Ooyah

Gen 2 for me, and not just because it's my favourite generation... it's because the cover for Pokemon Gold is one of my all time favourites. Gorgeous...and shiny!

@KingMike Spanner is really mild... maybe comparable to something like "plonker". I would be intrigued to see if "bugger" is allowed! Is that word not offensive in the U.S., then?

A few things on the go!

Dragon Quest III HD-2D - Am just wandering around, going to places I probably shouldn't just yet! I love a wander about... 😆

Under The Island - This really caught my eye, so I thought I would give it a go. Great stuff so far... nice dense maps, full of things to see and do. A very nice, light, Zelda style game.

Pokemon LeafGreen - £16.99? What do they think I am? Some kind of mug? So... I chose Bulbasaur as my starter (as always!), and am currently levelling up my Pikachu. 😆

Sword Of Fargoal (Evercade) - Am edging closer to completing this! I absolutely love it, it's fantastic.

Have a great weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

It cracks me up that Oak can't remember the name of his own grandson. "What is his name again?" 😆 The good news is that I was still able to name him "SPANNER".

Well, last week's battle was 101% by the looks of it, so this one will have to go some to beat it! 😆 Jokes aside, I went for the NA/EU cover this week, because the Japan one looks more like a Mario cover! I quite like the more demure Zelda covers.

Although I am continuing with Dragon Quest III 2D-HD, all of my gaming time has been consumed by Sword Of Fargoal on the C64 (via Evercade). It's a really fantastic RPG rogue-like, one of the first (1983). I have found the sword on several occasions, but escaping with it feels almost impossible! Caves Of Qud, Under The Island, and Calamity Angels also have my interest, so let's see how disciplined I can be this weekend! 😆 And then, of course... LeafGreen and FireRed next week! Oh my days. Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

This reminds me of hours spent with the Shoot-Em-Up Construction Kit on the C64...

Easy one for me! WOOOBBUUUUFFEEEEETTTTT!!! salute My favourite Pokemon ever. So goofy and endearing. And playing through Gold was one of my most magical gaming experiences of all time.

I will be continuing on with Dragon Quest III HD-2D. Has been really lovely so far, and I am really enjoying it. The monster designs in this series have always been fantastic, but they have even more personality here. I am really hoping for a HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime! That game was fantastic.

On the Evercade, I am currently entranced by Sword Of Fargoal on the C64! It's really enchanting, and quite tense at times. I haven't made it beyond the sixth floor yet, but it has really sucked me in. A very pleasant surprise!

I am also looking forward to Caves Of Qud, which at least has appeared on the e-shop now, ahead of its release next week. It will have to join the backlog for now, though!

Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

I too am a little puzzled by the absence of Caves Of Qud. I was going to pre-order it, but it remains strangely absent on the UK e-shop. I hope it hasn't been delayed, am looking forward to it!

@Yalloo Wow, thank you for the kind words. I do try to stay positive and upbeat, in spite of the depression, as I know that is who I am underneath this. I don't want to be "taken over" by it, although it is much easier said than done. Also, thank you for the great recommendations! Krimson in particular looks fascinating... and Thumper has caught my eye before. I don't usually play rhythm games (although I did adore Elite Beat Agents!), so maybe branching out a bit will do me some good. Thank you again, and I hope that you are okay yourself. And, yes... let us both keep on gaming! 😃

@Yalloo Hi there! Thank you so much for this, it is very thoughtful of you. I'm endogenous, so it's genetic from birth, and not much impacts it... distraction is the best I can do during heavy episodes. Having said that, such games are quite engaging, aren't they? Maybe if there is one with an industrial or metal soundtrack? May help to drown out the noise in my head! 😆

Being in a bit of a two and eight at the moment, I decided that I needed something comforting and old-school, so I opted for the remake of Dragon Quest 3. Something non-stressful, which can be taken at a sedate pace. Has been great so far, just the ticket! Am also enjoying Bruce Lee and Impossible Mission on the Evercade. Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

@Cleefuzz I hit 50% of your criteria (careless). Can we still be friends? I do have a Cookie Dough Milkshake right here! Share? Deal? 😆

@solarwolf07 Yeah, me too. According to my calculations, I can almost afford the Pro model, but I am short by about $6,900. 😆

Wow, I really love the vibrancy of the NA cover! And it makes the game look very exciting! Easy pick for me this week. 😊

@Link41x I loved Gravity Guy on the Windows Phone... it's a super intense game, though! The sequel is also pretty good, just surprisingly different to the original.

