The State of the Gamer: 10/31/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist

<–The State of the Gamer: 10/24/17         The State of the Gamer: 12/12/17–>

A weekly post updated every Tuesday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

I’m switching things up a little bit with this status post…the week before I suspend it for a month hm.  Well, I never said I had good timing lol. RPGs and other story-like games with well-defined plot beats and a definitive ending will go here.  It also makes sense since I’m still embroiled in my (exceedingly) long term Final Fantasy play/replay project.  It doesn’t make sense to have 40+ hour games on equal footing with racing games, puzzle games, games that are ongoing (e.g. Brave Exvius), and/or ones I might do nothing but play one week, but not pick up the next.

Long-Term Game Projects

Title: Final Fantasy V
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square
Platform: PlayStation
Release Date: December 6, 1992
Date Purchased: Unknown
Date Started: June 17, 2017

Progress: Karnak Castle

And I haven’t touched this.  I have more time on Tuesdays and Fridays since declaring Type-0 DNF…or I did in October.  I might use playing this as an award for completing my writing goals for the day.

Games Played This Week

Nintendo Switch

Super Mario Odyssey – Omg all of the yes.  I fucking love this game.  I spent an over-abundance of time in the Cap Kingdom, because I swore something would happen if I lit all of those little hat lamps.

Nothing did, nor did anything happen after I cleaned up all of the debris, though of course it’s possible I missed something.  I kept attempting to “clean up” the airship sails, those frames on top of the, er, top hat houses (though I didn’t realize what they actually were until I re-energized the Odyssey).  I took my time getting used to the controls and the camera, which so far isn’t making me ill/giving me migraines so hooray.  The denizens of the Cap Kingdom sound like Minions, which I think is adorable, and the mechanic that Cappy brings to the game adds another weapon to Mario’s arsenal, but I cannot be the only person disturbed by the fact that Mario is literally taking over other beings’ bodies o.O

You know you were all thinking of that scene in Meet the Robinsons. It’s okay to admit it.

Usually Fridge Horror takes at least a day to set in, but I thought about this as soon as Mario “became” a frog.  At least dino boy up there was able to return to his sleeping nest.  That poor frog poofed out of existence D:  I find it interesting that the Chain Chomps you don’t “skin change” aren’t fooled by the one you do, and they’ll continue to charge at the mustachioed interloper until he’s driven out thereby saving their friend from mental manipulation.

Alright, you have to permit me to bitch a little bit.  I love the game, as fore mentioned, buuuut I was also slightly annoyed by the quite trite story of Bowser kidnapping and threatening to marry the princess.  The former has been going on since the NES days, and King Koopa attempted a shotgun wedding in Super Paper Mario, as well.  Peach is always made into the victim, and there’s just something inherently creepy about a forced wedding to a turtle-dragon monster.  I’m pretty sure they could’ve come up with some other plot besides once again making not only the main female character, but the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom into an object in need of rescue.  Throw Cappy’s sister into the mix, and it’s like they decided two damsels in distress would make everything better.

This by no means implies that I don’t want all three of these amiibos, because OMFG I WANT ALL THREE OF THESE AMIIBOS!!!

I’m used to my faves being problematic.  It usually means I have more to talk about and deconstruct.  A Mario game having a kidnapped princess isn’t surprising; it’s just a little disappointing they didn’t do something else.  This doesn’t affect the stellar gameplay and magnificent music.

I just acquired the Odyssey (as in the airship) and landed right outside the Sand Kingdom.  I’ll eventually return to the Cap Kingdom and Fossil (?) Kingdom, as I may have missed some Power Moons, but I’ll have to (ironically) wait until I have enough PMs to move the ship.  Hoping to play again tonight!

Nintendo 3DS

Bravely Default (Demo) – I set up my new-to-me 3DS and downloaded a few demos.  I’m still getting used to the battle system, but it’s turn based so I’m happy.  I need to kill a bunch of imps to gather their collectible, and I definitely need to grind for money so I can purchase better weapons.  I got my ass handed to me in that western cave.  I’m probably going to pick this up either through the store or next time I go to Target.

 

Let’s Plays Finished This Week

Detention by Cryaotic – This did not turn out as I expected.  It was horror, but by the end it was more sad than frightening.  There’s a lot left up to interpretation, and I don’t want to spoil things for anyone who hasn’t played/watched it yet.  I will definitely be watching more of Cry’s stuff, because that dude is fucking hilarious, yet he has this ironically soothing voice.  I love how he uses humor to attempt to dispel sheer terror.  It’s like his own voice is his security blanket.  There are some definite scary parts to the game with the ghosts or “lingerers” you see, but they fit into the overarching theme.  Even the way you save makes sense.  The game has both a book end nature and a double entendre name.  It’s only four videos between 30-40 minutes a piece, and I was able to finish watching within a week.

