T-Pac

I like how the gray is more uniform with the set, but also more unique as the "outlier" Zelda.

That being said, I don't care enough for Zelda to bother replacing my regular gold copy with a gray haha.

[T-Pac]

2 hours ago, fcgamer said:

This is kind of how I feel about it, especially as time has become more limited. 

Yeah - it's definitely not the right approach for everyone, but it's the best for me. 

Some people prefer to dedicate a lot of time to a small number of games, truly beating and mastering them. Whereas I find more satisfaction in dedicating a smaller amount of time to a larger number of games, using "cheats" to fully experience what they have to offer without the goal of mastery. (At least in most cases.)

[T-Pac]

My limited experience with pixel-art and sprite animation hasn't made me any better at PLAYING games, but it's certainly given me greater admiration for the developers who make this stuff (especially "back in the day" when they did it with more primitive interfaces and tools).

[T-Pac]

All turbo all the time. Especially for shoot-em-ups.

I've grown past my personal qualms about "cheating" through a game. If it makes the experience more fun and less frustrating, I'm all in!

(Although admittedly, being accustomed to autofire all the time makes it hard to re-acclimate to games with charge-shots where you can't play properly with turbo - like R-Type.)

[T-Pac]

27/40 - Phalanx [Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 1992]

Finished: 2024/06/16

Caveats: Used save states and played on easy mode.

[T-Pac]

T-Pac Arcade : Phalanx [Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 1992]

To my VGS friends in the lower third of the US - apologies for my sub-par "Southern old man" accent haha.

[T-Pac]

Finished Reading The Beauty of Everyday Things by Soetsu Yanagi.

[T-Pac]

22 hours ago, RH said:

Ah man, do they have you drawing in a spare closet? I noticed everyone else had decorated desks and your contribution was... an eraser?!

Nah, I'm not picking on you, but I did find that curious.

I'm a minimalist haha. Cluttered desk = cluttered mind.

What does your workspace look like?

[T-Pac]

I'm pretty sure everyone who started collecting before 2019 has seen some significant appreciation in their games' values.

But what always strikes me the most isn't the high-end stuff that has continued to trend up ... but the popular common stuff that's pretty valuable all of a sudden. Games you wouldn't expect to be worth much, since they're staples that everybody seems to have already, and there were sooo many of them produced due to their popularity - and yet their prices keep inflating. Probably because their "staple status" makes them must-haves for all newcomers to the classic gaming scene.

[T-Pac]

I got the majority of my Atari 2600 collection in a huge lot from @BortLicensePlate in 2020 - and it was really cool because I got to meet him in-person (albeit briefly). Still the only VGS member I've met offline.

Also he gave me a killer deal on the games - especially considering all the extra manuals he threw-in, too. (Thanks again, dude!)

[T-Pac]

A wild T-Pac draws Donalds in his natural habitat at 0:24 ...

[T-Pac]

On 6/6/2024 at 7:34 PM, ThePhleo said:

What about aesthetic?

I think as an animator you know what I'm talking about, and since you're in the industry you probably can't express your feelings even 100% truthfully since it's the current "in vogue" style...

But I absolutely, undeniably, despise the "Jelly Bean" style that's seeping into the indie game scene. I like to call it the "Steven Universe" effect.

I'd love a discussion on video game aesthetics. Some people have even brought up aesthetic elements here, like anime art-styles and cel-shading - but considering the confusion around theme vs. genre vs. aesthetic, I'm ... uh ... not too confident there would be a coherent conversation there.

Also - I love the JellyBean style haha! I can see how oversaturation would ruin it for a lot of people, though - like how oversaturation ruined the anime style for me (I won't go into it here, but I have a lot of mixed feelings about anime in general).

[T-Pac]

22 hours ago, Gloves said:

If you build it, they will come.

If only I knew how to build it...

[T-Pac]

I've been ruminating on my "dream game" / "perfect game" for a while now, and this was a good incentive to actually make some mockup artwork.

So the game is called "Zapparatus", and it's for the Game Boy.

You play as a robot called Zap10, and you make your way through a bunch of bio-horror style settings.

There are 3-5 levels (ideally, the total playtime from start to finish would be around 15 minutes - short and sweet).

Each level has 3 phases:

A ) Auto-Runner Phase
Here, the screen scrolls automatically and your only controls are a double-jump, so it's all about nailing the timing and power of each jump to clear obstacles and maneuver through hazards.

