Announcements, Community

Around the Network

1 Comment

Good afternoon! I’m super-late with this one this week, I know, but the bank holiday weekend threw me off completely. Still, here we are now.

It’s been another week of lockdown, and I’ve been not-so-secretly enjoying having a government-mandated reason to stay inside, particularly now the weather’s gone A Bit Hot. I also spent most of my four-day weekend playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, which I should beat in the next couple of days and subsequently write about.

In the meantime, though, let’s look at what you might have missed last week.

Continue reading Around the Network →

One-Shots, Shmups

Waifu Uncovered: Return of the Strip ‘Em Up

1 Comment

So it seems that “strip ’em up” is a thing now. I am neither surprised nor particularly upset about this, given that Kaneko’s classic erotic Qix-alike Gals Panic also spawned its own subgenre; it’s just amusing to see this sort of thing happen in the modern day.

For the unfamiliar, the strip ’em up, previously seen here on MoeGamer in the form of Deep Space Waifu (and in a tangentially different form in Crawlco Block Knockers) is a take on the shoot ’em up — or, more broadly, arcade game — formula in which you not only blast enemies, you also, through engaging with the game’s specific mechanics, find some means of disrobing the (usually anime-style) young lady in the background. Success provides titties; failure provides frustration.

Which brings us to Waifu Uncovered, product of the delightfully named One Hand Free Studios, and a game that, rather pleasingly, isn’t just a clone of Deep Space Waifu. Let’s take a closer look!

Mild NSFW stuff ahead!

Continue reading Waifu Uncovered: Return of the Strip ‘Em Up →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Desert Falcon

Leave a comment

Today’s game hails from the latter days of the 2600, and was actually an Atari 7800 launch title.

For one reason or another, Atari 7800 games rarely make it onto these compilations of old Atari stuff — though the Evercade, coming later this year, corrects this oversight somewhat — so we tend to be stuck with the technically inferior Atari 2600 versions.

That said, even the 2600 version of Desert Falcon is an unusual, interesting shoot ’em up with some peculiar mechanics — so it’s well worth checking out.

header-4165360

Atelier, Atelier Iris

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – Narrative, Themes and Characterisation

12 Comments

cropped-atelier-megafeature-header-1-8868334This post is one chapter of a MegaFeature!
< Prev. | Contents | Next >

Although technically a “sequel” to Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana — it was even known as Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana 2 in Japan — Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny unfolds quite differently from its predecessor.

It’s set long before the events of Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, for starters, so the world in which the action unfolds is very different. There’s a stark divide between the peaceful land of Eden, where alchemy is widespread and Mana spirits walk (or walk-equivalent) the streets alongside humans, and the “surface world” of Belkhyde, which left the practice of alchemy behind long ago.

Before we delve into all that, though, there’s an important question to address: what the fuck is an “azoth”, anyway?

Continue reading Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny – Narrative, Themes and Characterisation →

Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy Marathon, Videos

Final Fantasy Marathon: The Arcane Labyrinth, Part 1 – Final Fantasy II #15

1 Comment

And so we come to Final Fantasy II’s endgame. Before we jump in to the final dungeons to take down the Emperor once and for all, it’s time to go ultimate weapon hunting!

In Final Fantasy II for PSP, this process involves running the Arcane Labyrinth’s three “keeps”, then heading to the Arcane Sanctuary and hoping you did everything correctly.

Today we get started on the first step of that process. Much like the bonus dungeons in Final Fantasy for PSP, this isn’t going to be an entirely straightforward ride!

One-Shots, Switch

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories – Living a Crisis

4 Comments

I reviewed this game for Nintendo Life! Stop by and check out my thoughts over there, then pop back here for a more in-depth look.

In video games, we’re accustomed to having some sort of concrete “villain” to fight — usually a personified antagonist of some description.

But what happens when you don’t really have an “enemy” as such — you’re just struggling against natural forces that have no feelings about you one way or the other? And how will your experiences interact with those of the people around you?

These are the questions that Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories attempts to answer. So let’s take a closer look at how it does that.

Continue reading Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories – Living a Crisis →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Battleships

1 Comment

In the navy, you can sail the seven seas! You can also blow seven shades of snot out of your friends, siblings and/or parents using nothing more than a pen and paper.

Or perhaps an Atari ST and a copy of Battleships by Elite, an adaptation of the classic tabletop game that aims to up the pace of things a bit by allowing you to fire “salvos” of shots all over the shop in the (usually vain) hope of actually hitting something.

It may look primitive today, but this was an enjoyable fun time in multiplayer back in the day!

header-4165360

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Viese Blanchimont

1 Comment

With Viese having such an important role in Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, it’s only fitting that we give her a bit of time in the spotlight.

While she may not get out and about quite as much as male protagonist Felt does, she’s the only one who can do “proper” alchemy with actual ingredients; she’s the only one who can make pacts with the Mana spirits; and, ultimately, it’s her alchemy skills that allow Felt and company to stand a fighting chance in the game’s final battle.

And, this being a Gust game, she is, of course, cute. Let’s take a closer look at this charming young alchemist.

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Viese Blanchimont →

Videos, Warriors All-Stars, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: Grand Finale (For Now) – Warriors All-Stars #25

1 Comment

And so, we bring another run through Warriors All-Stars to a close — and a (likely temporary) closing of the curtains on the Warriors Wednesday video series.

These videos have been an absolute blast to make, and they’ve actually helped me learn some of the most helpful bits and pieces about making Let’s Plays that you probably don’t notice while you’re watching (at least if I’ve done my job properly) — but I need a bit of a break and/or a change.

I’ll be continuing to cover Warriors games in writing as time goes on, as I love ’em too much not to — but the Let’s Plays will be taking a break for a little while. For now, I hope you enjoy one of the many conclusions to Warriors All-Stars!

And watch this space — I’ve already had an idea for a new series that has the potential to be a lot of fun and very interesting to explore!

One-Shots, Puzzlers, Switch

Boulder Dash 30th Anniversary: The Rockford Files

1 Comment

Boulder Dash is an all-time classic game from the early microcomputer era.

First releasing on Atari 8-bit computers in 1984, it has enjoyed numerous ports, sequels, spinoffs and unofficial level packs for a wide variety of platforms, with the latest at the time of writing being the Nintendo Switch release of Boulder Dash 30th Anniversary. The official website has a nicely comprehensive history for you to enjoy at your leisure.

The astute among you will note that there are more than 30 years between 1984 and 2020. That’s because this port in particular also goes back a few years, too. Let’s take a closer look.

Continue reading Boulder Dash 30th Anniversary: The Rockford Files →

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