I must admit that I am struggling a lot with the depression and anxiety at the moment, so am finding it hard to get lost in games. I think that the BALL x PIT update is out? I may try that. Maybe some C64 on the Evercade. Or maybe just sleepwalk through Resident Evil again! Argh. Have a great weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

@Teksette Well, the Evercade has had Atari and Intellivision collections, so fingers crossed for a Coleco Vision cartridge! Jumpman Jr is on one of the C64 collections, by the way. GORF is a classic! I am very surprised that we haven't seen Konami yet. As for the controller, I have the handheld Evercade, so I can't be of much help there, sorry, but I hope you can find something good!

@Teksette I hope you enjoy your Evercade! Loads of good stuff on there! I am also loving Pitfall at the moment. I am hoping for a second Activision collection, so we can get Pitfall 2 and H.E.R.O. I would also love to see the return of Park Patrol! I spent hours playing that on the C64. 😊

Ah... I got stuck in a complete rut (in all ways!), so I went back to a game which I can play over and over... Resident Evil (the remarkable Gamecube remake, via the Switch 2). I know it like the back of my hand, but I find it so comforting to play. It also made me realise how much I miss this style of game, and Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill f were on sale on Steam, so I picked those up. Some time ago, I also scooped up the Dead Space remake. So I will start one of them today. 😊 Probably Dead Space, as I loved that on the 360. Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

I love the NA cover... for me, it's very classy and ominous. I have always felt it to be a good fit, as grimoires are dark and foreboding too!

I have been bouncing around between different games! Let's see:

Pokemon Legends ZA 25 hours, and I am struggling to continue. The city setting is just so "samey", and it feels like you have seen everything after a few hours. Even the story is repetitive. My love of Pokemon is urging me to continue, but this surely is a strange entry in the series.

Nightmare: The Lunatic On the one hand, it seems like a fairly standard roguelike, but it does have a slightly different feel to others, and there is something pulling me back to it. I need more time with this one.

Snoopy And The Great Mystery Club Ahem. I know, I know... but I love Peanuts, I needed some comfort, and it was on a half price sale. And... it isn't great! 😆 Charming, as it has to be, but the "missions" really are a case of: "Go here, go there, now go here, now go there"... the whole thing is about traversal. Maybe it will open up a bit.

Underwurlde (Evercade) Am so loving this! I think that I have identified a way ahead now. Maybe. 😆

Pitfall (Evercade) Still can't break 90,000. Still trying. Need to make better use of the shortcuts.

Llamatron 2112 (Evercade) Still so good! Still hard as nails!

Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

I don't have much of an interest in MP4, but I want to play it simply to see why Myles has agitated people so much! 😆

I would love to see a remaster or remake of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. That was such a quirky and original game, it was a total joy. Looking back now, it was probably my favourite game on the DS. Considering that it wasn't released in Europe (I imported it at the time), it really would be a great candidate for a new release.

@Yalloo I misread your initial sentence as "I am still on the same gaming loo", and was thus instantly concerned for you, and also ultra intrigued! 😆

@FishyS I hope you enjoy Fantasy Life i, and BALL x PIT! I loved both of them. For BxP, I found that the town building can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll be running with it in no time! 😃

I am now around 25 hours into Pokemon Legends ZA. Still not sure what to make of it!!! I like the new battle system, but the missions are boring and repetitive, as is the city itself. Having said that, it has the usual Pokemon charm, and the story isn't as painful as S&S or S&V. As usual, any joy is found in just wandering around and ignoring the main missions!

NPC: "The situation is critical! Meet me at the tower, urgently!!!"

ME, giving a cheery "Heya!" as I turn up 17 days later. 😊

I have been loving Pitfall on the Evercade. I can make it over 80,000, but that perfect score is a long way off... 😆

Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

Happy New Year, guys! I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2026, full of warmth, love, joy, and fulfilled dreams.

@Teksette @Freek That's a lovely story, Teksette. I have so many "arcade" memories... such a shame that they are really a thing of the past now, as we remember them (I was at the seaside in September, and the "Arcades" were mainly full of fruit machines). As for my early gaming "journey"... Arcade, Atari 2600, C64, Amiga 500, N64. Commodore are my true love. 😊

@Stormcloudlive Ah, it sounds like you're way ahead of me, mate! 😆 Understood about wanting it all in one place. I wish that games could be installed on the Evercade! I have a Miiyo Mini, but am squeamish about the legality of emulation, no matter how much I try to talk myself around to it! The Trimui sounds intriguing, I will have a read. As for the chippy... my dear old nan used to take me there a lot. They had a big aquarium, too! As for what I had... battered sausage, chips, and a pickled egg... every time. 😊

I think that Dungeon Encounters was one of the boldest and bravest video games that I had seen for a long time, at that point... I wish that Square would release more left-field games like that.