B ) Shoot-Em-Up Phase
This follows a standard horizontal shooter formula, with a strategy emphasis. I don't think there would be any powerups, so everything is designed around the standard blaster. Straightforward mechanics, but with fun set-pieces like laser gates and stuff.

C ) Block-Pusher Phase
The boss fight of each level is actually a block-pushing puzzler. You just have to get the correct block into the black-holes to gain access to the boss and blast it away.

The top of the screen shows which level and phase you're on, as well as the corresponding password to pick up where you left off. You get unlimited continues, too. Very forgiving.

More to come soon, probably. I'm having a lot of fun conceptualizing this haha.

[T-Pac]

26/40 - Down Load [NEC PC Engine - 1990]

Finished: 2024/05/27

Caveats: Only used save states to pause between sessions.

[T-Pac]

T-Pac Arcade : Down Load [NEC PC Engine - 1990]

I was expecting this game to be a lot more epic, considering how people relate it to Akira all the time. But it was still a fun shoot-em-up with an interesting weapon-system.

Also pretty happy with how the drawing turned-out for this one.

[T-Pac]

Guys ... genres and gameplay elements are NOT "themes" haha (at least not in the sense I'm referring to in this topic).

A theme in video games is like the aesthetic coat of paint on top of a given genre. Fantasy, sci-fi, western, noir, mythological, etc. 

For example, whether or not you like arctic stuff as a theme is unrelated to whether or not you like ice-physics in the game.

[T-Pac]

@SNESNESCUBE64 out here makin' the rest of us look like garbage-collectors with his sick early-Nintendo arcade machines 'n stuff...

(Seriously awesome pickup, by the way. I'd love a chance to play a Space Fever machine someday.)

[T-Pac]

For a while I thought I was the only one who avoided certain games just based on their theme, but a few recent comments from users in other threads have made me realize I'm not alone here.

So what themes / aesthetics do you dislike in games? And does it keep you from playing those games altogether?

For example - I absolutely love shoot-em-ups, but I absolutely hate military-themed games. So I've never even touched stuff like 1942 or UN Squadron, even if they're highly regarded.

[T-Pac]

So I've officially admitted defeat on Boulder Dash [NES].

I wanted to like it sooo bad, but I just found the gameplay too frustrating. And knowing I'd never manage all 4 loops (even with save-states), I wrote it off and sold it to my local game store. And while that "technically" means I cleared it from my backlog in a sense, I'm gonna replace it with another game for my 2024 list. Probably Wrecking Crew [FC] since it's similar, but no promises on that.

[T-Pac]

On 6/2/2024 at 6:22 PM, Philosoraptor said:

I have to say, I've been really enjoying the videos you make. I dig your sense of humor, and it's cool seeing both the gameplay and your art on screen at the same time. I haven't seen another creator or reviewer do anything like it. Most of all, I keep clicking play for your perspective on each game and how much fun you actually seem to have with them. I honestly struggle to find much enjoyment in games on consoles older than the NES, but you've helped me understand why they were as beloved as they were and are. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, dude! Feels good to know you still watch the videos I make for games that aren't in your wheelhouse. I've actually wondered how many people just skip all the ones that aren't NES games haha.

[T-Pac]

On 6/3/2024 at 10:05 AM, RH said:

As someone who's not much of an Atari guy, I have to say I was impressed with what the devs pulled off on that one. I was actually intrigued enough to consider picking up a copy and giving it a try myself (unless this is an expensive one.)

I'd only recommend it if you're interested in the novelty more than the gameplay. It's one of those titles that looks like a lot of fun in videos, but isn't nearly as functional when you're actually playing it.

And while Moonsweeper IS technically impressive for the 2600, it's also worth noting the 1983 release date - so stuff like early Famicom games were already contemporaries by that point, too.

I don't mean to knock the game too hard, though. I still like it, and you should still check it out if you're inclined.

[T-Pac]

25/40 - Moonsweeper [Atari 2600 - 1983]

Finished: 2024/05/20

Caveats: Broke 100k. Cleared every type of moon at least once (not consecutively).

[T-Pac]

T-Pac Arcade : Moonsweeper [Atari 2600 - 1983]

Not my favorite Imagic game (and certainly not the most functional), but still worth my time. I mean, it IS a space-shooter, after all.

[T-Pac]

There's plenty of stuff I wouldn't do for a million dollars. But there are a couple interesting ones that come to mind...

1 ) Giving up exercise and a healthy diet. (In other words, you literally couldn't pay me to be fat and lazy haha.)

2 ) Having kids. (Serious respect to all the parents out there, but I could never ever ever do it, myself.)

[T-Pac]