Blog Archives
Video Game Grail? (A Response to the MetalJesusRocks Facebook Page)
I saw this question on Facebook today. It really got me thinking. For those of you who don’t know, a grail was originally meant to be something impossible to find. Something really rare or expensive. Now a days, the word is tossed around too loosely. Now it basically equates to your most desired game that is also hard to find. In theory there should only be one grail game. But everybody has different opinions on what that should be. Thus, this question is born.
When I think of video game grails, the list begins and ends with Stadium Events. Now, sure the Atari has some rare cartridges, but no one really has a definitive list for Atari. Either way, I’m not a big 80s collector for video games. My collecting would start at SNES.
There’s two candidates here, Chrono Trigger and Pocky and Rocky 2. However, I’ve actually seen both of these games in person, believe it or not. So are they really rare enough to be considered grails? Chrono Trigger is the game that got me into retro collecting, so it would get the claim over Pocky and Rocky for me personally. Though I do believe I’ll probably see 5 more Chrono Triggers before I Pocky and Rocky 2 again.
Still, in my heart of hearts, I’m not really a SNES collector either. I mostly collect N64, Gamecube and Wii U. With that in mind, what would be my grail from those consoles? N64 had some rare titles thanks to Blockbuster exclusives. The rarest title being Sculptors Cut. But even then, to my understanding anyway, it’s just a base game with added content. And I don’t even care about the base game enough to buy it. On the Gamecube, it’s Pokemon Box. Now some people may think this has to be my grail. As a kid of the 90s whose childhood was wrapped around Pokemon, who wouldnt want this? You are sorta right. I do want it. But it’s hardly a game. It’s a glorified transfer machine. That definitely knocks some points off.
But all of these are games I don’t own. The question asks for one’s we now own. There’s two games that stand out for me.
My copy of Chibi Robo and my copy of Pokemon Soul Silver.
Probably the two games I wanted to own as a kid and never got to. I still remember walking into Gamestop and Soul Silver was 60 dollars. I said I’ll wait for it to go down ( it was loose after all.) It never did. It came into work last year and was about 100 dollars. This time it was complete. Still couldn’t do it. Finally, it came in loose and I just jumped on it. My Chibi Robo is also loose, but it is what it is.
So those would be games I never thought I’d own, but now I do. Thanks for reading. Be sure to follow Metal Jesus Facebook Page and subscribe to his channel
Games I’ve Played Recently Part #3
Hey guys! It’s been a minute since I’ve done an update to Games I’ve Played Recently, so let’s talk about a few games I’ve played recently.
Archvale- For those of you who don’t know, I am a big achievement junkie. Archvale helped reinvigorate that. As I got all 40 achievements and claimed that juicy 1000 Gamerscore, surprisingly only the 2nd game I’ve got 1000 G for (Borderlands 1 being the first). Anyway, back to the game. This is a top down, tile based action RPG. It plays enough like Zelda that Zelda fans will feel familiar with the gameplay. There’s dungeons with epic boss fights, heart containers to find, and similar combat. However, I would call it Zelda adjacent. Much like Forager or even maybe Stardew Valley are. Progression isn’t based on finding a new item, but more so improving your Armor, your damage output and your dodging skills. So the game will feel different enough, that if you are a Zelda fan looking for something a little different, this could be what you are looking for. There’s also a badge system very akin to Paper Mario that will help each playthrough feel unique. The story wasnt much to write home about, the gameplay was solid enough. I give it an 8 out of 10. *This game is included in Gamepass as of the writing of the blog, April 2nd, 2022*
