Like a political party on the brink, retail stores all over the world
have lowered expectations to the point where mildly energetic sales for
the gift-giving season are seen as a huge win because a small number of
people have money to spare.

Play:
--=--

Elden Ring (PS5) - Starscourage Radahn down. Also a handful of other
bosses I couldn't name now if I tried, which is more proof that I've
retained more of Demon's Souls than I have all of the other Souls games
put together. It's an odd JRPG problem that's popped up now at this
stage in the game, where I've played tactically and carefully to get
through the exploration but that leaves me underlevelled for boss
fights, especially being a spellcaster. I've now unlocked the
Mountaintops of the New York Giants area but I can also sense that the
fun is waning just a bit.

Analogue Pocket (GB/GG) - Well this is nearly everything I wanted it to
be. The FPGA recreation of the old game systems is absolutely perfect,
and the fact that it recognises all of the old cartridges (as well as
their official names and regions) is just lovely. It even works with the
MasterGear convertor, although that's honestly more trouble than it's
worth because of all the weight pull down on the back of the thing. This
thing is going to be my constant companion now, if for no other reason
than Lode Runner and Sega GBA games whereever I go. I'm genuinely
impatient for the remaining cartridge adapters.

Rune Factory 5 (NSW) - It's weird how they go and write the game in a way
that obviously intends a male protagonist, and then just slot the female
player option in there without any care or thought. Bought this on a
whim before I remembered that I barely have time for a farming sim, let
alone one with a whole JRPG nailed to the side of it.

Want:
--=--

My Analogue Pocket (GB/GBC/GBA/GG/NGPC/TG-16/Lynx) - On the truck to be
delivered to me later Monday afternoon! So excited! I was hoping they'd
get ambitious and try to deliver over the weekend, but they don't do
that anymore for totally relateable reasons.

Bin:
-==-

Nothing game-related.

Expenditure:
-----=-----

Balance forward - $4,114

Super Mario 64 (DS) - $30
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - $20
Super Mario Maker (3DS) - $15

Total to date - $4,179

-KKC, who did in fact buy all those Mario games for his kid.

Kendrick Kerwin Chua <kendrick@nospam.io-nyc> wrote:

> Play:

Mineclone 2 (Linux) - tactical mining action. Steel seems a lot harder
to get in this than in Minetest Game, which is quite a hassle given
how much you tend to want it for crafting. Even in big open caverns
underground, it can still be a pain to find much ore.

> Want:

Nothing.

> Bin:

The Minetest/Mineclone minimap usually not being very helpful when
you're underground.

-Rus.

On 28 Nov 2022 01:08, Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote:
>
> Play:
> --=--
>
> Analogue Pocket (GB/GG) - Well this is nearly everything I wanted it to
> be. The FPGA recreation of the old game systems is absolutely perfect,
> and the fact that it recognises all of the old cartridges (as well as
> their official names and regions) is just lovely. It even works with the
> MasterGear convertor, although that's honestly more trouble than it's
> worth because of all the weight pull down on the back of the thing. This
> thing is going to be my constant companion now, if for no other reason
> than Lode Runner and Sega GBA games whereever I go. I'm genuinely
> impatient for the remaining cartridge adapters.

I am constantly being tempted by this, but then I recall that I don't
play my 3DS, Vita and Switch enough as it is - and if I were going to
be seeking a retro handheld I'd rather not have to carry the carts
around with me. But then I see a picture of one ad the cycle continues.

- Cars (Xbox 360)

It has been constantly annoying me, sitting on the list of
"achievements that you haven't got in games you've played" for years; I
played some of this with Nicholas when he was much younger and I was
sure we'd done most of the story. We had indeed, but only on the kids
version of the game, while the adult version is required to unlock
achievements.

I was tempted to not continue with this after I found that out, but it
proved suitably entertaining. Very interesting to find a film licence
which doesn't just go over the plot of the film but rather looks at wat
happened next.

Having said that, the controls are a bit too twitchy and unresponsive;
I could never quite work out how to consistently pull off a powerslide.
The difficulty curve was also all over the place.

Still, completed and done.

- Hot Wheels Unleashed (PS4)

Speaking of horrible driving controls ...

I've only played this for about an hour so far but I'm not sure
it'll be a regular thing. The cars feel too lethargic and don't corner
well, and the tracks are just full of to many gimmicks which make it
difficult to get up to speed. Why play this when Forza Horizon exists?

- Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

I've been meaning to continue this (past the initial hour I played a
couple of months ago) and finally found some time to do so. It's
really great. It's like Assassin's Creed without the bloat, and with
you working out ways to attack big creatures rather than finding
somewhere you can throw a berserk dart from. I find the structure of
missions and side missions works well, with a good levelling mechanic
in there.
>
> Want:
> --=--
>
A top-end gaming PC so I can run Populous Multiverse at an insanely
high resolution.
>
> Bin:
> -==-
>
Tax.

Tim (tm)
--
Blog: xexyz.blogspot.com
Site: www.economic-truth.co.uk

On 2022-11-30, Tim Miller <news@economic-truth.co.uk> wrote:
> On 28 Nov 2022 01:08, Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote:
>>
>> Play:
>> --=--
>>
>> Analogue Pocket (GB/GG) - Well this is nearly everything I wanted it to
>> be. The FPGA recreation of the old game systems is absolutely perfect,
>> and the fact that it recognises all of the old cartridges (as well as
>> their official names and regions) is just lovely. It even works with the
>> MasterGear convertor, although that's honestly more trouble than it's
>> worth because of all the weight pull down on the back of the thing. This
>> thing is going to be my constant companion now, if for no other reason
>> than Lode Runner and Sega GBA games whereever I go. I'm genuinely
>> impatient for the remaining cartridge adapters.
>
> I am constantly being tempted by this, but then I recall that I don't
> play my 3DS, Vita and Switch enough as it is - and if I were going to
> be seeking a retro handheld I'd rather not have to carry the carts
> around with me. But then I see a picture of one ad the cycle continues.

^^ this. I rarely play anything these days except
$CURRENT_MONSTER_HUNTER and Dwarf Fortress. Even Elite has got a bit
shit recently.

WANT:
The Steam port of Dwarf Fortress is out in a couple of days, which I'll
no doubt buy to (indirectly) support Tarn, but I don't know how much
I'll play it. Graphics would get in the way of the FUN.

BIN:
I've just paid 14 quid for a bag of cat litter :-/

J

--
John Dow <jmd@nelefa.org.invalid>
... Blog & Game Diary : http://www.nelefa.org
/|\ Constructed using SLRN and Vi.
/ | \ Zomoniac is Wrong. Fact.