This game gives absolutely no fucks at all when it comes to shamelessly ripping every single mecha anime cliche and trope wholesale and I'm all fucking for it. From the titular Kikaioh (oops i mean G-Kaiser which is literally the only name they localized for some reason) with the most classic of all super robot loadouts - rocket punches, chest beams, kicking, and a sword to finish it all off, to "Oh hey it's literally the RX-78 but with fin funnels" Dixen, to "my name is kawamori i will literally just put a vf in the game and call it a vf too" Rafaga, this game just gives. ZERO. SHITS. The story is cheesy as hell, as it should be, and every playable unit feels exactly like they should based on what hodgepodge of mecha cliches they're referencing. It's the kind of to the point where where 99.99% of it would just go over most peoples' heads unless they were already super huge into mecha, which is why I imagine this game's kind of gotten forgotten amongst all of Capcom's fighters throughout the years. Still though, fucking solid ass game that no /m/head should ever be caught not having played.

2018. I'm in Minneapolis, attending Summer Games Done Quick.

I was about to join some people into a hotel room to go watch some hentai, but I never got the room number. Feeling left out, I go to the event's DDR Extreme cab for a round of dancing. Afterwards, I'm empty: I put all my desires of the night to go watch and riff at hentai with people I barely even knew. And so, I ask on twitter, where I knew that someone within the premises could answer my question: Is there anything going on right now?

I get an answer: "Come to the practice room, we're playing Pringles."

Oh fuck. What did they mean by that? I'm curious, I've got nothing else to do, so I go.

The practice room, home of dozens of televisions. Consoles and chairs galore. It'd be full during the day, but it's currently 2AM or so, so it's mostly empty. A bunch of people are huddled around two specific televisions. The pringles mascot is bouncing around, bouncing on chips and yelling "No Way" whenever he'd bounce on an oversized cylinder of pringles.

This is so dumb. But I've got to play it. I sucked at it. I spent 2 hours playing through the game while others are either spectating or waiting for their turn. We're all doing it casually, in good fun. We were playing Pringles as the developer intended.

The next day, I was craving for more Pringles.

Once again, at night, two pringles stations were set up and ready to go for anyone to play. Only this time, the person behind it, Seckswrecks, was timing people. We were officially speedrunning Pringles. I got totally and utterly sucked in: what would be a flash game from the aughts hypnotized me to play it for hours on end, enticing me to get a better finishing time, to bounce on those chips and get to the end goal in record time.

And record time, I did get. I was glued to the seat. Not a lot of people wanted to play, so I kept going. I'll never forget the discovery I made as I frantically post in the newly created Pringles Speedrunning Discord Server:

"Guys, holy shit, I found a time saver."

People hurried in the practice room, speeding directly to the Pringles station to find out this exciting new development. I found out that you can hold a button to make the main menu's animations go faster. Those animations blocked us from going from level to level until it was done. I just saved a whole bunch of time.

This speedrunning development cemented my love and dedication for this game. I returned home with hours upon hours of experience already in the game. I ordered a genesis and a bootleg cart on aliexpress. I played more Pringles at home and showed it to my friends (they had a laugh. all in good fun). I have always wanted to speedrun a video game, and I was able to do so with Pringles.

This trend continued in SGDQ of 2019, where there were, once more, two pringles stations in the practice room. Even more people joined in and had a go at the speedrunning leaderboards in real time. I've loved the game, the event, the people, all over again.

A game about a food mascot has given me some of the fondest memories of my life, and I will never forget them.

I've been playing it about daily since I first installed it, and really its nothing special, just a perfectly competent walking app that makes a game with rewards for getting up, going outside and walking around. I get a good amount of physical activity and walking in from my dogs and my job, so it's nice to see the little Pikmin running around and have little tasks to send them on, it helps set off my ADHD pretty nice, but its a very basic game with not much to care about if you're not a Pikmin fan really.

I do have one major detractor in that the game very frequently has audio glitches for me, with music tracks overlapping and playing over one another making a complete audio mess to the otherwise simple, cute music the game has. I've had 3-4 tracks overlayed at once in the past and its quite obnoxious. I also had some visual bugs that were frequent a few weeks back, but they seem to have been patched out as they haven't occurred in the past two weeks for me.

A quirky micro RPG that has you living life one minute at a time as the result of a cursed sword. The premise is pretty cool, and the minimal art style compliments the minimalist design of the game which mimics similarly minimalist RPG's like Links Awakening.

Since you only have one minute to do anything the actual options are all very clearly signposted and telegraphed. Getting from one save point to the next will take about a minute. Completing a nearby challenge will take about a minute. And some of the events are hilariously timed, giving you ever increasing anxiety as you're forced to wait or find yourself trying to reach a destination just in time.

What's disappointing then is that such a tight and efficient design is explored to such a shallow level - or perhaps there simply isn't a way to give it depth. The game is very small, the things you can do are all very straightforward gaming faire, and while I wouldn't say the ending is predictable it is abrupt. There's a small handful of mundane side quests but there's not really the motivation to pursue them since the main story doesn't require anything of you.

It's a cute package and it does have some funny moments, but despite the interesting premise it doesn't really go anywhere or explore the idea in any depth leaving it feeling more like a proof of concept than anything.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day is difficult for me to talk about, only having played it for the very first time 22 years after its initial release. There’s a number of reasons for this. First off, I feel that most people who really, really love this game met one of the following two criteria: they first played it in the 2000’s and/or they were around 13 years old when they did. I don’t mean this as an insult. I, myself found out about it online when I was probably around 13 years old and thought it was very funny at the time. It’s a game that I’ve seen multiple playthroughs of over the years. Over time though, with every playthrough that I watched, I had this ever-growing feeling. No matter how happy the person who played it was, no matter how much they loved the game, I kept having the same thought: this game does not look very fun to play. Even as a platformer fan, I sort of held off on playing this game simply because I didn’t think I would enjoy it very much. However, seeing as I’m playing through Rare’s library with games like Banjo and Yooka, I figure I should probably give this game a shot since it’s also considered a classic. Overall, I’m a little disappointed with it.

