Riding the Crazy Train: September 2020

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

In Defense Of Metal Gear For The NES

It's an old story, the MSX version of MG was fantastic but then apparently hopelessly ported to the NES in a short space of time and outside of the control and oversight of Kojima....

But you know what... I have played the MSX version, I've played through it, I've tried to complete it, but imho, for all the supposed inadequacies of the NES version, I actually prefer it.

I prefer the fact that you have to infiltrate the base at the beginning, that is fantastic! People love MGS3 for that reason and I think it is a great touch. In the MSX version.... meh.... you start out in the base already.... not very sneaky.

And as to the fact you don't fight Metal Gear? SO WHAT? Why should you? I actually thought it stupid in MGS that you actually fought Metal Gear, it is meant to be a mobile device that fires nukes.... not something designed for combat with a single man. It stands to reason that it makes more sense to destroy the computer that controls the thing and also the man who is operating it.... which is exactly what you do in MG Nes.... Imagine someone having a fight against an ICBM machine, that would be dumb, it wouldn't be an opponent... it would not be geared up to fight you, and you would be able to take it out easily.... so that's why it doesn't matter that you don't fight Metal Gear.

And above all.....

The MUSIC in the NES version is absolutely superior! The MSX music is painful, dull and something to mute as soon as you can. The NES music is fantastic! It is exciting, it is tense, it is an amazing score and whoever produced it should be proud of themselves.

I could write more on this, but I need to prepare to offer Holy Mass, which isn't in 5 mins, but in 30 mins by the way. Priests should prepare for Holy Mass properly.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Ep 29: Gobblin’ Wargames Is Live!

Ep 29: Gobblin' Wargames

We talk with Chris Arnold about our history of making games and challenges game designers face.

https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-29-gobblin-wargames

Join the conversation at https://theveteranwargamer.blogspot.com, email theveteranwargamer@gmail.com, Twitter @veteranwargamer

Try Audible for your free audiobook credit by going to http://audibletrial.com/tvwg

WSS Rules Challenge:

https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/wssblog/wss-rules-challenge

Music courtesy bensound.com. Recorded with zencastr.com. Edited with Audacity. Make your town beautiful; get a haircut.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Wunderling Review (NSW)

Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong

Title: Wunderling
Developer: Retroid Interactive
Publisher: Retroid Interactive
Genre: Platformer, Puzzle, Adventure, Action
Price: $14.99
Also Available On: Steam

Wunderling makes no pretensions and openly admits its sources of inspiration, Super Mario Bros. in particular. Nonetheless, it earns significant style points for turning the platforming genre inside out. Instead of crafting a story that has the principal character don hero colors, it shifts the spotlight to a low-level minion in the Vegetable Kingdom entrusted by the sorceress Kohirabi, the main enemy boss, to guard prisoner Princess Pea against the rescue efforts of the Carrot Man. For the purpose, the underling (or, rather, wunderling) is given the special ability to jump, albeit with one problem: there can be no stopping or changing direction, thus requiring advance planning for progression.

As modest as the goals may be, Wunderling works, and how. If anything, it thrives precisely because of its desire to keep controls are a minimum. Players start with the use of only one button, and its level designs are structured accordingly. Soon enough, the unlocking of more moves will require more buttons on rotation. Still, at no time will it necessitate the use of more than one hand. In this regard, the 16-bit pixel art style and accompanying music by Oscar Sidoff Rydelius (also known as Ratvader) of Anthill fame complement its simplicity.

Stages are linear in nature, although completionists will want to explore seemingly unimportant side paths for hidden treasures. Be forewarned, though: Wunderling needs to keep grabbing golden flowers along the way in order to stay alive. Over a hundred levels are on offer all told, but there is no danger of ennui setting in given the game's escalating difficulty. Death is unavoidable, but the presence of checkpoints and the relatively small size of the levels prevents frustration from setting in.

On the whole, Wunderling is tailor-made for the Nintendo Switch. It's a great title on the go, a well-thought-out production boasting of an original story (by Alex Faciane, co-creator of the Let's Play show Super Beard Bros.) long on humor and gameplay with the capacity to be appreciated in bits and pieces. At $14.99, it's a decided steal, a gem of an indie guaranteed to engross.

THE GOOD