Game-related ramblings.

Month: December 2022

History Lessons: SpellCaster

Other History Lessons posts can be found here. If you’re looking specifically for console games, those are here. As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

A month or so after the original Japanese release of Exile, subject of the last entry in this series, SpellCaster released in Japan, although it would take another year for the US version to appear. Developed in-house by Sega for their Master System console, SpellCaster isn’t really a role-playing game, but it sounded interesting enough that I wanted to play it anyway. Besides, I covered Metroid and Lord of the Sword in this series, and they’re not really role-playing games either. What intrigued me about SpellCaster is its combination of side-scrolling action platformer sections and first-person, menu-based adventure game sections. That sounded like such an odd mix that I just had to try it.

Scratching That Itch: Pet The Pup At The Party

This is the one hundred fifty-first entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fifty-first random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is barking excitedly at us from another room. It’s Pet The Pup At The Party, by Will Herring, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

you are at a house party. you do not know anybody. the clock is ticking… ca…

I guess the rest of that was lost in the din of the party. But do I hear a dog barking somewhere in this house?

Backlog Roulette: Feather

This is Backlog Roulette, a series in which I randomly pick an unplayed game from my backlog and play it. As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Once again, I’ve rolled some digital dice to randomly select an unplayed game from the horrifyingly organized spreadsheet containing all the games I own. The dice came up with Feather, by Samurai Punk. I have no recollection of acquiring Feather, but since my spreadsheet says I got it as a Steam key from the Humble store, my guess is it was included in a Humble Bundle at some point. A pleasant surprise, then, to find a lovely game about being a bird, soaring over a beautiful island.

Scratching That Itch: Hotel Paradise

This is the one hundred fiftieth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. This particular entry is also part of the Keeping Score series about games and their soundtracks. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fiftieth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is offering us respite… I think. It’s Hotel Paradise, by KaiClavier, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

Come and stay awhile!

I will come and stay awhile, for you, reader.

Tales From The Borderlands Delivers On The Series’ Worldbuilding

As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

It’s strange that I’ve never written about a Borderlands game on this blog, because I’ve played them all. But they’ve always been games I’ve played cooperatively with friends, making them feel different from everything else I’m playing. Borderlands sessions are as much about hanging out with friends (many of whom don’t live near me anymore) as it is playing the game. The Borderlands series is great for this, as they don’t require total focus, so we can chat about whatever we like while we blast some bad guys and look for guns with slightly bigger numbers on them. In fact, detractors bemoan how shallow the games are, offering an endless loop of shooting and looting, with a cast of zany characters with dialogue that tries too hard to be wacky plastered on top. And whenever I tried playing the games solo, I never got far before getting bored (except for the first game, on a revisit years later).

But while the series has never had great writing (the second game is the strongest here but still not amazing, the others are pretty bad), it has always boasted excellent worldbuilding. The planet Pandora, on which most of the games are set, is such a wonderfully realized place. Much of it is a desolate desert, although there are frozen plains and rocky highlands too. It’s dingy and dilapidated, covered in the detritus of countless corporate wars. People eke out an existence in rundown ruins, left over when the megacorporations who fought over the planet’s resources pulled out. One of those corporations, Dahl, abandoned their workforce of convicts when they left, creating ruthless bands of killers who prowl the landscape. Add in the hordes of deadly creatures native to the planet, and Pandora is a thoroughly unpleasant place to be… but, a place rumored to hide an alien vault full of treasures of unimaginable value. Players step into the role of vault hunters, willing to brave Pandora’s dangers in search of fortune. Along the way, they’ll learn about the other massive corporations who have an interest in the planet, gleaning tidbits about their different cultures and philosophies, and of course using each corporation’s distinct style of weaponry.

I’ve always felt that this evocative backdrop deserved better writing than the main Borderlands games offered. That’s where Telltale GamesTales From the Borderlands comes in.

Scratching That Itch: Keep It Together

This is the one hundred forty-ninth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred forty-ninth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is definitely a normal human. Nothing suspicious about it. Wait, did that part of its coat just… wriggle? It’s Keep It Together, by Fenreliana, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

Don’t let them know you’re a coat of rats!

Everything depends on it!

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