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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkJ-Chiptunator's Winning Bingo Card (Standard/Form, 17/25) Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 17/25 ✅ Weapon Shop de Omasse FPS ✅ Hypnospace Outlaw Sim racing ✅ Vegas Stakes Dungeon crawler ✅...J-Chiptunator's Winning Bingo Card (Standard/Form, 17/25)
Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 17/25 Job simulator
✅ Weapon Shop de OmasseFPS Point & click adventure
✅ Hypnospace OutlawSim racing Card game
✅ Vegas StakesDungeon crawler Visual novel
✅ Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the WitchScore attack
✅ Liberation MaidenSandbox
✅ Grand Theft Auto VSimulation
✅ Rune Factory 4 SpecialCozy
✅ A Short HikeCreature collector ★ Wildcard
✅ Untitled Goose GamePuzzle platformer
✅ Oddworld: Abe’s OdysseyHack and slash
✅ Hyrule WarriorsAction-adventure Metroidvania/search action
✅ Animal WellShoot 'em up
✅ ResogunJRPG Puzzle
✅ The WitnessThird-person shooter
✅ SplatoonDigital tabletop game
✅ Crimson ShroudRun and gun
✅ CupheadBeat 'em up Match 3 Another week down, and with it comes another mix of video game genres I've uncovered. This time, I managed to finish eight more games, one fewer than last week's nine, but still enough to score a Bingo on my card. That didn't take long, which works out nicely since I want to dedicate more playtime to Kirby Air Riders when it launches next Thursday.
I've been trying to get most of my writeups done at least a day before the next Backlog Burner Week starts, so I decided to skip one game from my final list. Starting this Friday, I'll be tackling the remaining eight games to get a bit of a head start, and hopefully make some progress on CGA's November selections too.
With all that said, here's a look at the games I played this round.
Vegas Stakes
Writeup
Let's be clear: I've never been a fan of pure gambling games, especially the kind that were common on consoles before the 2010s. Once you figure out the optimal way to win in those simplified setups, reaching the end goal becomes a matter of patience, not skill.
In the SNES version of Vegas Stakes, that goal is turning a modest thousand dollars into ten million across five casinos. Unfortunately, even HAL Laboratory, the same developer behind Kirby, does little to expand beyond the basic gambling gameplay or enhance it with much flair.
The game features five casino classics: Slots, Roulette, Craps, Poker, and my personal favorite, Blackjack. Two of them involve
cards, though they're definitely not the collectible kind.Each of these games works exactly as expected, for better or worse. Back in the day, Vegas Stakes offered a simple and affordable taste of casino fun without real-world risk. But after the 2000s, free digital casino games made that appeal feel outdated.
One of the standout aspects, for its time at least, is the presentation. HAL made good use of digitized character sprites, semi-realistic casino backdrops, and a catchy soundtrack to sell the Las Vegas vibe. That said, a few of the music choices border on grating, thanks to some questionable instrument samples.
The NPC interactions add some extra flavor. You pick one of four companions to join you, each offering advice and commentary while you play. Other NPCs wander the casino, occasionally giving tips, making requests, or just being unhelpfully rude, which is all part of the charm.
At one point, a regular in the sci-fi-themed casino told me to bet based on "feeling vibrations". That's... not how roulette works, but his advice on betting red or black is still among the safest options. Since nearly half the wheel is covered by each color, with two green spaces excluded, it's pretty much a 50/50 shot to double your bet.
If you're aiming just to roll credits, you could save after every win and reload after each loss. The casino you choose determines the bet limits, and the pricier ones yield the largest payouts. Of course, that's where "playing your cards right" really matters.
Or, if you use a software emulator and prefer brute efficiency, there's even a way to "cheese" the roulette: savestate before a spin, then memorize the number and reload to pick that one instead. The outcome is predetermined when the round starts, which makes it possible to game the system completely.
Overall, Vegas Stakes isn't a bad collection of casino games. It's fun in small bursts or when playing with a friend, but grinding through the single-player campaign feels more like battling against luck than actually winning.
Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch
Writeup
Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch (aka イハナシの魔女, lit. The Witch of Ihanashi) might be one of the most obscure games ever played during a Backlog Burner event on modern platforms. Despite being nominated for several Japanese indie game awards in 2022 and getting an official English translation in 2024, this slice-of-life visual novel has flown almost entirely under the radar in the English-speaking community, save for a few scattered reviews and YouTube playthroughs.
The story follows Hikaru Nishime, a boy who lost his parents at a young age. On his aunt's advice, he travels to live with his grandfather on a remote Okinawan island called Toyotoki. When he arrives, he discovers his grandfather has already moved overseas. To make things worse, he can't reach his aunt, and the local school claims to have no record of him. Stranded without survival skills, Hikaru ends up wandering the island's sugarcane fields at night, searching for shelter.
That's when he meets Lilun Jaminthida, an engimatic girl who defies normal Japanese conventions. She agrees to team up with him, and together they try to figure out how to survive, and, along the way, learn more about themselves and each other. Why she came to the island remains a mystery, though it's clear to me she has her own reasons.
The visual novel deals with some surprisingly heavy themes beneath its gentle tone. Namely...
Spoilers
...The fact that both main characters face emotional scars from their pasts. Hikaru endured bullying and parental neglect on the foster family's part in Tokyo, while Lilun was exiled from her homeland's rampant slavery society because of her magical abilities, which earned her the title of "witch".
Hikaru's adjustment to quiet, rural Toyotoki life serves as a contrast to his stressful city upbringing. The island's peaceful rhythm gives him a chance to slow down and rediscover a more grounded way of living. Lilun, on the other hand, struggles to adapt to Japan's more structured and sedentary society, especially given her rough, self-sufficient background. Her slow adaptation to modern Japanese and Okinawan culture adds another layer of charm and complexity to the story.
Visually, the game's backgrounds resemble real-world photos, sometimes with soft cel-shading and grainy textures, creating a relaxed, nostalgic atmosphere. The character designs are simple yet expressive, fitting the tone of this quiet, heartfelt narrative.
I picked this one up on Steam for about two-thirds of its original $29.99 CAD price, after reading a few positive impressions. About three hours in, I'm already convinced that this tender coming-of-age, boy-meets-girl story might end up being my sleeper hit of the decade.
A Short Hike
Writeup
A 3D platformer that's
cozy? That's not something you see every day.You play as Claire, a black anthropomorphic bird exploring an open-world park in search of tools and collectibles to help herself and other animal residents. She can run, jump, climb, swim, use tools and even glide across the landscape; mobility that feels refreshing in such a small, relaxed setting.
Can't reach a high ledge? No problem. That's where golden feathers come in. Each one you collect adds another jump and extends Claire's climbing stamina, letting her scale even higher cliffs with ease.
With just seven feathers, I managed to reach the mountain peak using one of the alternate routes, and then glided all the way home after finally getting a cell signal. Thanks to a bit of platforming intuition (and maybe a lucky shortcut or two), I wrapped up the game in under 45 minutes, about half the time it takes for the average player according to HowLongToBeat.
The short length and gentle difficulty, combined with the crisp, pixelated flat-shaded visuals, give A Short Hike its unmistakably peaceful identity. It's cozy and uplifting, perfect for anyone wanting to relax without diving into the long-term commitment of a life sim like Animal Crossing.
As for me, I'll definitely be revisiting it later. I've still got plenty of the island left unexplored and a few mini-games untouched, which probably explains all the collectibles I missed. Fortunately, A Short Hike makes going back just as enjoyable as the first climb.
Resogun
Writeup
When the PlayStation 4 launched on November 15, 2013, Finnish developer Housemarque released one of its strongest launch titles right out of the gate: Resogun, a fast-paced 2D wraparound
shoot 'em upthat still stands as a Sony console exclusive.You pilot a ship through five cylindrical voxel-based stages, blasting waves of enemies across three phases before facing a boss at the end of each level. It may sound like classic shoot 'em up fare, but where Resogun really shines is its intricate scoring system built around precision, risk, and timing.
To rack up big points, maintaining your chain multiplier is key. You'll do this by collecting green orbs from destroyed enemies, while avoiding unnecessary bomb use and rescuing humans for additional end-stage bonuses.
Rescuing humans is the real heart of the scoring system, and it's trickier than it sounds. Some appear after defeating specific sets of "Keepers", while others spawn when your multiplier is held high enough to glow green. Once freed, you need to rush them to an escape pod before they're caught by Abductors, vanish from the stage, or fall victim to a poorly timed wave of fire.
A fun quirk: you can actually juggle multiple humans in the air to chain bonus points, tossing and catching them repeatedly to score millions. The throwing mechanic even reacts to your ship's momentum; boosting helps you toss them farther, which is great for sliding them straight into escape pods while dodging onslaught of bullets and foes.
It's a hectic system with plenty of room for failure, but the game's dual-direction firing helps balance things out by letting you shoot left or right instantly without turning around. Between enemy swarms, rescues, and tight scoring mechanics, there's a constant sense of flow that keeps the experience engaging.
The base game includes two main modes: Arcade, which strings all five levels together, and Single Level, where you can tackle any individual stage. Several DLCs later expanded the package with extra modes, though I haven't picked them up yet, and probably won’t.
Even so, what's here is more than enough to keep me coming back. I shall finish all five levels across both modes and push for higher scores.
Untitled Goose Game
Writeup
You know what's funny? Untitled Goose Game, a game where you stealthily prank unsuspecting villagers as a mischievous domestic goose, ended up being both my
wildcardpick and the title that clinched my Backlog Bingo win this event. Convenient, right?The game takes place in a quiet English village, where each zone presents a fresh set of environmental puzzles designed to spark chaos among the locals. One of my favorite tasks was staging a perfect picnic. It sounds simple; just gather a few items, but things got messy once the portable radio came into play.
To actually complete it, I had to move soil bags and the shovel a bit away from the garden gate, toggle the water valve to activate the sprinkler, and drag the radio across the yard onto the picnic mat. The trick was the timing: the farmer always rushes toward whichever object is triggered last. Moving everything else out of place buys you just enough time to pull off the prank.
Structurally, it really does feel like a wholesome, nonviolent take on the Hitman formula: just with a honking bird instead of a bald assassin. House House, the developer, clearly took inspiration from that series when designing these mini stealth-sandbox challenges.
If you ever get stuck, the pause menu's checklist gives helpful nudges on what to do next. Completing certain objectives eventually unlocks the next area.
Spoilers
One memorable example is when the farmer ends up knocking himself out, right after the goose honks during his hammer swing, sending him stumbling into a locked gate that opens the path forward.
So far, Untitled Goose Game has been delightful with its clever puzzles, dry humor, and charm packed into just an hour of playtime. I'll definitely be finishing this one soon.
