@plaztazm.bsky.social
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Xbox 360 launch and with it the release of Kameo: Elements of Power! This is one of the best single player games Rare put out in that era with a short but decently replayable campaign, 10 playable monsters and plenty of cheats/ extras/ cosmetic skins to enjoy.
November 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Xbox 360 launch and with it the release of Kameo: Elements of Power! This is one of the best single player games Rare put out in that era with a short but decently replayable campaign, 10 playable monsters and plenty of cheats/ extras/ cosmetic skins to enjoy.
The new tougher difficulty mode in Pikmin 4 is pretty cool. It forces you to engage with some mechanics/ level design bits that are otherwise irrelevant given how busted Oatchi’s charge and Ice Pikmin are. Items also have a much greater utility, especially Ice Blasts. #Pikmin4
November 12, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The new tougher difficulty mode in Pikmin 4 is pretty cool. It forces you to engage with some mechanics/ level design bits that are otherwise irrelevant given how busted Oatchi’s charge and Ice Pikmin are. Items also have a much greater utility, especially Ice Blasts. #Pikmin4
Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime
That’s why I Observe the Gummies on company time
That’s why I Observe the Gummies on company time
November 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime
That’s why I Observe the Gummies on company time
That’s why I Observe the Gummies on company time
Kirby Air Riders is really fun. I appreciate that there’s basically no down time when racing and getting hit only slows you down a little bit. The character/ vehicle roster is also great even in this limited demo. I am so ready to play as Gooey riding a mech for 500 hours.
November 10, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Kirby Air Riders is really fun. I appreciate that there’s basically no down time when racing and getting hit only slows you down a little bit. The character/ vehicle roster is also great even in this limited demo. I am so ready to play as Gooey riding a mech for 500 hours.
Still got it! Surprised that I’m not getting carpal tunnel flicking the Joy Con 2 analog stick this aggressively. The 3DS port gave me serious thumb cramps having to do this with the Circle Pad. #Luigi’sMansion
November 1, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Still got it! Surprised that I’m not getting carpal tunnel flicking the Joy Con 2 analog stick this aggressively. The 3DS port gave me serious thumb cramps having to do this with the Circle Pad. #Luigi’sMansion
Luigi’s Mansion was also the game that sparked Nintendo’s fascination with glasses-free 3D and they had a version of it running in stereoscopic 3D on a special LCD accessory. It’s only right that it closed out the 3DS’s life, the console that made that ambition a reality.
October 30, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Luigi’s Mansion was also the game that sparked Nintendo’s fascination with glasses-free 3D and they had a version of it running in stereoscopic 3D on a special LCD accessory. It’s only right that it closed out the 3DS’s life, the console that made that ambition a reality.
It’s so fun breaking challenges over your knee in Donkey Kong Bananza. If you think you can use a Bananza to cheese something, you most likely can!
October 27, 2025 at 4:58 PM
It’s so fun breaking challenges over your knee in Donkey Kong Bananza. If you think you can use a Bananza to cheese something, you most likely can!
Behold the power of Voxel Technology!!!
October 19, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Behold the power of Voxel Technology!!!
A significant part of the “wow” factor of Donkey Kong Country was how much stuff it could display on screen at once without impacting performance since they were made of pre-rendered sprites. Bananza showering you with so much gold at a time gives you a similar rush
October 15, 2025 at 10:44 PM
A significant part of the “wow” factor of Donkey Kong Country was how much stuff it could display on screen at once without impacting performance since they were made of pre-rendered sprites. Bananza showering you with so much gold at a time gives you a similar rush
Bananza having NPCs with collectibles embedded in them forcing you to attack them could be a Banjo-Tooie reference now that I think about it.
Mildred the Ice Cube was holding a Jinjo hostage and you had to break her (which triggers a horrible scream) to free him. What a callback
Mildred the Ice Cube was holding a Jinjo hostage and you had to break her (which triggers a horrible scream) to free him. What a callback
September 24, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Bananza having NPCs with collectibles embedded in them forcing you to attack them could be a Banjo-Tooie reference now that I think about it.
Mildred the Ice Cube was holding a Jinjo hostage and you had to break her (which triggers a horrible scream) to free him. What a callback
Mildred the Ice Cube was holding a Jinjo hostage and you had to break her (which triggers a horrible scream) to free him. What a callback
In this scene, you are interviewing the friends and teacher of one of the murder victims. These lines hit me hard when I remember all the teachers in real life who sacrificed themselves to save their students in these shootings. I’ve met teachers that care that much, they deserve so much better.
