Ooyah

@KateGray
Wow, that sounds like an amazing combo! If only you'd had Blueprint! I get what you mean about skipping Blinds for double tags... but the Anaglyph deck gives one for free after every boss, so you can stack them up quite easily. I once got a negative joker tag when I had nine double tags saved up, so I got ten negative jokers in the shop. Unfortunately, they were all pants! 😆 Of course, you also need the money to buy them all. Quite exciting when it works out, though! Amazingly enthralling game.

@KateGray I'm stuck around there too. Which deck are you using in your attempts? I have had some pretty broken runs with the Checkered and Anaglyph decks. For the latter... hoarding the Double Tags can lead to some nuttiness later on, such as having oodles of cash for the shop, or loads of negative Jokers. I ended up with around 15 Jokers once. 😆 Also using that deck... I once ended up with enough money to drive Constellation up to x18, as I saved up all of the Double Tags, and then got a "double your money" tag during the eighth Ante.

Well, I am now 80 hours into Balatro, and I don't seem able to put it down. Two of the decks in particular are very intriguing, and I am playing them over and over. I haven't managed to beat the penultimate difficulty yet, but I will keep trying in order to unlock the last deck. Amazing game, and great value for money too! Have a lovely weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

@Kirbyo
I came here to post the same thought... "Chicken Knuckle Sandwich".

To honour this article, I just tried to change my username to "OOYAH!!!" but, alas, I was not allowed to. ☹️

"Do you love frogs?"

Yes.

"Have you ever wanted to raise an army of the little hoppy creatures?"

PRE-ORDERED.

EDIT - I don't think I'm joking, actually. This sounds like a lot of fun!

I do like a good action RPG, and Square have been on fire recently, so I am intrigued. Pretty awful trailer, though! Hard to tell much about the game from that.

Sands Of Time was one of those games which just blew me away. The traversal was just magnificent. Best wall running in any game ever, I think. I was totally gutted by the two sequels!

They might need more than one? Unless it's the very last surviving tree, after the others have been punched to pieces. Oh... maybe that's the plot! 🤭

So it would be like that bit in Fight Club, but with dancing? Shame this is for April Fools day, as it would be quite funny seeing people madly dancing in public spaces, trying to encourage others to join in.

I think that El Shaddai is out on the 28th of April. I will get that and Library of Ruina.

@Coffeemonstah
Right with you on that one. Gribbly is in my all time top ten. You could also add Fire & Ice (Amiga) and Rana Rama to that list, I think.

Matthew Smith would be fascinating! Jet Set Willy 1 and 2, Manic Miner... maybe they could resurrect something around Jet Set Willy 3? He's quite a charismatic guy, too, so the interviews and stories could be really interesting!

Andrew Braybrook, too. Wow.

David Crane.

Of course, I would also like a Bubble Bobble collection. The original, Memories, Symphony, Rainbow Islands, Parasol Stars... that would be magic.

@garfreek
Yeah, you're probably right... maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I work in data, so I probably have a bee in my bonnet regarding word clouds! 😆

So... in a survey about Capcom, the word "Capcom" featured quite a lot. How on Earth do Capcom believe this to be useful information? Also... "Game". Quite surprising, that one... you wouldn't expect the word "Game" to come up in relation to Capcom, would you? I think they should have filtered this a bit. Also words such as "my", "very", and "many". They just add meaningless noise.

We've known for a long time that games based on work and professions can be good. Super Mario (Plumbing), Super Metroid (Bounty Hunter), Castlevania (Exorcist), Goat Simulator (Goat), etc.

@Not_Soos
My name is Ron, so it made me smile too! 😆

I never use "Ronald", though. I can't stand it! 🤭

@Woderwick
Hit it with a broom? You're despicable!

@Woderwick
Ah, you know... I think it is Bugs at first, and then Daffy ends up dressed like a rabbit... I will try to watch it again later! 😊

@Woderwick
I forgot to mention that I would pet him too! 😆

Man, I loved that cartoon. Daffy Duck, I think?

@Woderwick
If I had a slugcat, I would hug him, and squeeze him, and name him George.

@LEGEND_MARIOID @Bratwurst35
It wasn't a rock... it was a ROCK LOBSTER!

The Binding Of Isaac, a can of Pepsi, a bag of Magic Stars, a cat on my lap, and my lovely wife chatting with me. Happy days.

@SuperCharlie78
That's really good going. Things start to get pretty rough from that point onwards! Are you going to keep playing? If so, maybe we can compare notes again next weekend. 😊

@BodkinDQ
I suddenly feel the need to assure you that I was kidding, of course! I never can resist a little joke. 😊 I hope that the little one is doing really well.

@SuperCharlie78
Nice one! That was a great combination of Jokers. Did you carry on your run after that?

@BodkinDQ

1 - Give baby bag of chocolate.
2 - Stick baby in front of TV.
3 - Play.
4 - (Give more chocolate as required).

I've never babysat before, but that seems to be a sound plan. 🤭

@SuperCharlie78
Hey there! Let's see... the ordering of the Jokers is vital. They fire from left to right (unless they're the type that triggers when a playing card is actually played). As such, if you have any Jokers which multiply the multiplier (instead of just adding to it), always have them on the right, so that other bonuses are applied first. Also... the Standard and Arcane booster packs are worth going for if you can, as they have some special cards sometimes. Steel cards are quite powerful, and having other bonus cards in your deck can help a lot. Planet cards are good if you have a favourite hand type. But, really... look for Jokers which synergise well (like the ones which work with face cards, and the one which treats every card as a face card, for example). Oh, one last thing... there are some amazing Jokers which multiply the multiplier and gain value upon certain actions (such as every time a Planet card is used, or every time a booster pack is skipped). The Jokers which gain power over time can be incredible. I once had a joker which gave x6 to mult using one of those. And I had Blueprint to the left of it!

