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Reviews
Bare Knuckle (1991)
The video game with the scariest boss music
I remember when I first played this game on my brother in-law's Genesis console back 1996. Me and my brother in-law played together for about an hour. When he left, I played alone where I reached the fifth of the eight stages. My playing of the game was also the first time I played a Genesis. Prior to that, the only console I played was a Famicom.
Of all the video games I played, Streets of Rage has the scariest boss music I've ever heard. What makes it scary is that once you reach the boss of a level, the music for that level fades into silence. Then about 4 or 5 seconds afterward, the boss music starts out with a sudden eerie boom. The boom is then followed by things that sound like sirens, and beats that sound like screams. I remember times where I mute the TV before I reach the boss. If there's a scarier boss music, I don't know.
As for other aspects of the game, the control is decent, and the visuals are okay.
Kiff: Two Truths and a Bunny/Nicknames (2023)
I hope we see more of Kim
What can I say? She is really cute. Possibly one of the cutest characters in the series. If there are any plushies of her out there, I would be happy to purchase. If I were a video game designer planning a kart racing game, she will be one of the playable characters, and I'll give her a stylish vehicle.
Who is Kim, as you might ask? She is the cute lemur with a jeweled collar, red pumps, and some sort of Eastern European accent. Not so long ago, I didn't seem to like lemurs after seeing an unfavorable one in a series called "My Gym Partner's A Monkey" several years back. But this episode showed me one lemur that I can adore.
Bossy Bear (2023)
Cute spinoff
Although 3D animation became the norm in the 2010s, it seems there is still appreciation for 2D animation. And although I am a tricenarian, I still have interest in animated media with cute characters.
Because I reside in a boarding place where dinner time comes around 5 in the afternoon, I don't get to see the show on the Nick Jr. Channel because its premieres were at 5 PM. However, I've been seeing the episodes at the Nick Jr. Website.
The show centers on the title character Bossy, a blue expressive bear who goes on adventures with his shy best buddy Turtle.
After doing a little research, I found out that this show is a spinoff in the UglyDolls media. I must also say that I have a blu-ray copy of the UglyDolls film which I have yet to watch.
Because the UglyDolls media is the work of David Horvath (I hope I spelled the surname correctly.) who is married to a Korean, representation of some Korean culture are shown in the show.
What do I like most about the show? The cute and brightly colored characters, and the cool theme song.
Kiff (2023)
A cute slapstick show from Disney
I certainly enjoy media featuring anthropomorphic animals. I like various animals, and squirrels are one of them. I even have a Mr. Nutz plush.
As of now, I only saw the first two episodes of the show. However, I became quite amazed by it that I'm writing this review. The show centers on the title character Kiff, a highly enthusiastic squirrel whose antics sometimes get anyone around her take a hit. When I saw the ads, I thought she was feisty. But when I watch the episodes, it appears she is just enthusiastic. Her best buddy is a laidback but friendly bunny named Barry.
Kiff is voiced by Kimiko Glenn who first made a name in that Nickelodeon Baby Shark series which I'm so not a fan of. If I have anything to say about her, it's this. I like Kimiko much more as Kiff than as Baby Shark.
Alice's Wonderland Bakery (2022)
Cute and colorful.
I've been knowing and adoring the Alice and Wonderland franchise for years. However, I never thought they would add this. Anyway, it's still fun. I might add more to this review.
Kinderwood (2020)
Brings back good old memories
For decades, animated media used traditional animation. Animation of this type have a more storybook feel. When a 100% computer-animated film called Toy Story was released in 1995, it seemed to be just another animated film to me. But little did I know that the film would lead to traditional animation becoming old-fashioned and pretty much out of the visual media scene. What makes computer animation different is that this technique makes media feel like a video game. Nevertheless, some studios still make traditional animated media because of either financial constraints or to appeal to nostalgic viewers.
Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. shows usually have ads that would appear in the channels days before the show premieres. Bizarrely, this is not the case for Kinderwood. In fact the only thing that told me about the show before I saw it are the TV listings on my television.
Unlike other series in the channels which are mostly computer animated, Kinderwood looks like it's traditionally animated (or uses some other technique to simulate traditional animation). Because of this, that good old storybook feel is back.
The show centers of five animals (two cats, two dogs, and a duck) who are classmates. Their adventures occur within or around their school. While Liddo is indeed a cat, he often wears a hat that hides his ears which, combined with his white fur, make him look like a snowman. DD, the other cat, only meows and does not talk for some reason, but he's okay. The canine siblings are cute, and the duck is fine.
In this world where CGI defines animation, some viewers may view shows of this kind as sort of a downgrade. But as a millennial who has watched 2D animated media as a youngster, I would say this show is still likeable.