September 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
In this scene, you are interviewing the friends and teacher of one of the murder victims. These lines hit me hard when I remember all the teachers in real life who sacrificed themselves to save their students in these shootings. I’ve met teachers that care that much, they deserve so much better.
The hardware is incapable of cleanly condensing both eye-images into a single 2D image.
Emulating a Virtual Boy game in 2D is possible, but it is inherently inauthentic and not having the 3D can make a few of the games like Red Alarm and Mario Clash more difficult to play.
Emulating a Virtual Boy game in 2D is possible, but it is inherently inauthentic and not having the 3D can make a few of the games like Red Alarm and Mario Clash more difficult to play.
September 15, 2025 at 7:46 AM
The hardware is incapable of cleanly condensing both eye-images into a single 2D image.
Emulating a Virtual Boy game in 2D is possible, but it is inherently inauthentic and not having the 3D can make a few of the games like Red Alarm and Mario Clash more difficult to play.
Emulating a Virtual Boy game in 2D is possible, but it is inherently inauthentic and not having the 3D can make a few of the games like Red Alarm and Mario Clash more difficult to play.
The Virtual Boy could only display graphics in stereoscopic 3D.
It creates images by reflecting arrays of red LEDs off of oscillating mirrors into the user’s eyes. Each eye has its own display unit that is fed an image. The slight differences between eye-images creates the 3D effect
It creates images by reflecting arrays of red LEDs off of oscillating mirrors into the user’s eyes. Each eye has its own display unit that is fed an image. The slight differences between eye-images creates the 3D effect
September 15, 2025 at 7:34 AM
The Virtual Boy could only display graphics in stereoscopic 3D.
It creates images by reflecting arrays of red LEDs off of oscillating mirrors into the user’s eyes. Each eye has its own display unit that is fed an image. The slight differences between eye-images creates the 3D effect
It creates images by reflecting arrays of red LEDs off of oscillating mirrors into the user’s eyes. Each eye has its own display unit that is fed an image. The slight differences between eye-images creates the 3D effect
Really hyped for Kirby Air Riders, everything they showed looks great. As a Gooey enjoyer, I am also very pleased he has continued to be a playable character in Kirby spin-offs after Star Allies. All the characters can use copy abilities too!! Really fun feature, they even get the hats!
August 20, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Really hyped for Kirby Air Riders, everything they showed looks great. As a Gooey enjoyer, I am also very pleased he has continued to be a playable character in Kirby spin-offs after Star Allies. All the characters can use copy abilities too!! Really fun feature, they even get the hats!
I’ve been really enjoying the new CRT filter for N64 games on Nintendo Classics. Raw N64 emulation at this resolution just looks a bit too clean, the filter brings it closer to how the games were meant to appear.
Here’s a screenshot of Banjo-Tooie, which has very nice textures for an N64 title
Here’s a screenshot of Banjo-Tooie, which has very nice textures for an N64 title
August 17, 2025 at 7:17 AM
I’ve been really enjoying the new CRT filter for N64 games on Nintendo Classics. Raw N64 emulation at this resolution just looks a bit too clean, the filter brings it closer to how the games were meant to appear.
Here’s a screenshot of Banjo-Tooie, which has very nice textures for an N64 title
Here’s a screenshot of Banjo-Tooie, which has very nice textures for an N64 title
This skeet brought to you by: the original Mega Man for NES.
Absolutely hateful to the player from the very start
Absolutely hateful to the player from the very start
August 7, 2025 at 6:21 AM
This skeet brought to you by: the original Mega Man for NES.
Absolutely hateful to the player from the very start
Absolutely hateful to the player from the very start
Sabre Wulf for the Game Boy Advance. It is a unique 2D platformer where you solve puzzle-like levels by placing creatures in the environment to surmount obstacles. After collecting a treasure, you must back track through the level with the Wulf snapping at your heels. A great concept well executed!
August 5, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Sabre Wulf for the Game Boy Advance. It is a unique 2D platformer where you solve puzzle-like levels by placing creatures in the environment to surmount obstacles. After collecting a treasure, you must back track through the level with the Wulf snapping at your heels. A great concept well executed!
