mnCollaborativelaw

(Updated 3/21/19: Yeeeeeeeaah--it's been a while since the last time I checked in. There's a reason for that: Lately I've felt more motivated to play games than write about them. I've been focused on Smash Bros., destroying people in Tetris 99 [25-plus wins, baby!], and legitimately completing whatever's left on my list of "thought-impossible" NES games [I can now finish Blaster Master in a single life--no pause-glitch needed!].

However, I have been continuing in my effort to update the older Memory Bank pieces. In fact, I just finished updating the Trojan piece, with which I'm finally satisfied [well, for now]. And, well, that's the way it's going to be for a while: I'll be spending time updating old pieces and checking in every couple of weeks with a progress report. Though, hopefully in time I'll feel motivated to start writing about recently played/discovered games again, because, man--that list ain't gettin' any shorter!

Anyway: If you want to read the improved version of my Trojan piece, scroll on down to the "Updated Memory Bank Pieces" portion of the page and click the appropriate link.)

Hey there, hep cats. This is just me checkin' in with a quick update.

As you've likely observed, it's been a long while since my last post. You've probably also noticed that lately the gaps between entries have been growing larger and larger. Well, there's a reason for that: Basically I've been overcome by feelinga of apathy. This is 100% the result of my spending way too many hours playing video games. My math tells me that I spent the first four months of this year exploring the libraries of the MSX, the Atari ST, DOS, the Amstrad CPC and various other platforms. And overindulging in that manner has afflicted me with a major case of burnout. It's so pervasive that I've barely played or written about any games since later May, nor have I felt the motivation or desire to.

You know how it is when you enter one of those phases in which you feel obligated to play games--especially all of the new ones that are coming out--but your brain keeps telling you, "I just don't feel like playing games anymore."

Well, that's where I am currently.

About all I've done is mess around with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 for the Nintendo Switch. I had great interest in it because I was eager to regain access to Mega Mans 9 and 10, which I didn't care to replay during the Wii days due to my distaste for the all of the console's the available controllers, what with their weird, uncomfortable ergonomics and clicky buttons. It's great to have them in this much-more-palatable form. I was also keen on the idea of owning a more-accessible version of Mega Man 8--which, if you remember, is a desire I expressed in my Mega Man 8 Memory Bank piece. I wanted to give it a second chance. And now that I have, I'm glad I did. I've really been digging it; I've played through it at least four times since the day of purchase. I'm now entirely convinced that it is, indeed, a worthy series entry.

But the fact remains that my passion for discovering and writing about video games has taken a dip. Really, I don't know when it'll return, so until then I'll just have to wait. Who knows--maybe I'll find a spark after I return from my annual August trip to upstate New York, where I hope to enjoy a stress-fee birthday celebration (I'm turnin' 40, yo)! We'll see what happens then--see how I feel.

I haven't been completely unproductive, though. I did get the sudden itch to go back and fix up some of my earliest Memory Bank pieces. I've started with Super Mario Bros., whose entry has been expanded upon and streamlined. I'm not going to be revising these works--changing their context--but instead improving their formatting, structuring and readability. 'Cause I gotta tell you, man: What a disaster these pieces are. They're truly awful. Rereading them has only served to make me sad. I'm both disappointed with and ashamed of the content I produced in 2014. I mean, really--this stuff is grammar-school-quality at best.

This situation must be remedied. So I intend to spend a lot of my blogging time improving these works and bringing them up to an acceptable standard.

What I've decided to do is leave this post open and report such updates here. Below is a list of the reconstructed pieces and dates in which they were updated. If you're interested in getting a clearer sense of what I think about these games and how I remember them, keep checking back here.

Updated Memory Bank Pieces

Mission Statement (8/13/18)
Super Mario Bros. (8/13/18)
The Legend of Zelda (9/2/18)
Metroid (10/4/18)
Mega Man 2 (10/23/18)
Trojan (3/21/19)

It may just work out that my revisiting these past entries ignites something within me--reminds me of what was so fun about this.

So how 'bout Castlevania finding some representation in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? It's long been expected to happen, yeah, yet seeing it come to pass still feels somewhat inconceivable. I mean, Mario and Richter Belmont are in the same game? How in the hell?

Thinking about all of the potential combinations makes my head spin: Simon Belmont versus Ryu. Simon and Richter versus Ganondorf and Ridley. Dark Samus versus Dracula, with Zero running around in the background, Z-Sabering everyone. Link, Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ryu, Solid Snake, Cloud Strife, Mega Man and Bayonetta fighting it out in Castlevania's castle keep. Talk about surreal.

Truthfully, I'm not much of a Smash Bros. player anymore (the games have become too defense-oriented for my liking), but I still find it exciting to follow the series and think about the possibilities. Ultimate has made many of them a reality; it's total wish-fulfillment.

That's all I got right now. I'm not sure when I'll be back or what game I'll be covering next, but kindly stay tuned. There's a lot more to come in the future. My to-do list is a mile long.

You might want to follow me on Twitter, doing which will save you those curiosity clicks and prevent empty trips.

So hang loose, stay positive, and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Hopefully I'll be seein' you soon.

Support me on Patreon!

Thrive - A fulfilling 2-player abstract from Adam's Apple Games.

Adam's Apple Games will be launching a Kickstarter for their upcoming game Thrive on February 26th, 2019.

Brief Overview:
Thrive is a board game where you play as one of two lotus flowers, competing to control the pond. Be the first to capture all but one of your opponent's seed pods and win this game of tactical decision making!

Mechanics:
Grid-based movement
Capture

Game Design Inspirations:

Onitama
Go
The Duke

What's unique: A special gift will be shipped to all game backers if they sign up to receive our launch announcement email.

The story behind the theme and game:

The story behind the lotus flower - A seed that may lay dormant for 1000 years, will finally awaken. First, it must fight through the muddy water to raise its heart to the world and each night, it will recede back into the water. One day, a new strain of lotus is introduced into the pond. Your goal will be to overcome this new challenge and thrive.

The lotus theme was inspired by the shape of the game piece, a unique piece that resembles the seed pod of a lotus. Beautiful artwork pairs wonderfully with satisfying piece movement for an approachable and fulfilling gameplay experience.

Components:

80 wooden pegs
12 premium plastic game pieces
Fabric game board

Designer: Martin Grider
Illustrations: Shirley Gong

Kickstarter launch date: Feb 26th, 2019
A fully playable final art version is released on Tabletop Simulator, and a greyscale artwork version is available via print and play.

Thrive on BGG:
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/4548155/thrive

More Info