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ToeJam and Earl (MD): COMPLETED!

Posted on 10/03/2016 Written by deKay

I have completed ToeJam and Earl before, many times, with the last time almost a decade ago on the Wii’s Virtual Console. This time, it was on RetroPie. I think this may be the only time I’ve completed it on Random World though – I normally rely upon knowing exactly where certain presents are in order to know what’s in them.

I played through as ToeJam, obviously, because he is best. I didn’t have many problems until I got to around level 18 or so and then lost three lives in very quick succession to the Bogeyman. Thankfully, I found a life in a present and gained another for a promotion, and that saw me through until the end. In fact, I used very few presents overall at all – mainly through constant fear I’d get a Total Bummer or the randomiser.

ToeJam and Earl is certainly one of the most memorable Mega Drive games, and it hasn’t aged a bit. I wonder how the Kickstartered new version is getting on? I hope it turns out more like this original version than the sequel or Xbox one.

Click to view slideshow.

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Disney Infinity 3.0 (PS4): COMPLETED!

Posted on 06/03/2016 Written by deKay

How, you are undoubtably asking, has he managed to completed Disney Infinity 3.0? Well, I’ll tell you how: my copy came with the Twilight of the Republic playset, and it’s that (along with all the main actions you can do in the main Disney Infinity hub outside of that) which I have completed. In co-op with my daughter, actually.

It was rubbish.

I suppose, if I were a Disney and/or a Star Wars fan, I’d have enjoyed it more, but then I loved the Lego Star Wars games so perhaps that doesn’t hold true. The Disney Infinity version of the Clone Wars universe is very much like that in Lego Star Wars, and is filled with sections that made me think, ah yes, they did this bit better in Lego Star Wars.

The fighting is boring. The camera is broken when you’re up near a wall. The side quests are all utterly tedious skill-free fetch quests. Even the big set pieces – boss fights, the pod racing, space battles – are all better handled in Lego Star Wars. I simply didn’t enjoy it very much, and what fun I did have was from kicking people off cliffs (which is never not hilarious) and playing co-op (although in numerous places having to revive 2P or not accidentally fight her because the camera has spun round again was not great).

I poked around in the level editor side, which was clumsy, and tried a few highly rated player made levels which were ALL dire. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the game, but what I actually found was I disliked it even more. The bugs, including a flickering screen and sometimes falling through floors and platforms, were just some sort of crap icing on a terrible cake. And JarJar Binks. Oh god just make him die.

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Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush (Wii U): COMPLETED!

Posted on 05/03/2016 Written by deKay

After seeing the MechaKirby 3DS game on this week’s Nintendo Direct, I was reminded that I hadn’t finished Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush yet. I think, as is often the case, something else came along instead. Maybe Super Mario Maker? Or Lego Jurassic World. I can’t remember. Anyway!

In one sitting, with my daughter on Waddle-Dee duty, I completed the rest of the game. Which was all of worlds 3 to 7, as it turned out. Like pretty much all Kirby games, it was easy. A couple of tricky forced scroll levels caused a few deaths, but picking up extra lives was such a frequent occurrence that I had about 40 spare by the time I reached the end.

Along the way, as is so often the case with Nintendo platformers in particular, there was so much inventiveness to find. In a few stages, Kirby rides a gondola, with your rainbow rope acting as a “track” for it to hang from. In another, you have to escape from a gunship you’ve just triggered the auto-destruct on, and you’re given a map on which to draw your intended exit route. Near the end there’s a section where Kirby is split into two Kirbys, at first separate from each other (so you have to guide both to switches and out of danger), and then together, where you can hit one with the other to cause it to fire off at speed, ricocheting off everything and smashing through blocks. As soon as you’re used to one new mechanic in the game, it throws another at you, or combines two or three earlier ones. It definitely doesn’t let you get bored.

It’s odd, then, that the bosses are repeated with only minor differences. There are only eight in total, and three are used twice. They don’t even get harder. It’s only a small negative point, but for such a varied title it’s a bit out of place. Another niggle I have only happens when you’re playing co-op: periodically, a fight with a detatched hand will trigger. Kirby can’t defeat it as it tries to grab him and drag him off-screen (to his death), so Waddle-Dee has to do it. All I could do as Kirby was try to keep him away from the hand, and when invariably snatched, provide rainbow ropes for Waddle-Dee to reach the hand (if necessary) and smack it.

That aside, it’s a fun, gorgeous looking (everything is made from clay!) and inventive platformer. Exactly what you’d expect from Nintendo, really. It’s quite short, although collecting all the hidden treasure chests in each level and completing all the unlockable challenges will provide a great deal of extra length, but Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush clever and varied. And so, so pretty.

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Metal Gear Solid V – Sahelanthropus – Completed

Posted on 29/02/2016 Written by gospvg

Yes I'm still playing Metal Gear Solid V, the difficulty has increased in the last few missions which have resulted in quite a few failed attempts & the inevitable Snake, SnakE, SNAKE !!

I was especially frustrated with Mission 31 where twice I managed to get very close to killing Sahelanthropus only to die by an explosion or rocket. Mohsin wanted to have a turn & managed to complete the mission. With the ending FMV & roll of credits I expected the game to be completed but apparently not.

I'm probably done with the game for now so for me I am marking it as complete. Back to Game of Thrones & Episode 2.

Street Fighter Alpha (GBC): COMPLETED!

Posted on 27/02/2016 Written by deKay

There’s no way that Street Fighter Alpha, Capcom’s CPS II based arcade fighting game, would be any good on the Game Boy Colour: A system not just lacking in buttons, but also roughly one ten-millionth as powerful. It’d be like expecting Elite Dangerous to run on a Speak and Spell. And yet, here it is, surprisingly well turned out.

It doesn’t have all the moves, characters or backgrounds. The animation isn’t as fluid (but for a Game Boy title it’s pretty damn good) and the sound effects are limited at best – not least in there’s no speech – but it feels and plays like a Street Fighter game. Most importantly, Ken is Ken, with all his special moves intact and he is best. Ken is always best.

Since Ken is best, it’s him I used to complete the game and in doing so found one major difference between this version of Street Fighter Alpha and the Saturn one I used to play so much: the Game Boy Colour port is incredibly easy. I only lost one round in the whole game (versus Birdie, if that matters) and even that was close. Final “boss” Ryu was a complete walkover.

Crawfish have worked miracles with the GBC hardware to pull this game off. They did it again with the Game Boy Advance port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 too (which I also played, briefly, a few days ago) but somehow that endeavour seems more feasible. At least the GBA is a 32bit sprite-pumping powerhouse to begin with, whereas the GBC is a calculator. Incredible.

Click to view slideshow.

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