
The story of Far Harbor makes an active effort to explain and justify the actions of The Institute, while also significantly complicating the actions of The Railroad. Replacement isn't really explained in base Fallout 4, but DiMa's plots explain why a technically advanced outsider would want their own people spread across the population. We also come to a deeper understanding of the real horror of what The Railroad does, both through DiMa's critique of them and his own actions - turning a Synth into someone else isn't just asking them to wear a disguise, but rather destroying everything they are.
The relationship between DiMa and Nick Valentine is heartbreaking and incredible, especially as you try to hold DiMa accountable for increasingly duplicitous but well-meaning deceptions. Talking to Nick after DiMa is killed by Far Harbor is absolutely heartbreaking.
I do have a few narrative issues with Far Harbor. The prevalence of unmarked, gated quests is particularly frustrating, as is the games' refusal to accept holding DiMa accountable without destroying The Nucleus as a completion-perk-worthy ending.
I have mixed feelings on Far Harbor's gameplay. First, the positive - all of the monsters in The Fog are fantastic. Slurpers, Anglers, Fog Crawlers all bring their own unique challenges, and can be actively scary at times. The new Radstags and Ghouls are really great, and even the Trappers bring some new difficulty with their harpoon guns.
In terms of gameplay issues, make sure you play Far Harbor around level 30, or get ready to lose every single round of ammo you have to enemies who eat lead. Venomous Anglers can go straight to hell. Also, since I've only ever played it on Survival, I have a weird perspective on the island as a playable space. It's a pretty significant landmass, and a lot of my playtime wound up involving hoofing it (sometimes overencumbered) between the few scattered towns and settlements. It continues an issue that's consistent across all of Fallout 4, which is a general lack of towns to visit and unload, while also having Fog-consumed settlements that require quest completion to unlock.
I like the Minecraft puzzle, despite what others think, btw :)
The story of Far Harbor makes an active effort to explain and justify the actions of The Institute, while also significantly complicating the actions of The Railroad. Replacement isn't really explained in base Fallout 4, but DiMa's plots explain why a technically advanced outsider would want their own people spread across the population. We also come to a deeper understanding of the real horror of what The Railroad does, both through DiMa's critique of them and his own actions - turning a Synth into someone else isn't just asking them to wear a disguise, but rather destroying everything they are.
The relationship between DiMa and Nick Valentine is heartbreaking and incredible, especially as you try to hold DiMa accountable for increasingly duplicitous but well-meaning deceptions. Talking to Nick after DiMa is killed by Far Harbor is absolutely heartbreaking.
I do have a few narrative issues with Far Harbor. The prevalence of unmarked, gated quests is particularly frustrating, as is the games' refusal to accept holding DiMa accountable without destroying The Nucleus as a completion-perk-worthy ending.
I have mixed feelings on Far Harbor's gameplay. First, the positive - all of the monsters in The Fog are fantastic. Slurpers, Anglers, Fog Crawlers all bring their own unique challenges, and can be actively scary at times. The new Radstags and Ghouls are really great, and even the Trappers bring some new difficulty with their harpoon guns.
In terms of gameplay issues, make sure you play Far Harbor around level 30, or get ready to lose every single round of ammo you have to enemies who eat lead. Venomous Anglers can go straight to hell. Also, since I've only ever played it on Survival, I have a weird perspective on the island as a playable space. It's a pretty significant landmass, and a lot of my playtime wound up involving hoofing it (sometimes overencumbered) between the few scattered towns and settlements. It continues an issue that's consistent across all of Fallout 4, which is a general lack of towns to visit and unload, while also having Fog-consumed settlements that require quest completion to unlock.
I like the Minecraft puzzle, despite what others think, btw :)
I heard for years that the unlocalized sequel to Ace Attorney Investigations, which I regard as one of the worst games in the series, is against all odds one of debeste- er, the best. I didn't believe them! Why would I?
Turns out I was wrong! There's a first time for everything. Investigations 2 is a fantastic game that stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games in the series. I'll try to keep as much of this review on this game as I can but I gotta get this off my chest. It's my personal opinion that if you haven't played either Investigations games and are looking to start: Do not pass go, skip directly to Investigations 2. You are free to ignore this advice and I won't judge you for it, but I truly believe just about every character in that game is better for just pretending the first game didn't happen.
