Day 20 - Racing Game

Burnout 3

I have never been a connoisseur of racing games but I remember picking up Burnout 3 for the first time and just not being able to put it down. Maybe it's the fact that I've never exactly been competitive and don't really care about the realism of the racing or the actual skill involved, I just want to go really fast. So I always enjoyed the arcade racers like Outrun but can never be very good at Gran Turismo no matter how many times I devote myself to it.

In Burnout 3 you don't just go fast, you get to crash into guys, and are rewarded for being dangerous; getting boost for driving on the wrong side of the road, going as fast as you can or breaking someone into a wall. All of the things other racing games sort of politely ask you to try to avoid doing. I also prefer the straightforward levels of this one to Paradise and the latter Need for Speed. It's easy to pick up and just play a match without driving around a city. Even Burnout Revenge seemed like a step back, making it so you could crash into traffic at no cost, taking away ghat danger and risk reward.

But on top of that, there's crash mode, where you're encouraged to find the best way to wreak as much carnage as you can in a single intersection. Crash into oncoming traffic, blow up at the right time and see how many dollars of destruction you can build. Burnout 3 isn't serious, but it's damn fun. It's got a killer licensed soundtrack on top of all that too!

Don't remaster Need For Speed Hot Pursuit as good as that game is, remaster this one instead.

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@bam541 I picked it up on PS4 and couldn't do the synth music, so I'm really looking forward to the S version coming soon with the full orchestra and extras. That being said, if you like XI and have a PS2 available, VIII is also just a really pleasant, jolly and lighthearted adventure I'd definitely recommend. It's a bit tougher than what I played of XI, you really need to go out and fight some battles to get some level ups and take care to prepare in towns before you explore, but it isn't so tough as to be deterring either.

Day 19 - JRPG

Pokemon (Red/Blue)

Because JRPGs are my bread and butter, I was trying to figure out how to put my favorites into different slots on the list. Despite the fact that Pokemon has gone in a direction that I haven't followed in recent years, the original game holds up. It's a unique set of factors with monster collecting that basically becomes you making your own personally catered JRPG party you become attached to, mixed with the traditional going through dungeons, battling bosses and exploring a world. It's a completely unique thing that is still for the most part unmatched today.

I wrote a podcast on it a while back, and it may still be my favorite one I've produced to date if anyone is interested in checking it out.

https://soundcloud.com/user-514517450/happy-gaming-episode-11-pokemon

Also, call me crazy, but I think that with the exception of Gold and Silver, Pokemon has never looked better than gen 1. You just can't beat the GameBoy and GBC graphics and style in my opinion.

@jdincinerator Always reminds me of the "Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2" advertising campaign. I never knew why it was supposed to intrigue me to like something because someone else didn't like it, and felt like it was really mean to some nice ladies. But I do remember the ads, so I guess they did their job.

But damn, that game has some gory death animations!

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Just finished cutting my review for Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney. Given that it was a visual novel and I didn't want to show footage from the last couple chapters to avoid spoilers, the footage wasn't quite as conducive for a video review as I would have liked. I'm still really happy with the script and mostly satisfied with how the final product turned out. Hope everyone enjoys!

@dmcmaster It's one of my favorite parts of the game honestly. I used to listen to it when I worked as movie theater management and we closed down at like 3-4am on premiere nights. After a long rough day, it was nice to sit in an office and chill to this.

Off the top of my head, I was thinking how amazing the first two hours of Red Dead Redemption 2 are where you're in the snow and blizzard area of the first chapter. The way it crunches and trails is really satisfying, and just feels so treacherous and cold.

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I know Journey isn't exactly everyone's favorite game, but there are some powerful parts that have to do directly with snow. The last two chapters compare the harshness of traversing through it, and the elation of flying to the peak of the mountain, and they both bring opposing feelings of comfort and despair. Honestly, just thinking about the final portion of the game makes me emotional.

Final Fantasy VI also just has a stellar intro that gets you in the mood of the world and settles you in with the long walk in the snow to Narche in the Magitech armor. It's one of those introductions that we used to turn on as kids just to watch and listen to the main theme.

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Day 18 - Game Over Screen

Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

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Of all the game over screens I can think of, I can't think of many that brought frustration at the time, but now I look back on fondly. It's just sort of fun looking back and remembering the sounds that came from Metal Gear Solid, and it's impossible to think of those PS1 sounds without hearing in the back of your head "Snake, what happened...? SNAKE!!? SNAAAAAKE!" from different character's voices. Even more fun is how it continued with each sequel to the franchise. The first Metal Gear Solid is still my favorite for how serious and over the top it is, but also that sound that plays when the letters are coming in.

I've got the Polymega coming in around the same time, so rather than jump into next gen early, I'm jumping into some retro stuff for s little bit.

@bard91 I'm definitely going to be giving this one a go, but other games were already in my cart when it came out, so it was just poor timing. I think it'll definitely have a sort of snowball effect of recognition as years go by and it spreads more by word of mouth.