Let’s Plays Ongoing

SpellCaster by Hungrygoriya – Suddenly..

I shit you not

Enemies turn out to be aliens; friends turn out to be enemies.  It’s a wild ride.

This was the week of the soothing Let’s Players.  It sounds almost rude to say their voices could put you to sleep, but it’s not in a bad way!  It’s like listening to the greatest sound in the world: a purring cat.

Ack!  Why did I speak of the devil??  Now I have a purring annoyance on my lap 😀

Games Added to Backlog

Total Games in Backlog: 162
Change from Last Week: -1

Games Added to Watch List

  1. Little Nightmares – Cryaotic plays this, and I heard from Cheap Boss Attack that he’s gut-bustingly hilarious during the LP.    I want in on that.
  2. What Remains of Edith Finch – Another add due to Cry playing it.
  3. Inside – I’ll be honest with you; I went through all of Cryaotic’s Let’s Plays and added things I thought I’d find interesting, though I swore I already had Inside on my Watch List because of Limbo.  I may update my spreadsheet with LPs to watch if I know the LPer I’m going to use. This seems like a good idea.  Or I could make different shelves on Grouvee, which might make more sense.

Total Games on Watch List: 54
Change from Last Week: +3

Miscellaneous

As mentioned above, I received my 3DS from one of my Twitter peeps @ravensurd.  Give him a follow and a hello!  He’s one of my young’un friends who shares some of my, er, mental idiosyncrasies.  Plus he loves Samus (Metroid) and Legend of Zelda.  I managed to set up the 3DS, and I actually like the 3D, which I’m surprised about.  I really just wanted the system so I could play Bravely Default (which I mentioned I demoed above), but the 3D function is actually pretty good.  Of course I’ll take some recommendations for games.  You know what I like (if you don’t know what I like, it’s RPGs, puzzle games, and platformers)!

I broke out and set up my PS Vita, too.  I received that from a coworker who currently can’t stop playing Mario Odyssey, so you know he’s a man of fine tastes.  I did the little tutorials and was fond of everything except for the camera/puzzle game.  I’m awful at rearranging mixed up pictures.  Plus it was really dark when I took the picture, so it wasn’t very clear.  I downloaded what I thought was a free board game, but it turned out to be a limited demo…a time limited demo *grumble*  It’s okay.  I downloaded a legit demo that I don’t think has the same stipulations (I just don’t remember what it is now).

Finally, it’s not entirely gamer news, but Sunday was my husband’s birthday, and I was finally able to give him the gaming laptop I bought in collaboration with his parents.  He figure out it was a computer, because that ass decided to read the box when it was delivered *grumble squared* but he had no idea it was specifically designed for gaming mwahahaha, I win again >:)  He was quite excited, because now he can get rid of his decade old, brick of a laptop and also play Destiny 2 on his new Dell.  I have to thank some of my blogger/Discord peeps for recommending that option!

So (virtually) slap me if I did this before, but let’s have a list of everyone’s owned consoles!  Here are mine, which includes all of the systems in the house:

  • PlayStation 2
  • PlayStation 3 (2 consoles)
  • PlayStation 4
  • PSP (2 consoles)
  • PlayStation Vita
  • Xbox 360
  • Nintendo Switch
  • Nintendo DS
    • Game Boy Advance
  • Nintendo 3DS
  • Nintendo Wii
  • GameCube
  • NES Classic
  • PC (4 computers)
  • iPhone (2)
  • Kindle Fire (Android)

The only things I have left on my “to get” list are the Wii U , potentially an Xbox One though I don’t think there are any specific games I need that one for, and my own PS4, though I might be okay without the last one, as well  Let’s hear about your consoles in the comments, along with my typical request of…

What are you currently playing and/or watching? Is it something new or old?  Is it a first time run or a replay?  What’s the genre?  Would you recommend it?  What’s on your radar to play next?

I’ll of course continue answering comments, but this will be the last SOTG update until the date below.

