Atari ST A to Z: Haunted House

Sometimes you feel nostalgia for something not because it was “good”, but because you associate it with happy times.

One such example of this from among the library of Atari ST games I’ve played over the years is Eidersoft’s public domain title Haunted House, a pretty terrible platform game that is essentially a take on the Jet Set Willy formula. Explore, collect things, try not to die.

Atrocious collision detection, the worst run cycle you’ll ever see and the fact it might not even be possible to actually finish the damn thing doesn’t stop me thinking quite fondly of it, however, because I will forever associate it with pleasant memories of childhood. Ahh, simpler times…

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

Waifu Wednesday: Project Zero Protagonists

It’s a group Waifu Wednesday this week, because the things I’m going to mention apply to the assembled ensemble cast of all the Project Zero games… well, those that I’ve played so far, anyway!

At the time of writing this, I’m closing in on the end of the Japan-only (and fan-translated) fourth game for Wii, but in the meantime be sure to catch up on my explorations of the first, second and third installments.

Or stick around and we can talk about horror game protagonists for a bit!

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Warriors Wednesday: The God of War’s Windmill Blade – Warriors Orochi #13

We’re nearly there! On the Samurai Warriors campaign, that is.

Yes, it’s the penultimate mission of the first phase of our Warriors Orochi playthrough, meaning that next time around we get to wail on ol’ snake boy himself for the first time.

After a bit of off-camera unlocking of passive abilities, things are going pretty well for the crew. Hit the jump to see how today’s mission went.

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PS2 Essentials: Ace Combat: Squadron Leader

The Ace Combat series is a jewel in Namco’s crown that people sadly seem to forget about quite often — though hopefully the seventh installment due early in 2019 will rectify that to an extent.

The series mostly stretches across the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 eras, with a less well-received (but still enjoyable) spinoff installment in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era. For most, the series’ peak was with its PS2 installments; opinion varies as to which one of these is really “the best”, but they’re all very much worth your time.

At the time of writing, we’ve already talked about fourth installment Distant Thunder (aka Shattered Skies), so today let’s take a look at the fifth game, known as Squadron Leader in Europe, and The Unsung War elsewhere. It’s a good ‘un.

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Atari A to Z: Miner 2049’er

“Platforms and ladders”. That’s what we used to call platformers before the more well-established, compact term we use today really took off.

Actually, there is a bit of a distinction; when one is referring specifically to a “platforms and ladders” game, one tends not to be referring to a side-scrolling title like a Super Mario Bros. game, but instead something that unfolds a single screen at a time, usually tasking the player with reaching a specific point or visiting every part of the level at least once.

Bill Hogue and Big Five Software’s Miner 2049’er is a great example of this format — and a game that remains one of the most enduringly popular titles in the Atari 8-bit’s library to this day.

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 13 – Don, Don, Don, Don, Dodododododo KA

It’s time for a new episode of The MoeGamer Podcast with me and my co-host 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, 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. Subscribe.

Or you can hit the jump to watch or listen to today’s episode right here on MoeGamer.

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Sunday Driving: If You’re Not in First Place, You’re Not Gonna Win – Auto Modellista #4

Who’d have thought it, eh? It’s amazing the kind of inane stupidity that spills out of one’s mouth while attempting to concentrate on something else.

This week we continue our attempts to master Capcom’s visually arresting arcade racer Auto Modellista, and start to encounter some serious resistance. And, it seems, overcoming that resistance isn’t as simple as just picking the car with the best stats from the list…

Hit the jump to see how things went in this week’s races.

Continue reading Sunday Driving: If You’re Not in First Place, You’re Not Gonna Win – Auto Modellista #4

Around the Network

Whew, nearly went to bed without the weekly roundup. That would never do now, would it?

It’s been… a tough week, I won’t lie. Well, actually, it’s been a tough few weeks due to one thing or another, but this week in particular has been one of the worst for a while for reasons that are probably obvious.

Still, one of the best things you can do for your own sanity in trying times is attempt to cling onto at least one little piece of normality… so things have been ticking along here as usual amid numerous instances of uncontrollable crying and bleak depression. Let’s take a look at what you might have missed this week.

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Dragalia Lost: You Don’t Pay My Sub

A while back, I wrote about how Granblue Fantasy spreads out what would be the “endgame” experience of a more conventional MMO throughout its entire duration. And, unsurprisingly, given the developer the two games has in common, Dragalia Lost works in much the same way.

Dragalia Lost doesn’t have linear progression. Sure, you have a player level, but that’s more a measure of how long and how much you’ve played rather than anything else. And sure, you have character levels — but there are numerous ways to build these up, plus a strong emphasis on building a selection of teams and characters rather than just one “main” group.

The nice thing about the way Dragalia Lost does this — much like Granblue Fantasy also does — is that it provides the fun, mechanical, progression-based aspect of MMOs without one of their most irritating aspects. Let’s take a closer look at what I mean.

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New Game Plus: That One Perfect Shot – Project Zero #1

Do you beat games? I do.

Speaking to a lot of game-playing friends in person and online, it transpired that relatively few people I know seem to start a game and see it through to completion in the same way as I do — either playing a bit and then endlessly starting again to try different character builds or starting conditions, or simply hopping from new game to new game as they’re released without ever really getting anywhere in any of them.

One of the things you miss out on if you don’t beat games is the fact that many of them have plenty more stuff to do after you see the credits roll for the first time. So, well, I figured given that my YouTube channel is settling into a nice rhythm with its Atari A to Z, Warriors Wednesday and Sunday Driving videos… why don’t we take the time to explore that aspect of gaming specifically?

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