Exo
@exoparadigmgamer.bsky.social
30 | Pan | He/Him | The Remake or Rebreak Guy | Co-Host of Unversed Cast | Background by @nickonripple.bsky.social.
In a creative rut.
In a creative rut.
I never realized "Koopaling" was a retronym until now. My first exposure was Advance 2 (released the same year as Sunshine), where in this foldout poster (that I distinctly remember for some reason) they're called Koopalings.
Curiously in Advance 4 they're still called Bowser's children.
Curiously in Advance 4 they're still called Bowser's children.
November 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM
I never realized "Koopaling" was a retronym until now. My first exposure was Advance 2 (released the same year as Sunshine), where in this foldout poster (that I distinctly remember for some reason) they're called Koopalings.
Curiously in Advance 4 they're still called Bowser's children.
Curiously in Advance 4 they're still called Bowser's children.
I was going to play this for about an hour and then go to bed but ended up playing it for three.
November 13, 2025 at 11:54 AM
I was going to play this for about an hour and then go to bed but ended up playing it for three.
Thanks for that, video game.
November 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Thanks for that, video game.
Noctua!
Spin on that thang.
Spin on that thang.
November 5, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Noctua!
Spin on that thang.
Spin on that thang.
Mega Man Zero 2 (2003)
Much better than the first one. It's amazing how a few tweaks can make all the difference.
Still, the spikes in this game are really annoying. I died a million times on that Antarctica level, and this game hates checkpoints.
7.5/10
Much better than the first one. It's amazing how a few tweaks can make all the difference.
Still, the spikes in this game are really annoying. I died a million times on that Antarctica level, and this game hates checkpoints.
7.5/10
October 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Mega Man Zero 2 (2003)
Much better than the first one. It's amazing how a few tweaks can make all the difference.
Still, the spikes in this game are really annoying. I died a million times on that Antarctica level, and this game hates checkpoints.
7.5/10
Much better than the first one. It's amazing how a few tweaks can make all the difference.
Still, the spikes in this game are really annoying. I died a million times on that Antarctica level, and this game hates checkpoints.
7.5/10
Mega Man Zero (2002)
I'm not even trying for a hot take here, but this is one of my least favorite Mega Man games I've yet played. It's an excellent case study on how an otherwise good game can be ruined with a handful of bad design decisions. The lives system in particular is total crap.
5/10
I'm not even trying for a hot take here, but this is one of my least favorite Mega Man games I've yet played. It's an excellent case study on how an otherwise good game can be ruined with a handful of bad design decisions. The lives system in particular is total crap.
5/10
October 8, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Mega Man Zero (2002)
I'm not even trying for a hot take here, but this is one of my least favorite Mega Man games I've yet played. It's an excellent case study on how an otherwise good game can be ruined with a handful of bad design decisions. The lives system in particular is total crap.
5/10
I'm not even trying for a hot take here, but this is one of my least favorite Mega Man games I've yet played. It's an excellent case study on how an otherwise good game can be ruined with a handful of bad design decisions. The lives system in particular is total crap.
5/10
Banjo Tooie (2000) (R)
Replayed this to compare and contrast with DK64. I still think the first one is better, but I enjoyed Tooie slightly more on this playthrough. I realized the first few levels are pretty good; they succeed at expounding on the first game in a way that generally works.
Replayed this to compare and contrast with DK64. I still think the first one is better, but I enjoyed Tooie slightly more on this playthrough. I realized the first few levels are pretty good; they succeed at expounding on the first game in a way that generally works.
October 6, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Banjo Tooie (2000) (R)
Replayed this to compare and contrast with DK64. I still think the first one is better, but I enjoyed Tooie slightly more on this playthrough. I realized the first few levels are pretty good; they succeed at expounding on the first game in a way that generally works.
Replayed this to compare and contrast with DK64. I still think the first one is better, but I enjoyed Tooie slightly more on this playthrough. I realized the first few levels are pretty good; they succeed at expounding on the first game in a way that generally works.
Somehow I have trimmed my time down by 3 hours since the review. Guess which level still took the longest.
October 6, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Somehow I have trimmed my time down by 3 hours since the review. Guess which level still took the longest.
Super Metroid X-Fusion (V1.2) (2025)
It's a rom hack of Super Metroid that reimagines Fusion with Super physics and new ideas, developed over ten years. It's probably the most impressive hack I've ever played, to the point that it feels like a whole new game. It's equal parts amazing and awful.
It's a rom hack of Super Metroid that reimagines Fusion with Super physics and new ideas, developed over ten years. It's probably the most impressive hack I've ever played, to the point that it feels like a whole new game. It's equal parts amazing and awful.
October 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Super Metroid X-Fusion (V1.2) (2025)
It's a rom hack of Super Metroid that reimagines Fusion with Super physics and new ideas, developed over ten years. It's probably the most impressive hack I've ever played, to the point that it feels like a whole new game. It's equal parts amazing and awful.
It's a rom hack of Super Metroid that reimagines Fusion with Super physics and new ideas, developed over ten years. It's probably the most impressive hack I've ever played, to the point that it feels like a whole new game. It's equal parts amazing and awful.
It is done. Jesus Christ.
October 5, 2025 at 9:19 AM
It is done. Jesus Christ.
The mind boggles at how someone managed to take Barrier Core X and turn it into one of the hardest bosses of all time. I'm playing on Normal and it took me twenty tries!
September 30, 2025 at 8:07 AM
The mind boggles at how someone managed to take Barrier Core X and turn it into one of the hardest bosses of all time. I'm playing on Normal and it took me twenty tries!
Three hours to get everything except the three backtracking jiggies, and this is my fifth playthrough!
No level in DK64 took me this long.
No level in DK64 took me this long.