Crimson Shroud
Writeup
Crimson Shroud is one of the four titles included in the Guild01 compilation, alongside others like Liberation Maiden, which I talked about last week. Think of it as an offbeat throwback to the late SquareSoft-era JRPGs you might have seen on the PlayStation 2, except scaled down for the Nintendo 3DS' low-resolution screens.
The development team involved several well-known names from that golden era of Japanese RPGs. Most notably, Yasumi Matsuno, famous for Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, was given complete creative freedom here, handling both the story and overall game design.
In Crimson Shroud, every character appears as a miniature game piece moving across static, diorama-style environments. Dice rolls determine certain battle outcomes, blending traditional JRPG combat with
tabletoprole-playing mechanics. Combined with its lengthy, selectively narrated story sequences, the game feels like an imaginative Dungeons & Dragons session told through text and visuals rather than full animation.The story takes place in a world where magic is only just beginning to emerge. Interestingly, the game avoids a traditional experience-level system. Instead, character progression comes entirely from gear, each weapon or accessory alters stats and may grant unique spells. Choosing the right equipment for each fight becomes as strategic as the combat itself.
Outside of battle, MP slowly drains as you explore, though it can be restored with items or by attacking enemies. Both skills and spells consume MP, but the system encourages smart cycling of physical attacks and recovery between magic bursts. The mage Frea, for example, has a Focus skill that quickly regenerates her MP, a necessity given her high spell costs. With just a few turns of recharging, it's possible to cycle through most of her abilities even early on.
Bonus dice occasionally drop during combat and can be added to future rolls. These give you extra chances to land critical hits or increase damage output, handy when a fight starts getting too close for comfort.
After about an hour of play, I'm still in the first area, partly because of how text-heavy and deliberate the pacing is. Yet despite that slow start, the worldbuilding and unique tabletop-inspired design have me hooked enough to keep going.
Weapon Shop de Omasse
Writeup
Another Guild01 entry on the Nintendo 3DS, Weapon Shop de Omasse is a rhythm-based comedy JRPG that flips the usual fantasy adventure premise on its head. Instead of playing a hero, you're the blacksmith's apprentice, whose
jobis helping your father forge and rent weapons to aspiring adventurers embarking on quests.Each weapon you forge has its own stats and damage type, sword, spear, or club/axe, and, every customer has proficiencies ranging from level 1 to 3. Matching the right hero with the right weapon boosts their chances of success, which means a better payout and a nicely returned weapon for you to rent again later.
The heart of the gameplay lies in its rhythm-based blacksmithing minigame, best experienced with the 3DS stylus for tactile precision. You strike the glowing metal to the beat of the music, shaping weapon parts and maintaining the heat at optimal levels. Perfect timing rewards you with stronger stats, bonus durability, and the satisfaction of watching your creation come together before quenching it in water. You can also polish finished or returned weapons to squeeze even more performance out of them.
Unfortunately, that's where the fun starts to wear thin. The core loop promises charm but ends up repetitive, with the same few forging tracks and limited management mechanics. The shopkeeping systems are barebones, leaving little room for strategy beyond basic matching and timing.
The in-game "Grindcast" (basically a medieval parody of Twitter) injects some humor by letting you read your customers' updates and rants about their adventures. While it delivers some amusing moments, it doesn't make the core gameplay any deeper or more rewarding.
After giving it a fair shot, I did a bit of research and found that many players shared my impression; the novelty fades long before the credits roll. As much as the premise and humor appealed to me, Weapon Shop de Omasse just doesn't hold up next to deeper or more dynamic shop simulation games. Might be time to hang up the hammer on this one.
Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey
Writeup
Back in the late 90s, I remember playing Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee on my PS1 hooked up to a chunky CRT TV, with a rented disc spinning away. As a kid, I pushed through dozens of areas without paying much attention to the worker Mudokons and eventually gave up when the puzzles became too tough. More than two decades later, the game's dark yet strangely hopeful atmosphere has stayed with me. That lingering impression finally pushed me to revisit it, this time with a secondhand copy of the original PS1 version.
This 2D
puzzle-platformerbegins with Abe, a modest employee of the month at RuptureFarms, a grim meat-processing factory. Early on, he overhears his boss, Molluck the Glukkon, discussing a new product line meant to save the company from declining profits: Mudokon Pops, made from the factory's own workers. Horrified, Abe sets out to escape and rescue his 99 brethren from becoming raw ingredients, while dodging Sligs, armed enforcers tasked with keeping the laborers in line.One of the first things I tackled was a secret area I remembered watching in a 100% walkthrough. Even within just two screens, the puzzle's complexity instantly reminded me of why this game's level design is so genius, and occasionally brutal.
Abe's movement and the environment are both grid-based, which means everything behaves consistently and predictably. It's ideal for a puzzle game that relies on precision, but it also makes movement feel stiff during intense moments. Many times, Abe met an untimely end simply because a small input mistiming caused him to run off a ledge. To move effectively, you really have to let him fully transition to the next grid space before performing another action, no rushing allowed.
The New 'n' Tasty remake addressed this by making the controls analog and physics-based, but that change didn't come without issues. The puzzles weren't redesigned around the new movement, which means some sequences actually feel harder to execute cleanly than they did in the original.
One feature that still stands out today is Abe's GameSpeak system. By saying commands like "Hello!" followed by "Follow me!" or "Wait!", Abe can guide or halt fellow Mudokons. Lead them to a bat-shaped portal, chant to activate it, and they'll leap to safety, counting as an official "Escapee". It's an optional task, but one that the game encourages through visual reminders and on-screen signs.
Chanting also allows Abe to possess other creatures, provided there aren't any red orbs blocking him. Taking control of a Slig, for example, lets you use its firearm to clear paths or scout areas safely, adding another layer to the puzzle-solving.
Aside from the secret area, most puzzles leading up to the second level do a solid job of teaching mechanics through gameplay rather than text. Challenges ramp up steadily, especially in rooms where you rescue enslaved Mudokons, but they rarely feel unfair once you understand the puzzle's logic.
So far, this odyssey has been well worth the return. The puzzles remain clever and rewarding, balancing tension and humor in a way few games from that era did. I'll definitely continue playing this one.
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Comment on CGA-2025-11 🔴🟡🔵🟢 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 PlayStation WHAT? in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )Link ParentDuckstation can read .chd image files. With that in mind, any music CD that contains a .cue and multiple .wav files, can be converted directly into that format. Thysbelon's Convert2VibFormat...Duckstation can read .chd image files. With that in mind, any music CD that contains a .cue and multiple .wav files, can be converted directly into that format.
Thysbelon's Convert2VibFormat scripts can pull the feat. If you're curious or stumped about the process, give this page a read for more details on how this work.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkJ-Chiptunator's Bingo Card (Standard/Form, 9/25) Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 9/25 Job simulator FPS ✅ Hypnospace Outlaw Sim racing Card game Dungeon crawler Visual novel ✅ Liberation Maiden ✅...J-Chiptunator's Bingo Card (Standard/Form, 9/25)
Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 9/25 Job simulator FPS Point & click adventure
✅ Hypnospace OutlawSim racing Card game Dungeon crawler Visual novel Score attack
✅ Liberation MaidenSandbox
✅ Grand Theft Auto VSimulation
✅ Rune Factory 4 SpecialCozy Creature collector ★ Wildcard Puzzle platformer Hack and slash
✅ Hyrule WarriorsAction-adventure Metroidvania/search action
✅ Animal WellShoot 'em up JRPG Puzzle
✅ The WitnessThird-person shooter
✅ SplatoonDigital tabletop game Run and gun
✅ CupheadBeat 'em up Match 3 So, I've started playing through the first nine games for my Bingo Card, using the Form categories as a guide. It naturally pushed me toward an even more diverse mix of genres compared to my previous Backlog Burner, which focused heavily on retro titles.
I had to take a few creative liberties when assigning genres, though. With over 600 games left to finish, with most of them being platformers, it felt necessary to stretch some definitions just to keep the lineup interesting.
Without further ado, let's get to the writeups, shall we?
Animal Well
Writeup
Remember Jason Gastrow, better known as videogamedunkey? He's the American YouTuber famous for his funny skits and sharp video essays about games. Back in September 2022, he and his wife Leah started Bigmode, an indie-focused publisher that would go on launching their first big release in 2024 with Animal Well.
Developed by Billy Basso under his studio Shared Memory, Animal Well is a 2D pixel art
Metroidvaniapuzzle-platformer. You control a nameless, defenseless yellow blob, dropped straight into an eerie underground world the moment you start a new game. It's a masterclass in "show, don't tell" design, as everything from the controls to the story is learned through visual and audio cues. Your goal is to extinguish four colored flames scattered across a vast, water-filled cave. The result is a seamless and haunting journey of discovery.There are only three main buttons, but the level design makes smart use of limited items, creatures, and environments. For instance…
Spoilers
For instance, the frisbee, one of the most useful tools, can break certain objects, hit side switches, help you cross gaps, and even distract an aggressive dog-like spirit. Fittingly, that frisbee comes from the mouth of a large dog statue whose ghost keeps chasing you until you hand over the real or fake disc. Just like in real life, no dog seems able to resist a flying frisbee.
Your only other means of defense, aside from quick thinking and platforming skills, are firecrackers. Found growing like plants, these can scare off animals or temporarily dispel ghostly enemies when lit.
What really sells the eerie atmosphere, though, is the interplay between light and darkness. The CRT filter that's activated by default adds scanlines and glow every single dot, making the colors pop like an old television screen. It perfectly captures the feeling of playing in a dimly lit room, staring into the glow of a vintage display.
Short, clever, and atmospheric, Animal Well delivers a surprisingly deep adventure, one that has well-earned its spot on my to-do list.
Splatoon
Writeup
When was the last time Nintendo launched a brand-new, genre-defining AAA franchise that went on to sell millions, spawn multiple sequels, and even a few spinoffs? About a decade ago, the answer was Pikmin on the GameCube, which held the "newest IP" title for nearly 14 years. That's quite a decline in Nintendo's original IP output compared to the pre-2001 era.
Fast-forward to today, and Splatoon, first released in 2015 on the Wii U, still stands as Nintendo's most recent big-budget debut. Over a decade later, we haven't seen another new AAA series from them.
But let's focus on what made Splatoon stand out.
Splatoon isn’t just a friendly take on a
third-person shooter. The hook is the ink; covering the ground (and walls) with your team's color while swimming through it to gain speed, stealth, and tactical advantage.Turf War tasks you with painting as much ground as possible.
Splat Zones focuses on holding a marked area by keeping it covered in your ink.