Moving on, Investigations 2 proved to me that Ace Attorney can live on without Shu Takumi at the helm. Of course I'd love for him to be, but they did just fine on their own here. It has most of the sauce that separates the Turnabout Academies from the Rise from the Ashes. You of course have your "case from [x] years ago" and the internal struggle that the protagonist goes through as a result of their morals and personal connections to events unfolding, except unlike the first game they're actually worth a damn here. Sorry, I know I promised. All of the arcs that the characters go through here are compelling and the resolutions feel earned. Edgeworth, especially. With Edgeworth's character already being pretty well defined by the arc he goes through over the course of the main trilogy, it's a tall order to then put him in the protagonist's seat of a new set of games and expect anything they come up with to approach that same level of impact. To my surprise they actually do a good job!
The newcomers to this game are all extremely fun and likeable, too. Raymond Shields is a great level-headed mentor figure to Edgeworth, which the game cleverly contrasts by showing him in his early years as Gregory Edgeworth's weird little girl/ assistant. Justine Courtney is a stoic, formidable foe who manages to maintain her status as an intimidating figure for as long as she stands opposed to Edgeworth's actions and ethics. Sebastian Debeste is a character that I really did not expect to like at all when he was first introduced, but he quickly grew to be my favorite.
I have a couple of nitpicks though. Firstly, good LORD those cases are long. For transparency's sake, there were multiple instances of me taking several month-long breaks during cases, but by the 4th case I was playing it quite regularly and even still it felt incredibly long. There's good reason for it, as that game has a lot of ground to cover for that story to move, but at the same time I'm sure the amount of extra time spent actually having to move the characters around in cutscenes and walk around the environments adds some time that wouldn't be there in the more visual novel-esque main series. If a third entry in the series were to do away with this mode of play I would certainly not complain, but I'm sure this is marketed as a key defining feature of the spin-offs so I doubt it would.
My last gripe lies with the reveal in the finale case. I won't spoil it here, if you know you know, but the more I think about it the more I really don't know if I find any of that earned. The angle they were setting up was quite interesting, and from an overall story perspective I think was written well, but like... them? I dunno. Plus that last set of cross-examinations -rebuttals, whatever- really were dragging on by the end. It didn't feel like making holes in impenetrable armor but rather arguing in circles for so long you sanded the soles off your shoes. A weird misstep in momentum but otherwise not one that dampened my enjoyment that much.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path is a ray of light that shines in my personal darkness that is "Almost Every Ace Attorney After 4." I'm glad that I got to play it, and doubly so that I enjoyed it. I would honestly love to see some of these characters show up in a mainline or """official""" Ace Attorney game, but then I would have to deal with the concept of anything in Investigations 1 actually taking place and not being anything more than a fever dream. So, sorry Kay, Tyrell, Sebastian, Raymond, and Courtney. Back in your hole you go, forevermore.
Turns out I was wrong! There's a first time for everything. Investigations 2 is a fantastic game that stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games in the series. I'll try to keep as much of this review on this game as I can but I gotta get this off my chest. It's my personal opinion that if you haven't played either Investigations games and are looking to start: Do not pass go, skip directly to Investigations 2. You are free to ignore this advice and I won't judge you for it, but I truly believe just about every character in that game is better for just pretending the first game didn't happen.
Moving on, Investigations 2 proved to me that Ace Attorney can live on without Shu Takumi at the helm. Of course I'd love for him to be, but they did just fine on their own here. It has most of the sauce that separates the Turnabout Academies from the Rise from the Ashes. You of course have your "case from [x] years ago" and the internal struggle that the protagonist goes through as a result of their morals and personal connections to events unfolding, except unlike the first game they're actually worth a damn here. Sorry, I know I promised. All of the arcs that the characters go through here are compelling and the resolutions feel earned. Edgeworth, especially. With Edgeworth's character already being pretty well defined by the arc he goes through over the course of the main trilogy, it's a tall order to then put him in the protagonist's seat of a new set of games and expect anything they come up with to approach that same level of impact. To my surprise they actually do a good job!
The newcomers to this game are all extremely fun and likeable, too. Raymond Shields is a great level-headed mentor figure to Edgeworth, which the game cleverly contrasts by showing him in his early years as Gregory Edgeworth's weird little girl/ assistant. Justine Courtney is a stoic, formidable foe who manages to maintain her status as an intimidating figure for as long as she stands opposed to Edgeworth's actions and ethics. Sebastian Debeste is a character that I really did not expect to like at all when he was first introduced, but he quickly grew to be my favorite.