<–The State of the Gamer: 10/24/17         The State of the Gamer: 12/12/17–>

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33 thoughts on “The State of the Gamer: 10/31/17”

  1. Pingback: The State of the Gamer: 10/24/17 | The Shameful Narcissist Speaks

  2. Hey, I just reviewed Final Fantasy V! I’ve played the first six installments, and it’s my favorite one so far.

    You better believe I’ll be getting Super Mario Odyssey some time before the end of the year. I find the overwhelmingly positive reviews critics write of Nintendo games to be the most trustworthy because I know that nine times out of ten, they didn’t achieve those accolades through riding the current trends or using the stereotypical artsy approach indie creators once used, but rather through the actual gameplay. Then again, I need a Switch first…

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    • I really like it so far, I just haven’t had time to play it. Well, I ran into a snag in Karnak Castle, because I absolutely HATE time limits especially when there are both random encounters to contend with and treasure that has to be collected. I keep putting off what I need to do, but I know once I’ve done it, I’ll feel better.

      Duuuuude, Super Mario Odyssey is freaking fantastic. I didn’t get to play any more tonight, but I can’t wait to pick up the sticks again. It’s honestly worthy buying the Switch JUST for that game. It’s definitely a console seller, and I bet you Switch sales will or would skyrocket now that it’s out, provided the system can be located. I’m noticing it’s more in stock right now, but I seriously doubt that will last through the holiday season.

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      • I’ll jump on that bandwagon. Super Mario Odyssey is up there among the best of the Mario games. Half familiar, half new, hell of a lot of creativity built in throughout, quality baked into every bit of it, it’s just a top-tier experience.

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        • I honestly see no problem with bandwagon jumping if the item is worthy of the devotion! Conversely, you should also not feel bad if you don’t like it of course, but I’ve talked to people who specifically don’t “like” or won’t play/read/watch something because it’s popular, and it’s not the ironic hype aversion. They specifically won’t because it’s popular *rolls eyes* I’ve disliked my share of popular things, don’t get me wrong, but not just because they are. If i’m lucky I’ll get to play some more Mario tonight ;D

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  3. Been watching Castle and Stranger Things with Jennifer. Gaming-wise, I’ve been obsessed with Fallout: New Vegas all over again. Lord help me… I’m already at 90 hours and I’m nowhere near finished. From there, I think I’m going to play Black on the Xbox One, since it’s part of the original Xbox backwards compatibility. Maybe Crimson Skies is on the docket afterwards?

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  4. Ugh! I want Odyssey so badly, but can’t bring myself to buy a Switch. Going to replay the Galaxy games to hold myself over. It’s so damn tempting though!

    Inside is incredible btw. Probably my favorite game of last year.

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  5. Now I regret being a loner because I don’t have friends to gift me free handhelds haha. I’m sure you will enjoy Bravely Default. It’s similar to the old school Final Fantasy game, with the benefit of tweaking random encounter rates and having the option to speed up battles.

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    • Weeeellll I technically paid for them lol, but I didn’t pay full price for the Vita 🙂 I paid a little more for the 3DS than I probably would’ve had a bought it used on Amazon, but it was one of my “fetus friends” lol aka a young’un. He had to get his mom’s PayPal so I could pay for it, but once that was done, I got the system in like one day. I three him a few extra dollars, just because he spent around $200 on the Metroid version of the system, since Samus is like his favorite character. I figure I’m old and pretty financially secure in terms of having my own income, so I can help a kid out 🙂

      You can tweak that? That’s freaking awesome! Yeah, so far I do like it. I’m familiar with the job system. I’m still trying to get used to the Brave/Default one though.

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  6. Instead of the damsel in distress trope rearing its ugly head, they should’ve brought the ferocity of Peach’s emotions back and revived the Vibe Scepter from Super Princess Peach *rolls eyes*. I anxiously await a day when they do her character some justice!

    My list of owned consoles is lengthy, but here goes: Atari 2600, Intellivision 1 and 2, Magnavox Odyssey 2, NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Micro, Virtual Boy, GameCube, Nintendo DS Lite, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, PS1, PS2 (also have the slim version), PS3, XBox, Xbox 360, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega Dreamcast, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo MVS. We also have two PCs that are build for gaming/streaming, a homemade arcade machine, and a recently purchased arcade cocktail cabinet.

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    • All of my blogger lady friends are in one accord with me on this! ♥ I agree. They kind of did in SMB2, which is still my favorite Mario game, but then that turned out to be a dream *grumble* Super Paper Mario made her fully playable unlike the Mario RPG and the first Paper Mario where while she was playable, she was wasn’t nearly as active as Mario, and in the beginning of SPM she’s kidnapped, but both her and Bowser become playable, which is awesome. I still love the gameplay of Odyssey, but I do wish they’d do something a bit different.

      I knew you’d have quite a list! I have IRL friends with an arcade machine that plays a bunch of different games. I don’t think it’s homemade, but it’s still pretty awesome. There’s also this new gaming place not far from me called Round One, where they have ALL the games imaginable. I really want to go there, because they have Japanese DDR and legitimate Japanese karaoke with rooms and whatnot. I think it’s $20 an hour, which is more than worth it. I could easily sing like 5 or 6 songs!

