A quick one.

Sometimes emulating, fast forwarding, and save scumming can make a fun little game all the more frustrating because you get impatient. That admittedly happened to me here. The slow movement and pacing was exacerbated with the modern wonders of emulation. Had I played it back when my GameBoy was shiny and new, it'd have been a more rewarding challenge. Stopping and smelling the roses would've been fine. I would've gotten weeks or months out of it.

Ultimately the game is on the easier side though. And with save states you can reset and make the game as short as it is. You just gotta learn what the level or boss is asking of you. A cute little game with some sneaky depth with the different power ups. But with plenty of clunk from the era. Fun little one session GameBoy platformer.

"Piece of cake. Let's go home."

[Emulated/played on Miyoo Mini v2]

A fun little Hidden Object game with a neat style/theme.

Probably a little on the easy side but still a lot to look for. Some big cluttered levels also pad the time if you want to get all the achievements. The few color tones and art style at times make it easy to spot things, but a few other times it hides an object well. It's a complete style that works. The little goofy narrative moves each level to the next. You even pick up some world building references along the way that helps you decipher later clues. It's all subtle but adds a lot.

The most comparable game would be Hidden Folks. This is a lot more straightforward and way less annoying. From the clues, to the searching, to the sounds; It's just a more relaxed and pleasant experience than Hidden Folks. But they're both fun and if you liked Hidden Folks you'll like this. And if you like this, I'd recommend checking out Hidden Folks if you haven't.

I switched back and forth between desktop and the Steam Deck with trackpad/tapping. Neither were as smooth as they could be. The biggest clunky thing is that the zoom works in steps rather than being smooth. This makes the L1/R1 zoom "make sense" on Deck, but feels clunky and flat out wrong these days when scrolling a mousewheel. Desktop gives you more viewing real estate/size though. So I honestly had more fun on desktop despite feeling clunky. Works out of the box with Steam Deck though. You can turn TDP all the way down to 4W (3W gets noticeably more FPS drops). Really do wish the Deck had better touchscreen implementation in Game Mode for games like this. Stylus compatibility would be nice too. Ah well.

Big thumbs up. 7~8hrs of casual poking and clicking around for some loose change. I can dig it.

[copied from my Steam review]

I was forged in the fire of this game.

Probably second only to Tetris in play time throughout my life, Tecmo Super Bowl tends to be the first game I load up when anything NES is happening. Whether it's my childhood console and cartridge or emulation; This game is getting played. Most recently I've stumbled across the wonderful world of retro gaming handhelds and all the fun they have to offer. I've had a "Miyoo Mini" for about a year now and just finished up yet another season of Tecmo Super Bowl rather than exploring something new in the retro world.

There's gimmicks, exploits and ways you can game the game. It's aged. It's missing features you wish a football game had. It's got its many quirks. But it's still fun. It's up to you to handicap yourself in certain ways. Avoid those exploits. And you can still be challenged thoroughly. Especially come playoff time! While I brought the Bears to the promised land my last season playthrough, I fell short with the Chargers this time. QB Bills was tossing bombs in the AFC championship and Thurman Thomas could not be contained.

Always fun. Always a trip back in time. I love it.

[Played on Miyoo Mini v2]

Ah, what the Virtual Boy could have been...

I love the change of pace that Wario Land games bring. From the more methodical platforming to the treasure/secret hunting. They're all around fun games. Virtual Boy Wario Land is no different. It's a complete Wario Land experience with tons to find and lots of levels.

I never had a Virtual Boy but boy did I play the heck out of the display unit at the local department store back when they came out. Shoving my child face right in the same view piece countless filthy strangers had before me. I always loved taking my eyes out of the piercing red graphics void after fifteen minutes and being blinded by the store's florescent lights. It's really a mystery how this platform didn't work...

They always had this and Red Alarm available to play. I'm very happy to have finally beat Virtual Boy Wario land. Albeit emulated with all the color choices that come with it. But I still had to sear my eyes in some manner; I busted out a cardboard pair of red/cyan 3D glasses and enabled anaglyph mode. The 3D elements were there with the Virtual Boy. Especially with a parallax platformer like this. AND they took advantage of the depth in the gameplay design. It's just a shame the only tech they had at the time was... That.