Pupperazzi- That is not a typo. This is a game where you go around a handful of stages and take pictures of dogs. It is as awesome as it sounds. You can dress the dogs up in playful outfits, play with the pups using a variety of toys, and capture the dogs in just all around wacky poses and scenarios (such as dogs riding bikes, dogs being life guards, and dogs having picnics to name a few). The game gives you plenty of missions that require you to catch a dog doing something specific (like getting a close up of Tony Bark doing his signature trick on his skateboard). This game is not polished by any means, however I truly adore this game. I’m willingly to over look the flaws because they do not ruin the game by any means. So to me, this is a hidden gem. I give it a 9.5 out of 10. Not an April Fools, I just really enjoy how chaotic the dogs are! *This game is included in Gamepass as of the writing of the blog, April 2nd, 2022*
Donut County- Donut County is another wacky, charming game. Admittedly, I have a sweet spot for games like this. The writing helps the characters be more memorable. Which is impressive considering you play a hole. This game plays very similar to Katamari. You start off as a small hole. The more you consume, the bigger you grow. The camera does a good job of highlighting your size. In the early phases of a level, the camera is zoomed in and really boxes you in. As you grow, the camera panes out. This is used twofold. Obviously, the more it swings out, the easier it is to traverse the levels. But it also makes all the larger objects have a shrinking effect, as the hole now dwarves even the biggest rocks and tallest buildings. I’m currently, fighting the final boss, but this game is very enjoyable. It will only take a few hours to beat and 100%. Good for an afternoon. *This game is included in Gamepass as of the writing of the blog, April 2nd, 2022*
So, that’s all I have prepared for today. We have a baby shower to attend, so I can’t go over everything. I’ll try to write about Halo, Madden 22, and Kirby in a future post. Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great day!
I wrote this April 2nd but due to being busy with the baby, I didn’t notice it never published.
Reacting to My Super Smash Brother’s Ultimate Character Speculation Video!
This blog post is a companion piece to my video that just aired on my YouTube channel. I’ll list my 5 guesses from before the game comes out and give a slight comment about it. If you want to watch my original video, watch it here! If you want to watch the companion video, watch it here!
#5 Wonderful Red
Odds he makes it in: 4/10.
Pros: I think the pros for him are Platinum Games and Nintendo’s good and healthy working relationship. I think it also helps that Wonderful 101 has been ported to the Switch. He has a very awesome design that lends itself to a fighting game.
Cons: The port happened forever ago. It is not a huge, groundbreaking reveal. Platinum games has already released a new game, Astral Chain. Meaning I think the protagonist in it is a stronger candidate. I give it a 4/10 because I feel the cons overweigh the pros, making his path tough.
#4 Pokemon (Dragonite)
Odds Dragonite Makes it in: 1/10
Pros: Vintage Pokemon is still relevant. Pokemon in general is still very relevant. The Dragon typing is heavily underrepresented. Awesome design.
Cons: There’s no telling which of the original 151 would make it in, if any. Gen 8 is relevant as well, meaning they could go with a new Pokémon. Pokemon is kind of in that second party area, meaning they may want to go with a more first party character to end it off with.
Odds a new Pokemon makes it in: 7/10.
Pokemon is still one of Nintendo’s biggest properties. However, I’m not sure it would be the most impactful pick.
#3 Funky Kong
Odds he makes it in: 2/10
Pros: Has a sleek, awesome design. DK Tropical Freeze has been ported over to Switch.
Cons: Some time has gone by since the port. He is such a side character when I feel the last roster spot will go to a main character. I feel like both of those reasons are pretty big hold backs.
#2 The Champions
Odds they make it in: 0/10
Pros: Best case scenarios , as spirits or trophies.
Cons: I feel like their time has passed.
#1 Hat Kid
Odds they make it in: 1/10
Pros: She pays homage to Mario and plenty of the other franchises in the game. Her move set writes itself. It would be massive for an indie games.
Cons: There’s such a low chance an indie character makes it in. Again, she would not be a ground breaking announcement. Sans got in as a mii fighter so I feel like that’s the ceiling for her.
So that was my list before the game released. I think all these guesses were okay picks back in 2018 leading up to the game’s launch. However, for most of them I feel like the window has closed. Which is why I’m going to do an updated list soon!