Tower Control is about escorting a moving platform toward the enemy base while preventing them from taking it back.
Rainmaker is Splatoon’s twist on capture-the-flag, whoever carries the Rainmaker can unleash powerful ink tornadoes but loses the ability to Super Jump.The game offers a wide range of weapon types, each serving a specific purpose.
*The Splattershot Jr. is beginner-friendly, firing erratically but covering wide areas with ease
*The Roller trades range for power and coverage, making it ideal for players who like to move and paint aggressivelyEach main weapon also comes with a sub-weapon and a special ability. The Splattershot Jr., for instance, includes timed paint bombs and temporary invincibility, while the Roller comes with a small insta-kill paint shower and a much more powerful squid variant when charged.
Your gear, hats, clothes, and shoes bought in Booyah Base, features ability slots. Primary abilities are fixed, but secondary abilities can be customized. These provide perks like faster movement or reduced ripple effects when swimming in ink.
When Splatoon first launched, I tried the early demos and was instantly hooked. I spent a good amount of time in online matches before eventually moving away from competitive multiplayer. For this revisit, I decided to focus on the single-player campaign, Octo Valley, as part of my Backlog Bingo challenge.
On its own, the campaign is a solid pseudo-platformer that carries over the core mechanics of the main game. However, as a complement to multiplayer, it feels disconnected.
From what I've seen with four stages and one boss, it's clear that the single-player levels emphasize setpiece platforming rather than arena-style encounters. For example, Stage 4 introduces Gushers, the ink fountains you can use as temporary barriers against Octotroopers. It's a neat idea, but largely irrelevant to multiplayer tactics, since the mechanics and how most enemies move and attack, never appear in online play.
As a result, what you learn in single-player doesn't translate to competitive play that favors improvisational playstyle. Combined with thin lore and an improved sequel that already does everything better, Splatoon 1 doesn't offer much lasting value for me. It's going back on the shelf.
By the way, if you plan to try any Splatoon game, use motion controls. Tilt the controller for Y-axis aiming while using the right stick for X-axis rotation. With a high enough sensitivity, it's one of the smoothest control systems for precision aiming in a shooter.
The Witness
Writeup
It never really occurred to me that Jonathan Blow, the genius behind the influential indie platformer Braid, would go on to make something as equally impactful as The Witness. If I recall correctly, I picked up the PS4 version at a discount sometime late in the previous decade.
If you've ever scribbled through those little maze
puzzleson the backs of cereal boxes or in kids' activity books, you'll instantly recognize the core idea here. The Witness takes that simple concept and blows it up into something far more complex and rewarding.Don't expect this game to just be about tracing lines to the exit, though. Once you emerge from the starting bunker, the puzzles quickly introduce rules and constraints, but the game never explains them outright. You have to experiment, observe, and figure out each rule for yourself.
Some puzzles can't even be solved right away. They require you to explore the colorful island and learn what each symbol or mechanic means elsewhere. A few of them are so mind-bending that even when I understand the logic, I can feel my brain overheating trying to apply it.
Now, I do appreciate that satisfying "Aha!" moment when everything finally clicks. But there have been times where, no matter how long I stare at the screen, the solution just won't come. When that happens early or too often in a game, I either give in and look up a guide, or quit for good.
Fortunately, The Witness avoids that pitfall. Even its trickiest puzzles tend to be self-contained, so progress feels steady and satisfying. Compare that to something like the obscure DSiWare game Snapdots, which throws convoluted puzzles at you very early on and completely kills the pacing. That one wasn't fun at all.
All things considered, I still plan to go back and chip away at The Witness some more. It's the kind of game that rewards patience, and I’m not done with it yet.
Hyrule Warriors
Writeup
With all the hype building around the recently released Age of Imprisonment on Switch 2, I found myself revisiting the game that started it all over a decade ago: the vanilla Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U.
At its core, this is Dynasty Warriors, a
hack-and-slashaction game where powerful heroes mow down hundreds of enemies within seconds. Only this time, it's fused with The Legend of Zelda universe: iconic characters, familiar locations, classic sound design, and selective gameplay elements. Surprisingly, the blend works far better than anyone expected, spawning multiple ports and follow-up entries.After playing through the first two levels of Legend Mode on Normal difficulty, it's clear that Hyrule Warriors focuses far less on puzzle-solving than your typical Zelda title. Most missions revolve around capturing outposts and clearing areas of enemies to progress. It's simple, but it helps you ease into the rhythm of a traditional Dynasty Warriors battlefield before introducing more complex objectives.
There's a lot to process; setting up your warriors, keeping track of objectives, and managing the flood of on-screen prompts mid-battle. It can be overwhelming at first, but most alerts don't require immediate action. With generous mission time limits (usually triple the completion average of 20 minutes), you have plenty of room to recover from mistakes.
Combat mainly involves chaining light and heavy attacks while strategically unleashing special moves. Some abilities are great for clearing nearby crowds, while others excel in straight-line assaults. Leveling up heroes, crafting items, and customizing character builds feels like a solid mix of modern RPG progression systems. The weapons your characters wield also affect their move sets and abilities.
Outside Legend Mode, Free Mode lets you replay any cleared mission with any character or setup. It's perfect for grinding materials or hunting achievements. Adventure Mode shakes things up by letting you navigate a recreated map based on the NES Legend of Zelda overworld, unlocking panels one by one through themed challenges. Each mission imposes specific rules and time limits, keeping things fresh. Challenge Mode offers a more condensed approach, a straightforward list of tricky missions rather than a map, but still packed with unique scenarios and tactics.
According to its HowLongToBeat page, fully completing Hyrule Warriors can take up to 230 hours, especially with DLC included. That’s a staggering amount of content for such a repetitive gameplay loop. Still, for those times I just want some flashy, mindless fun, I'll happily dive back in to see more of what Legend Mode and Adventure Mode have to offer.
Cuphead
Writeup
If I judged Cuphead purely by its
run-and-gungameplay and brutal difficulty, there wouldn't be too much to say. But the story behind its creation deserves some attention, it's a testament to how an impossible dream from a small Canadian indie team, Studio MDHR, became a modern classic.Chad and Jared Moldenhauer grew up loving early golden-age cartoons and video games. Back around 2000, they first tried making a game inspired by those animations but had to shelve it due to limited resources. Years later, after Super Meat Boy proved indie games could thrive commercially, the brothers revived their idea in 2010. That's when they nailed down Cuphead's distinctive design and pushed themselves to emulate the 1930s hand-drawn animation style.
Creating that kind of authentic, high-quality animation turned out to be an exhausting and expensive task, especially as a project for many weekends. To keep things manageable, they started small: just a few bosses and core gameplay mechanics. Their work paid off when they showed a polished prototype at E3 2015. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, prompting them to go all in; quitting their jobs, remortgaging their homes, and expanding the team to bring Cuphead to completion.
All that risk and passion eventually paid off. Cuphead launched on Steam and Xbox One on September 29, 2017, instantly earning critical and commercial success. More recently, Studio MDHR has been teasing what might be a follow-up; they even announced new job openings for senior Unity programmers in May 2025.
Gameplay-wise, Cuphead is a masterclass in tough-but-fair design. It channels that old-school "NES Hard" spirit, but without most of the frustrating inconveniences from that era. The difficulty ramps up immediately, dozens of projectiles, constant movement, and towering bosses, but you get infinite lives, no upgrade loss, and quick reloads between failed attempts. Each battle becomes a mix of memorization, reflexes, and pattern recognition. Many bosses even change tactics mid-fight, keeping you on edge.
One critical tip: minimize your input delay. For precise parrying and dodging, your total input lag (monitor plus controller) should stay at 8ms or below. I learned that firsthand, both my EX2780Q monitor and wireless-mode Switch 1 Pro controller totalled around 19ms of lag, which made timing parries a nightmare. Switching to a Reflex CTRL-equipped SNES controller brought that down to about 5ms, and the difference was immediately noticeable.
If you're curious about how your own hardware stacks up, there's an input latency chart by MisterFPGAAddons (a bit dated, but still informative). For example, a wired PS5 controller paired with a fast display can easily achieve under 8ms total latency, ideal for Cuphead's demanding precision.
It's been years since release, but Cuphead is one of those games that I plan coming back to. Its distinctive art, jazz-soaked soundtrack, and relentless but rewarding gameplay make it an experience unlike anything else.
Rune Factory 4 Special
Writeup
Before the 2010s, Harvest Moon (now known as Story of Seasons) was already an established farming sim series. But when Rune Factory came along, it added a medieval fantasy twist; introducing combat, crafting, monster taming, and dungeon crawling. The result was a hybrid experience blending farming
simulationwith role-playing adventure.Even though the series has been around for years, Rune Factory 4 Special was my first real hands-on experience with it. I've only played about two hours so far, most of which was spent navigating endless dialogue and exploring the main hub. Based on what I've read online, it seems the additions and changes in this entry are generally more incremental than revolutionary, except perhaps in how much it leans into its "passionate love, sweet marriage" theme.
That direction aligns perfectly with producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto's stated goal: to deepen relationship-building and family interactions within the game. There's a noticeable boost in romantic variety; more dating events, heightened emotions, and even the ability for your family to accompany you on adventures.
The addition of Newlywed Mode, exclusive to Rune Factory 4 Special, makes that focus crystal clear. After marrying one of the eligible characters, you can play a dedicated scenario featuring your spouse, complete with voice lines, custom naming options, and unique dialogue. It's a charming expansion of the game's romance mechanics.
As for me, I've already set my sights on one character: Forte.
But why exactly do I feel that way?
She’s a serious, duty-bound knight who hides a sweet tooth and a fear of ghosts. There's something irresistibly endearing about that contrast between her stoic chivalry and her softer side; it's classic gap moe, and it got me right away.
Beyond the romance, the usual Rune Factory gameplay loop of farming, battling, and crafting seems like it'll easily hold my attention rent-free once I really dive back in. For now, though, I've got a towering game backlog to clear before I can give it the time it deserves.
Liberation Maiden
Writeup
Level-5 isn't just the studio behind AAA franchises like Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch, and Fantasy Life. During the early 3DS era, they also experimented with smaller, quirkier projects; titles that were later compiled under the Guild01 and Guild02 collections.
Among them is Liberation Maiden, a short but stylish shoot 'em up with a strong focus on
score attack. The project was directed by Goichi Suda, best known for No More Heroes, and features character designs by Yūsuke Kozaki, the same artist behind several Fire Emblem titles on 3DS. You can immediately recognize his touch in the sharp, seinen-style design of the white-haired protagonist, Shoko Ozora.Control-wise, it's quite different from most shooters. If you haven't played Kid Icarus: Uprising, Liberation Maiden might feel unusual at first. Shoko pilots her flying mech suit, Kamui, which doesn't fire in the traditional sense. Instead, Kamui uses floating barrier fragments that act both as defense and offense. By sliding the stylus across enemies on the touch screen, you lock onto multiple targets, and lifting the stylus unleashes a barrage of lasers or missiles from those fragments. The more targets you tag in a single motion, the more powerful and expansive your attack becomes.