An amazing game that would've easily flagship'd the Virtual Boy if it was practical. Perhaps even my favorite Wario Land! I had fun finding all the treasures and figuring out the bosses (even if they were on the easier side).

[Emulated/played on Anbernic RG35XX w/ anaglyph red/cyan glasses]

Loaded it up solely to see the old logo and menu screen from the anniversary update; Ended up playing it through for the umpteenth time. I couldn't resist.

Half-Life came out in my early teens. You've heard the story a million times but it really completely changed things. Especially for me since I hadn't played many FPS games prior. I simply didn't think video games could be... This. I was lost in this game. Absorbed in it. Every vent, every gun, every sequence, I loved it. Even Xen. I'm a Xen apologist through and through. It was daunting and alien. There isn't a moment in Half-Life I wasn't sweating during that virgin(in more ways than one) playthrough. While the illusion is long gone and I know how to fly through the game and beat the bosses, I still remember the way it all felt the first time, every time.

Half-Life is the perfect game to me. You just always remember your first. The level design is as good as it gets, still. And the way the narrative is told ambiguously through play still rarely gets matched all these years later. It has more of a sense of freedom than some open world games even though it's linear. I can't gush enough. It came together at the perfect time in gaming history with the right recipe of love and deadline crunch. It can't, hasn't, and won't ever be improved in my eyes. I even put it, well, ahead of HL2 (there are dozens of us, dozens!).

I love Half-Life. Happy (belated) anniversary.

[copied from my Steam review]

Still a top tier Wii experience.

We all had it, we all played it if we were exposed to a Wii. We all had our favorite game/sport. For me, it was the golf. I loved that the courses were from NES GOLF which I've played for many many hours in my life. Of all the games it felt the most natural to me as well. It was the game I could beat my friends and family on in Wii Sports. And eventually I played it by my lonesome and snagged an elusive -10 mark I had set for myself. I retired and didn't look back for a decade or so.

I was never sold on motion controls despite my time investment on Wii Sports golf. I didn't give any other Wii games much of a fair shake (literal or figuratively). My Wii didn't stick around. But in the modern era of VR and all their flailing about, I slowly came to appreciate the Wii. Rose tinted or not, I started to believe it wasn't so bad.

I eventually got the urge to swing the WiiMote golf club again the other day and bought a used Wii on Ebay that night. I hope to try out some games I never did the first time I owned a Wii but Wii Sports golf was the reason I bought it. It still plays as good as it did back when it was hot. It was like riding a bike. A healthy dose of nostalgia and direct shot of fun. And yeah, the controls really aren't bad all things considered. We still got a ways to go in that department.

Whether doing daily activities, chasing training gold medals, or playing one of the sports, Wii Sports is possibly thee quintessential Wii experience. It helped solidify the popularity and accessibility of the Wii. I'd argue it still does.

Any time I get a new handheld or controller I eventually find myself playing the PICO-8 version of Celeste through. For me, I think it's the best way to test a d-pad and how much accidental diagonals you're gonna get out of it.

This is a highly subjective subject (can flat out depend on how you use your thumb or what you want to feel) and there's much quicker ways to test it. Heck, some games you even might want easy/quick diagonals. Then it goes without saying that I am by no means whatsoever an expert or high level precision gamer. I'm old and slow. But I can beat Celeste in a sitting and by the end I have a "feel" for the d-pad I'm using and the nuances of it. Train my thumb to the particular d-pad for both precision and rolling.

Sure I could just load up Contra and press down and rock it back and forth like "Retro Game Corps" does on YouTube. Or load up any Wario Land game and try to do some precision butt-smashes. But a round of Celeste "Classic" will tell me the same info AND get me used to the nuances of working with it. Something about an upward test maybe? Dunno, it works.

It's a fun little test and I do it rarely enough that I'm always shocked to have forgotten a level/screen. It's a tight little game that I honestly enjoy far more than the one with the "story".

