Camacho

Might be time to upgrade to a steam deck if you want a better handheld experience.

First review of the new contra I've seen. Short version is that they loved the game, but the switch version is total crap. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/contra-operation-galuga

Major Dragon's Dogma 2 hype: https://www.vg247.com/dragons-dogma-2-may-be-an-all-time-great-preview

1 week until Contra: Operation Galuga releases. Have been on a Contra binge since the demo dropped, hoping OG stacks up with the great ones.

Wayforward should have just had this guy do the OST for Operation Galuga.

Something else to add on the new Contra's music- the contrast right after playing Strider 2014, which had a fucking great OST, was all the more striking. I did a couple more runs of the Contra demo on higher difficulty modes (normal with 1 hit kills, hard mode) to let it sink in a bit more. I think I came across a bit too negative with the initial impressions- I do think it's going to be great, especially if they pack a bunch of extra stuff in like Contra 4 had. It's definitely built like a refined C4, obviously minus the 2 screen and hook elements. Man, I really wish they would do another Contra collection with Shattered Soldier, Neo, C4, HCU, and Rebirth . Or even just solo releases of them (C4 being my top pick- get rid of the dead zone and it would be near perfection). I hate seeing classics trapped on dead platforms, especially digital releases.

Played the Contra: OG demo today. First impressions have dampened my excitement a little- most disappointing is the music. The compositions themselves are classic Contra, but redone in a super generic sounding orchestral fashion. I really hope there's an option to change back to chiptunes- I'd much rather hear any of the older variants than these boring renditions. The gameplay itself is fine, might feel very slightly off vs the 2d ones, though. Every character has a double jump and some other quick movement option. You can also select 2 items that will dampen the difficulty tremendously, like one that lets you keep your weapons after dying. There was a little bit if stuttering, which is odd for a game that looks pretty basic in terms of graphics- hopefully this is resolved in the final version. Difficulty options are a lot more plentiful than usual in this one, so people that were put off by Contra 4's difficulty should like it more. I read that the switch version has a shit framerate and bad lag, so you should probably avoid that version of the demo if you've got another option.

Just finished a playthrough of the 2014 Strider, haven't picked it up since like 2015 or 16, iirc. Holds up well Strider is a blast to control, and they really nailed the speed element. It's a fun quick romp without any tedium or grind.

I downloaded it on Steam, should be able to try it this weekend.

It's nice for some specific interest stuff, but holy shit, the derangement level is high in a hell of a lot of the subs. I know the term "autistic" gets thrown around way too freely online, but it really seems to fit a disproportionate % of Reddit users.

Reddit is overrun with weirdos and communists.

There are so many instances where I can recall getting stuck on something dumb like that. Very often, it's something I tried to interact with, but didn't quite hit the right spot for the character to "stick "/ cling/ activate/etc. The "yellow paint" phenomenon is probably the best way of addressing this in games where you can't interact with everything like you would be able to in real life. It sure beats the hell of of "detective vision" mechanics.

Played through DMC1 this week, haven't done so since the collection was released on pc. Really reinforces all that discussion about the atmosphere being the best in that one. Also, goddamn, I love the sound and feel of the shotgun in it.

Vgmf:

Idiots also seem to think that slavery was unique to America rather than the norm around the world for 99% of human history.

I'm still confused by what the hell that has to do with slavery. But I guess it's inevitable that slavery will be brought up in any discussion these days. Also inevitable that someone will be called a Nazi. ....goddamn, I hate internet nerddom.

Dragon punch roman cancel?

Haven't heard of that one, I'll have to dig it up. And yeah, golden axe aged like room temperature milk. But I do still have nostalgia for the screams the arcade version belted out on the demo loop.

That beat em up discussion prompted me to play FnR again this weekend. Ended up doing 3 runs over the last 2 days- all fun, zero of the tedium that lesser games in the genre are susceptible to. Also nice that you can do a run in right around an hour if you don't get stuck on a section. I have 47 hours on that game since buying it in 2019 and still have a quick blast any time I pick it back up. There's something great about a game you can zip through without a major time sink, level grinding, collect a thon, or other padding.

VGMF:

I regularly see it on sale on GOG and Steam (often for like $5)- don't know how often it's on sale on consoles. It should run on pretty much any relatively modern PC. EDIT: $4 on GOG right now, grab that shit: https://www.gog.com/en/game/fightn_rage I didn't like the Takeover, felt super bland to me.

I always take alternate paths to avoid that stage. Highly recommend doing the same on future playthroughs.

Did you play Fight N Rage? I think it's the peak of the genre, it's very well tuned with so much depth to the combat. Difficulty is well balanced also, challenging but fair. Only baffling design choice was making you unlock the training mode- it unlocks easily, but I suspect a lot of people missed a lot of the depth by playing through it a single time using the old school approach. Training mode really gives you a taste of what the characters have to offer if you dig a little deeper.

VGMF, DMC edition. This is the kind of atmosphere I really liked in DMC1 and 3- the imagery it evokes is an example of what I wish the series had leaned way harder into with its world building. Make it way more evil, occult, and grounded in established and old religious stories. Keep Dante as a cocky jackass with inhuman power in a world that was otherwise made to be legitimately terrifying.

Mainline Dante is super corny, but that's fine when the gameplay is great. I also like the corniness juxtaposed over the occult vibes in DMC1 and 3, and wish they had leaned harder into the evil side of things with the world around Dante. The direction 4 and 5 went with the tone/environment was super disappointing- I'd have rather seen the DmC art/world design continued without the stupid politics/try hard edginess than the anime drek we got in 4 and 5. But again, the gameplay is what ultimately really matters, and 5 delivered there. Edit: to clarify, I agree that the story is dogshit in DmC. I was just saying I'm surprised more bitch-titted soy chuggers didn't like it. And yes, its boss fights sucked in contrast to everything but 2.