Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

 

Hands-down one of the worst sequels of all time. And with such an incredible poster / cover art, too. This is going to be a large post, because I'm looking at both the theatrical version and the Renegade version that attempted to fix the movie. Did it succeed? Ehhhhh.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, 2nd Half

 

Our Halloween festivities conclude with Soma playing a giant piano. Wasn't able to find a secret to this: It's just a giant piano, and it's there, so you can randomly play it before continuing on your way. These games are so stylish.

Side Note: So it seems that the 1999 battle between Julius and Dracula was actually the final resurrection of Dracula and he's defeated for the rest of time. Julius' 1999 battles being essentially the final battle of the Castlevania timeline (not counting Soma's future antics) makes it even weirder that we never got a game based around it.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS, 2005)

The direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow, and something I should have checked out months ago.

Haunted Castle Revisited (Switch, 2024)

 

This is, believe it or not, the first new Castlevania game in like ten years. The last one was also a remake of an early game with Castlevania Adventure Rebirth. This uses basically the same engine and is similarly barebones with mostly left-to-right 2D stages. That said, it's a new Castlevania game. That alone is a big deal. Even though it's another 30 minute long game, it's another nice bonus on the new collection and a vast improvement over the original arcade game.

Haunted Castle (Arcade, 1988)

The notorious arcade version of Castlevania 1 that only in recent years became a subject people were interested in (likely because of the total dearth of new 'Vania, so people are going back and mining what exists). Much easier to play now due to its inclusion on the new Castlevania Dominus Collection. While usually arcade versions came before their console counterparts, this one was actually released after the original Castlevania (or Vampire Killer on MSX2).

Pokemon Leafgreen Finale - Many Pokemen (Wish Death)

 

After going all the way around the world, the first city's gym is finally unlocked. Will LEAF become Royal Crown Chinpoko-Master, or will I hit an impasse and be unable to beat one of the easiest RPGs of the 90's? Will the sixth man Machamp pull his weight? (No.)

The cool thing about Pokemon is that nobody ever dies, they just fly back into their Pokeball until the next time they get summoned for this society-wide cockfighting sport. Just because all of their culture are cockthusiasts and accept this terrible practice doesn't make it ok. #EndPokemonFighting

Pokemon FireRed: The Let's Play

The whole set of videos on Pokemon FireRed to go with the LeafGreen. Had my girlfriend with me on some of these, and went solo on others. Bear in mind that we recorded these eight years ago, which is how long it's been since I really got into Pokemon on here.

Pokemon LeafGreen, Part 4 - Goro Wins

Some random guy questions LEAF's riding skills, as Pokemon LeafGreen winds towards a close.

Pokemon LeafGreen, Part 3 - Magikarp's Murder Spree

 

LEAF tries going on Tinder to meet girls, but all she's getting is couples trying to double team her. In other news, MYA, if that is her real name, has got it going on. Why are Pokemon women so hot?

Pokemon LeafGreen, Part 2 - Lemmiwinks' Lament

 

At this point I realize that I totally whiffed on getting the Town Map way back at the beginning, and need to make a trek back there through the treacherous Diglett's Cave.

Pokemon LeafGreen (Game Boy Advance, 2004)

 

So Gen 1 first dropped in 1998, years after the Game Boy had stopped being relevant, and single-handedly revived the system. To put that in perspective, it's like if we got a new PS Vita or 3DS game in the last couple years. It shouldn't have worked, but it did, and not only did it work, it started one of the biggest powerhouse franchises in gaming. A mere six years later we got a full-fledged remake of Gen 1, and it pretty much perfects everything that was rough around the edges in 1998.

I was a little apprehensive about covering the Pokemon remakes, as opposed to just the best versions of each original gen, which I did up to Gen 3. However, this game is technically part of Gen 3, so in a way I'm just picking up where I left off. Someday I'd like to do the rest, but who knows.

The remakes are their own beasts, with some new content and new spins on everything. Regardless, the Pokemon posts on this site are their own rare breed, and a bit more adult-oriented than the usual. Nothing is sacred here. Rated M for mature. You've been warned. Enter at your own peril!

Onimusha Tactics, Finale: The True Genma King.

There are a lot of other things I could be doing right now, like watching a Super Eyepatch Wolf video called "How Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Destroys Me" or something like that. But instead here I am finishing Onimusha Tactics. I always finish what I start, unless it's Dragon Quest VI.

Onimusha Tactics, Part 7: Hideyoshi's Last Stand.

 

Episode 43? My goodness. How many damn episodes does this game have?

Onimusha Tactics, Part 6: The Unpatriotic Mitsuhide.

 

Today on Onimusha Tactics: Nobunaga's second-in-command must face the wrath of our heroes!

Onimusha Tactics, Part 5: Let's Fighting Love.

 

Our heroes take on Hideyoshi's giant laser-cannon and and his legion of robo-demons, as we continue the game that Ubisoft calls "a stunningly accurate re-creation of Japanese history"

Onimusha Tactics, Part 4: Onimaru is 100% Pure Rudo.

 

However, Nobunaga Oda is the very definition of efficient.

Onimusha Tactics, Part 3: I Have Vowed To Kill 1000 Monsters.

 

Trying to stop Nobunaga and Hideyoshi? Humiliation.

Much like in 2003, this game is a nice respite from all the struggles and bullshit going on in the real world.

Onimusha Tactics, Part 2: Himeji Striptease.

 

Time for the Game Boy Advance to get Rated M for Mature.

Onimusha Tactics (Game Boy Advance, 2003)

 

This is a tactics game from Capcom that uses characters from the Nobunaga era. A concept that's pretty much impossible to go wrong with, and they didn't. This is one of the more underrated games of the GBA era. Never heard much of anything about it, but it exists and it was pretty cool.

Funny thing is, I played it in 2003-2004 instead of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance because I wanted to save FFTA for later/better times, and this was kinda just its stand-in as "something to do". Then it proceeded to exceed expectations. Meanwhile, when I eventually got to FFTA in 2009 or so, it was a letdown that I never want to play again, and I have way fonder memories of this one in comparison.

Regardless, since I played this in 2003-2004, it's time to take us back. Back...20 years! To a time when I was even less mature! Doodoodoo! Doodoodoo!

Journey to Silius (NES, 1990)

 

Whoa, it's good to play a game that doesn't make me feel like drinking. So this legendarily started out as a Terminator game. Sunsoft lost the license midway through development and quickly converted it into...well, a non-Terminator game. They changed a bunch of sprites to avoid a lawsuit, but you can clearly see the Terminator influence regardless. You can also pretty much see the moment where it steers away from a Terminator game in the development process.

This game can be found easily enough on Switch Online, and made it onto IGN's "top 100 games of all time" list. So I've got some hope for this one.