[Emulated/played on Anbernic RG35XX... That might need some d-pad tape modding]

I've been working through some "hidden gems" I've jotted down over the years and Mr. Gimmick was the next one up.

I enjoyed the spirit of all the ideas it had. It genuinely felt like something "new" on a system I grew up with. From the slide~y environment and jumps to the interesting weapons, it's very unique for the NES. But the main weapon never "clicked" with me.

I felt I was fighting the gameplay controls more than the enemies or environments. This hurt the fun factor big time. I will admit figuring out a couple bosses or sequences was quite satisfying but just as many other times it was annoying or a chore. And I didn't even bother getting good at timing the jumping on the star itself. So I missed out on all but the first hidden area (and a final-final boss according to what I read afterwards).

Definitely a hidden gem indeed though. Worth trying for all and if it "clicks" with you, could be top tier.

[Emulated/played on Miyoo Mini v2]

A bittersweet end to my "Cells" game adventure.

CrossCells is definitely the most different of the bunch. The math a little more in your face here. And things seem much more open than they really are. The game won't immediately check a bad step like other Cells games. So, if you don't realize you made a mistake you can end up following a path that still makes sound sense for quite awhile before finding out you goofed. This openness can deceive you into believing there's more than one solution. But like all the other Cells games before it; There is only one solution. And the puzzle are meticulously crafted. You just have to check yourself here. Double check your logic is sound and leave your ego at the door. Which is what makes these new folds work. CrossCells would lack any real challenge if it checked your missteps. Just the nature of this particular beast.

I had fun and enjoyed the new challenge. But admittedly enjoyed it the least of the series. Compound that with it being the last of the series and well... Bittersweet.

[copied from my Steam review]

One of those absolute gems I never had growing up that I love discovering as an old man. The sprite animations alone in in Little Samson... My goodness! The four characters and their techniques are a spectacularly fun variety. The music is good enough. And the platforming is tight. It's like Super Mario Bros 2 on steroids, with projectiles!

Little Samson is an aboslutely amazing NES game, simple as that. I'd seen it on many lists or hidden gem recommendations over the years. Very happy to have finally played it. I enjoyed every minute of it.

[Emulated/played on Miyoo Mini v2]

Great balance between approach-ability for all ages and worthwhile challenges.

I initially tried this out on PS5 with a young one. This game is great for playing couch co-op with a variety of ages and skill levels. You can literally carry people around. The graphics and story are harmless and cute. It's really neat in that regard. But I'm also a sucker for 3D platforming and collecting. Which Pile Up! Box by Box also offers.

So I loaded it up on Steam to go solo and collect some things. It was a mostly rewarding experience. The puzzles and platforming take a much more methodical approach when playing solo. It made for some fun problem solving and exploring. Unfortunately the game kind of snowballs by the fourth and final world/level. They ran out of good ideas and the design gets clunkier and lazier. So much so that I couldn't reset a room and missed out on the last couple collectibles. It very much spoiled and soured the experience of an otherwise impressively built game. I ended up skipping the other extras and modes because of this.

All that said, it's a great game. It especially shines in co-op. You can literally carry a novice or run through it with a competent buddy. There's a ton of extra stuff to do that is co-op centric as well. Definitely thumbs up.

[copied from my Steam review]

At its worst Mafia: Definitive Edition is a poorly named reboot featuring an unskippable intro, horrible checkpoints, graphical pop-in, hangs, and generic shallow "mafia" stories that fail to utilize the open map. Oh, and lackluster gunplay. At its best? Mafia: Definitive Edition is a cinematic masterpiece of a throughline that is a worthwhile "mafia" tale set in a ridiculously graphically beautiful period piece map full of great fun and acting with a climax that makes it all worth it. The latter obviously wins out over the former.

I was prime gaming age when the original came out and I played it. But I don't remember a ton. I was also at the height of my mindless gaming. We're talking about the same year "State of Emergency" came out. Long story short, I was just enough of a degenerate that I didn't develop a nostalgic passion for the original. It never made it to any of my pedestals. I remember just enough to know that this game is different. Very different. So much so they should've approached it as a reboot or relaunch like Tomb Raider (2013) rather than deem it a "Definitive Edition". So I get why those with rose tinted glasses would take this effort the wrong way. It's a fair stance and a legitimate gripe. But. It's good.