It sounds overpowered, but Kamui's defensive power is balanced by the chaos around you. In my playthrough of the first stage on Normal, the sheer volume of enemies and projectiles forced careful timing; recklessly launching your barrier pieces leaves you exposed. Every move becomes a trade-off between offense and survival.
Movement comes in two flavors. During exploration, you freely fly around stages, dodging and countering enemies from every direction. But when facing a boss, known as a Spike, the battle shifts to a confined arena where you strafe around the screen, gradually descending as you whittle away its health through hitting weak points in a certain order. Certain boss phases introduce the dramatic "Sacrifice Drive", where Kamui pierces through a Spike's shield by circling the stylus around the touchscreen. It's a simple gesture but it certainly adds gravitas while finishing off a boss.
So far, I've only cleared one of the five stages, but it's already left a strong impression. Liberation Maiden is short, sleek, and packed with energy; a perfect example of how smaller 3DS titles could shine through unique mechanics and creativity. Definitely something I plan to continue soon, only on the 3DS.
Hypnospace Outlaw
Writeup
Before the rise of cable internet in the early 2000s, connecting to the web meant enduring the ritual sounds of dial-up modems and crawling through pages that felt more handmade than programmed. It was a time when imagination filled in the gaps; sites were mostly plain text, sprinkled with MIDI tunes, blinking GIFs, and grainy compressed images.
Hypnospace Outlaw captures that era perfectly, but with a surreal twist. It’s a
point-and-clicksimulation game that doesn't just pay homage to the early internet; it builds a whole alternate version of it. Here, you explore a dream-based network through a trippy operating system that looks part Windows 9x, part fever dream. The game nails every nostalgic detail, from clunky interfaces to communities full of personality and strange in-jokes.As an Enforcer, your job is to patrol Hypnospace, keeping it clean from infractions like copyright violations, defamatory posts, and malicious software. But it's hard to stay focused when every page oozes creativity and weird charm. I kept finding myself wandering off-mission, lost in nostalgia as I browsed through joke websites and pixelated fan pages.
After about two hours in, I’d only tracked down one obvious violation because I was too busy reminiscing about those simpler, weirder corners of the internet. And honestly, that's part of the magic. You don't need endless scrolling feeds or algorithms dictating your experience here; just curiosity and a sense of discovery like the good old days.
To my surprise, Hypnospace Outlaw also weaves a story within this strange web, building a sense of mystery and history that gives context to all that digital chaos. It's both a satire and a love letter to an internet experience that's long gone.
It's easily one of my standout Backlog Burner titles, and I can't wait to dig deeper into its bizarre, nostalgic dreamscape soon.
Grand Theft Auto V
Writeup
My first exposure to the Grand Theft Auto series came during the PS2's golden years in the early 2000s. I never played it back then, mainly out of (probably exaggerated) fear that my parents would punish me for touching an M-rated game. The themes were tame by today's standards, but at the time, it felt like forbidden territory. Still, I caught glimpses of GTA III gameplay from my relatives and got to play friendlier alternatives like Jak II and The Simpsons: Hit & Run, essentially "GTA-lite" versions for younger players.
Even then, it was clear that GTA III was groundbreaking. Having a character who could freely explore an entire 3D city was mind-blowing back then. Sure, missions were necessary for story progression, but the real magic was in the open-world
sandboxfreedom; the sheer fun of roaming and causing chaos at your own pace. That sense of unstructured play remains a cornerstone of the series, still inspiring others today (I've even seen Japanese VTubers streaming heavily modded GTA Online campaigns like MadTown).Of course, running around freely is only part of the appeal. The series is also infamous for letting players commit crimes that gradually raise their wanted level. Thankfully, traffic violations don't count, or otherwise the game would grind to a halt with constant police chases. And speaking of chases, they're one of the best parts of GTA gameplay. You have to think fast, using creative escapes or hiding spots to shake cops off your tail. Lower wanted levels are forgiving; police will try to arrest rather than kill you. But things can escalate fast, from armed pursuit cars at level 3 to full-blown military response at higher ranks.
Then there's Grand Theft Auto V itself, played on PS4, where all my screenshots are taken from. More than a decade after its release, VI still hasn't arrived. And understandably so, given the astronomical production values of today's AAA industry. The leap from GTA IV on sixth-gen hardware to V on the seventh and eighth generations was astonishing. Somehow, even the Xbox 360's modest 512MB of RAM handled near-photorealistic environments, fluid lighting (better than 8th gen consoles), and incredible water and character models. You can see why Rockstar Games is taking its time perfecting VI.
The most notable innovation in V is its three-protagonist structure. You start with two during the opening heist, then fast-forward to the third soon after, and finally all three of them reuniting at some point in the game. Beyond the initial hours, there's also the ability to switch between all of them. Story-wise, it’s a clever way to weave multiple perspectives into one cohesive narrative.
If there's one element that felt like a slight downgrade, it's how the vehicles handle. GTA V leans toward realism instead of the looser, more arcade-style driving of older entries. It's not bad, just less snappy and less purely fun. The more simulation-like feel takes some getting used to. It also took me a bit to realize that hiding from the police in secluded spots works better than endlessly outrunning them across the map, especially since cop cars seem to spawn constantly no matter how far you flee.
After only an hour in, I can tell there's a lot more to GTA V than what I've seen. Since I tend to prefer structured progress, I'll be focusing on clearing missions first, with the goal of rolling credits. But even so early on, it's easy to see why V has had such incredible staying power; it's as much a living city as it is a game.
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Comment on CGA-2025-11 🔴🟡🔵🟢 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 PlayStation WHAT? in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkOver a week ago, I made a reply to the CGA schedule thread about how to get into playing this month's games through real hardware, giving the opportunity for tilderinos to gather the required...- Exemplary
Over a week ago, I made a reply to the CGA schedule thread about how to get into playing this month's games through real hardware, giving the opportunity for tilderinos to gather the required materials ahead of time. While pretty much everything I said there is correct, I omitted which software to download and its instructions, and erroneously overlooked the fact that UDPBD superseded the SMB protocol when it comes to security and read speed.
I managed to get my SCPH-50001 PS2 running PS1 and PS2 games off from HDD, this time using the most straightforward method in the entire PS2 hacking scene, the English patch for the Japan-only PlayStation BB Navigator (PSBBN). I thought this was the way to go for everyone's interested in playing two generations of games on a single original hardware...
...Until I attempted to reach the main menu in Vib-Ribbon, to which the screen unfortunately freezes during the loading screen. Irritating Stick works fine but has some audio playback issues at the title screen, and the rest of November CGA games run nicely according to my first few minutes of cursory gameplay.
All that's left for reliable ways of playing PS1 games with real hardware is running the physical PS1 discs on PS1/PS2. Or, acquiring a PS1 console with either XStation or Terraonion's MODE installed like I did years ago, which can cost just as much, if not less, than all 5 CGA PS1 games combined.
I tried these on my PS2, booted via the POPSTARTER homebrew software. For the only PS2 title, PaRappa the Rapper 2, I ran it nicely with neutrino outside the intermittent barely noticeable microstutters, so I'd imagine the feature-packed Open PS2 Loader with Mode 1 enabled would yield similar results. Which is how I'm going to play the PS2 game for this month's CGA.
It goes to show that while there's a plethora of ways to get your stock PS2 hardware to run PS1 and PS2 ISOs, picking the right one for the situation is much easier said than done. Which is why I'll be bringing up the simplest and most reliable ways to get the PaRappa the Rapper 2 ISO up and running for tilderinos who prefers real hardware.
Playing games off from internal HDD (no exploited PS2 Memory Card required)
Required materials
- a fat PS2 model with expansion bay (SCPH-3000x, SCPH-3900x, SCPH-500xx)
- any official PS2 network adapter (third party alternatives won't work)
- a 200GB or higher capacity SATA hard drive
- a way to connect the SATA drive to a computer, such a SATA adapter with two USB plugs and a desktop with a free SATA slot
- an IDE to SATA conversion kit for the PS2 network adapter
- a small screwdriver with cross-shaped tip
- a coin
Tear down the original PS2 network adapter using a screwdriver with cross-shaped tip until you can reach to the IDE connectors board. From there, disconnect the board and replace it with the SATA board.
Make sure the hard drive is visible on your OS before proceeding with the PSBBN installation. Formatting it might be required in some cases.
Once that's done, you can now proceed to follow CosmicScale's PSBBN Definitive English Patch instructions on the Internet. I won't provide the link for this one, given that some of the involved files (such as the official PSBBN and POPS binaries) are copyrighted materials.
What this does, is formatting the hard drive of your choice and installing the translated Japanese-exclusive PlayStation Broadband Navigator. This is where you'll be able to play all your soon-to-be-installed PS1 and PS2 games, homebrew apps, media, and even browsing channels through a replica of the official defunct PSBBN server purely for fun.
At least 4.8GB of storage is required to house the PaRappa the Rapper 2 ISO. You will also need to install PlayStation 2 Basic Boot Loader (PS2BBL) in order to boot straight into PSBBN. Reassigning X and O for Confirm and Back respectively is also possible during the installation process, but this setting won't apply for the in-game reset menu for POPSTARTER-loaded PS1 games.
The PSBBN installer will also automatically add the most recent version of OPL, Neutrino, NHDDL, Retro GEM Disc Launcher, and wLaunchELF_ISR file browser. It's all there for those who only wants to play games, while also leaving the door wide open for more homebrew options easily accessible in the future.
Protip: If you want to access a game much quicker in PSBBN, highlight the game in the Collection submenu of Game Collection, press Triangle button and select Add to Navigator Menu. Pressing the Select button at any point in PSBNN will bring up the Navigator Menu and launch the game from there. Keep in mind that you're allowed to have up to 4 shortcuts.
Playing games off from local network
Required materials
- any PS2 console
- a PS2 Memory Card with Free MCBoot installed (or OpenTuna in SCPH-900xx)
- any official PS2 network adapter for non-slim models (third party alternatives lack the Ethernet port)
- a PC with either Windows 10/11 or any Linux OS
- any internal and external drive with exFAT file system connected to the PC
Required software
- wLaunchELF_ISR, specifically the BOOT-EXFAT.ELF for exFAT support
- The latest version of nhddl
- The latest version of neutrino
- a compiled UDPBD Server application (One exists for Windows, and the other for Linux)
If you can't get your PS2 to access the internal HDD and a memory card with Free MCBoot install, you can try some of the many exploits that don't require these materials. Or simply purchasing a PS2 Memory Card with either Free MCBoot or OpenTuna already installed.
