December Haul

In this blog entry, I’m going to discuss the games (and other gaming-related items) I got in December. Most of these were Christmas gifts, but the first two things mentioned are games I bought myself earlier in December.

Yooka-Laylee (Switch)

Screenshot of Yooka-Laylee on Nintendo Switch.

I pre-ordered the physical version of Yooka-Laylee in September, and it finally arrived in December. This 3D platformer is the spiritual successor to Rare’s N64 games, and it really shows. From the graphics to the jumbled “voice” noises spoken by the characters, everything just screams Banjo-Kazooie. Some of the music and sound effects sound a lot like Donkey Kong 64 as well.

While I’m still in the first world, I am enjoying the game so far. I’ve always loved a good collect-a-thon, and this seems right up my alley. I do already have a minor complaint, though. The frame rate sometimes stutters, and it’s very noticeable. Hopefully it won’t become a bigger problem later in the game.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch)

Screenshot of Katamari Damacy Reroll on Nintendo Switch.

Katamari Damacy was originally a PlayStation 2 game, which was very unique. You play as the son of the King of All Cosmos, and you roll around a sticky ball called a katamari. Any objects that are small enough will stick to the katamari as you roll, gradually making the katamari larger and larger (and thus, able to pick up bigger items). You start out picking up things like paper clips and erasers, but eventually you’ll be picking up people, cars, and buildings. It’s a bizarre game that’s a pure joy to play.

Katamari Damacy Reroll is an HD remake, and I bought the Switch version in December. The physical version is sadly exclusive to Gamestop, otherwise you can buy the digital version in the eShop.

The graphics have been improved, and yet they retain the blocky look of the original. The great tunes from the original have also returned.

But the controls were my biggest complaint with the PS2 game, and they are also my biggest complaint with Reroll. To move around, you must push both sticks in the same direction. Rotating the camera requires pushing the sticks in opposite directions. It’s not very intuitive, and the controls hold you back at times. I really wish they would’ve used one stick for movement and one for the camera. (Note: There is an optional “simple” control method which only requires one stick for movement, but it still requires both sticks to turn the camera.)

Even though the controls are a bit wonky, you do get used to them after a while. And picking things up with your katamari is an inexplicably enjoyable thing to do. The game isn’t super long, but Katamari Damacy is just pure fun while it lasts. This is a game that I highly recommend.

Buy Katamari Damacy Reroll digital code at Amazon

Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

Screenshot of Super Mario Maker for Nintendo Wii U.

Super Mario Maker allows you to create, play, and share your own Mario levels. It’s definitely a cool concept, and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with it in the long run. But I’m disappointed by how limited the game is at the beginning.

You start with just a handful of level elements (blocks, enemies, etc.) you can use to create your levels. A few more elements are unlocked each day that you play, but the pace is far too slow for my liking. Since I haven’t been playing it daily, I haven’t even unlocked half of the available elements so far. I think I’ll get into the game more once I’ve unlocked everything. And it will help me make some scenes for future episodes of my Mario Plays ACCF series.

Super Mario Maker hasn’t been ported to Switch (so far, at least), but even if it had been, I still would have preferred the Wii U version. That’s because Wii U allows you to use the touch screen for editing and display the game on a TV set. If it was on Switch, you couldn’t do both of those things…at least not at the same time. So it really takes advantage of the Wii U hardware features in that respect.

Buy Super Mario Maker at Amazon

Worms W.M.D. (Switch)

Animated GIF of Worms W.M.D. on Nintendo Switch.

The original Worms (I have the Jaguar version) was a 2D, turn-based strategy game, though it’s definitely not your typical strategy game. You control a team of four heavily-armed worms, and the object is defeat the opposing team of worms (either computer-controlled or another player). Each worm moves slowly and has a limited time to move around and get off a shot, and the terrain of each level can make things tricky. But the last worm standing wins the game.

Worms W.M.D. expands on the concept with more weapons, new levels, and online play. While I haven’t tried the online play yet, I have gone through most of the training levels and I’ve completed a few of the regular campaign levels as well. It’s a slow-paced game, so it’s not for everyone, but I’m really enjoying it so far.

Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast)

Screenshot of Space Channel 5 for Sega Dreamcast.

This is a unique (read: bizarre) music game in which you play as a reporter named Ulala. Aliens have invaded and hypnotized people, forcing them to dance. The object of the game is to mimic the aliens’ dance moves to defeat them and rescue the hostages. For example, you may have to press “up, down, up, down, shoot shoot shoot” in time with the music. It’s an interesting game, but it’s probably my least favorite of my five December games…at least to this point.

Not Games, But Gaming Related

Game controller shaped ornament, tin of Zelda mints, $20 eShop card, Cyrus Amiibo, Blathers Amiibo, K.K. Slider Amiibo, and Reese Amiibo.

I also received a few other gaming-related gifts that aren’t gifts. It includes a three-pack of Animal Crossing Amiibo figures (Reese, Cyrus, and K.K. Slider), a separate Blathers Amiibo, a controller-shaped Christmas tree ornament, a $20 Nintendo eShop card, and a tin of Zelda mints.

Amazon links to buy: Amiibo 3-Pack – Blathers Amiibo – Zelda Mints – eShop Card

In the coming weeks, I’ll test out the Amiibos in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Happy Home Designer. Admittedly, Reese and Cyrus aren’t my favorite characters, but Blathers and especially K.K. Slider are cool. As for the eShop card, I’m not sure what I’ll use it on just yet.

Get any good gaming gifts this past holiday season? Feel free to post a comment below!

Replaying Castlevania IV

Halloween is here, and I’ve been replaying (Super) Castlevania IV over the past several days. I’ve beaten the game years ago, and replayed parts of it many times over the years (often around Halloween), but this might be just the 2nd time I’ve fully played through the entire game. Since I got the SNES Classic not long ago, I figured this would be the ideal game to play.

The early levels are quite familiar to me, and easy to breeze through. My favorite level of all is the cavern in Stage 3.

I absolutely love the music in this game. In fact, I’m playing the video above now just to hear the music as I type. 😀

Stage 4 is also home to some very memorable levels. The first level here (4-1) has skulls on the wall that turn to follow your movement. Even though you can’t kill them or interact with them, I always thought that was a cool detail.

Stage 4-1 of Castlevania IV.

Stage 4-2 uses Mode 7 graphics to make the entire level rotate as you hang by your whip. The next level, Stage 4-3, puts you in a large cylindrical room that rotates as you play. It’s a very cool effect, although it can be distracting if you’re playing it for the first time.

The cylindrical, rotating room in Stage 4-3 of Castlevania IV on SNES.

Stage 6-1 features some huge chandeliers that swing from side to side. You have to jump across them, and then onto more chandeliers. Konami took advantage of some SNES hardware features to make some really unique levels in this game.

Simon Belmont jumps on a huge chandelier in Stage 6-1 of Castlevania IV on Super Nintendo (SNES).

As I progressed through Stage 6 and into Stage 7, the levels were less familiar to me. Most of the previous times I’ve played through this game (at least in recent years), I’ve only played through the first several levels. Often I’d stop after Stage 4 or 5. So I had forgotten about the paintings in Stage 7-2; they’ll grab you by the neck!

A painting grabs Simon Belmont by the neck in Castlevania IV.

I also enjoyed the music in this stage, and it likely has been years since I’ve heard it.

Things were going smoothly until I reached Stage 8. The levels here (8-1 and 8-2) have various types of dangerous spikes. Some are on moving platforms, some swing from side to side, and some fall from the ceiling. But they all have one thing in common: They will kill you in one hit. What makes it even worse is that the hit detection seems a bit unfair.

I died many times in this stage, and had to continue quite a few times as well. Even though the SNES Classic has save points, I don’t want to abuse that feature. I wanted to get through the stage legitimately, and eventually, I did. 😛

As a reward for completing that tough stage, you go on to Stage 9…one of my favorite stages in the game. It’s a beautiful, colorful stage, littered with piles of gold and treasure chests everywhere. Ghosts rise to the ceiling endlessly (they can’t hurt you), and gold nuggets spring up like popcorn every time you walk over a treasure chest. It’s a fun, playful level that’s such a stark contrast to Stage 8 before it.

