Panzer Dragoon Remake (PS4, Switch, 2019)

Here we've got a beloved Sega Saturn game that got a remaster in 2019. It's barely an hour long, costs $25, and is digital-only... so it's $25 that one will never get back for one hour of gameplay. That's kind of rough. Hopefully it leads to bigger things (Panzer Dragoon Saga Remastered).

I didn't really know what to expect with this game, having never played anything from this series, so it was all new to me.

Super Mario Bros 2 (aka The Lost Levels) (Famicom, 1986)

This was tricky to get working, but I did it. I've played the Super Mario All-Stars remake of this game (The Lost Levels) a number of times, but never the Famicom Disk System original. This...is going to be tough, but it should be interesting regardless. I find this game more fun than the original Super Mario Bros; it's also more accessible than ever since you can get it on the Wii or 3DS Virtual Consoles. Just be prepared for NES-style horizontal button mapping that can't be changed.

Mario's Fabled World 9

A while back, I took a look at Volume 52 of Nintendo Power, an issue which covered this game in-depth. There I learned that the game has a secret World 9 if you get through all eight standard worlds without using a warp zone. I'd never played the game without using warp zones, so World 9 was news to me and I had to check it out for myself.

Bloodborne Gun-Only Run Videos

Shigeru Miyamoto has really outdone himself this time.

Mega Man X7 Playthrough

 

Time for a video playthrough of what I consider to be the worst game in the Mega Man series. I've done video playthroughs of almost this entire series now. Only thing left after this is Mega Man X8. Who is that in the background of this title screen, anyway? Looks like a robed figure. Dr. Wily? Nah, it's probably just Axl.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, Finale - Edge of Destruction

After a long journey, we arrive at the finale of FFVII exactly a year after I began it, holding four orbs Jenova. Is Sephiroth seriously gonna lug this thing everywhere?

Tune in for my final thoughts on this one.

Brawl Brothers (Super NES, 1993)

 

This is the sequel to Rival Turf that I didn't know existed...and neither did anyone else. They should have said something on the box.

Ranking the Highlander Movie Sex Scenes

 

That's right! We're gonna take a look at the sex scenes of the Highlander movie series. Talk about hit-or-miss. To put it mildly: Some of them are good, some are atrocious.

Note: No scenes from the show will appear here. There are just too many of those to even rank, much less know which one wins. Though I do have a soft spot for the episode where Duncan makes a noblewoman orgasm with only his hands. Doing the Lord's work: Duncan Macleod.

Rival Turf (Super NES, 1992)

 

Wrapping up Brawler Week with a game that looks totally rad to the max: Rival Turf, known as Rushing Beat in Japan where it had a bit more of an audience. I have no idea what I'm getting into here. Is this one of Nintendo's earlier attempts to be young and hip like Sega? Who are these guys? Are they in the game?

Streets of Rage 4 (Switch, 2020)

 

FFVII Remake was only the SECOND-biggest retro revival of 2020, as we also got the long-awaited Mike Tyson's Stweets of Wage (Starring Mr. Dream). No word on if a fifth game is in development, or if they're just going to build a giant mirror in Portland or something. The real Streets of Rage 5 was within us all along.

Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis, 1994)

 

If this game came out in the 2000's, it probably would have been called Streets of Rag3. Or Streets of Rage 3D. Get outta here, Streets of Rage 3D!

Super Double Dragon (Super NES, 1992)

Is this Double Dragon IV? For a long time, yeah, it kinda was. Eventually they went ahead and made an actual 4th game by name, which messes with the lineage of this one a bit. However, considering the one after this on the SNES is called Double Dragon V, I think this game can still stake a claim to being the real fourth.

To further add to the confusion, the Japanese name of this game is Kick Master VI: Revenge of Punch Lord - First Blood II: Like A Biohazard.

Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Genesis, 1992)

 

Brawler Week continues as I check out the game that in another universe was called Mike Tyson's Stweets of Wage.

Streets of Rage (Sega Genesis, 1991)

 

Now THIS is a brawler. Sega's answer to Final Fight, also apparently starring Cody. Capcom should sue!

I was never a Sega guy growing up, and this is my first time playing this series. So far, I really like it. Tell you what though, even if I didn't like it, I wouldn't have a bad word to say about it. Just firing this game up gives you a rush of nostalgia. In my case...it's other people's nostalgia. You can legitimately feel it. People grew up playing this.

Mega Man 11 (All Systems, 2018)

I played this over two years ago and I'm just now getting around to doing a post on it. It's the final Mega Man game to add to the site! ...at least until we get Mega Man X9.

Fashion Souls (Playstation 5, 2020)

A quick look at the PS5 remake of Demon's Souls: Where my characters are, as the kids say, fashionable AF.

AEW Gif Collection

Today: A very special assortment of the finest AEW gifs from the past year. Crazy thing is, I probably only scratched the surface. Give this one a couple minutes to finish loading, turns out .gif files are pretty huge.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, Part 11 - Purification

Operation Rescue Aerith continues with the next part of the massive Shinra Tower. I still can barely believe this game exists. Caution: Spoilers of the original FFVII as well as a little bit from this remake reside within.

Xenogears: Perfect Works

 

Whoa, what have I got here? And where are Elly's clothes? Well, in Japanese media, it's very common for characters to be portrayed as naked when they're represented in a metaphysical world, since they've shed any Earthly additions (Thanks to Shesez on Youtube for this information).

Every so often I like to look at an art book, and Xenogears' Japan-only art book is a good one. As the cover tells you, it's got all kinds of information on the world of the game. It's a crime that this never got any translated versions in the West, though. As for why that is... well, look at the cover. Is that the outline of a nipple? Such vile and evil things are verboten! I've got them too, unfortunately.

Demon's Souls Playthrough

 

Videos. Lots of videos. Also Vagrant Story music. I completely break the game by starting with 10 million souls. Don't worry, I finished the game normally a bunch of times in the past. I'm no cheater!