The BOOT-EXFAT.ELF file needs to be renamed into BOOT.ELF and placed in either
mc0:/BOOT/ormc1:/BOOT/, depending on which slot the exploited PS2 Memory Card is put in. Once that's done, you'll be able to boot to wLaunchELF_ISR and read any media that's formatted with FAT32 or exFAT file system.Make sure that both the PC and PS2 are connected to the same network (e.g. Wi-Fi router) for UDPBD to work. For the latter, if nhddl cannot find the udpbd_ip flag in nhddl.yaml file that's found within the same folder as the executable, it will look at
SYS-CONF/IPCONFIG.DATin the media where you're booting wLaunchELF_ISR from for the IP address.On PC, run the UDPBD Server application through a command line interface using a specific line command.
Windows:udpbd-server.exe \\.\[insert drive letter]:
Linux:sudo ./udpbd-server /dev/[insert drive letters]Once the server is up and running, nhddl should be able to scan the networked drive and get neutrino to launch a PS2 ISO of your choice.
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkI'll be participating in the upcoming Backlog Burner event with a bingo card again, this time with Form categories. Unlike last May, where retro games from 6th generation and prior took the bulk...I'll be participating in the upcoming Backlog Burner event with a bingo card again, this time with
Formcategories. Unlike last May, where retro games from 6th generation and prior took the bulk of my card, I tried reducing that number as promised earlier this year.With Backlog Bingo's randomizer, I ended up with 20 games out of 25 that were originally released between 2010 and all the way up to 2024! That should give me a solid taste of modern gaming that I mostly missed out from being disappointed at the mediocre state of gaming industry for the past 15 years.
Don't get me wrong, games themselves aren't the problem, as I had absolutely no trouble finding more than enough worthwhile ones to play. Perhaps my joy of gaming was being diluted by the hobby's late-stage mainstream-ification, but that's a discussion for another day.
On top of my Backlog Burner games, I also plan to play five more from the next CGA event, separately from the bingo card. Add my unfinished Chrono Trigger playthrough from October CGA, and the much-anticipated upcoming Kirby Air Riders, and I've got a whopping 32 games to play in total for this month. Oh my!
So, here's my ideal way to tackle all these, hoping I'll stick to it...
- I'll tackle 9 games within the first 2–3 days of each week, to give myself a lot of headroom for writing fairly detailed write-ups weekly
- 2 CGA games will also be played the same way in Week 1, then 2 more in Week 2 and finally PaRappa the Rapper 2 in Week 3
- Squeeze in some Chrono Trigger whenever I got time to spare
By Week 3, I should be able to black out my bingo card, churn out all my Backlog Burner writeups and maybe the November CGA ones. A good chunk of progression shall be achieved in Chrono Trigger, if not reaching to the end credits.
Once that's all out of the way, I shall be able to dedicate my time with Kirby Air Riders around its launch day, depending on when I grab my physical copy of it. Either Chrono Trigger will be resumed, or another game will take its place, but we shall see.
Until then, see you guys in Week 1 of Backlog Burner!
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure Schedule: September 2025 - March 2026 in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkWe're less than two weeks away from November, so heads-up on how to prepare your gaming setup if you're going to play on real hardware, especially when it comes to gathering the materials. First...We're less than two weeks away from November, so heads-up on how to prepare your gaming setup if you're going to play on real hardware, especially when it comes to gathering the materials.
First off, if you don't have a functional CRT TV, you'll want to get a good upscaling device like any of the RetroTINK device, an OSSC or Morph 4K with Analog Bridge and its connector card. That way, you won't run into added frames of input lag and poorly-processed video, commonly experienced with cheap upscalers.
For $100 USD, a RetroTINK-2x Mini gets you up and outputting at 480p60 with minimal setup, even with just the composite cables that came with your consoles. It comes with a decent SNES/N64/GameCube S-Video cable as a bonus, too!
As for the games, be prepared to dole out $400 CAD for all these 5 working loose copies according to PriceCharting, just so you can play them all on PS2 natively. It's expensive, but it's also the simplest and most authentic way of playing games like you would in the 00s.
Or perhaps the easiest, safest and most economical way to experience these games on real hardware without relying on the aging discs, is to play them off from a SATA hard drive or through SMB network.
Both of these methods require a PS2 Memory Card with Free MCBoot installed, which can be purchased online or created from an already modded PS2.
If you're going through the internal hard drive method, get the following materials:
- a fat PS2 model with expansion bay (SCPH-3000x, SCPH-3900x, SCPH-500xx)
- a PS2 network adapter (preferably the official one for reliability)
- a SATA hard drive (be careful at picking the right SSD/HDD model, just so the console can recognize it)
- a way to connect the SATA drive to a computer, such a SATA adapter with two USB plugs and a desktop with a free SATA slot
- an IDE to SATA conversion kit for the PS2 network adapter
- a screwdriver with a cross-shaped tip
If you prefer the SMB network method, then any device that can act as an SMB device and any PS2 model will work, although the slim ones are ideal just for having a built-in Ethernet port. I strongly recommend the SCPH-700xx model in particular for best PS1 and PS2 game compatibility down the road.
However, that won't improve POPSTARTER compatibility with PS1 games in any capacity, since that homebrew software relies largely on software emulation as opposed to just partial emulation for graphic rendering when PS1 discs are involved. Pepsiman is known to work through SATA (and likely SMB), but a certain Vib-Ribbon feature won't be available through homebrew due to the way games are loaded. As for the rest of November's CGA PS1 games, I don't know if they run well enough.
If you do get a SCPH-3900x, SCPH-500xx or SCPH-700xx, avoid using scratched discs and burned CDs and DVDs, as it'll raise the odds of triggering a MechaCon crash, significantly so in the latter two models. Said crash can damage the lens coil and permanently diminish the drive's reading capability, if not outright rendering it useless.
And that's pretty much the gist of how to get the games running on PS2. For more information about the aforementioned methods as well as PS2 quirks, mods and whatnot, then this page from ConsoleMods.org is a good place to start.
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Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Chrono Trigger in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )Link ParentI played on the original 1995 version using the final SD2SNES revision cartridge (renamed as FXPAK PRO for avoiding legal issues) on an RGB-bypassed 1CHIP Super Famicom (the same hardware as the...I played on the original 1995 version using the final SD2SNES revision cartridge (renamed as FXPAK PRO for avoiding legal issues) on an RGB-bypassed 1CHIP Super Famicom (the same hardware as the American SNES, under a different shell).
The video signal is then output to Lotharek's W-Hydra2 SCART switch, using Retro-Access's Nintendo RGBS SCART cable. The switch then splits the signal, one of which goes through Morph 4K's VGA port using Retro-Access's custom-made SCART-to-VGA adapter cable, so I can play on my 1440p monitor and have my GC573 capture the video from the video upscaling device.
The other signal goes to OSSC Pro, with its Extra AV out add-on outputting that video signal through VGA, so axunworks's RGB-2YC device can transcode it for my composite-only CRT TV. The audio is routed directly to mono-only audio jack using 3.5mm cable and an AUX-to-RCA adapter to mix two channels into one.
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Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Chrono Trigger in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkSince I've never properly played Chrono Trigger before, I figured I'd share my personal history with it and how I plan to finally make up for that missed opportunity. Back in the 90s, I briefly...Since I've never properly played Chrono Trigger before, I figured I'd share my personal history with it and how I plan to finally make up for that missed opportunity.
Back in the 90s, I briefly tried the SNES version through a local video game rental service. My strongest memory is loading an existing save file, wandering around an area...
Spoiler I guess?
...that looked like a dark, flooded city alley,...
...with no idea how to progress. Between my limited English skills, little RPG experience, and starting a new file that only got me wiped out by weak enemies soon after (since I didn't understand the real-time battle system), I quickly gave up.
Still, I vividly remember parts of the background music from that gloomy spot, it gave me the eerie feeling that the game itself didn't want me to play it. Not the best first impression, especially knowing how much praise Chrono Trigger has earned over the decades for its adventure, pacing, and design.
Although I bought the game on the Wii Shop Channel before it closed, I never actually dove in, mainly because I've long avoided turn-based RPGs outside the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series. I worried that once I saw the credits, replaying wouldn't feel meaningful if I already knew all the "right" moves. On top of that, the heavy time investment, often reduced to repetitive grinding, felt more like a chore than a challenge.
For most of my gaming life, I've preferred action and adventure titles where reflexes, timing, and navigation matter more than stats or turn orders. Graphics, sound, and story never mattered much to me compared to gameplay itself. But over time I've come to appreciate how those other elements can really enhance the experience. Based on what I've read from fans, Chrono Trigger seems to balance brisk pacing, clever real time position-based combat, and presentation so well that I might finally get hooked.
So for this month's Colossal Game Adventure, I'm giving the SNES version a serious shot. I'll be playing it on a 1CHIP Super Famicom with an RGB-bypass mod. Its video signal splits through Lotharek's W-Hydra2 automatic switch, one going into my Morph 4K's Analog Bridge (with a preset I tweaked myself) and the other into an Axunworks' RGB-2YC for converting it into a composite signal on my grandmother's hand-me-down CRT. The TV sits awkwardly on top of a rolling shelf in my apartment bedroom, which forces me to tilt my head up when sitting on the couch, but it feels fitting for a game about time travel to be played on period-appropriate hardware.
Even through composite, the visuals look great, especially when zoomed out at 10% or lower. The way CRTs blend pixels sells the sprite art in a way modern pixel-style games can't fully replicate. Of course, going this route isn't cheap, a loose cart alone runs over $200 USD, nearly as much as the FXPAK Pro flash cart I'll be using. Retro gaming hasn't been a budget hobby for a long time, but for me, experiencing the game "as it was in 1995" is worth it.
One technical recommendation: set the pixel aspect ratio (PAR) to 8:7 if possible, since the developers designed for that specific dot clock rate. You'll notice a perfect round moon in-game at 8:7, whereas with square pixels (1:1 PAR) the moon looks skinny, and at 4:3 PAR it looks a bit stretched wide. Also, when scaling, enable interpolation on noninteger values to avoid shimmering effects during screen movement.
This time, I'm determined to see what so many people love about this timeless classic, and hopefully make it all the way to the credits, if not uncovering all the endings.
