Tag: Memory Pak
Memory Pak The Best Puzzles Are The Ones That Make You Want To Throw Things At The TV
A puzzling reaction
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new-ish column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. This time, Kate discusses her puzzle tantrums... The first time I played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, it was under the supervision of my partner. It...
Memory Pak After 20 Years, Eternal Darkness Really Deserves A Second Life
Being stuck on one system is pure insanity
Picture the setting. You’re walking around a grand mansion, testing out keys on locked doors, investigating every nook and cranny, and simply trying your best to figure out where you need to go and what you need to do. The rooms are well-lit and the furniture neatly positioned together. By all accounts,...
Memory Pak Becoming The Very Best In Black & White 2's Pokémon World Tournament
Like no one ever was...
Walking out into the arena of Pokémon Black & White 2’s Pokémon World Tournament (PWT) for the first time, I had chills. The lights were dimmed, the crowd was watching, and the commentary was introducing me – my character – as if I were some sort of celebrity. Well, sure, I’d saved Unova and become the Champion...
Memory Pak Forget Zelda And Mario, Thumper Was The Biggest Surprise Of 2017
'Rhythm-Violence' game is now 5 years old
When the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, I — like many others — devoured The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I was hooked, and it was only when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched a month later that I was wrenched away from the land of Hyrule. But while Mario Kart 8 remains as incredible as it was...
Memory Pak Making New Memories With Earthbound In 2022
"Getting real big Undertale vibes from this"
I didn't have a SNES growing up. I didn't have a NES, either. I had an N64, though, so I'm not totally hopeless. Lately, I've been able to remedy the gaps in my gaming knowledge, since Nintendo's been adding a ton of games that I either missed (because of being a baby) or missed (as in, bemoaned the...
Memory Pak The Best And Most Chaotic Way To Play Puyo Puyo Tetris
Pi pi pi pi! PI PIIII
Today, Puyo Puyo Tetris turns five years old. I think that maybe very few people will care about this — it's just Tetris with more colours and annoying characters, really — but for me, Puyo Puyo Tetris was the foundation upon which my current relationship was built. Come back in time with me to 2017, and I'll tell you a...
Memory Pak My First Killing Game - 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
What a wicked game to play
There was a time before I knew about killing games. Before Hunger Games, before Danganronpa, before Squid Game. And then, I played 999. On the face of it, killing games seem sociopathic: We tend to follow a single "player" who is unwittingly enrolled in a game where only the strongest, cleverest, or most underhanded...
Memory Pak The Scariest Resident Evil Scene No One Talks About
REmake turns 20
It’s been 20 years to the day since Resident Evil launched on GameCube in Japan — can you believe it? The once-exclusive remake of the 1996 original has since achieved legendary status, with many fans declaring it as the strongest entry to the franchise. I happen to agree; yes, Resident Evil 4 is arguably more influential and...
Memory Pak I Was Accidentally In The Perfect Place For The Nintendo Switch Launch Week
No, it wasn't "The Free Nintendo Switch Shop", that doesn't exist
Soapbox and 'Memory Pak' articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives; today it's the turn of Kate Gray to tell us her memories of the week the Switch came out, five years ago... Five-ish years ago, in February 2017, I had just decided to move country. I had...
Memory Pak Star Fox 64, My Incredible Introduction To The World Of Nintendo
Not Mario or Zelda, and my affection for the series will never end
Soapbox articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives; today it's the turn of Tom Whitehead to talk about the 64-bit game that sparked his love affair with Nintendo... I'm old enough to say my first gaming system was a ZX Spectrum, which is a big yikes. We had...
Memory Pak Looking Into The Light In Super Mario 64
You know, that level where Mario blinds himself?
My dad used to tell me that, when he was young, the world was in black and white. For a long time, I didn't think to question it - after all, every shred of historical evidence we had from the 1950s and before was in black and white, too. Unfortunately, I grew up, and realised that my dad - as all...
Memory Pak If Crashing In Burnout Is Wrong, Then I Don’t Want To Be Right
Car carnage
Happy birthday, GameCube! It's been twenty years since your gorgeous, chunky indigo shape graced our TV stands, and we were all introduced to that beedle-deedle-deedle-deedle-beedle-deedle-beedly-beep, BLUMP. You know the one I mean. The GameCube's catalogue is so stellar that I've already written several features about its games, from...
Memory Pak The Exquisite Weirdness Of The Sims: Bustin' Out
Ah, the 2000s
I've always loved house-building, life-simulating game The Sims. I was on the bandwagon from day one, ever since meeting the tutorial family, Bob and Betty Newbie, and finding out that they could make a baby by kissing back-and-forth for hours. Just like real life, of course. Life most people, I would spend hours and hours building...
Memory Pak When Mario Became A Pro Wrestler And Ruled At It
Paper beats Rawk
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new-ish column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. This time, Kate wrestles with some extremely strong feelings for Paper Mario... Paper Mario flies into Glitzville by blimp I may be bending the rules of...
Memory Pak My Nostalgic Sonic 2 Playthrough Was A Treasured Gaming Moment
You only have one life
It's a big anniversary year for various Nintendo franchises, but it's easy to forget that it's also a whopper for SEGA's mascot, with June bringing the 30th Anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. We'll have various articles celebrating that milestone, but a little ahead of time I thought I'd share a fun memory I have with the...
Memory Pak My Very First Shiny Pokémon
A tale of heartbreak, loss, and sparkles
Earlier this month, there was a news story about a Pokéfan who had managed to catch not only every single Pokémon, but also every single shiny. Considering that the likelihood of finding a shiny Pokémon is around 1/4096 — although you can increase the rate slightly with various methods — this is a...
Memory Pak Playing Through Ghost Trick For The First Time
Life-changing death-changing
There are a handful of games that I find it difficult to talk about, because my calm, collected journalist demeanour gets overtaken by my extremely over-enthusiastic inner fan. I can't tell you how much I adore Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, because I'll legitimately get too emotional about how utterly brilliant...
Memory Pak The First Time I Saw The Rocket In Tetris
Hello, T-spin, my old friend
This is Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Kate takes a trip around the memory block, exploring a formative memory for many of us: our first time playing Tetris, and our first time actually being good at Tetris. I don't remember...
Memory Pak When Ace Attorney Pulled A Game Of Thrones-Level Twist
I can't believe they got Sean Bean to play [REDACTED]
Is it even worth doing a spoiler warning for an article that literally has the word "twist" in the title? I will anyway, just in case: This article will contain spoilers for both Game of Thrones and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, as well as probably some of the other Ace Attorney games, but none...
Memory Pak Taking My First Starter Pokémon All The Way To The Elite Four
Making my parents proud by beating a video game
My first Pokémon was a Chikorita named Chicky, and I loved that tiny green horse-thing with all my heart. I came to Pokémon a little later than many of my friends and peers, having missed out on Pokémon Red and Blue by not owning a Game Boy, but I spent many hours watching others wander around...
Memory Pak When Harvest Moon Taught Me About Death
You can't just save scum this one away
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. We hope you've got some tissues ready because this one's going to be a bit of a weepy. People play Harvest Moon games for their...
Memory Pak When Link Left The Temple Of Time In Zelda: Ocarina Of Time And Everything Changed
Lesson learned: touching swords makes you get old
Welcome to the first instalment of a new column, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. We're starting off strong with a moment that cemented the Zelda series as one of the all-time greats, in celebration of Link's 35th birthday...