Thank you guys so much for reading! Have a great day!
It’s Been Too Long
Ugh.
We came back with a force and put up some of our best post to date. I was energized and passionate. This is not a post saying I’ve lost the spark or the passion. Just the opposite, in fact. I find myself everyday thinking “I wish I could post something.” However, I go through a few thought processes a day.
The major thing that happened was dealing with the family. New dirt and old scars were brought up about crap I thought was long dead and gone. I say it all the time that this blog is kind of like a memory jar for me to go back and view after time has passed. Personally, something huge happened in my family recently that I think will be a complete non-issue in two years. That or my family will be pretty messed up in the long run. So in two years I may revisit this post and see how things are looking. Though, it did completely ruin me for about 3 days and has severally lowered my energy levels. Its one of the reasons I have not bothered streaming at all lately.
Secondly, is on top of that, Jessica’s cousins that we’ve been babysitting since Covid hit are getting worse. They are either getting burned out of Jessica and myself or they are really missing their dad. Either way, my energy levels have been drastically down and they’ve been more of handful recently. It means I just dont have the energy to put on a good stream, yet.
Well, later today Ill upload the Manga Haul #2. Then Ill upload my thoughts on Pokemon Snap getting new life and finally at some point this week, I’ll talk about my history as a collector. So stay tune.
For now, that is all. With any luck, these post will be funneling out through the week.
As always, thanks for reading!
A Hat in Time DLC comes out Thursday!
If you haven’t heard, A Hat in Time DLC comes out Thursday. Here’s some of the highlights:
A New Chapter- Of course one of the highlights is the addition of the latest chapter, Arctic Cruise. It is a brand new world to explore, which is always exciting. With that, comes brand new characters, time pieces, and hours to sink into the game.
New Game Mode “Death Wish”– I will be honest. This one is a little less obvious. It seems as if this mode wants you to play old levels with a twist or it will create small levels with challenges. These twist come in form of challenges. The one challenge seen on camera is beat the level in 8 minutes. If this is the case, than Gears for Breakfast added a whole new level of replayability.
A Hat in Time is Coming to the Switch– This is exciting for future me as I do not currently own a switch. I dont believe the release date has been announced, so keep an eye peeled.
Co-op is coming to A Hat In Time
Split screen co-op will be added for free to A Hat in Time come September 13th. This is amazing. This is coming at a time when Super Mario 64 online taught us these old retro games can be just as fun with multiplayer as singleplayer. From the trailer, it looks like they are opting for a vertical screen (line going up and down) instead of horizontal. This again, is just one of the many ways Gears added not only replayability, but a fresh spin on the original game. The best part is that this will always be free.
Important Takeaways:
The DLC launches September 13th.
The DLC will be free for 24 hours
$499 USD after 24 hours.
The Co-op feature is free anytime
Brand new stage and game mode.
Yes. I am very pumped.
Per usual, you can watch my channel for more updates and gameplay footage of A Hat in Time.
Here’s some of my recent A Hat in Time videos.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day.
A Hat in Time is apart of the Humble Monthly (3 games for $12)!
Been on the fence about A Hat in Time? For the next 17 days A Hat in Time will be included in the Humble Monthly. For $12 you will get A Hat in Time, Conan Exile, and the Escapist 2.
They are also running a deal called Pixel Perfect Platformer. Other games included in this sale are Yooka-Laylee, Rayman Origins, Limbo, and Cuphead.
Episode #1 of blind LP for Yooka-Laylee is on Youtube now!
Hey everyone. If you enjoy the video be sure to like, comment, and subscribe! Please, that would be so awesome! If you really enjoy it, try to share it on twitter, facebook, and any other forum you can think of. I’d really appreciate it and it would mean a lot to me.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and watch my video. You rock. Thank you for any help you can provide in advance! Have a great day everyone!
Da_Hubbz 