First and foremost, it is gorgeous. While the main game is set pieces to the point of feeling like a corridor, the map is passionately detailed. You're taken right into the 1930's. Maybe the cars are easier to drive with analog inputs and everything else that has advanced since 2002, but it also doesn't feel like you're driving around modern cars by any stretch. The city itself is just barely "alive" enough to make you believe it. Smoke stacks, brick buildings, newsies.. I loved it. I look forward to looping around in Free Ride mode some just to take in the sights. But the main game is indeed set pieces within this map. It is NOT an open world game experience. That is exclusively reserved for the mentioned Free Ride mode.

The story is good though. It is most definitely padded for gameplay time. You will end up in plenty shallow generic waters. But if you condensed the best and most original bits of the game's main throughline to make a 90 minute "gangster flick"? It'd be great! Amazing. But you can't have a game of this scope be 90 minutes. You have to have chases, gunplay, heists, sneaking, and more for 10 hours or more. Games make too much money to not continue to blur with movies and TV, but games do still have to be games. I would rank the cinematic experience here pretty high on the list of what games have to offer.

Maybe it ain't true to the original and it definitely has some technical downsides but Mafia (2020), as it should be named, delivers a compelling period piece experience that is mostly enjoyable.

[copied from my Steam review]

Old school with a new school radial menu clunk.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is great old school stuff. A spiritual successor to Wonder Boy, it delivers in full. But it isn't just a homage to a previous time, it's full blown well designed. There is a ton to do and find. It opens up smoothly with new wrinkles all the time. It's a great balance of tight platforming and puzzles and challenges. There's a ton of difficulty here that is all fair. You actually earn everything you get while you explore. Everything from the platforming to the bosses are inventive and diverse. You can easily break the 20 hour mark in a playthrough. It is a complete game experience. That experience is just lacking some quality of life.

And when I say quality of life I mean it just isn't a fun interface. I'm not complaining about the challenges. Again, they're all fair and fun. It's just those fun experiences are not a fun experience to play with a lot of the time. The radial menus, menus, and radial menus within menus are just unforgivably awful. You change monster types, magic spells, weapons, armor, shields, bracelets, and boots "on the fly" VERY regularly in this game. They all are implemented on radial menus or radial menus within the pause menu. And none of them are conducive to a d-pad. Remember, we're talking old school here. This game feels better on a d-pad. But. The radial menus do not play nice with the d-pad since most of the time they contain more than 4 but less than 8 items. So you switch to thumbstick. And a lot of the gameplay charm is lost. These radial menus feel like a very late addition to the game to avoid an inventory menu (that is sitting there unused on the last page of the pause menu). This one design failure made the entire experience clunky. To further compound the issue, only monster type and spells are hotkey (R2/L2 for the former, R1/L1 for the latter) accessible. The rest are in the pause menu. This is wasting buttons and time. At the very least weapons should've had a hotkey too. And then monster or spell change isn't available in the pause menu. It's all very clunky and you will be hitting the wrong menus a lot.

I also am personally not a huge fan of the art direction. The cutscenes and charater/enemy sprites are great. But I found the background and environments lacking the same detail and care. It felt like two different art styles. But I still appreciate the approach over just making it look retro or something. So that's a nitpick at best.

Ultimately I had enough fun and appreciated the old school challenge. Whether it was spite or desire, I 100%'d the game. Though I did have to resort to the internet to find a few of the switches for the whole "corked well" puzzle. Then check again for the switch directions even though I noticed the correct clue and swear I tried it both ways. And finally I did miss "buy something from Zeke" and had to look that up because 20+ plus hours later I forgot there was a shop in the very first door of the game. But I still think I earned that fake digital "platinum trophy". I just wish the game had a better menu solution than the split radial menus and pause menu radial menus. It was so painfully obtuse and ruined the flow. Felt very out of place.

As annoyed with it as I got, I think over time as I get further away from my frustrations, I'll appreciate this game more with rose-tinted glasses. It was a well made classic-feel game with classic challenges and tight controls. Made me feel young again! ...And also so very very old. Radial menus man...