Conker is a game that to me, seems to rely heavily on its writing and scenarios rather than the actual gameplay itself. The gameplay is really nothing special. The controls aren’t too bad (minus the last chapter), the whole “Context-Sensitive” system is silly and fun, but I never really found any of it to be satisfying. Most, if not all of the game consists of “Walk to this area. Complete this task 3-5 times. Go to the next area. Complete this task 3-5 times. Go to the next area. Complete this task 3-5 times.” Before you know it, you’re at the end of the game. If you die while performing one of these tasks, your progress on it gets reset. This can get a bit frustrating at times, especially when Conker takes fall damage if he falls from 3 feet and explodes into a bloody pulp if he falls from 6 feet. The Context-Sensitive pads are a refreshing little break from the other tasks, but they never really went wild with them. Additionally, there were times where I was left endlessly wandering because the game seldomly makes it apparent what your next goal is. Regardless, the objectives and gameplay almost feel like an afterthought that takes a backseat to the writing.

As for the writing, it’s the hardest part for me to find appreciation for. I’ve seen the blanket term “offensive humor” thrown around to describe it, but I wouldn’t say that’s the appropriate word. It’s more along the lines of “juvenile” and “vulgar.” Blood, poop, beer, sex, movie references, and swears are the only punchlines. Humor is subjective of course, but for me personally, it’s all stuff that I joked about when I was 13. I don’t really find this sort of humor funny anymore, or at least this much of it crammed into 1 game. Especially since I’ve grown desensitized to it with the rise of the Internet; you can go on Newgrounds right now and find something on the front page that will have the same amount of wit as Conker’s writing. It’s just not for me. I won’t lie though, there were a few parts that made me smile or chuckle. Ultimately though, considering that the gameplay clearly isn’t the main attraction, once you remove the crutch of the humor, this game has nothing to stand on. And if you feel the same way, that this sort of humor isn't for you, then I assure you that you will get nothing out of playing Conker’s Bad Fur Day. You’ll probably have more fun watching someone else play it.

In terms of the positives, I don’t have too much much to elaborate on. I think it’s pretty neat that this was one of the few N64 games with full voice acting. I like the variety and designs of the environments. The music is memorable and catchy. I think a lot of the character designs are well-done and exude the classic Rare cartoon style with even a little bit of Disney thrown in there. The concept of switching genres in the last chapter at a click of a button was sort of neat. I cant help but wonder how this game would’ve turned out if they just went with the initial idea before they got worried that it was too similar to Banjo. Nevertheless, despite how little enjoyment I got out of it, I have respect for it and its spot in Video Game History.

It's hard to really convey how much VA-11 Hall-A affected me. Its mood, tone, and story all work so well in tandem with each other that even 3 years after playing it for the first time I am struck with deep memories about having played it, and just exactly where I was when I did. A lot of this game was played either at 1 AM in the morning or in the 90-degree weather of a concessions stand at a sleepy pool club. Either place I felt at home and connected to the grimy, depressing, near-hopeless yet joyful, bright, and loving world VA-11 Hall-A presents, but Jill Stingray has little interest in.

Many games I balk at going back to, in fear that what a younger me praised, loved, and resonated with no longer would reach an older me. (I call this the Danganronpa Effect) But I have no fear about it here—just an extraordinary game.

Most N64 “hidden gems” are pretty well known at this point, but Space Station Silicon Valley is still one of the best examples of the phrase.

SSSV operates around the GTA-esque theme of hijacking different robot animals, which range from basic penguins to hyena-motorcycle hybrids. In addition to making each level and mission feel unique with the different abilities and powers of each creature, it adds an extra layer of strategy to every mission. Instead of simply pushing a block on a switch or hitting a button, you have to consider which animal is best for moving and fighting through a given area, along with carefully positioning the robots for ease of swapping control between them. The game’s glitchy physics can complicate some missions, but most of the bugs can actually be used to the player’s advantage.

The game also stands out from other N64 titles with its unique graphics and sound design. SSSV’s cartoonish visual style has aged better than nearly any other N64 game, with sharp character models that make the most of low-poly limitations. Despite the simplicity, each robot animal stands out with their own distinctive shape and color scheme. Another great touch is the diegetic music, controlled by the numerous speakers throughout the levels. The volume naturally fluctuates as the player gets closer to the in-game source of the sound, and any noise can even be silenced by destroying the amps. Between a unique visual style and clever use of sound, SSSV is a surprisingly immersive experience.

Since there isn’t an in-game map or guide to thoroughly explain how all the animals and levels work, you’d definitely be justified in using a walkthrough for the weirder puzzles (especially since a cheat code is required for 100% collection). This is still the first game I’d recommend someone try out if they want to dig into the more obscure sections of the Nintendo 64 library.

Immensely sweet and charming game with a lot to love :) My favorite thing is how committed the the game is to the storybook aspect, not just in it's interesting aesthetic but in the flow of the game itself. Every playthrough feel like it's own unique story. Also, Yoshi is so cute in this game that it makes my heart melt, there is so much love and care put into all of his little mannerisms and quirks that it makes you feel extra horrible when you inevitably mess up and get one of them whisked away to Baby Bowser's castle. Everyone should experience their own Yoshi's story ❤️