I think I'm gonna save the "Game Journal" moniker for more informal posts where I don't have a real thesis and I'm not proof reeding like crazy. Me just trying to jot down my thoughts. You know, like a journal.

Future me: I failed and wrote too seriously. Next time will be different, I swear.(It won't)

Mega Man Legends

Missed this during it's era. It was a bit too... modestly successful for me, a kid who could only afford a handful of games. Also it's past Mega Man X, and why would you wanna play the dumb, dorky blue Mega Man when you could play as the cool, super hip X? IDK, kids are stupid. It'd been on my radar for years due to the art style, but some conversations(Thanks, Big Iron!) during a Guilty Gear stream made me dive into it this weekend.

This game has everything going against it. All the little bits are off. Controls are flakey, Dialog is painfully, gameplay is sporadically paced... Stuff like turning with the shoulders, dodgy aiming, pre-Ocarina of Time dungeons that feel more like Wizardy maps... and don't know, it fucking rules? The definition of a 6.5/10 10/10 game.

No one needed to make any of this

A lotta stuff I've put out recently has talked about trying to engage with stuff beyond surface level and I've had a few people asking me how, so like...

Firstly, don't stress out about this. I know I've been screaming like a hyena but it's perfectly fine to do something specifically to check out. That said there should be some things you care about!! But you can be selective we don't have infinite emotional energy!!
It shouldn't be Work. Don't be intimidated by all us Effort Posters...

@Norithics asked:

Okay so I'm curious! You seem to have a lot to say about the impact of world design, so I'm dying to know if you have Thoughts™ with regards to Classicvania versus Metroidvania. Is one better than the other? Are there different considerations for both??

Obviously you can't quite put one over the other, though... I feel like classicvanias were far more powerful examples of their craft than most of the igavanias (obviously Rondo and SOTN place a lo...

Anonymous User asked:

All of your Metroid write-ups recently have been fantastic, and a great insight into some game design choices and thoughts about genres that I hadn't really thought of before (Seriously, "Metroid isn't about blowing up secret boxes" should be on some game dev's whiteboards in the top left corner as a reminder).

Curious thought, though, have you happened to play La-Mulana and or its sequel? I love them, but their design perplex me in a very un...

@DieselBrain asked:

Heya! Really enjoyed reading your critique of Dread even as someone who really liked the game! Youve written about souls stuff before but i saw the swipe you took at Gael and now it has me curious about your feelings on souls style boss design. Got any favs/least favs?

So for me a great Dark Souls boss needs to be something or someone interesting, something whose existence tells a story, and who is engaging and fun to fight. For me it's rarely...

Game Journal: Mega Man Legends, Syvlie Lime, and Sylvie RPG

Mega Man Legends

Engage with Media but don't Overthink it!!

Ask: Impact of World Design - Classic vs Igavanias

Ask: La-Mulana's Map Structure?

Ask: Favorite Souls Bosses?