Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Yuno Hayase

4 Comments

Who doesn’t love a good girl? That, it seems, is the angle that Yuno Hayase, valued member of game developer Judgement 7 alongside her sister Asano, is going for.

Throughout the early hours of visual novel Our World is Ended, Yuno represents a source of relentless positivity and optimism. She’s always there to encourage protagonist Reiji and her comrades in Judgement 7, whether the situation is simply enduring a hot day or fleeing for their lives from mysterious men in black.

But, unsurprisingly, there’s a bit more going on beneath the surface than her airheaded first impressions might suggest. Make that a lot more.

Spoilers and heavy mental health stuff ahead.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Yuno Hayase →

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: One-Woman Army – Warriors Orochi #41

1 Comment

The Shu gang still hasn’t quite tracked down Liu Bei, so Zhurong and Meng Huo decide to sneak off for a bit of independent investigation.

Along the way, they encounter Jude from Tales of Xillia Musashi Miyamoto and decide to lend a hand, as he and his swordsmen friends appear to be struggling a bit.

Hell hath no fury like a bored barbarian lady, it seems…

Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Delving Into...

Delving Into Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest – #1

7 Comments

One of the games in Konami’s Castlevania Anniversary Collection that I was most interested to dig into was Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest.

I say this with the full knowledge that it has a bit of a reputation as being one of the least well-regarded Castlevania titles out there — but that was, in part, why I was curious to check it out for myself.

The other reasons I was keen to explore it was that the very concept and ambition of it intrigued me — and it’s one of the few early-era Castlevania titles that I’ve never, ever played before at all. So let’s take a first look!

Continue reading Delving Into Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest – #1 →

Videos

Atari A to Z: Pastfinder

1 Comment

Ah, Activision. What a wonderfully creative variety of games you put out in the 8-bit era. What a hollow shell of yourself you are today.

Ahem, sorry, got a bit nostalgic there for a moment. Anyway, here’s Pastfinder, one of my favourite shoot ’em ups on Atari 8-bit, and one of the most peculiarly interesting ones to boot. You take on control of a little jumping bug of a spacecraft as you attempt to track down alien antiquities.

Better be careful, though; the whole planet is irradiated, so time is of the essence if you want to keep all your hair and/or internal organs intact to enjoy your loot.

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Podcast

The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 23 – Drop, Connect, Erase

1 Comment

G’day cobbers, it’s time for another MoeGamer Podcast featuring both Me of Here, and Mr Chris Caskie of MrGilderPixels.

The MoeGamer Podcast is available in several places. You can subscribe to my channel on YouTube to stay up to date with both the video versions of the podcast and my weekly videos (including the Atari A to Z retro gaming series); you can follow on Soundcloud for the audio-only version of the podcast; you can subscribe via RSS to get the audio-only version of the podcast in your favourite podcast app; or you can subscribe via iTunes. Please do at least one of these if you can; it really helps us out!

Or you can hit the jump to watch or listen to today’s episode right here on MoeGamer. (I encourage you to watch today’s episode if you have the means to, as there are lots of cool things to look at!)

Continue reading The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 23 – Drop, Connect, Erase →

Announcements, Community

Around the Network

4 Comments

Whew, it’s getting late! I’ve spent the day editing a particularly monster episode of The MoeGamer Podcast, so please look forward to that caressing your lugholes and eyeballs sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, though, there is, of course, plenty of stuff here on MoeGamer for your reading enjoyment, as well as some videos for your entertainment!

Without further ado then, and before I fall asleep on my keyboard, let’s check out what you might have missed.

Continue reading Around the Network →

Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Pong

Leave a comment

It’s Pong! The grandaddy of them all. Well, okay, not the absolute first ever computer game ever EVER, but it was certainly the first widely successful one.

If you have the slightest familiarity with gaming, surely Pong needs little to no introduction, but you might be surprised to know that it actually still holds up rather well today. It’s gaming stripped down to its bare essentials, both in terms of graphics and mechanics — and it still works wonderfully as a competitive game.

Fortunately, with how well-known it is and how easy it is to program a convincing clone (even I could probably do it if I tried hard enough!) there’s no shortage of ways to play it these days… but if you really want the true experience, you gotta go Atari.

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Cover Games, Our World is Ended

Our World is Ended: Who Wants to Live Forever?

4 Comments

cropped-header-1-9014618This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
<< First | < Previous | Next > | Latest >>

Immortality or eternal life is often depicted in fiction as some sort of grand, ultimate goal — both for heroes and villains under various circumstances.

Normally, achieving such a lofty ambition involves any combination of magical power, epic quests, battles with mighty gods and/or fairies, but here in boring old reality we’re actually much closer to achieving that goal than you might think — albeit in a rather more mundane manner.

It all depends on your definition of “mortality” and “life”, and that’s one of the more interesting subjects that Our World is Ended explores over the course of its complete runtime.

Continue reading Our World is Ended: Who Wants to Live Forever? →

Atelier Arland Trilogy, New Game Plus, Videos

New Game Plus: Pepped Up – Atelier Rorona DX #18

2 Comments

Rorona’s trials and tribulations will be coming to an end within the next episode or so, but in the meantime there’s still plenty to be getting on with!

Specifically, as we’re getting towards the end of the game, I wanted to look at making some top-notch healing items. One of the best things you can make is an Elixir with the “Pepped Up” effect — this means that whenever Rorona’s HP drops below 50%, it automatically activates, saving you a turn and keeping your party up and running.

It’s a bit of a struggle and the final product isn’t the best it could be, but it’s not bad for a first attempt…

Essentials, NES

NES Essentials: Mario Bros.

4 Comments

I’ve always had a soft spot for Mario Bros. ever since I first encountered it — not on a Nintendo platform, as you might expect, but on the Atari 8-bit range of computers.

This 1983 arcade game from Nintendo isn’t the most fondly remembered installment in the portly plumber’s long-running adventures — but revisiting it today reveals it to still be a lot of fun and eminently worth playing.

Plus, if you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, it is, at the time of writing, one of the many NES games you get included as part of your subscription.

Continue reading NES Essentials: Mario Bros. →

The best of overlooked and underappreciated computer and video games, from yesterday and today.