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96: Magic Beans
96: Magic Beans
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96: Magic Beans

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What is this word “late” which you are saying? I do not recognise it and I do not understand it and I do not wish to believe it exists! Episode 96 cannot be late, for it was never scheduled. Sir, you embarrass yourself.

Arguments about timetabling aside, we would like to invite you to enjoy this most recent (at time of typing) episode of your favourite podcast! deKay, Kendrick and Orrah huddled round a warm bucket of cocoa and discussed, to varying lengths, the important news of our time – including Nintendo’s Mario Direct, more unfortunate developers losing their jobs because Money, Microsoft increasing the price of Game Pass (again, because Money) and Starbreeze getting several years into developing an eagerly anticipated Dungeons & Dragons game before pulling the plug because, well, Money. Thankfully, there’s some Good Stuff too, like chat about these games:

  • Pump It Up 2023 Phoenix
  • CPU Bach
  • Outlander
  • Sakura Taisen (or Sakura Wars if you prefer)
  • MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
  • Total War: Warhammer 3
  • EA FC26
  • Atomfall
  • Roguecraft DX
  • Viewfinder
  • Unicorn Overlord

And verily we include glorious waffle and diversion, listener questions, and more!

(Direct link here)

Intro music credits: “Peaceful” from the Unicorn Overlord soundtrack.

Don’t forget, if you want to contact us with questions or comments for or about the show, you can email podcast@ugvm.org.uk or publicly shame us https://mas.to/@ugvmpodcast on the Mastodons.

Sonic CD: chasing the generators

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I had some questions before, and I have now answered them.

  • Do I need to travel to the future after destroying the machine in the past, or is it sufficient to just explode the generator? No, you don’t need to travel to the future; you can finish the act in the past, and you’re still told you created a good future. However, if you can travel to the future (through two future lampposts in sequence) there are no enemies in the way of you getting to the end.
  • Do I need to create good futures for both acts, and if so do I then have to fight the boss? Yes, you have to create good futures for both acts, and if you do then the third act takes place in the good future – but you still have to fight the boss.

I know this, because I have spent quite some time exploring levels and working out where to time travel, where the robot generators are, and planning routes to get there; I’ve now managed it on the first five Zones, and have at least located the generator in the present on Stardust Speedway Act 1 (though I have no idea how to get to it, and this is a rare example of a 16-bit Sonic level being pretty poorly designed). Luckily I’ve built up a stock of about 25 lives, and it’s fairly easy to collect 100 rings to gain another, since I keep running out of time when exploring.

I have often thought of Sonic CD as intimidating, because I thought you needed to get everything perfect. Back in 2011 I threw caution to the wind, and played through the game on the Xbox 360, not trying for the good ending but just hoping to get to the end. It was relatively easy to do that, though levels were sometimes a bit disorderly and prevented a fluid run throughout. The race with Metal Sonic was particularly difficult.

Having plugged in my PS3 (because I wanted to test a copy of Crashed that I found), I saw Sonic CD on the list of installed games, and immediately got the sense of being overwhelmed again, because having completed the bad ending I felt I would need to try for the good one. Back in the 1990s I had time to devote to a game, and to this day I have a complete picture of all levels from Sonic 1 and 2 in my mind, crowding out information which might actually be useful. That came from playing the games over and over; by the time I got my Mega CD from Pink Planet in Bristol, I had many other things to be doing.

But in recent months I find myself wanting to spend time dedicated to specific games again, hence returning to Mario Odyssey, playing through GTA3 and Vice City, and progressing through Wreckfest. Taking time to appreciate a game in its entirety – exactly what has been holding me back from Sonic CD.

So I’ve been taking my time, exploring levels, working out routes to take, where to find time travel posts and then build up speed, trying to find the machines in the past. It’s been a very different experience, very unlike other Sonic games, but it’s been very enjoyable. I fear I may need to resort to looking at some level maps, though, if I don’t work out how to destroy the generator on Stardust Speedway soon.

Oh, and the special stages are still pretty rubbish.

Headhunter: forget about amnesia

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When Headhunter came out on the Dreamcast, it was when the format was dying and games were being reduced to silly prices in HMV. This was good news for my collection and my wallet, with many £5 games filling up my shelves. It was not good for the games themselves, since I had such an abundance of choice that I would not commit more than an hour or so to anything in particular. Even the more expensive games, like Headhunter, which I bought through some misguided platform loyalty, saw little playtime. I remember playing Headhunter on the Dreamcast for a little while, but during one of the early riding sections I get my bike stuck in the scenery and lost a significant amount of progress, and after that I’m not sure I ever returned.

