CT

In re: Slay the Spire. I love a good challenge. Gonna try to beat the heart, stay tuned. Not a lot of progress so far, but I'll keep trying.

I think Slay the Spire could have been a bit better with a few changes. They def. need a few more enemy types, Act 1 is a bit of a slog now after going through it a few times. Imagine a huge giant, or an evil version of your self, or a merlin type character etc. More creative battles requiring more thinking. You see it a few times, but I think this was a missed opportunity. For example: A battle where you can use no relics (even for just a few turns) A battle where you can only pick to choose a few relics to use. A battle where you have to exhaust a card each turn. A battle that if you lose you get sent back down the spire a bit (or alternatively sent up the spire a bit) A battle where you gamble. Win and you upgrade a few cards, otherwise you lose those cards. A battle where curse cards transform into something good for a few turns. A battle where you start with 20-25 energy total, thats it. A battle where you can't use power cards for a few turns. A battle where blocked damage gets reflected back to the enemy and vice versa. Attack combos of 5 or more cards deal the cumulative damage again. A battle where potions are infinite. Obviously any idea should be playtested, but they could have added some elements so that Act 1 and sometimes Act 2 feel more unique. The one devil enemy that gains strength when you play an attack card is creative, and they should have leaned into those ideas more.

Dredge. Engaging story, hardly any gameplay, and I missed the "good" ending due to an arbitrary reason. I probably have another game that meets this criteria, but this one came to mind first.

I feel similar for sure! Definitely RNG dependent to get to the heart and to eventually beat it. The heart seems brutal, I've only made it there once. I did beat Act 3 with 3 out of the 4 characters and I hear the ending is the same when you beat the heart but I will do more research. Such a rush when you get a good run but yeah not sure if I can/will beat the heart. Definitely fun up until this point.

I put it as a 9/10. At first, I was dissuaded due to the hype, and I waited awhile to play it. But about 1/2 way through the game I could see why it's awesome. It can be challenging, but it is doable. Checkpoints are generous, giving the "just one more try" mechanic like Super Meat Boy. Surprisingly great story. Awesome music. Lots of additional content if you want more of a challenge.

Slay the Spire

For what it's worth, I played many seasons of Fifa/PES, beat GTA San Andreas, Shadow of the Colossus etc. using the cheap Amazon converter. Your mileage may vary.

During COVID, I got a cheap converter off of Amazon and played tons of PS2 games on my HD TV. I'm sure the quality is not perfect, but for the price it has worked well for me. https://www.amazon.com/Converter-Amtake-Composite-Adapter-Supporting/dp/B07MJTR9KS/ref=sr_1_8?crid=LQKS3ZXNLD6W&keywords=ps2+to+hd&qid=1704910753&sprefix=ps2+to+h%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-8

If somehow a 'cartridge-only' version becomes available, I will take it. Cool project!

One of my favorite directors and the first 40 minutes or so of Full Metal Jacket is so good.

I would but a Famicom Star keeper cartridge as well. Great idea.

I did some trade ins to Retro Respawn in LA (great store credit BTW) and got BB2 and DK Jr. Math for my NES collection.

Nice collection! I love seeing the Gamecube Component cables, IMO the grail of cables LOL.

Have you reviewed what happened to Coleco Chameleon or Intellivision Amico ? Just curious your thoughts about those systems.

This ^^^ And somebody needs to open a barcade near me. All of the pinball machines I have found (w/ the Pinball Map app-highly recommend btw) are busted up and unplayable. Frustrating hobby to say the least.

https://sternpinball.com/game/jaws/ Pro is going for $7000 for North America only I believe. Premium $9699 LE $12999 !

Fish Tales came out in 1992 that was a fishing theme. Here's the new video Stern dropped today. I trust Keith Elwin so it should be fun. I do not own any pinball machines but maybe someday.

Jaws is the new Stern. Trailer video leaked: https://streamable.com/xi7cpn

I have the 2022 cartridge with the grinch as well. The lights look amazing! I had it set up during our Christmas party with my top loader and it was a big hit. It's a really cool item and I bring it out every year now.

Nature stuff: Olympic National Park in Washington. Hoh Rainforest. Cannon Beach in Oregon. Most of Oregon coast is nice. We also went to some hot springs outside Portland. Babgy Hot Springs.

Wow I didn't think someone would get that high of a score. Congrats!

50 Nes Cartridges for me

It's funny, I had delusions of grandeur the other night and was thinking of asking Bunnyboy if I could license this pinball engine and then make a brand new pinball NES game! I love pinball and NES but I can't code, so maybe not the best idea. But it would be a fun project.

In "real life" pinball tournaments etc., if the machine is acting weird/not-as-it-should, it gets shut down and removed from play. In this scenario, it would be interesting if the players could get the ball loose (after getting stuck) because the game is technically still live until the ball drains (at least in my opinion and according to "real life" pinball). So the score wouldn't count until the ball drains. But yeah in-game exploits/glitches should be considered when they come up. Fun contest so far! I've been playing 2022 8-bit Xmas as well.

A little trick I found. You can backhand that far left ramp shot with the upper flipper. Just trap the ball and lightly hit the flipper. You can hit most of the targets that way. But very tough shot overall!