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Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Chrono Trigger in ~games
J-Chiptunator Link ParentPlaying DS games on 3DS doesn't require having the game card inserted, if you install Luma3DS, TWiLightMenu and nds-bootstrap. All you need is to place that .ds ROM file in the correct folder, and...Playing DS games on 3DS doesn't require having the game card inserted, if you install Luma3DS, TWiLightMenu and nds-bootstrap. All you need is to place that .ds ROM file in the correct folder, and you'll be able to play it off from the SD card.
This method also works with DSi and DSi XL/LL models, albeit with a different exploit, instead of Luma3DS.
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Comment on Dear Nintendo, please bring back the Wii Remote in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkAren't current-gen gyroscopes still not achieving the same high precision level as the Wii Remote's combination of motion sensor/gyroscope and IR pointer does? Good luck trying to aim quickly and...- Exemplary
Aren't current-gen gyroscopes still not achieving the same high precision level as the Wii Remote's combination of motion sensor/gyroscope and IR pointer does? Good luck trying to aim quickly and accurately at the onslaught of foes in the challenging rail-shooter Sin & Punishment Star Successor with a Joy-Con!
At least up to the early 2020s, I remember experiencing and hearing among peoples how often the gyroscope's calibration would easily go off-centre, especially when rapidly tilting the device. So in practice, you'd need to recalibrate it every so often, or rely on a joystick to move the reticle quickly and then tilt the controller for fine-tuning the aim like in some of the Wii U and Switch Nintendo-published games.
The Wii/Wii U IR sensor bar not only serves to bring up the cursor on screen exactly to where a Wii Remote pointing at, but some games also use it as a way to automatically recalibrate the motion sensor. It's all done by lighting up one set of LEDs at each side of the screen, to which the IR pointer will rely on.
Embedding that technology above the screen like the Wii U GamePad did while not requiring to have the handheld tethered to an AC adapter can also enable the use of pointer control even in portable play. That, however, still takes more room between the player and the handheld than usual in order to use pointer control more effectively.
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Comment on Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 getting rerelease on Nintendo Switch, bundle for $70 or standalone for $40 each in ~games
J-Chiptunator Link ParentI feel like it's important to note that even the older flat panel TVs aren't great at processing retro video game video inputs. If your game can output at least 480p through component cable, you...I feel like it's important to note that even the older flat panel TVs aren't great at processing retro video game video inputs. If your game can output at least 480p through component cable, you can get away with just a supported TV and avoid display lag.
240p/480i, on the other hand, is where it gets messy. These TVs, alongside with cheap AV2HDMI converters, introduce a significant degree of display lag that can make controlling anything feels more sluggish, if not outright unplayable. These devices also incorrectly treat 240p as interlaced content, and adds even more visual artifacts after deinterlacing a non-interlaced video.
For those reasons, I would recommend not cheaping out on a retro video game upscaler when you can. Even the $99 USD RetroTINK Mini linedoubles the input for a decent 480p video outputted via HDMI, all while adding less than a frame of display lag.
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Comment on Nintendo adding Virtual Boy to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, with Virtual Boy replica accessory to play games in 3D in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkI'm amazed that Nintendo overlooked the opportunity to re-release Virtual Boy titles on the Nintendo 3DS, further evidenced by the Red Viper homebrew software being perfectly capable of running...I'm amazed that Nintendo overlooked the opportunity to re-release Virtual Boy titles on the Nintendo 3DS, further evidenced by the Red Viper homebrew software being perfectly capable of running them even in 3D, especially with the New 3DS models.
But at the same time, the "à la carte" approach of selling each retro game individually back then wouldn't be ideal, given most people would only stick to popular franchises like Mario and Zelda and ignore the more obscure titles. Accessing much of the retro game library through Nintendo Switch Online subscription is a logical decision, given the higher likelihood of people stumbling across games they never knew of without the need of coughing up money on the spot.
Getting either the $110 CAD Virtual Boy replica or the $30 CAD cardboard counterpart to view them in 3D, though, might pose some friction to that curiosity. Part of me is wondering if it's even possible to play them in 2D instead, despite it not being ideal for some of those.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure Schedule: September 2025 - March 2026 in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkAs someone who suggested this game, I'll gladly volunteer for the March 2026 Colossal Game Adventure. Back in late 2012, I finished the untranslated Virtual Console port of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane...As someone who suggested this game, I'll gladly volunteer for the March 2026 Colossal Game Adventure.
Back in late 2012, I finished the untranslated Virtual Console port of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) on a stock Japanese 3DS for the very first time. I managed to get through it with a mix of GameFAQs guides and YouTube videos, all while trying to learn Japanese alongside Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
Of course, simply memorizing hiragana and katakana wasn’t enough to properly follow Prince Sablé’s journey; I mostly just enjoyed watching him stumble into all kinds of wacky hijinks without really grasping the deeper meaning. Now that we have a proper English translation available, and a better awareness of the works that inspired the game, I feel like I can finally piece it all together into a more complete appreciation.
On the technical side, I’m also well-versed in getting the game running across just about any device, especially on original non-PC hardware. Writing up a clear guide for getting the game up and running in the Insert Cartridge discussion will be second nature for me.
All that’s left for the coming months is to revisit the game with its English translation, and dive into the inspirations behind it. With that, I’ll be more than ready to host the March 2026 Colossal Game Adventure.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: Voting topic in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkChrono Trigger (4) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (4) The Secret of Monkey Island (3) Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) (2) Seaman (2) Threads of Fate (2)...Chrono Trigger (4)
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (4)
The Secret of Monkey Island (3)
Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) (2)
Seaman (2)
Threads of Fate (2)
PlayStation WHAT? (2)
Racing Lagoon (1) -
Comment on Tildes' Colossal Game Adventure: Inauguration and nominations in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkHere's my two picks for the Colossal Game Adventure: Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) Never released outside Japan, this charming action RPG is one of Nintendo’s...Here's my two picks for the Colossal Game Adventure:
Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)
Never released outside Japan, this charming action RPG is one of Nintendo’s hidden gems. The title, a playful nod to Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, sets the tone for a short but memorable journey, about six hours long, filled with humor, quirky NPCs, and clever transformations.
You play as the carefree Prince of Sablé, who gains the ability to transform into both a frog and a snake to solve puzzles and progress. Battles happen automatically: just bump into an enemy, and a dust cloud rises as stats decide the victor. Items can shift the battle in your favor, but success mostly depends on whether you’ve prepared well.
Although it never had a Western release, fan translators have stepped up: ryanbgstl’s English patch makes the game fully playable, with an addendum patch that improves the title screen.
Fun fact: The engine developed for this game became the foundation for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. In fact, Prince Richard (and his frog army) wander right into Link’s Awakening as cameo characters, creating a unique bridge between the two adventures. Speaking of which...
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
What began as an after-hours experiment, an attempt to put A Link to the Past onto the monochrome Game Boy, soon grew into one of the most beloved Zelda titles of all time. Set on the dreamlike Koholint Island, the story explores themes of identity, fragility, and fleeting dreams, all wrapped in classic Nintendo adventure design.
The formula will feel familiar: a blend of overworld exploration, dungeon crawling, and puzzle-solving, with a steady stream of new items to expand your capabilities. But there’s also a surreal edge: quirky cameos, shifting tone, and that looming mystery of the giant egg atop the island. To progress, Link must conquer eight dungeons, each hiding one of the instruments needed to awaken the island’s fate.
It’s both whimsical and melancholy, an adventure that balances lighthearted charm with a haunting, unforgettable conclusion. The Game Boy original also got its colorful makeover in Game Boy Color with an extra dungeon, as well as the Nintendo Switch remake, complete with toylike 3D visuals and some quality-of-life improvements.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
J-Chiptunator LinkDisgaea Infinite When I first saw the game's title, I immediately thought this new Disgaea entry was going to be a big crossover, featuring wild battles and absurd damage numbers like the main...Disgaea Infinite
When I first saw the game's title, I immediately thought this new Disgaea entry was going to be a big crossover, featuring wild battles and absurd damage numbers like the main SRPG series, basically, hours spent figuring out the best way to grind just to see my team dish out billions of points and take down god-tier enemies.
But after trying out Disgaea Infinite, I found out it’s actually a pretty obscure visual novel set in Laharl’s Castle. The story uses characters from Disgaea 1 and 3, and you play as a Prinny’s soul desperately trying to escape horrendous working conditions.
The core mechanic is neat: you possess different characters to explore the plot, aiming for one of 14 possible endings. While 'inside' someone, you can sometimes influence their decisions, which affects how things play out. It’s important to choose who to possess at the right moment, or disaster (usually Laharl flipping out and punishing Prinnies even more) can strike.
To help navigate all the branching storylines, the game has a timeline that marks major events, tracks routes you’ve taken, and flags decisions where you changed someone’s mind. There are options to skip dialogue or fast-forward, but strangely, you can't jump freely around the timeline, only to certain Prinnies, or back to the start in my hour-long playthrough's case.
The visual novel is relatively short (about 6–8 hours, according to HowLongToBeat), which makes the trial-and-error less tedious, but after an hour of play and landing the most embarrassing ending, I’m not sure how much depth there is left.
Still, if you like Disgaea’s trademark over-the-top humor, there’s plenty of it here! It made me realize I really should finish Disgaea 1 before coming back for a second round with Infinite.
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Comment on What is your criteria for what counts as a "retro" video game? in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkI'd argue that the 6th video game generation, most notably the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, marks a key dividing line between retro and modern gaming. Why? That generation saw a huge leap in...I'd argue that the 6th video game generation, most notably the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, marks a key dividing line between retro and modern gaming.
Why? That generation saw a huge leap in hardware power and memory, which enabled developers to create larger, more complex 3D worlds and refine gameplay in ways that laid the foundation for today’s gaming landscape. Many modern blockbusters, like Grand Theft Auto V, can still trace their core design principles back to groundwork laid in the 6th gen. Everything since then has mostly been about expanding on those ideas, not radically redefining them.
Another big shift was the start of true cross-platform design. Once the hardware differences between consoles shrank (starting with the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube), it became much easier to make the same game run on multiple systems with only minor changes, and unless you're closely inspecting performance details, most players can't even tell the difference between versions.
From a technology standpoint, everything after the 6th gen has delivered more graphical power, but with diminishing returns: asset creation has become more expensive and time-consuming, and higher resolutions demand more work just to meet expectations of visual fidelity. This escalation has driven up AAA development costs over the last twenty years without fundamentally changing much how games play.
On the storage front, early consoles relied on ultra-fast Mask ROM chips in their cartridges, a technology that’s now cost-prohibitive at modern capacities. From the 6th gen onward, every manufacturer, even Nintendo, had to switch to slower disc-based or flash storage, making loading times unavoidable even today.
