Magic Sword (Arcade, 1990)

 

The predecessor to some of the great Capcom beat 'em ups like King of Dragons. I played the SNES version of this a while back, but here we've got the superior arcade version courtesy of Capcom Arcade Stadium. It's 50 floors of mayhem as you climb the Tower of Babel with an assortment of allies.

Ranking all 80 NES Games I've Finished

Just a list, like the Sega and Game Boy lists I already did. Keeping the entries short and simple for this one.

Highlander 5x14 - Duende

 

It's 7 PM (Hawaii time) on Monday night, you know what that means. Aired February 24th, 1997. This is one I wanted to get to for a while. It's just as much a "labor of love" as Episode 100 was two episodes ago, where you can tell everyone involved put in that extra "this is a special episode" oomph. This one is all about The Dance, something Adrian Paul trained in for real when he studied flamenco. It's pretty clear that this episode was special to him in particular.

I've seen some folks not like this episode and I gotta wonder what they're smoking. Give it another watch and try to appreciate it for what it's doing.

Also, the villain of this episode, Spanish nobleman Otavio Consone, is one of two or three S-Tier fighters that Duncan faces in the entire series. There's Brian Cullen (bogged down by addiction), this guy, and maybe Kronos. I'd probably lean more towards Kronos being in A-Tier (though at the top of it!) with the likes of Kurgan, Grayson, Kalas, Haresh Clay, maybe Xavier. Massive threats, for sure. Consone and Cullen are on another level though, right there with the Macleod boys.

The 1000 Games I've Beaten (#622 - 630)

 

#622 Demon's Souls (Playstation 3) – Spring 2016

After playing the heck out of Bloodborne, Dark Souls II, and Dark Souls in 2015, it was time to backpedal and see where it all began. This predecessor is basically a mood in game form. An overcast, mossy, foggy, rainy mood. The remake of this game is incredible in its own right but I don't think it replaces the original; they're still very different and the original just captures a very unique vibe. Spring 2016 to me means rain storms, FF Tactics, and Demon's Souls.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Part 7 (Finale) - Alsace-Lorraine

 

Cataluna came, she saw.

I'm just glad this thing is mercifully over.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Part 6 - Champagne-Ardenne

 

Joan Jett is the President of France! My God! "Don't Lose Your Head" plays as she stands around.

How weird is it that Ash Ketchum's name was Ash Ketchum, and he grew up to be a Pokémon catcher? It's the most wildly appropriate coincidental name since San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan. One of my top 3 favorite players ever, along with Magic Johnson and, of course, Michael Jordan. Wonder what all those guys are up to these days. Anyway, time for more (groan) Pokémon.

Highlander 5x13 - The Ransom of Richard Redstone

 

It's 7 PM on Monday night, and you know what that means. Aired February 17th, 1997, this is the weak point of my "best seven-episode run in the series". It's the only one that's a bit of an odd man out, as a comedy episode, and a lot of folks don't like it. Well I do. I like it a lot! It's great to get a Richie-focused episode for a change. It feels like he hasn't had enough episodes since he returned in "End of Innocence" with that rad new sword.

Sekiro Boss Fight Videos

 

Just a boss fight compilation, with liner notes. This might be the finest sword-fighting game I've ever played and it isn't even close, as well as one of the best games I've played. It certainly deserved Game of the Year 2019. Also, spoiler: This clocks in at my 1000th finished game.

Ranking All Six April Fool's Posts

 

I didn't have any new ideas this year, so I'm just going to do a ranking list for the other ones. People love rankings and top lists.