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Gabriel Jones

@pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social

1.9K followers 890 following 4.5K posts

Former game critic who can't find his niche. Interests include retro / obscure / arcade games, music (Mostly VGM & Prince), and whatever catches my eye (even if it's just for a moment). 1981 he/him

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 7d

October #promosky

My name is (still) Gabriel and I'm (still) talking about #retrogaming.

If you love the games of yesteryear as well as indies & doujins, then follow along.
This month, I'm reviewing classic Batman games and whatever else catches my interest.
pepsimanvsjoe.blogspot.com

Batman: The Video Game by Sunsoft for NES

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 48m

The Genesis game, right? Yeah, that was miserable.

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 1h

I've seen Virtual Boy games with less red than Chaos in Gotham.

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 1h

Worst part is that Batman's the only superhero with a respectable library of retro games.

I'd probably have lost my mind if chose to cover Spider-man, X-men, or (ugh) Superman.

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 1h

Batman: Chaos in Gotham is messy in that clearly a lot of work was put into the pixel-art and animations, but then you get stuff like this flying stage. There's a 1up here, but you're forced to fly into a wall afterwards.
#retrogaming #gameboy

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 3h

I've added the reviews for the Batman Returns games.
Read them, share them, ignore them.
Do whatever you like. I'll post another batch of reviews next Monday.

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 1d

Taking the day off from posting #Bat-Octoberfest reviews, but feel free to catch up on the Batman games I've already covered.
pepsimanvsjoe.blogspot.com/2025/10/bat-...

#retrogaming

Bat-Octoberfest

pepsimanvsjoe.blogspot.com

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 7h

Yep...

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 7h

Imperium seems intent on reminding me of MUSHA every chance it gets. Weird, because otherwise it plays nothing like the Genesis classic.
Weapons upgrade via an experience system but instantly downgrade if the mecha is damaged. Erratic bullets add to the uneven difficulty.
#retrogaming #snes #shmups

The mecha design, particularly its back, calls to mind a certain Compile shmup.

Green lasers that are vaguely reminiscent of MUSHA.

This Ninja mecha is pretty neat. Annoying to fight though, since that green machine in the center sucks the player towards it like a vacuum.

The screen has this warping effect whenever a stage is completed.
It's kinda similar to MUSHA.

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

Damiano Gerli @damiano.bsky.social · 9h

It is apparently one of my most popular articles (*sigh*) so, in case you were ever curious about the PC-98 horror series Dead of the Brain, I did a little write-up a couple of years ago on these two cult classic VN titles.
genesistemple.com/dead-of-the-...

Dead of the Brain 1 & 2 - The Nightmare Never Ends

Horror PC-98 adventures Dead of the Brain 1 and 2 were developed by a company specialised in erotic games. But are they a decent proposition?

genesistemple.com

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

Shrine's Legacy - Out Now! @shrineslegacy.bsky.social · 1d

Shrine's Legacy is OUT NOW!! 🎉🥳

⚔️
Restore the Sword, reunite the elements. The legacy will be known! SHARE AND LET IT BE SO!!!
💎

Thank you all for your support over the years.❤️
Links to buy the game below! 👇 #jrpg #indiegame #shrineslegacy

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 9h

Continuing my Front Mission: Gun Hazard replay while figuring out what I want to write about next.
#retrogaming #snes

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 12h

Well... whatever.
I'll keep at it. Already at nearly 100 reviews written this year.

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 12h

Apologies, but It's nearly 1:30 am and insomnia has me voicing my innermost frustrations.

Whatever dreams I might've had as a critic are long dead. The one reason I continue writing is that it's better for my health than gacha, drinking, or all the other messed up addictions I've had.

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 12h

Getting that feeling my work will remain trapped in some purgatory where it's good enough for likes but never good enough for reposts.

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

氷厘亭氷泉 @hyousen.bsky.social · 12h

がんばれゴエモンのイラスト描く。なみのり。　#mysticalninja

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 1d

Today's reviews are the SNES, NES, Game Gear, and Genesis versions of Batman Returns.
Originally, I'd have spread these out over a few days, but I'm already tired of #Bat-Octoberfest. The numbers suck and I just want to move on.
So here: pepsimanvsjoe.blogspot.com
#retrogaming

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 19h

Next up in Breath of Fire 2 is body horror.
In order to stop the Queen from turning into a monster, we explore her innards and destroy all the demons rummaging around.
Occasionally we're shown status updates of her half-fattened body.
Yech... not even Deviantart is touching this. #retrogaming #snes

"To save the Queen, you must battle the Cellulite Monsters rampaging inside of her. You must destroy every single one!"

Gedd: "Good, good! That's how it's done! Keep going!"

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 21h

It also features this iconic game over screen.
NO FUTURE!
#retrogaming

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 21h

Wild Fang aka Tecmo Knight is a violent brawler with some mechanical depth to it. Both the Tiger & Giant forms have their uses, and you can save yourself trouble by blowing up monsters with bombs.
Also neat is jumping between bosses and bashing them to bits.
#retrogaming #arcade

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

Rashuu | Meowssmer plushie on pin!! @rashuu.bsky.social · 22h

Day 8: Odd Animals
#Soulstober2025 #ELDENRING #DarkSouls

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

beck @ read BtG ☀️ @frogletcomics.bsky.social · 1d

tails in that one pose i keep drawing him in

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Reposted by Gabriel Jones

Spooky Sammy Skeleton 💀 @sammytighe.bsky.social · 1d

Drew the Tikal for this!!
#sonicthehedgehog

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 22h

That's the thing though. Whether or not people think my work is great is irrelevant because they never voice their thoughts.
I have to rely on literal poison (social media) to assess my writing.

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 23h

The confidence required to attempt something like this was stamped out years ago.

Now? I'd rather just lament.

Kurt @ Hardcore Gaming 101 @hg101.bsky.social · 23h

For anyone lamenting how some goon was able to get a publishing deal - put together your own book! Create a solid concept, do some planning, create a design, and pitch it! Most publishers don't have open pitch seasons. They want to see someone that can see a full project to completion.

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Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 23h

Just gonna nap.

Gabriel Jones @pepsimanvsjoe.bsky.social · 23h

Heading into what I believe is the halfway point in Front Mission: Gun Hazard.

#retrogaming

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