He's right, you know... cats and dogs, living together... MASS HYSTERIA!!!

@Freek I was three years old when it was released, but I still think it was the first arcade game I ever played, a few years after it released, in a chippy in the East End. 😊

@Stormcloudlive Great game! I'm not sure if the following info is of any use to you, but it's available on the Evercade, on one of their Data East collections. The Evercade also features other greats of the "Elimination" genre, such as Bubble Bobble, Rodland, Snow Bros, Don Doko Don (so good!), The Fairyland Story... they're all on different carts, though.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! The highlight of my Christmas Day was watching the 4K HDR version of Jaws with my wife whom had never seen it before. 😆

I was gifted an upgrade to my Super Pocket... the Evercade EXP-R! Along with many Evercade cartridges. So I am currently in my element with the following:
Pitfall This is one of those games which is just as good as it ever was. You can really get into a flow state with it, it's just mesmerising. I want to 'complete' this. No chance! 😆
Underwurlde I remember that this didn't review very well at the time, but I am loving it. The jumping takes a while to figure out, but everything is perfectly designed around it.
Wardner Loved this in the arcades, and am so happy to have it on the go! Lovely game, which requires a bit of thought.

I was also gifted Pokemon Legends ZA! But that will have to wait behind the real heavy-hitters... 😆

Take great care of yourselves out there, guys, and of those around you.

I was really disappointed with New Horizons, as I felt that it lacked the warmth, joy, and liveliness of New Leaf and Wild World. It felt like more of a collectathon than a life-sim, and it just didn't feel as "chill" as previous entries. It felt colder. Maybe just me!

Merry Christmas! Wishing everyone a festive season full of cheer, warmth, and love.

@Yoshi3 That's a brilliant shout, mate, and I would love to see it, as I was looking forward to the game at the time... but wouldn't it be codenamed "Project S" then? Still... one can still hope!

@Zeebor15 Woah... steady as she goes, mate. Try to keep the demons at bay. Particularly hard at this time of year. I'm a depressive, by the way, so this isn't just a throw away line. Apologies if this is unwelcome, I'm just concerned.

I love rogue-lites, but I have always found there to be something slightly off-putting about this one. Maybe I should take a chance while it's on sale. Thanks for the heads-up!

I didn't have a crush on Kat Dennings, having never heard of her... but I do now! 😆 Seriously, though... I haven't played a Lego game in ages. These look fun, although I may wait for the new Lego Batman.

@JohnnyMind Ah, okay! Yeah... 4 is a bit more "actiony" than the others, although the original isn't too disturbing, I think (although the flipping spiders freak me out!!!). Oh... and when I say "the remake of the original", I mean the one that came out originally on the Gamecube, by the way. Was released on the Switch years ago.

@JohnnyMind If you did feel like giving RE a go... the remake of the original is just sensational, and is quite often on sale (I think!). I think it's a better game than 4, although I also think that few people would agree with me on that one! 😆

Wow, the NA art is lovely! Really colourful and cute. Best Mega Man cover I have ever seen.

I'm not sure that I'm in the mood for "big" games, so I have picked up my Super Pocket, and am rummaging through my Evercade carts. Have you ever returned to a game which you beat as a kid, played it for a bit, and then thought to yourself "How on Earth did I ever complete this? It's impossible!!!". That's me and Summer Camp (Thalamus, C64, 1991) at the moment. 😆 I also remember feeling like I was the only person who bought it at the time! Does anybody else remember that game? Still a lovely, cute, game... but so hard! Let's see if I can get past the first level this weekend. 😆 Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

But is Bond gonna go his way... that's the question.

I saw the 50th anniversary edition of Jaws in the cinema, and it was bliss! The tremendous climax is just remarkable on the big screen. Anyway... I will be terribly tempted by this. I have always been curious about the game!

@Mana_Knight Looks like we're on the same page! 😆 A sale would get me too. From what I can see, it has a physical release in the US, but maybe not anywhere else yet. ☹️ Oh well... at least we have the arcade original thanks to Hamster, along with Rainbow Islands and The New Zealand story! We even have the wonderful Parasol Stars.

@Mana_Knight I had a scan of the reviews on Metacritic, and it doesn't sound great. ☹️ Although, I'm a bit of a Bubble Bobble nut, so I might get something out of it! Symphony is definitely the main draw! I'm surprised by the price of it... I may wait for a sale. But Bubble Bobble is my favourite game ever, so it will stay on my mind for sure!