Finally, the 6th generation was the tipping point for online connectivity: the original Xbox in particular brought fast, built-in Internet that enabled online multiplayer, downloadable content and patches that would go on to become standard features in modern gaming.
In short: the 6th generation was the moment gaming crossed from classic or retro into the truly modern era, both in how games were made and experienced.
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Comment on May 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap in ~games
J-Chiptunator (edited )LinkJ-Chiptunator's Final Bingo Card (Custom/Free, 25/25) Mode: Custom Winning Bingo! Finished 25/25 ✅ Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters ✅ OlliOlli ✅ Lords of Thunder ✅ Granblue Fantasy: Relink ✅ Pizza...- Exemplary
J-Chiptunator's Final Bingo Card (Custom/Free, 25/25)
Mode: Custom Winning Bingo! Finished 25/25 Y
✅ Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic SpectersO
✅ OlliOlliL
✅ Lords of ThunderG
✅ Granblue Fantasy: RelinkP
✅ Pizza TowerS
✅ Shinobi (SMS)B
✅ beatmania for WonderSwanJ
✅ Joy Mech FightF
✅ Fable AnniversaryD
✅ Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!T
✅ Total EclipseU
✅ The Urbz: Sims in the CityK
✅ Kirby's Block BallM
✅ Mario Tennis (GBC)A
✅ Advance Wars: Dual StrikeI
✅ INSIDEV
✅ VS. ExcitebikeZ
✅ Zombies Ate My NeighborsC
✅ Castlevania: Aria of SorrowH
✅ Harry Potter: Quidditch World CupR
✅ Red AlarmQ
✅ Questy ChessW
✅ WarioWare: Get It Together!N
✅ NiGHTS Into Dreams...E
✅ Ecco the DolphinSorry for the slightly delayed post about wrapping up my Backlog Burner journey! As I predicted, doing 11 game writeups took quite some time. Interestingly, once I got about halfway through, I really picked up speed. I found it much easier to focus on the most relevant points, especially for games from franchises or genres I know well.
Regarding my bingo blackout, the key was buckling down and playing a bunch of games in a row before writing up my thoughts after the event’s halfway point. I’d play each game for up to a couple of hours, then move on to the next. If I’d used this approach from the start, I probably would have finished the entire bingo card by week three!
On the hardware side, I was expecting PixelFX’s Analog Bridge with its dual VGA connector to arrive last month to streamline my retro gaming setup. Unfortunately, it never made it. Due to some changes in customs regulations, my package was returned to the sender and got stuck at a USPS distribution center for over two weeks. Thankfully, the seller is reshipping my order. At least I won’t have to do the 48KHz audio mod myself to get it working with my monitors and my AverMedia Live Gamer 4K capture card (GC573).
All in all, this event reminded me how good I am at picking games I’ll enjoy. I found plenty of gems on my bingo card. Even the less impressive games served as palate cleansers and made me appreciate the great ones even more.
Looking ahead, I want to focus on games released after the 6th generation for the next Backlog Burner event, especially titles for 3DS, Playdate, Switch, and Steam, since those make up most of my library. Until then, feel free to read my writeups down below and see you on November 2025 Backlog Burner!
Standouts (2): Kirby's Block Ball, Pizza Tower
Good enough to continue (17): Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Ecco the Dolphin, Fable Anniversary, Granblue Fantasy: ReLink, INSIDE, Joy Mech Fight, Lords of Thunder, Mario Tennis (GBC), NiGHTS Into Dreams…, Red Alarm, Shinobi (SMS), The Urbz: Sims in the City, VS. Excitebike, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Still good, but shelved (3): beatmania for WonderSwan, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Shelved forever (3): OlliOlli, Questy Chess, Total EclipseOlliOlli
Writeup
In
OlliOlli, you play as an unnamed skateboarder who automatically moves through side-scrolling stages, pulling off tricks to rack up points. You’ll replay these levels often, not just because of wipeouts, but also to chase high scores and complete goals, much like in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series.Since your character is always moving right, the left stick or D-pad isn’t for movement. Instead, you use it to perform ollies (jumps) and tricks. To jump, you pull the stick down and release it; for tricks, you use specific stick gestures and sometimes a shoulder button. Rails are scattered throughout the stages, and you can grind them by pressing down on the stick as you pass over. The closer your timing, the more points you earn. Landing cleanly on the ground also scores you points, but requires a face button press to avoid a sloppy landing.
To gain speed, you tap another face button a few times, which helps you clear bigger gaps.
The minimalist, unconventional controls are great for chaining tricks, but muscle memory from mainstream 3D skateboarding games can make the learning curve steep. I also found the controls sometimes unresponsive, leading to missed tricks or failed landings. The ground landing mechanic feels a bit redundant, since grinding rails already serves a similar purpose and happens more frequently.
The limited set of moves and lack of unique setpieces make the level design feel repetitive. Even after playing through the few available stages, the gameplay didn’t feel varied enough to keep me invested in mastering its challenges.
Out of curiosity, I watched videos of OlliOlli’s sequels, and they look like major improvements. The later games add more tricks, setpieces, and a better combo system. OlliOlli World even removes the strict landing mechanic and offers a smoother difficulty curve, which makes it much more appealing. I might give that one a try.
But as for the original OlliOlli, I don’t see myself coming back to it. It might be worth a quick play just to get a feel for the sequels’ more complex gameplay, but otherwise, I’m ready to move on.
Pizza Tower
Writeup
In recent years, there’s been a surge of platformers inspired by Wario Land 4, with standouts including the bombastic AntonBlast and, the focus here,
Pizza Tower.It’s been over 15 years since the last Wario Land game, Shake It! (aka The Shake Dimension), so you might not be familiar with the formula. Each side-scrolling stage has two phases: a standard platforming section, followed by a frantic race back to the start before time runs out. Collecting items boosts your score, and the higher your score, the better your end-of-level grade.
Pizza Tower takes this formula and cranks up the speed. The main character, Peppino, has a deep, fluid moveset that lets you dash, grab, punch, and chain together moves for maintaining maximum momentum. The level design is built around these abilities, rewarding players who master both the controls and the layout with the ability to blaze through stages at breakneck speed. Maintaining combos by breaking objects and defeating enemies keeps your score high, and getting hit will drop your combo gauge.
While you can play at your own pace, the game encourages fast, skillful runs by offering unlockable outfits for S ranks and the even tougher P ranks for completionists. However, you’re never forced to go for these achievements, as speed and high scores are there for those who want the extra challenge.
Pizza Tower’s standout features include its wild, 90s-inspired cartoon art style and a high-energy, genre-blending soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s chaotic vibe. The humor, visual gags, and Peppino’s over-the-top animations add even more personality to the experience.
All things considered, Pizza Tower is a must-play for fans of fast-paced platformers. Its blend of fluid movement, creative level design, and unique style make it as satisfying as your favorite delivery pizza, if not better.
Questy Chess
Writeup
When the Playdate handheld launched on April 19, 2022, it came with Season One: a collection of 24 games released two per week. Among them is
Questy Chess, a puzzle game where you guide a pawn to the exit on each map, all with a charming old-school computer vibe.The core mechanic is simple: your pawn can only move right, up, or down. The only exception is when you’re next to an enemy; then, you can stomp them, ignoring the usual movement rules. It’s a bit like chess, but played outside the usual board.
As you progress, your pawn can transform into other pieces, like a knight, which lets you move in L-shapes and jump gaps. But to do this, you first have to find the right item on the map, usually hidden on diamond-shaped spaces. That’s also where you’ll find health pickups and keys.
Some puzzles require you to use the Playdate’s unique crank to shift the terrain vertically. However, if you crank too far, the game assumes you’re done and can leave your pawn stuck. That annoying quirk led to several softlocks during my playthrough. For example, on one long, scrolling map, I missed a crucial item hidden in a branching path. When I reached the exit, the game informed me I was missing the item, but there was no way to backtrack, forcing a full reset.
Planning ahead is also more cumbersome than it should be, since you can’t scroll the map to see what’s coming, adding unnecessary trial and error. Oddly, the game also doesn’t show how many health pickups you have left.
Overall, while my experience with Questy Chess wasn’t terrible, frequent softlocks and overly simple puzzles made it feel underwhelming as a puzzle game. And that was just the first world. Maybe it improves later, but with so many better games to play, I’m not in a hurry to find out.
Red Alarm
Writeup
The Virtual Boy is a fascinating example of how launching hardware too early can doom a console’s success. Released in 1995, Nintendo’s attempt at affordable stereoscopic 3D gaming wasn’t quite ready for prime time, a fact even its creator, Gunpei Yokoi, reportedly recognized.
The Virtual Boy’s 3D effect worked by having you look into a headset, where each eye saw a separate image projected onto oscillating mirrors. Your brain combined these into a single 3D scene, letting you judge depth in a way that was unique for its time.
To keep costs down, Nintendo used only red LEDs, since color displays were too expensive. But the bright red visuals and the strain of processing two images led Nintendo to warn players not to use the system for more than 20 minutes at a time.
As a result of these limitations, only 14 games were released for the Virtual Boy, not counting Bound High, which surfaced much later. One standout title is
Red Alarm, a 3D wireframe space shooter that really makes use of the system’s depth effect.Without the 3D enabled, it’s much harder to tell which lines are close to your ship, making it easy to take damage or get lost. That’s why I played Red Alarm on the Red Viper emulator for my New 3DS XL, which can replicate the 3D effect, something Nintendo missed out on by not bringing Virtual Boy games to the 3DS.
Normally, I’m wary of software emulation due to input lag, but Red Viper ran so smoothly on my 3DS XL that I didn’t notice any issues. Even though the handheld lacks a second control pad for strafing, the emulator’s button remapping made up for it.
In Red Alarm, you can rotate your ship on every axis and control your speed, which is crucial for dodging enemies and managing your limited fuel (replenished only after clearing a stage). Fortunately, the level design is linear and forgiving, at least in the early stages, so running out of time isn’t a big concern if you play well.
Overall, Red Alarm is a great showcase of what the Virtual Boy could do, and the gameplay holds up surprisingly well. Whether it stays engaging throughout the whole campaign remains to be seen, but so far, I’m looking forward to playing more.
Shinobi (SMS)
Writeup
Originally released in arcades in 1987,
Shinobi became a hit and spawned several sequels across different platforms, including the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The game was ported to nearly every major system of its era, but the Sega Master System version stands out as an excellent adaptation.In this version, you play as Joe Musashi, tasked with rescuing kidnapped children from the Zeed criminal organization. Armed with unlimited shurikens, Joe can attack enemies on the same horizontal plane, jump between two lanes, and use his agility to avoid obstacles. Unlike the arcade original, the Master System port gives Joe a health bar instead of one-hit deaths and removes the time limit, making it more accessible for home play.