I have a couple of nitpicks though. Firstly, good LORD those cases are long. For transparency's sake, there were multiple instances of me taking several month-long breaks during cases, but by the 4th case I was playing it quite regularly and even still it felt incredibly long. There's good reason for it, as that game has a lot of ground to cover for that story to move, but at the same time I'm sure the amount of extra time spent actually having to move the characters around in cutscenes and walk around the environments adds some time that wouldn't be there in the more visual novel-esque main series. If a third entry in the series were to do away with this mode of play I would certainly not complain, but I'm sure this is marketed as a key defining feature of the spin-offs so I doubt it would.
My last gripe lies with the reveal in the finale case. I won't spoil it here, if you know you know, but the more I think about it the more I really don't know if I find any of that earned. The angle they were setting up was quite interesting, and from an overall story perspective I think was written well, but like... them? I dunno. Plus that last set of cross-examinations -rebuttals, whatever- really were dragging on by the end. It didn't feel like making holes in impenetrable armor but rather arguing in circles for so long you sanded the soles off your shoes. A weird misstep in momentum but otherwise not one that dampened my enjoyment that much.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path is a ray of light that shines in my personal darkness that is "Almost Every Ace Attorney After 4." I'm glad that I got to play it, and doubly so that I enjoyed it. I would honestly love to see some of these characters show up in a mainline or """official""" Ace Attorney game, but then I would have to deal with the concept of anything in Investigations 1 actually taking place and not being anything more than a fever dream. So, sorry Kay, Tyrell, Sebastian, Raymond, and Courtney. Back in your hole you go, forevermore.
Franken
2022
Franken is a great RPG. I beat it in under two hours.
Love is a very important aspect of the game making process. It's not something you can or should give a numbered score, but you know when it's there and you especially know when it isn't. You don't need to take your game seriously to love it, but you do need to respect it.
Franken, in more ways than one, is a game about love. It's a game that loves the fact that it exists. With simple and entertaining combat, vibrant and beautiful artwork, equally hilarious and engaging writing, it loves that it is an RPG. It has its fair share of satire on the genre yet it never feels like an admonishment of these aspects, but rather quirks that it wears proudly on its sleeve. It takes everything you love about RPGs and compresses them down into their most concentrated forms. Love is in its themes as well, from wanting love and wanting to be loved, grief, and pirated anime music during the big climactic boss fight. Okay maybe that last part doesn't fit, but *I* loved it. It brought back feelings of a bygone era of fangames and early game dev in general. I only wish that it didn't cost the developer the ability to make any money off of the game directly. (btw you should definitely give her money for it indirectly https://twitter.com/splendidland)
Is this a lot to say about a game that's only a couple hours long? Maybe! It truly did touch me in a way that I was not prepared for, though. Once I started I didn't want to put it down, and once it ended I was truly a different person for having played it. It was much-needed reminder, as silly as it sounds, that games are as much or as little as what you make them. If the game in your head is only and hour or two long, or even 30 minutes, make it. As long as you're loving making it, because that love and excitement will shine brightest above all else. Thank you, Splendidland. Thank you, Franken.
Love is a very important aspect of the game making process. It's not something you can or should give a numbered score, but you know when it's there and you especially know when it isn't. You don't need to take your game seriously to love it, but you do need to respect it.
Franken, in more ways than one, is a game about love. It's a game that loves the fact that it exists. With simple and entertaining combat, vibrant and beautiful artwork, equally hilarious and engaging writing, it loves that it is an RPG. It has its fair share of satire on the genre yet it never feels like an admonishment of these aspects, but rather quirks that it wears proudly on its sleeve. It takes everything you love about RPGs and compresses them down into their most concentrated forms. Love is in its themes as well, from wanting love and wanting to be loved, grief, and pirated anime music during the big climactic boss fight. Okay maybe that last part doesn't fit, but *I* loved it. It brought back feelings of a bygone era of fangames and early game dev in general. I only wish that it didn't cost the developer the ability to make any money off of the game directly. (btw you should definitely give her money for it indirectly https://twitter.com/splendidland)
Is this a lot to say about a game that's only a couple hours long? Maybe! It truly did touch me in a way that I was not prepared for, though. Once I started I didn't want to put it down, and once it ended I was truly a different person for having played it. It was much-needed reminder, as silly as it sounds, that games are as much or as little as what you make them. If the game in your head is only and hour or two long, or even 30 minutes, make it. As long as you're loving making it, because that love and excitement will shine brightest above all else. Thank you, Splendidland. Thank you, Franken.