2024 media blog
hi! thanks for caring enough to click this far! this blog is split into months for easier organization as there's a lot here. i play a lot of weird games i can't imagine you've heard of before, so maybe you'll find something interesting reading this.
all images taken from RetroAchievements.org unless stated otherwise
january
DOOM (Game Boy Advance, 2001)
obviously i adore DOOM, but this port really isn't the best. of course the fact that it's on the GBA doesn't help with it looking like nothing more than a hodgepodge of muddy pixels at times, but my main issue with this version is the new levels. from what i can tell they're the same levels that were added in the Jaguar port, and they're really not all the great. you can definitely tell they weren't designed by the same team as there will be occasionally be times where the exit is in some random corner or you have to dunk yourself into some random pool of water to continue. it's not *bad*, just a far cry from the great level design present in the rest of the game.
Banished (Game Boy, 2023)
Banished is a really fucking awesome stealth homebrew for the Game Boy about consuming prey as a terrifying monster. there's three levels, with the goal being to eat all of the humans within them without being spotted. if you're spotted, they immediately capture(?) you and you have to restart the level. you have to be quick and strategic though, as whenever you're in the real world your hunger is constantly draining. to mitigate this, you have to traverse through the mirror world, an alternate dimension where hunger isn't a concern. it's honestly such a great concept executed beautifully. it also has an amazing soundtrack on top of all of this, so i really encourage you to check it out if any of this sounds interesting! game can be found here.
Gran Turismo Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva (PlayStation 2, 2002)
i do love me some racing, though what i've learned from playing this is that i *definitely* prefer more arcadey gameplay. this was still enjoyable, but took a lot of brainpower to not just hold down accelerate and actually put thought into my actions while driving (please don't take my license away after reading this). this has been the only Gran Turismo game i've touched, and i imagine the only one for awhile unless i try it with a racing wheel and pedals or something.
Opossum Country (Game Boy Color, 2020)
one of my favourite Game Boy homebrews. i love horror shit and this hits all the right spots when it comes to story and atmosphere. creepy girl, creepy opossums, creepy radio tower; it's awesome. i just wish this was longer, but that just makes me more excited for bigger things the developer will create. they *have* made a few other Game Boy horror homebrews that i definitely wanna check out one day! game can be found here.
Tokyo Xtreme Racer (Dreamcast, 1999)
i really wanna like this more than i do. i really do. but the gameplay is just so goddamn boring. there is literally only one loop in quest mode with no variation in gameplay whatsoever. i fucking adore the aesthetics though. the setting, music, atmosphere; it's all there. all you need for this to be great is to just have good gameplay, and i really can't say this delivered. it's fun for maybe the first hour, but after that it just drags on and on doing the same thing ad nauseam. i wanna check out more of this series though, as i'm sure they improved gameplay over time.