Shinobi’s gameplay rewards careful, methodical approaches over reckless action. Enemy placement is intentional, requiring you to think strategically about how to tackle each screen, whether it’s jumping to take out a wall-climber before dealing with a gunman, or crouching to avoid projectiles. The level design's deliberate pacing and thoughtful enemy arrangements encourages players to plan their moves and react quickly.
Rescuing hostages is now optional but highly beneficial, granting points, weapon upgrades, health boosts, and access to bonus stages where you can earn powerful ninjutsu skills. The game features five stages, each with multiple levels and a boss, offering a good variety of challenges and enemies. While the graphics and music are solid for the Master System, the real strength lies in its engaging, strategic gameplay and replay value.
As a fan of methodical platformers like Super Mario Bros., Shinobi’s thoughtful design and rewarding challenge make it a standout title that’s well worth revisiting.
Total Eclipse
Writeup
The 3DO stands out as a fascinating chapter in gaming history. Launched in 1993, it was a technical trailblazer, ushering in polygonal 3D gameplay and becoming the first CD-based console not to rely on an external add-on. However, it also serves as a case study in how not to run a platform business.
Instead of manufacturing the hardware themselves, Trip Hawkins’s 3DO Company licensed the design to companies like Panasonic and Goldstar. Because these manufacturers wanted to make a profit on each unit, the 3DO debuted at a steep $699 price tag, far higher than most consumers were willing to pay, even by today’s standards when adjusted for inflation. Despite its advanced specs, the console quickly became a commercial failure and was discontinued by 1996.
On the software side, Crystal Dynamics, best known for Gex, also developed
Total Eclipse for the 3DO. This behind-the-ship shooter features a constantly moving ship navigating open areas and tight, polygonal corridors. A unique mechanic is that your health bar steadily drains as you travel, but defeating enemies or obstacles restores some health. In theory, if you keep up an aggressive pace, you can offset the constant health loss.In practice, though, the lack of invincibility frames means your ship can take heavy damage from even brief contact with walls, and some enemy attacks are poorly telegraphed. The ship’s overly sensitive controls make precise movement difficult, leading to frequent, frustrating collisions. While the abundance of destructible enemies provides regular health refills, it also makes the gameplay repetitive and undermines any real challenge or stage variety.
The only boss fight I've encountered also drags on, with it being so bullet sponge that it tests your patience more than your skill. Overall, despite its technical ambition and some interesting ideas, Total Eclipse ends up feeling tedious. It’s a shame, given its reputation as one of the 3DO’s better titles, but the experience just isn’t compelling enough to see through to the end.
The Urbz: Sims in the City
Writeup
The Sims franchise, since its debut in 2000, has always given players control over the daily lives of their virtual characters, or Sims. While Sims can take care of themselves to some degree, much of the gameplay revolves around micromanaging their needs and customizing their homes in suburban neighborhoods or towns. Occasionally, expansions allow for trips to cities, stores, or beaches, but the core experience remains home-focused.
The
Urbz: Sims in the City shakes up this formula by dropping your Sims into the bustling, urban setting of Urbzville. Instead of starting with a wide array of customization options, you begin with limited choices. Your Sim gets their own apartment, but most of the action happens in various city districts, each with its own style, social cliques, and unique items and job opportunities. I chose to start in Kicktail Park for its laid-back, Casual vibe.Unlike traditional Sims games, The Urbz gives you clear goals: build your reputation (Rep) by socializing and completing tasks to unlock new items, districts, and apartments. Jobs are more interactive this time, requiring you to play minigames to earn money. Unlocking better jobs means developing specific skills with the help of certain Sims.
It’s worth noting that the handheld versions of The Urbz are quite different from the console editions. On handhelds, the gameplay is more mission-driven and plays more like an action RPG, with direct control over your Sim and less open-ended freedom.
So far, I’ve found The Urbz to be a fresh and interesting take on urban life, filtered through the pop culture of the early 2000s, a world I never experienced firsthand, having grown up far from any major city. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Urbzville and seeing what each district has to offer.
VS. Excitebike
Writeup
Before diving into
VS. Excitebike for the Famicom Disk System, it’s worth revisiting what makes Excitebike unique. In this classic motocross racer, you guide your bike across side-scrolling tracks filled with ramps, bumps, and dirt. While airborne, you can tilt your bike to land smoothly, glide farther by angling up, or bounce for extra distance by angling down. Wheelies help you cross tricky bumps, and turbo boosts (using the B button) let you speed ahead at the risk of overheating, unless you hit cooling arrows to instantly reset your temperature.The NES version features two main modes: a solo time trial and a race against computer-controlled riders, who act more like moving obstacles than true opponents. Clearing a track within the par time lets you advance; fail, and it’s back to the title screen. The original also has a basic track editor, but custom tracks are lost when the console powers off.
VS. Excitebike for the Famicom Disk System builds on this foundation with several enhancements. The “Original Excite” mode alternates between solo and competitive races across seven tracks (up from the NES’s five), with difficulty determining your starting track. After the third track, a bonus stage challenges you to jump over trucks for extra points. The game ramps up the challenge with tougher obstacles and unpredictable opponent placement as you progress.
A major addition is simultaneous two-player racing, a first for the series, with both Battle and Free modes. One rewards the first to finish, the other ends if a player laps the other. The track editor returns with a revamped interface, and thanks to the Disk System’s writable media, you can save up to seven custom tracks exclusively for multiplayer sessions. VS. Excitebike also features a new soundtrack by Soyo Oka, replacing the original’s jingles with energetic background music.
As a fan of the NES Excitebike, I found the VS. version even more engaging thanks to its expanded content, multiplayer support, and track-saving features. It’s available on the Nintendo Switch Online app, so it’s easy to experience both the original and this enhanced edition for yourself.
WarioWare: Get It Together!
Writeup
The WarioWare franchise is all about frantic fun, challenging you to clear as many quirky, lightning-fast microgames as possible before you lose four lives. As you progress, the pace and difficulty ramp up, and boss microgames occasionally appear to test your skills even further.
Since its debut with WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, the series has continually evolved by embracing each Nintendo system’s unique hardware features. Later entries introduced couch multiplayer on GameCube, tilt controls on GBA (Twisted!), touchscreen and microphone play on DS, and motion controls on Wii. After a long break, WarioWare Gold on 3DS compiled many classic microgames, and the Switch 1 has since received two new entries.
WarioWare: Get It Together! for Switch stands out by letting up to two players tackle every mode together for the first time, using just a stick and a button. The twist? Each character interacts with microgames differently: Wario can fly and shoulder bash, while 18-Volt attacks from a distance and moves by grappling. Every microgame is beatable with any character, but some are better suited to certain challenges than others.To keep things fresh, Get It Together! introduces missions for extra currency, like clearing specific microgames under special conditions. The result is a replayable, energetic party game that keeps the series’ signature weirdness alive.
As a longtime WarioWare fan, I’m excited to dive deeper into Get It Together!, as it’s just as wild and addictive as its predecessors.
Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters
Writeup
Pokémon has been the gold standard for monster-training RPGs since its late-90s debut. Its formula: catching wild Pokémon, training them in battles, and striving to become champion. It remains simple yet deep, thanks to accessible mechanics and Ken Sugimori’s iconic creature designs. This blend has captivated kids (and adults) worldwide for decades.
While Pokémon has dominated the genre, it faced real competition in Japan during the 2010s from Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch series. I recently played its improved sequel,
Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, which combines and expands on the Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits versions, making it the definitive entry outside of Yo-Kai Watch 3.Yo-Kai Watch stands out by drawing its creature designs from Japanese mythology, giving each Yo-Kai a quirky personality, like my Jinbanyan, who’s obsessed with getting hit by cars to prove his strength (and always fails).
The battle system is real-time: you swap between two teams of three Yo-Kai, trigger powerful “Soultimate” moves, purify allies, target enemies, and use items. To recruit new Yo-Kai, you offer them their favorite food during battle and hope they’ll join you, or try your luck with the Crank-a-Kai machine.
After a couple of hours, I can see why Yo-Kai Watch 2 has its fans, but the game’s slower pace means it takes time for its mechanics and charm to fully unfold. I’ll need to spend more time exploring its world to discover the appeal so many players rave about.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Writeup
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a top-down, co-op action game where you race to rescue victims from hordes of classic horror movie monsters. To clear each stage, you must save at least one survivor; once all are accounted for, rescued or lost, the exit appears. But if you lose all your lives or every captive dies, it’s game over.Don’t be fooled by the game’s campy horror vibe; the difficulty ramps up fast. The early stages are forgiving, with slow zombies and easy-to-find victims, but things quickly escalate. Soon you’ll face tougher monsters such as the relentless chainsaw-wielding enemies who can tear down walls, trickier level layouts, and challenging bosses.
Learning each stage’s layout is crucial, especially since monsters can spawn almost off-screen and snatch a victim before you can react, a harsh surprise for newcomers. Ammo, special items, and health pickups are limited, so you’ll need to use your resources wisely. Running out of weapons can leave you defenseless at the worst possible moment.
One quirk about the password system is that it doesn’t save your inventory, making it even tougher to continue after a break. It’s smart to replay stages that are generous with pickups to build up your stash.
Despite the steep challenge, I’ve found the game engaging and addictive. I’m planning to keep playing and see if I can beat it without using save states. If you’re interested in a more accessible experience, the recent Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol collection offers a modern save feature that makes progress less punishing.
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Comment on May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
J-Chiptunator Link ParentI've played most of my games on their original hardware. The only ones I played emulated are the Turbografx-CD's Lords of Thunder through Wii U, and Virtual Boy's Red Alarm on 3DS using Red Viper...I've played most of my games on their original hardware. The only ones I played emulated are the Turbografx-CD's Lords of Thunder through Wii U, and Virtual Boy's Red Alarm on 3DS using Red Viper homebrew software.
For the former, I ran into technical issues with my original PC-Engine's AV output, whereas my modded Virtual Boy hardware only output video signal through the VGA cable in 2D.
Beyond key scenes like Hikaru and Lilun's first meal together, it's clear that Fragaria used filtered photographs for the backgrounds, giving even ordinary places like the port a rustic, homey feel. The darker outlines, washed-out pastels, and subdued lighting balance realism and stylization without distraction. The characters' flatter-shaded 2D look contrasts just enough to stay visible while still belonging to the same world.
I do think younger players, used to high-definition detail, might be more thrown off by noticing the photographic base than by the filters themselves. A fully hand-drawn style in the vein of Ghibli could enhance cohesion, though given the indie team's scale, that may not have been realistic.