The gold-filled Stage 9-1 of Super Castlevania IV.
Scrooge McDuck would enjoy a nice swim here.

Next up is Stage A, the clock tower, and then Stage B marks the final march into Dracula’s castle. It ends in a series of boss fights, which are challenging but not overwhelmingly difficult. Of course, it helps that each continue lets you resume at the boss you were fighting, rather than putting you back at the beginning of Stage B.

Fittingly, I beat Dracula (and the game) today, on Halloween. I’ve enjoyed my journey, and I may re-play this game again in the future, on some October night years from now.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed your Halloween and had a great time. 🙂

Just a couple of notes. I’ve added a new Halloween tag to this blog, for posts like this one. Posts near Halloween season that cover spooky-themed games like Castlevania, Doom, Haunted House, and more. Also, feel free to check out my page of Halloween game reviews.

Stardew Valley #10 – Help Wanted Ads

Time for another Stardew Valley entry. Just a note: I’m ditching the previous format I was using, where I made a separate section for every in-game day, even if not much happened. I think a standard paragraph format will flow better, and it shouldn’t look as awkward as some of those older entries.

It was storming pretty hard on the 13th day of summer, and I was almost afraid that I would get struck by lightning! But then again, that would pretty cool if I did. 😛

I headed over to the mine, and I made my way down to level 25 for the first time. I also found a dwarf scroll, which I took to the blacksmith the next day. That unlocked a new reward, a starfruit seed.

I went to the mine again, and I got down to level 29 this time. That’s when a bunch of evil butterflies started attacking me. My health was getting low, so I had to retreat and go back up. It wasn’t until I looked back at the footage I recorded that I realized I had actually unlocked the ladder down to level 30 as I was attacking the bugs! Oops!

Jeff runs from attacking bugs in level 29 of the mine in Stardew Valley.

In the community center, I donated a blueberry I grew to finish off the summer crops bundle. My reward was a quality sprinkler. This will come in handy, although I haven’t yet installed it. Completing the bundle opened up another scroll in the vault room.

On the 15th, I took a geode to the blacksmith for processing. It contained a nekoite, and I immediately took it next door and donated it to the museum.

I was a bit surprised to see some speech bubbles outdoors, when Alex and Lewis greeted each other as they passed by. That was kinda cool, though. It makes the village seem more alive, although I don’t think this is a very common occurrence.

Alex: Hi, Lewis! Lewis: Hi, Alex!

Outside of Pierre’s, I noticed a help wanted ad that said Clint was looking for six copper ores. I actually forgot who Clint was at first, haha. That’s what happens when you don’t play this game often enough. 😛

Once I realized Clint was the blacksmith, I tried to give him the ores. There was no special dialogue when I spoke to him, so I handed it to him like a gift. He took one said it made him depressed! This is what he asked for! What the heck?!

Clint: This makes me depressed.

It made no sense, so I actually Googled the problem. Apparently, Clint will only accept new copper ores…ones that you’ve picked up after accepting the quest. For one thing, why would it matter? And secondly, how would he even know when I picked them up?

I found another help-wanted ad by Pierre’s, and this one said a slime hunter was wanted to slay six green slimes in the mine. However, this one didn’t even say who was looking for the help! So I’m supposed to slay them, and then what?? Pierre sure didn’t say anything about it when I spoke to him.

Help Wanted - Wanted: Slime hunter to slay 6 green slimes in the local mine. -360g reward

I know this game was basically made by one person, and that alone is impressive…but sometimes it shows. The user interface can be confusing and clunky at times, and certain things aren’t explained well enough.

I bought the backpack upgrade while I was in the shop. I can now hold 36 different items instead of just 24. Finally! I had to give up so many items because that ridiculous limit, so this will help a lot.

So anyway, I got the copper ores for Clint, and let him examine them. I got 270g for completing the quest. I also slayed six new slimes for the other quest. After I collected them, my journal was updated to show that I was supposed to return to Lewis. So I took them to him and collected my reward.

I wrapped up my night with a visit to the saloon. I honestly haven’t been socializing with people very much, so at least I talked to a few people there. 😛

See you next time! Whenever that may be. 😂