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  7. I know we’ve talked about this quite a bit on Discord, but I *loved* Super Mario Odyssey. It took me back to graduating high school in 1999 and using my graduation money to buy my own N64, Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time. I adored Mario 64 so much as Odyssey is the most enthralled I’ve been by a Mario game since. It’s imaginative, vibrant, charming, possibly the most well-designed 3D platformer of all time without taking nostalgia into account.

    I finished up Mario Odyssey the other day and I’m now dabbling in the post-game stuff. I also just finished up Yono and the Celestial Elephants on Switch, which was absurdly cute, sad, uplifting, and such a good experience.

    I’m glad you stuck with Detention! Hopefully you found it as intriguing as I did. His Let’s Play of the so-bad-it’s-good Clock Tower 3 is another great one, but mostly because of his reaction as to how nutso it is.

    I started playing Sonic Mania and it’s not for me. Never been into Sonic but after finishing Yono I was in the market for a shorter game to play while working out on the bike. I moved onto Steamworld Dig 2 which is up my alley a bit more. Also working my way through Wolfenstein II. The story is great, the gameplay is great, but the level design and mission structure throughout the first 3 hours is a bit dull. I felt the same about the first game (The New Order, not the OG original) and ended up loving it, so here’s hoping it takes a sharp turn here soon. I have Assassin’s Creed Origins to get to and Persona 5 to finish!

    Right now I have a PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, GBA SP, DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. I gave my Dreamcast and old 360 to my girlfriend’s brother, sold my N64 and Saturn to pay bills, and gave my 2nd Saturn to Well-Red a few months back.

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    • Odyssey is my very first 3D Mario game! Since I never got too into the N64 due to my migraine issues with the camera, which I’m SO happy isn’t repeating with this game. I think because it’s smoother and less jerky? That was another problem I had with Type-0, the camera would jerk around really quickly but for SMO they seem to have done an excellent job with it! I’m hoping to get some play time this weekend, but my BFF is coming up so we can see Thor Ragnarok (again but together lol), though she’s similar to me in the regard that we’ll both kind of retreat into our phones or whatever and then I wouldn’t feel rude breaking out the Switch. Thank goodness for fellow introverted friends.

      Omfg Cry is hilarious. I kept rewinding because he’s say something completely asinine and I’d want to hear it again. Detention was definitely NOT what I expected, and I really liked how the narrative played out. I want to check out the alternative endings. I think Cry got the best one. I’m watching his Little Nightmares right now, and I keep covering my face with that long armed dude shows up. Holy shit, is that guy scary. The last thing I saw was him grabbing the little girl after she ran into another room. That…is horrifying to me.

      I added Yono. I want to check that out, and I almost want to buy Wolfenstein II just because of the absolute nonsense what happened on Twitter with it. The bottom line is if you have the opportunity to punch Nazis, you punch some goddamn Nazis. It’s what Captain America would do.

      Is Assassin’s Creed Origins the one where you can pet cats? That’s the new one right? I think I’m going to attempt to play an Assassin’s Creed, because I love assassins. I suck at stealth, but hey, you don’t get better at something without practice!

      What’s an SP? I haven’t heard of that one! I still want a Wii U even though there’s only one game I need it for, Xenosaga. I would love a Dreamcast. You can still find them on eBay and Amazon for not that much. I remember buying my original PS from my RA in college. In exchange for math tutoring and Woodchuck so I could play FFVII.

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      • Antisocial/introverted friends are the best! I’m hoping to catch Thor before it leaves our local theater. I hear it’s great!

        Cry makes me laugh uncontrollably. He’s just so god damn funny. I like him so much that I watched him play 30 hours of Final Fantasy XV and loved every minute of it because he kept getting distracted by fishing.

        I’m not sure if AC Origins lets you pet cats or not (I’ve purposefully avoided EVERYTHING I could since I don’t want the story spoiled) but it’s the one set in Egypt that’s more like a stealthy action RPG. It has an easy mode, so I plan on taking that route since I’m more interested in exploration, lore, and storytelling than combat.

        The GBA’s core model was that oddly shaped brick, but the SP was the clam-shell model. Some SP’s were even back-lit!

        I still think the Wii U is worth getting if you’re into the library. Tokyo Mirage Sessions is excellent, as is Xenoblade. If you’re into platformers, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Captain Toad are all great. Bayonetta 2 and Wonderful 101 are great too. Lots of fun stuff there in retrospect, it just sucked waiting for it all to release during its life cycle. Dreamcast has a great library too, but the games are ridiculously priced.