Over the top and silly in mostly fun ways.

Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death is action to the extreme. I mean you, conservatively, destroy around two HUNDRED helicopters in this game. You don't go more than ninety seconds without an explosion of some kind. Every other scene the world itself is falling apart in some manner. All while you continually get new weapons and magic to fight bugs, worms, mercenaries, ghosts, and more. Quips are shot from the hip and somehow land safely away from the too corny realm. It's a nonstop, button mashing, adrenaline fueled ride. And it looks great for being a decade old too!

Beyond being over the top fun, Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death just works. Configs and options are fun, but sometimes you just gotta appreciate a game that opens and runs. And on Steam Deck too! One of those games that seems like it was made for the Deck. Far too often people ask what the Deck can do instead of what the Steam Deck just does. Especially at 4.99USD, this is almost a must for Deck owners.

The game does have it's shortcomings. The fixed camera hearkens back to times older than it. It's a little painful to go back to. It hurts some of the platforming. You'll fall to what feel like very cheap deaths a lot. Far too much. Some of the weapon balance is questionable. The control scheme feels "old" too. And the spells only working when your mana is full, even though they don't use a full bar, is annoying. I've also seen some reviews mention that the combat, especially late game, can be tedious if you don't take the time to explore and upgrade (or play on the hardest difficulty). So yeah, explore. But for the price and the fun there is? Nothing that can't be overcome or overlooked.

Shut your brain off, stretch out your thumb muscles, and go have some fun. Easy recommendation.

[copied from my Steam review]

Probably just a three star game but gave it an extra half star for just being a fun mindless short palette cleanser.

[Early Access Review]

Halls of Torment is everything I wanted from this emerging genre.

I tend not to be in the business of reviewing Early Access titles and I imagine I have untold gameplay hours ahead of me still, but as I near the 20hr mark I can compare apples to apples and oranges. And, confidently state my complete satisfaction with what I've got out of my investment of time and pocket change. Halls of Torment is amazing. It's challenging. It's a steady grind. It's got charm. It's got style. And it's plain fun.

I think 'Survivors-like' is the term we're using for these style of games after the craze of Vampire Survivors. That game hit at the right time and took off like wildfire. I for one made the aforementioned 20hr mark on it before tapping out. It was a new feel and style. It played well with my shiny new Steam Deck. But I was left wanting a lot more than what it was. For better or worse, Vampires Survivor is mostly just addiction. You reach over powered levels VERY quickly. But there's new folds and dice rolls to be seen. Very inventive secrets and visuals at that. But hardly a handful of hours into it and the challenge was gone entirely. You're just addicted to the sights and sounds getting a dopamine hit when some new achievement pops. It's a thumbs up in my book but I had to stop. I wasn't gritting my teeth and clawing my way to earn anything, I was just drooling. Still all love. I even bought the DLC just to support with no intention of playing it. They crawled so others could run.

Halls of Torment is everything I wanted out of a 'Survivors-like' experience. A little nuance everywhere. Twinstick instead of singlestick. A steady progression through steady challenges. Still feeling vulnerable 20hrs in. Still having to earn each step. All while seemingly perfectly fitting my gamestyle and approach. Never have I loved sampling EVERY option a game provides as much as I do here. I cycle every character, swapping each run. I tackle every level with each of them. I'm willing to take any powerups. I change my gear up every run. I'm willing to try different trait builds. Any and all. I absolutely love it. I couldn't tell you the game meta or the cheese builds. I'm just enjoying it all. I've reached the same amount of play time I put into Vampire Survivors and have been rewarded X fold over, and over, for my efforts. With plenty still ahead of me! I just unlocked two more characters! I just beat the third map with my first character. The game is still in active development. Bring it on.

Obviously I'm going to crest the peak eventually. I will reach that point where I've maxed things out and spent all the gold. The challenge will leave and I'll just be drooling. But for $5USD? And already 20hrs and counting? Easy sell. Easy recommend. And yes; Right at home on the Deck.

[copied from my Steam review]