Remy & Boo (2020)
Choppy animation but still a cute show
I came across this show when I saw its title while I was looking at my on-screen TV listings. At first I thought Remy is a boy, considering Remy is mainly a male name. But after watching the show for a few minutes, I found out Remy is a girl.
The show centers on Remy, a playful young girl in a yellow shirt, blue shorts, and blue chucks. Her best buddy is a robot named Boo who has a ghost-like body, horse-like hooves, and dog-like ears. The two characters go on many adventures, and can do lots of things, thanks to Boo's multiple functions (print cards, fly, shoot confetti, etc.).
While the animation is a little choppy, everything else is cute.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Decent graphics and sounds, but poor hit detection
After watching a couple of video reviews and hearing some mentions of this game over a few years, I went to try the game online.
The object of the game is to collect 3 telephone pieces which are in 3 of the many pits in the game. Once all three have been collected, E.T. has to get to a spot in the field where he'll make a call, then he must move to another spot where a spaceship will pick him up and take him home. However, obstacles E.T. encounters in his mission include a scientist who would constantly take him to a laboratory, and a detective who would confiscate his phone pieces one at a time.
If you're interested in playing the game, I recommend that you read the instructions, if you have any, because a lot of things come into play if you want to complete the game. Because I played the game online, it's pretty understandable that I have no instructions to read. Thankfully, the video review of that person who rates video games as either "innocent" or "guilty" gives a few shots of the instructions which I was able to get some detail. Anyway, some of those crucial things are how to keep the scientist and detective at bay, how to make use of the candy, or how to arrange your trip home.
As to why this game is so maligned, it probably has to do with the poor hit detection when it comes to the pits. I mean a lot of times, E.T. would fall in when it appears he's not at an edge of a pit. Also, if E.T. tries to fly out of a pit, he would sometimes fall back in. I guess this frustrated a lot of players. Well, as an advice I would give to some gamers, try staying far from the pits, and move in a straight line as much as possible, and maybe you'll fall less often. And once you come out of a pit, I recommend doing light taps when moving away instead of a regular press, thus you'll have less chance falling back in.
Because I was having trouble with the scientist and detective, I was already thinking about using the tip from that "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" video where the host tells about using the option that removes the two antagonists from the game. Nevertheless, I continued to play the game with the default setting until I completed it.
Yes, the game has poor hit detection. But since that is pretty much the only flaw of the game, I wouldn't be so scathing to it. Also, the number of things E.T. can do when in certain locations of the game really adds some depth. If you were to ask me if you should try this game, well, if you have the patience and positive attitude, you might be able to understand it.
Jikiru hakase no homa ga toki (1988)
A tricky but addictive game
I was watching a YouTube video featuring a guy who gives court style reviews to some poorly received games, thus rating them as either "innocent" or "guilty." In it, I was introduce to this NES game called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which is based on a book by Louis Stevenson. In the game, the player controls Dr. Jekyll who has to walk through six stages before reaching the church where he'll marry his girlfriend Ms. Millicent. Each stage contains dangers and obstacles which the doc has to avoid. The game features two meters: the top one represents life, and bottom one represents stress. If Jekyll gets hit by an obstacle, the life meter will deplete and the stress meter increases, though the stress meter changes faster. Once the stress meter gets full, Jekyll will turn into his doppelganger Mr. Hyde. The world Hyde plays in is similar to Jekyll's, except the backgrounds have a more eerie appearance. In these eerie places, Hyde has to destroy certain monsters (I recommend using the fireball instead of punches.) to bring down the stress meter. Once the stress meter empties, the player will return as Jekyll, and a significant portion of life will be restored as a bonus. Upon watching the YouTube video where the host rates it as "guinnocent" (the host's personal verdict to indicate a mixed response), I decided to play the game online.
I must admit that things like rolling barrels or people who run around at the presence of a bomb-dropping bandit can be tricky and frustrating. But with clever maneuvering and keeping a positive attitude, you should be able to avoid most, if not all, of them. I would at times let the people bump me back to avoid sustaining significant damage from the bombs. True, projectiles like bad musical notes and shoveled dirt are unpredictable, thus avoiding them is only by chance as Jekyll can only walk and not run (This shouldn't be surprising as people would just walk, not run, when going to an occasion). Anyway, I could care less, for most part, if I get struck by them, considering the Hyde levels are an opportunity for life restoration and to earn some money.