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        • If it’s the new one I think it is! I only know about this because someone was freaking about it adorably on social media, and I was like “Wut? You can pet cats? SIGN ME UP!” I love that they do that now for noobs like me lol. I just want to explore, pet some cats, slit some throats, normal Friday night things.

          Ah cool; I’m glad there are more games for it than just that one!

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  8. I’m glad you’re enjoying Mario much more than me! Honestly, the story made me want to Snow Punch the table before flipping it over, haha. I have to save the princess and her damn tiara?? *eye rolls so hard* It’s all in good fun though, I think. I’ll stop being cranky about it soon… I hope.

    Congrats on your new toys! I have too many consoles to list, haha.

    For my gaming habits lately – I beat/Platinumed Hellblade (just… wow) and unofficially Dragon Age Origins (I want to see all the intros before I move on to Dragon Age II for a 4th playthrough). I’ll stick with Mario on the side. The gameplay is fun and I know I’ll enjoy it more once my weird mood fully goes away. 🙂

    Happy gaming!!

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    • Oh I was definitely annoyed by the story. It’s the same old hat (…) Like really? I get that Mario is all about the gameplay and charm and how they’re excellent at catering it to whatever system they’re on, but it’s freaking 2017. Can we stop with the trite damsel in distress trope? Like FFVII subverted that back in 1997, 20 YEARS AGO. Mario has been rescuing the princess since his first adventures, and he was even rescuing his girlfriend Pauline in Donkey Kong. This is one of the reasons I liked SMB2 so much. You got to play the Princess and they were all together trying to thwart Wart. Granted it was all just a dream, which means it didn’t even happen in the reality of the game’s canon, and I don’t think you could play her again until Super Paper Mario…where Bowser does kidnap and try to marry her again (ugh), but both her and him are playable characters. I also know that lots of people would be like, “TSN stop your bitching,” to which I say, “NO. I will critique the hell out of even things I greatly enjoy.” Just because I love the gameplay doesn’t mean I’m not going to complain about other aspects.

      Oh rant…

      I’m going to rearrange my schedule next year so I have more time for things. I want to play Hellblade really badly.

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      • *applauds you for epic rant* 😀

        I’m so sick of rescuing the damn princess… She does have her own DS game where she has to save Mario, Luigi, and Toad from Bowser, for once. Super Princess Peach it’s called. I’m not a fan of Peach but I want to track down a copy someday just to see it.

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        • I’m adding Super Princess Peach right now. I vaguely remember hearing about it, but like most things I don’t note down, I forgot about it. Peach is the quintessential, constantly kidnapped princess. It’s annoying. My favorite “princess” in the Mario universe is Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy. I’m so glad I bought her amiibo, which is how I got my cool look in Mario Kart 😀

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  9. Not to be a totally shameless plugger, but on the YouTube channel of the gaming site for which I write, Virtual Bastion, folks will soon get to watch a Let’s Play of Little Nightmares. It’s being posted by one of the site’s other writers, and she’s awesome at videos!

    Personally, I’ll have to check out Cryaotic’s channel, because I enjoy watching a good Let’s Play as well. 🙂

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  10. Omg all of the yes indeed for Super Mario Odyssey! Hope you have an amazing time with it! The wedding amiibo are soooo nice! Definitely recommend! Also, yay 3DS! Enjoy that as well! Hope you can get all the great games and RPGs you want for the system! 😀

    Oh boy, a list of my systems. Here goes:

    NES
    SNES
    N64
    GameCube
    Wii
    Wii U
    Switch
    PS2
    PS3
    PS4
    Xbox 360
    Game Boy
    GBC
    GBA
    DS
    3DS
    PC
    Phones
    And a Retron 3 that plays NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis

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    • You have every single Nintendo system! Shouldn’t you win something for that?? Besides the joy/achievement unlock of having every single Nintendo system o.O I never got that into the N64 due to my migraine problem (boo), but I love a bunch of games on it like Banjo Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and of course the Mario game for it. That was the one with that evil piano wasn’t it?? Terrifying.

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      • I wish I won something for it hahaha!! Maybe more Nintendo systems. 😛 The N64 is my favorite system, and I’m sorry you didn’t get to enjoy it as much. Boo migraines. There was some good 2D stuff on it too! Yoshi’s Story, Mischief Makers, Pokemon Puzzle League, and I’m sure there were others. I love BK, Conker’s and Mario 64! It is indeed the one with the scary evil piano. Still scares me every time!

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  11. Pingback: The State of the Gamer: 12/12/17 | The Shameful Narcissist Speaks

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