no, but if action rpgs were routinely designed with non-rpg modes like that then I'd be playing way more of them, lol. give every action rpg a sotn richter mode.
December 9, 2025 at 6:16 AM
no, but if action rpgs were routinely designed with non-rpg modes like that then I'd be playing way more of them, lol. give every action rpg a sotn richter mode.
dracula x. what a mess. its reputation as a shittier rondo doesn't really do justice to how sloppy it is. some pretty awful amateur level design instincts on display here. I hate all the impossible jumps that loop you earlier into the stage with a respawning health drop. that dracula fight... oh no.
December 8, 2025 at 4:55 PM
dracula x. what a mess. its reputation as a shittier rondo doesn't really do justice to how sloppy it is. some pretty awful amateur level design instincts on display here. I hate all the impossible jumps that loop you earlier into the stage with a respawning health drop. that dracula fight... oh no.
that makes sense to me. I haven't played a ton of radiant silvergun, I'm kinda thinking about star fox easy/medium/hard paths. playthroughs are short but you have a lot of choice in how that playthrough feels run to run.
December 6, 2025 at 3:26 AM
that makes sense to me. I haven't played a ton of radiant silvergun, I'm kinda thinking about star fox easy/medium/hard paths. playthroughs are short but you have a lot of choice in how that playthrough feels run to run.
I think it's just about right. imo adding time would be more dangerous than removing it though, if that makes sense. I don't think it needs time removed, but it's closer to being too long than to too short.
December 6, 2025 at 1:21 AM
I think it's just about right. imo adding time would be more dangerous than removing it though, if that makes sense. I don't think it needs time removed, but it's closer to being too long than to too short.
I recently saw a video kitbashing a ship from an asteroids cover and it's all I can think about when I see this type of art now, lol. waiting for a windfall of discarded model kit sheets to come my way.
December 4, 2025 at 2:53 AM
I recently saw a video kitbashing a ship from an asteroids cover and it's all I can think about when I see this type of art now, lol. waiting for a windfall of discarded model kit sheets to come my way.
you can feel the ninja baseball batman dna here, down to the four character archetype represented. awesome. I really appreciate that it ducks a lot of tired modern trends, like armored enemies, metered specials, god forbid rpg systems. I do wish things like hit detection felt a bit tighter though.
December 4, 2025 at 12:32 AM
you can feel the ninja baseball batman dna here, down to the four character archetype represented. awesome. I really appreciate that it ducks a lot of tired modern trends, like armored enemies, metered specials, god forbid rpg systems. I do wish things like hit detection felt a bit tighter though.
I'm quite pleased with dancin divas. you can really tell which beat em ups understand the genre's capacity to be fulfilling action games and which only consider them button mashing IP delivery vehicles. this is the former. it's maybe a touch unpolished, but I don't care. good game.
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December 4, 2025 at 12:32 AM
I'm quite pleased with dancin divas. you can really tell which beat em ups understand the genre's capacity to be fulfilling action games and which only consider them button mashing IP delivery vehicles. this is the former. it's maybe a touch unpolished, but I don't care. good game.
finally properly beat final fight 3, which is entirely a function of patience. adding complexity to player control doesn't make up for weak enemy density and variety. not great. probably still a top 5 snes beat em up.
December 2, 2025 at 7:17 PM
finally properly beat final fight 3, which is entirely a function of patience. adding complexity to player control doesn't make up for weak enemy density and variety. not great. probably still a top 5 snes beat em up.
I do hope there's a bit of a qol pass for a couple of awkward control things. let me set the fast cursor as the default. trying to drop from hanging while shooting causes you to jump, which feels odd. little stuff like that. I'll wait to see if a patch happens, then tackle arcade mode.
December 1, 2025 at 9:06 PM
I do hope there's a bit of a qol pass for a couple of awkward control things. let me set the fast cursor as the default. trying to drop from hanging while shooting causes you to jump, which feels odd. little stuff like that. I'll wait to see if a patch happens, then tackle arcade mode.
I love love love neon inferno. the multi plane run and gun thing is a brilliant concept executed well, very hectic with lots of angles of attack to track. looks great, sounds great. after the letdown of this year's flagship action platformer releases, it's a relief that indies keep giving.
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December 1, 2025 at 9:06 PM
I love love love neon inferno. the multi plane run and gun thing is a brilliant concept executed well, very hectic with lots of angles of attack to track. looks great, sounds great. after the letdown of this year's flagship action platformer releases, it's a relief that indies keep giving.
vanquish is pretty good. I wish hard mode didn't take so long to ramp up its difficulty, sick of this platinum thing where the first playthrough is a tutorial. didn't like it enough to go for it again on god hard. I found the ironic gruff mcmilitary thing grating. but like. it plays well.