I am not sure how helpful that is! Sorry. Maybe just unlocking more Jokers is the real key.

EDIT... one thing I neglected to use when playing at first... always check the tag for skipping a blind. They can be quite good sometimes. And I think that I won my early runs with the Yellow deck... the extra money helps at the start.

Well, I still can't put down Balatro! 50 hours now. Have completed 18 runs, and have unlocked a fair bit.

Here is my record so far, for anyone interested. I'm struggling to see how it is possible to get much further, though. Am using a spoiler tag, just in case!

Am currently trying to unlock all of the decks... two left. Some of them are really fun!

I was also tempted into taking a chance on The Power Of 10, but have only played for around an hour, due to the above! 🤭

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

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in today, but I'd rather have a Demolition Simulator. Although we do have Blast Corps now. I also yearn for the sheer joy of destroying the entire level in those Earth Defense Force games. Although, of course, in order to smash the heck out of something, it needs to be constructed first. Hmmmm. Heaven knows what I'm getting at. I should probably go back to bed. 😆

@JimNorman "Can we fix it?" Construction isn't fixing, Jim! The fixing begins the day after the construction is "complete"! 😉

The blurring on the NA / Euro cover makes my eyes feel funny, for some reason. I love the sketchy asthetic on the Japan cover... but, most of all, I love the Game Boy Color logo! Glorious.

I bet that Alex wishes he could stay there with Doshin. 😆 He sure does seem to like Doshin... as do I! I would love to see another Doshin game, or a remake.

So, last week, I was wondering if the lack of a story and over-arching structure would stop me returning to Balatro after completing my first run. The answer is no. Very no. 😆 I played a few more runs after that, and something just clicked... have been hopelessly addicted ever since. I want to see more of the Jokers, and want to see how far endless mode goes. This could be me for a while. Am delaying Unicorn Overlord due to this game and Pocket Card Jockey! Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

@PessitheMystic You sure do have a way with words, but I must admit that several giggles escaped from me. 🤭

They can fly now? Heaven help us! 😆

Also, Rare should make a crossover game with Viva Pinata and My Little Pony. That would be confusing. 🪅🎉

@JohnnyMind
Same here! I actually have it in my backlog, as I picked it up immediately after playing the demo... am just waiting for the right time to start it. It's great to see so many additions being made to it.

@kfflscnt That sounds unspeakably cute. Were they still holding their logs? They don't move much, do they? I really want to see this episode! 😆

@robokku Great review, and I think you're spot on with your "terminal outsider" remark. Snufkin seems to love spending time with the Moomins, and values friendship greatly... but he always leaves to go wandering. Maybe he just values his freedom that much, but it always feels as if he wants to be a part of the community, but denies himself the opportunity. I was always fascinated by the character, and I always wished that he would stay. Maybe it's just sad to think of him being alone. There's something more that I want to say, but can't quite put my finger on it. An intriguing figure.

@JohnnyMind
Well, I guess that I would be classed as middle aged, and I would like to play with them too! 😆 I'm not sure if my wife would be very impressed, though... she was somewhat bemused when my Snorlax Squishmallow arrived in the post! 🤭

@JohnnyMind
Yeah, they really are covering a lot of bases, you're right. I am also glad about this. There's even a Lego Wiggler (which is cute beyond my comprehension)! 😆

@nhSnork
But what is next with this viewpoint? Maybe you also think that clubs are weapons of war? Personally, I think that diamonds mean money for this art. But, is that the shape of your heart?

@epicgamner
18+? Must be a recreation of the Peach shower scene in TTYD, right? 😆

But does the Chain Chomp make the barking sound from Super Mario 64? Will buy 20 of them if so, and set them all off at once! 😆

@gabrigoes
Yeah... maybe if it had an additional structure around it like Slay The Spire, Puzzle Quest, or Inscryption. Some kind of driver because, at the moment, the rounds themselves kind of exist in a void, if you get what I mean. It feels like the skeleton of a bigger game. Don't get me wrong, though... it is great for what it is, and you're spot on in describing it as "eerie". I also understand that there is a lot to be unlocked (more jokers and decks, for example) but, personally, I maybe need a bit more to keep me engaged with it.

I downloaded Balatro last night. Played it for around five hours, and "completed" it for the first time. Am not feeling very motivated to return to it, although maybe I just had outrageous luck. I really feel that the game needs some kind of a story, to provide an extra reason for multiple playthroughs. Otherwise, I will carry on with Hammerwatch Anniversary Edition, and Pocket Card Jockey (which I never have any luck in! 😆). Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

Have filled my 512... may go for the 1TB Sandisk. Feels a bit too early to go for a 1.5TB just yet! I didn't even know they existed. I always get nervous buying new tech "too soon". Maybe I am acting irrationally, though.

Ooh, I like the look of this! Watching the video instantly took me back to playing similar games on the Amiga. Looks like it's going to be quite hard, though... there seemed to be a lot of accidentally colliding with things! A demo would be great.

Library Of Ruina has me intrigued, for sure. It looks like one of those games I may just go for, regardless of reviews. There is something mysterious about it.

This is absolutely adorable. It looks perfect, and I have always loved how his little feet stick out at the back! Kirby is just a goldmine of cuteness... it's funny how they packed a pink blob so full of personality.

I loved these on the Vita. Bright and breezy (mostly), and I found them to be strangely compelling and addictive at the time. Finding chips which enable you to "break" the game is fun, and it's one of those games where the damage numbers go sky high in the end. Also, the real time dungeon mini games are lovely, where you send a party out, and then come back later on to see how they did. It appears that time has not been kind in relation to how these games are perceived now, but I for one will look forward to revisiting them.