September 26, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Three hours to get everything except the three backtracking jiggies, and this is my fifth playthrough!
No level in DK64 took me this long.
No level in DK64 took me this long.
Shantae Advance (2025)
Great to play a new game on GBA in 2025. Very nostalgic! It reminded me of those late nights huddling under the worm light.
The game itself is decent, on par with Risky's Revenge. A decent amount of content but I feel like it could've done with another dungeon.
7/10
Great to play a new game on GBA in 2025. Very nostalgic! It reminded me of those late nights huddling under the worm light.
The game itself is decent, on par with Risky's Revenge. A decent amount of content but I feel like it could've done with another dungeon.
7/10
September 25, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Shantae Advance (2025)
Great to play a new game on GBA in 2025. Very nostalgic! It reminded me of those late nights huddling under the worm light.
The game itself is decent, on par with Risky's Revenge. A decent amount of content but I feel like it could've done with another dungeon.
7/10
Great to play a new game on GBA in 2025. Very nostalgic! It reminded me of those late nights huddling under the worm light.
The game itself is decent, on par with Risky's Revenge. A decent amount of content but I feel like it could've done with another dungeon.
7/10
I'm replaying Banjo Tooie, and for the first few levels I was thinking maybe I was too hard on it in the review. Then I played Jolly Roger's Lagoon and Terrydactyland and decided I was exactly hard enough. The Triceratops Jiggy alone is so much work that even the game says so!
September 23, 2025 at 8:51 AM
I'm replaying Banjo Tooie, and for the first few levels I was thinking maybe I was too hard on it in the review. Then I played Jolly Roger's Lagoon and Terrydactyland and decided I was exactly hard enough. The Triceratops Jiggy alone is so much work that even the game says so!
Banjo Kazooie (1998) (R)
This is a great game, lots of personality, instantly iconic characters and music.
The levels are well-paced and structured, until CCW, which does not fit with the score attack music note system. I still find the final boss overly long and mechanically incoherent.
8/10
This is a great game, lots of personality, instantly iconic characters and music.
The levels are well-paced and structured, until CCW, which does not fit with the score attack music note system. I still find the final boss overly long and mechanically incoherent.
8/10
September 14, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Banjo Kazooie (1998) (R)
This is a great game, lots of personality, instantly iconic characters and music.
The levels are well-paced and structured, until CCW, which does not fit with the score attack music note system. I still find the final boss overly long and mechanically incoherent.
8/10
This is a great game, lots of personality, instantly iconic characters and music.
The levels are well-paced and structured, until CCW, which does not fit with the score attack music note system. I still find the final boss overly long and mechanically incoherent.
8/10
So, Click Clock Wood is just as miserable as I remembered.
September 14, 2025 at 3:16 AM
So, Click Clock Wood is just as miserable as I remembered.
I'm still mystified that Rare decided to kill off Wrinkly Kong only to keep her around as a tutorial ghost. Why? I have yet to find an interview from any of the developers explaining their rationale. And then she just kept showing up in the 2000's as if nothing happened.
September 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I'm still mystified that Rare decided to kill off Wrinkly Kong only to keep her around as a tutorial ghost. Why? I have yet to find an interview from any of the developers explaining their rationale. And then she just kept showing up in the 2000's as if nothing happened.
Kind of crazy to remember that within my lifetime Nintendo and Bandai released handheld color gaming consoles without backlights and everybody just let them. I remember playing Yoshi's Island with this LED light attached to my GBA 001.
September 6, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Kind of crazy to remember that within my lifetime Nintendo and Bandai released handheld color gaming consoles without backlights and everybody just let them. I remember playing Yoshi's Island with this LED light attached to my GBA 001.
Trying to find a high quality rip or GSF pack for the GBA version of DKC3 led me down a rabbit hole; I found an MSU1 pack for the SNES version that allows you to play it with the GBA soundtrack.
It's kind of awesome but also kind of cursed; SNES sfx and GBA music is a weird combo.
It's kind of awesome but also kind of cursed; SNES sfx and GBA music is a weird combo.
September 1, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Trying to find a high quality rip or GSF pack for the GBA version of DKC3 led me down a rabbit hole; I found an MSU1 pack for the SNES version that allows you to play it with the GBA soundtrack.
It's kind of awesome but also kind of cursed; SNES sfx and GBA music is a weird combo.
It's kind of awesome but also kind of cursed; SNES sfx and GBA music is a weird combo.
Is this my imagination or is that the Paper Mario font? Pop Joy?
August 31, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Is this my imagination or is that the Paper Mario font? Pop Joy?
Never played these games before. Strangely curious to see what's what.
August 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Never played these games before. Strangely curious to see what's what.
Eww, what the fuck.
August 27, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Eww, what the fuck.
Donkey Kong 64 (1999)
After finishing Bananza, I was curious to replay it for the first time in 12 years. It has a reputation as "the game that killed 3D collectathons," and over time I bought into that hype (or lack thereof). Revisiting it, I enjoyed it way more than I expected.
9/10
After finishing Bananza, I was curious to replay it for the first time in 12 years. It has a reputation as "the game that killed 3D collectathons," and over time I bought into that hype (or lack thereof). Revisiting it, I enjoyed it way more than I expected.
9/10
August 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Donkey Kong 64 (1999)
After finishing Bananza, I was curious to replay it for the first time in 12 years. It has a reputation as "the game that killed 3D collectathons," and over time I bought into that hype (or lack thereof). Revisiting it, I enjoyed it way more than I expected.
9/10
After finishing Bananza, I was curious to replay it for the first time in 12 years. It has a reputation as "the game that killed 3D collectathons," and over time I bought into that hype (or lack thereof). Revisiting it, I enjoyed it way more than I expected.
9/10