Those are good examples of how achievements can feed into the game loop or even tutorialize. The checklist in Sakurai’s games is a great example too as it gently guides you to try different things out. Each square revealing what is required for adjacent squares makes it a fun discovery process
July 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Those are good examples of how achievements can feed into the game loop or even tutorialize. The checklist in Sakurai’s games is a great example too as it gently guides you to try different things out. Each square revealing what is required for adjacent squares makes it a fun discovery process
Yup, the very first! This is a picture of Chris Stamper and Joel Hochberg with Nintendo of America executives back when Rare was signed on as the first official western NES developer. They worked with Nintendo for a long time even before the big exclusive partnership.
June 27, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Yup, the very first! This is a picture of Chris Stamper and Joel Hochberg with Nintendo of America executives back when Rare was signed on as the first official western NES developer. They worked with Nintendo for a long time even before the big exclusive partnership.
Companies and IP rights can change hands, the gaming landscape will evolve, but Nintendo's history remains unchanged. Developers like Rare that significantly contributed to it are etched into the hearts and memories of players forever.
They will always be an important piece of that puzzle.
They will always be an important piece of that puzzle.
June 27, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Companies and IP rights can change hands, the gaming landscape will evolve, but Nintendo's history remains unchanged. Developers like Rare that significantly contributed to it are etched into the hearts and memories of players forever.
They will always be an important piece of that puzzle.
They will always be an important piece of that puzzle.
25 years ago today, Wario Land 3 was released in Japan for the Game Boy Color!
This game means the world to me and it’s hard for me to put it concisely but I love every element of it to pieces. Just an incredibly fun and inventive puzzle-platformer that plays great and is packed with charm! WAHHH
This game means the world to me and it’s hard for me to put it concisely but I love every element of it to pieces. Just an incredibly fun and inventive puzzle-platformer that plays great and is packed with charm! WAHHH
March 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
25 years ago today, Wario Land 3 was released in Japan for the Game Boy Color!
This game means the world to me and it’s hard for me to put it concisely but I love every element of it to pieces. Just an incredibly fun and inventive puzzle-platformer that plays great and is packed with charm! WAHHH
This game means the world to me and it’s hard for me to put it concisely but I love every element of it to pieces. Just an incredibly fun and inventive puzzle-platformer that plays great and is packed with charm! WAHHH
He was made explicitly canon in a G&W branded game in “Game & Watch Gallery 4” released in 2002 for the GBA! He even has dialogue although it’s very terse. The Game & Watch Gallery series probably inspired Mr. G&W’s inclusion in Melee and I will always be thankful for that
February 17, 2025 at 3:25 AM
He was made explicitly canon in a G&W branded game in “Game & Watch Gallery 4” released in 2002 for the GBA! He even has dialogue although it’s very terse. The Game & Watch Gallery series probably inspired Mr. G&W’s inclusion in Melee and I will always be thankful for that
Game & Watch games typically had two difficulties: A and B. A is usually normal/ easy and B is a hard/ slightly remixed variation. Game B for “Rainshower” introduces a crow that occasionally changes the position of the clothes on its own, making it slightly trickier to keep the clothes dry.
January 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Game & Watch games typically had two difficulties: A and B. A is usually normal/ easy and B is a hard/ slightly remixed variation. Game B for “Rainshower” introduces a crow that occasionally changes the position of the clothes on its own, making it slightly trickier to keep the clothes dry.
One of my favorites “Rainshower” from 1983 creates a situation players can relate to from their experiences (keeping clothes on a clothesline from getting soaked by rain) and takes it to the extreme for comedic effect. Look at this poor little guy running himself ragged moving these clotheslines!
January 25, 2025 at 5:24 AM
One of my favorites “Rainshower” from 1983 creates a situation players can relate to from their experiences (keeping clothes on a clothesline from getting soaked by rain) and takes it to the extreme for comedic effect. Look at this poor little guy running himself ragged moving these clotheslines!
I love Mr. Game & Watch, he’s just such a charming amalgamation of so many retro games that hold up shockingly well. A lot of games from the early 1980’s could be very unfriendly to players or too abstract to connect with, but Game & Watch games were made to be accessible and relatable.
January 25, 2025 at 5:19 AM
I love Mr. Game & Watch, he’s just such a charming amalgamation of so many retro games that hold up shockingly well. A lot of games from the early 1980’s could be very unfriendly to players or too abstract to connect with, but Game & Watch games were made to be accessible and relatable.