The game has two endings which is a rarity in an NES game. To get one of them, Jekyll has to reach the gateway to the church at the the sixth stage. The ending in that one is simply a scene of the front of the church where the word "End" momentarily appears. To get the other ending demands more gameplay. First of all, if Hyde, in his eerie levels, reaches a point where Jekyll turned into him, lightning will strike and kill him as well as Jekyll, thus ending the game (Fortunately the game has infinite continues so the player won't have to back to the beginning.). This is because Hyde must not progress further than Jekyll. But if there's an exception to this rule, it's when Jekyll reaches the sixth stage. When Hyde reaches the gateway to the church in his realm, he is greeted by a face that teleports and shoot fireballs. As Hyde attacks the face, the stress meter decreases little by little. Once the stress meter empties, the face will teleport to multiple locations on the screen before disappearing completely, and, as always, Hyde will return as Jekyll. Upon returning to Jekyll's world, Jekyll is no longer bothered by obstacles which have been omitted for some reason. When Jekyll reaches the church, the doc and Ms. Millicent slowly approach each other in front of the church before entering. The next scene shows Jekyll and the bride standing close to each other before kissing, and the "End" caption appears. Several seconds later, an odd person with a cross appears, along with the "End" caption which is reversed as if looked through a mirror. The appearance of the odd person is something that the host of the YouTube video regard as "creepy." As for me, the odd person is probably Mr. Hyde in his victory pose after defeating the face.
Despite its difficulty and flaws, I liked the game and played it quite a lot. This is because I always have this notion that I could get around the things that other gamers regard as frustrating even though I still get caught sometimes. Also the two soundtracks perfectly fit the worlds of Jekyll and Hyde. I played the game quite a lot until I managed to see both endings. Getting the first ending is challenging enough, while getting the second ending took me more hours and I had to use dozens of continues. While this game won't appeal to people looking for quality fun, it should attract gamers looking for a challenge. As to what I think about it, I don't find the game as bad as the critics say.
Unikitty! (2017)
Cute But Could Have Been Made More Properly.
For a while, I started to develop interest in unicorns after seeing a show like Noddy: Toyland Detective. And then we have this show. Unlike the unicorns in the aforementioned show, the ones here are a half-unicorn/half-cat, and another one which is half-unicorn/half-dog but I guess that's okay. As with the new cartoons of today. the colors are bright, and the slapstick comedy is fair. However, who's the simpleton who selected an old trollop to do the dialog of that horse-dog thing? Bright colors and fair slapstick does add a bit but using an old trollop to be the protagonist's little bro brings everything down. I you want a well-made CN show, choose another one over this abomination.
Goldie and Bear (2015)
Everything's Okay Except For The Little Bear
I for one enjoy stuff that colorful, cutesy, and light-hearted. I would at times imagine them, and even draw pictures of them. While Goldie and Bear is also colorful, cutesy, and light- hearted, I can't say that I embrace the show. Before we get to that, let's have a brief overview.
In the original Goldilocks story, Goldilocks (a.k.a. Goldie) intrudes the bears' home, eats their food, sat on their furniture, and slept on their beds. While she is sleeping, the bears return and confront her in bed. When she woke up and noticed their presence, she frightenedly flees the house.
But in this show which has an alternate storyline, the bears forgave and befriended Goldie. The young bear went on to become her best friend.
Besides featuring Goldie and the three bears, characters from various fairy tales (such as The Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood) are added to the cast.
Yes, the show is a great package of color, cuteness, and light-heartedness. There's even some music sequences. But again, I can't say that I embrace it. I wonder why? Perhaps the one flaw lies in the young bear. The things that fly from his mouth to touch the ears of the viewers, it should be done by someone from the blue zone, not the pink zone.
Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001)
Conker Will Never Make A Best Seller Game This Way
What makes a book a best seller? In some criterion, a book is a best seller if it sold a certain number of copies within a certain period. But in the case of video games, a game is considered a best seller if it sold 1,000,000+ copies. This is why if you look at Wikipedia for the best selling games of a particular console, they only list those that sold at least a million.
True, Conker did made a best seller game in Diddy Kong Racing where he made his debut. Sadly, this will be his only game that made such sales, considering how things gone over the next few years.
When studios create characters aimed at children, almost always that's how those characters are going to be for the rest of their careers. But in Conker's case, the unthinkable happened, and it probably shouldn't happened at all. Following two outings by Conker, the game makers corrupted the nice sweet squirrel by turning him into a fool drinking dizzying beverages. As a result, the game with the corrupted character sold way below expectations.
Perhaps this goes to show that Conker was better off being the way he was before he got corrupted. Too bad those game makers didn't see it coming. I hope they learned their lesson. A character directed at all audiences always sells better.
If Conker stays in this corrupted state, he'll be pretty much forgotten. Young gamers for years to come will never know that this once promising character even existed.