Until now. When I was in York a couple of years ago I found a copy of Headhunter on the PS2 for £3 in an excellent retro games shop, and this makes it a lot easier to play through my TV, given the backwards compatibility of my PS3. Of course, that got put on the shelf on my return, and has only just resurfaced.

It feels limited by modern standards, of course. The opening escape, and then the VR section, are well structured, but they are very linear. The story is very hackneyed, with the old staple plot of amnesia explaining why you, as one of the world’s top headhunters, need to be told how to crouch behind a crate. I obtained a motorbike, on loan, and was told I had to travel somewhere in order to get my licence. A licence for headhunting? Not sure, but I obtained my C licence after a few tries through the VR simulator, and then I took the opportunity to explore the city a little. You can’t go far, but there is some freedom, and in the days before GTA III this felt amazing.

October – Once a gamer always a gamer!

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Play

Dredge (PS5) - Completed

Once a gamer, always a gamer. I took a few weeks off gaming to rest & had a doctors/physio appointment for my RSI. Anyway enough of that and back to gaming, Dredge has been on my PS+ Subscription backlog for a while and I was keen to play it before it left the service.
 
It is a nice short indie title where you steer a boat around collecting fish/loot to sell and use that cash to upgrade your boat. There is a main quest that has you collect trinkets for a mysterious man (all is revealed in time).
 


Be careful when going out at night & always make sure you get your sleep! 
 
Lost Records Bloom & Rage Tape 1
 
From the makers of Life is Strange (which is still on my backlog) Don't Nod this is a story about four girls who reunite 27 years later after spending a summer together in 1995
 
It is not a game that can be played in small chunks due a checkpoint system so I'm only really paying at weekends to ensure I can complete a story section.
 
Wordle
I've heard about it but I've only gotten into this from the kids mentioning it, it is part of my daily routine now to spend a few minutes completing or on a couple of occasions failing and not guessing the correct word.
 
I play on the New York Times games app & thus have also been enjoying Pips (Domino puzzle game), Spelling Bee, although this only let's you play up to the solid rank before promoting the subscription. Connections which I'm really bad at! & Strands which I do enjoy. 
 
 
Backlog

I've purchased a few more games in Shadowrun Trilogy & Shadow Warrior Trilogy both were recently on sale and on my wishlist.

Current Backlog

Digital Games - 44 (added six with Shadowrun & Shadow Warrior Trilogy)

PS+ Subscription - 16

PS+ Monthly - 24 

Physical Games - 11 

Total  95 Games

October Targets

- Don't buy anymore games!

- Carry on playing shorter length games with Sword of the Sea next 

 

Want

Current Wishlist is at 27 Games (added two in Harmony - The Fall of Reverie & Tactical Breach Wizards)

 

Bin

Nothing for September, I enjoyed my time off gaming catching up on TV shows.

Super Mario Odyssey: a variety of treats

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The game is so expansive in its scope that it’s hard to know what to write. With Breath of the Wild, and then also Tears of the Kingdom, the game felt huge because of the size of the world, the enormity of the task, and the freedom you had to approach it how you wanted. Breath of the Wild actually prevented me from posting on here for a bit. Odyssey is different – the worlds are smaller and disconnected, the tasks are short and targeted. It feels ideal for a handheld game in many respects, where you can turn it on, explore for a bit and find a couple of moons, and then put your Switch back in the bag as your train arrives at Charing Cross. Yet it also works as a large open world, where everywhere in sight has something that makes you think there’s something new to do, and very often there is.

I’ve been to the city, and formed a band – the 2D sections here were fantastic. I’ve been to a pink kingdom where they make stew. I’ve been back to revisit worlds I passed by quickly before, looking for new moons. There are a few staples in each world – the note paths, the tower of goombas – but even these have idiosyncrasies to vary the game. There are so many ideas packed into every area that I cannot even choose what to highlight.

I have around 350 moons now, and have opened Bowser’s Kingdom. I can’t quite bring myself to go there, though, because it feels too final – I don’t want the game to end, and even though I know I’ll be able to carry on moon hunting afterwards, the fact that some of my lists are barely half full makes me want to skulk around the existing levels just a bit more.