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December 1, 2025 at 9:06 PM
vanquish is pretty good. I wish hard mode didn't take so long to ramp up its difficulty, sick of this platinum thing where the first playthrough is a tutorial. didn't like it enough to go for it again on god hard. I found the ironic gruff mcmilitary thing grating. but like. it plays well.
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As prominently featured in one of my favorite games history articles of all time, courtesy of @mrbiffo.bsky.social: web.archive.org/web/20231008...
November 28, 2025 at 7:07 PM
As prominently featured in one of my favorite games history articles of all time, courtesy of @mrbiffo.bsky.social: web.archive.org/web/20231008...
sor4 is spectacular. I've occasionally seen people sour on it for being overhyped, but even those people will tell you it's nonetheless a solid game.
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
sor4 is spectacular. I've occasionally seen people sour on it for being overhyped, but even those people will tell you it's nonetheless a solid game.
gonna start throwing "good for the time" at modern releases. yeah ninja gaiden ragebound would be embarrassing side by side with random mid tier snes action platformers, but it's pretty good for the time.
November 25, 2025 at 9:05 PM
gonna start throwing "good for the time" at modern releases. yeah ninja gaiden ragebound would be embarrassing side by side with random mid tier snes action platformers, but it's pretty good for the time.
I would argue that last jedi was trying to accomplish something, but like, not well. its thematic ambition and (failed) attempt to push the story in a novel direction can't make up for it being really annoying moment to moment.
November 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I would argue that last jedi was trying to accomplish something, but like, not well. its thematic ambition and (failed) attempt to push the story in a novel direction can't make up for it being really annoying moment to moment.
for your consideration:
November 24, 2025 at 3:36 PM
for your consideration:
I could be annoying about any one of these placements, but the one thing I'm gonna say is: I'd definitely pick renegade over any other game to represent technos. having played their arcade releases for the first time this year, I really loved it, but didn't jive with double dragon at all.
November 22, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I could be annoying about any one of these placements, but the one thing I'm gonna say is: I'd definitely pick renegade over any other game to represent technos. having played their arcade releases for the first time this year, I really loved it, but didn't jive with double dragon at all.
it's weird that you can't grab enemies from above or below in 1, but you get used to it, and it becomes a limitation that the whole game is built around. 2's eight direction facing is more intuitive but idk if it's better. both games are sloooow next to their 2d contemporaries. idk. they're alright.
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
it's weird that you can't grab enemies from above or below in 1, but you get used to it, and it becomes a limitation that the whole game is built around. 2's eight direction facing is more intuitive but idk if it's better. both games are sloooow next to their 2d contemporaries. idk. they're alright.
played both dynamite deka games back to back. I liked the first more. 1 felt more aesthetically cohesive, even ignoring 2's kinda yikes back half. really liked the control that the varied throws gave me in 1, which 2 didn't quite deliver.
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
played both dynamite deka games back to back. I liked the first more. 1 felt more aesthetically cohesive, even ignoring 2's kinda yikes back half. really liked the control that the varied throws gave me in 1, which 2 didn't quite deliver.
you should play old games bc good design transcends hardware limitations. not to say that it doesn't matter if a game is aesthetically pleasing at all bc what is gaming if not an aesthetic experience, but certainly fidelity falls as a priority when you're truly engaged in play.
November 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM
you should play old games bc good design transcends hardware limitations. not to say that it doesn't matter if a game is aesthetically pleasing at all bc what is gaming if not an aesthetic experience, but certainly fidelity falls as a priority when you're truly engaged in play.
satisfying gameplay loop! it's tough but fair. I like the atmosphere.
November 15, 2025 at 12:53 AM
satisfying gameplay loop! it's tough but fair. I like the atmosphere.
imo it's bc home vs arcade leads to different incentives for different kinds of design, and the modern shmup crowd is mostly responsive to the kinds of rigirous 1cc/score play that was a focus in arcades. everything else gets derisively called a euroshmup, which isn't great.
November 14, 2025 at 6:36 PM
imo it's bc home vs arcade leads to different incentives for different kinds of design, and the modern shmup crowd is mostly responsive to the kinds of rigirous 1cc/score play that was a focus in arcades. everything else gets derisively called a euroshmup, which isn't great.