Ishambard

To say I had forgotten how much of an absolute banger GG Aleste 3 was would be incorrect. It is still cited as one of my top games whenever I talk people about games. But, god damn, this game is just superb and definitely battling Super Aleste as my top game in the series. Despite being made in 2020 as part of a wider #Aleste collection, the game was developed to be playable on #GameGear hardware. And honestly, I don't think I'd have it any other way. Working within the realms of the technical limitations of the Game Gear, the fact that the game delivers a fantastic and beautiful experience is just a testament to M2's development team. Definitely not a game for everyone, but even if you can't get behind the stylistic choice here, I hope you can appreciate it. Even after two years, this is still probably my all time favourite #SHMUP and I am incredibly proud to have this as my 300th #RetroAchievements mastery. #SHMUPtember

#SHMUPtember is nearly over, and we have time for one last game. Trouble Shooter for the #SegaGenesis was picked up on name alone. It is not, perhaps, sadly about getting the wireless printer to work. Released in Japan as Battle Mania, you play as Madison and her friend Crystal as the pair are tasked with rescuing a Prince. You play as both characters simultaneously, with Crystal functioning a bit like an option, impervious to enemy attacks and at the press of a button flip to facing to the left or right. This is important as Madison can only fire to the right, and enemies can come from all directions. At the start of a stage you pick a special weapon, which charges over time and functions as the game's bomb attacks. As an added quirk, this game has multi-directiomal scrolling, with the screen moving diagonally in some areas This was one of the easier SHMUPs of the year, that's not a bad thing! It actually helps it be a fun experience. Maybe next year I will check out the sequel.

I have a couple of days to see if i can pull together a full blog post on my SHMUPtember journey. Going to see if I can get something published for the last day of September. A smarter individual would have thought about this in advance. A smarter individual would have made notes as he went along. A smarter individual would have given themselves more time. This is going to be pretty disastrous and I can guarantee that I will not learn anything from this experience.

So, for whatever reason, Emulation Station stopped loading on my #SteamDeck I did just about EVERYTHING under the sun. Restarted the Deck Updated the Deck Updated Emulation Station Reinstalled Emulation Station Messed about with all different kinds of settings. Changed the boot target Went through EmuDeck to completely rebuild the front end and Emulator settings. Turns out... It would seem. That the default Compatibility mode that had been working since I first started using Emulation Station decided it wasn't going to work anymore... Changing the Compatibility from Default to Proton Stable seemed to fix it. This took me about 2 hours to "fix"

I wish I was better at researching things at the time, instead of after the fact. As I work on the SHMUPtember blog post, and working my way through, I am reading up on the games. I started making a joke that the character from Legendary Wings' box art could be a prime candidate for one Capcom's many crossover/collab games. But, guess what?! The arcade version of the game featured a playable female character, Michelle Heart, and she has been referenced in a couple of said crossover games! Including, Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes as a support character! I acknowledge this in the blog post, but i also wanted to share this here, because it was something I failed to acknowledge when talking about Legendary Wings. #Capcom #SHMUP

@Judeau@mas.to Emulation Station is working. But RetroArch and Dolphin have stopped working. Funnily enough PCSX2 is working absolutely fine...

@CherryPixelBun@yiff.life One of the localised games in that series did a stupid thing, where they changed the yen to dollars, but also in the process made everything more expensive... To the point where it was impossible to finish the game because the amount of dollars needed to face the last opponent exceeded the limits of the money counter. Or something like that. I think it was Guru Larry who covered in one of his Fact Hunts.

It's #VGMWednesday !! *techno intensifies* I have a lot of respect for the soundtracks of fighting games. I may not have a huge love for the genre, but I think some of the greatest bits of character music has come from fighting games, Street Fighter alone has given us some absolutely amazing tracks. So, today, I wanted to highlight a specific song for a specific series that perfectly characterises it as a whole. 『Techno Syndrome』is just pure, Mortal Kombat, helped by Kyle Wyatt literally screaming those words as part of the song. I can't imagine Mortal Kombat without this song, it perfectly captures the over the topness and violence of the series in a fantastic way. It also, in my opinion, would be the highlight of a night out in a club. https://youtu.be/Sr1bLLvsbh0 #MortalKombat

Wait... What's this? We're going to Kyushu in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon?! Quids in! Let's go! The beaches of Fukuoka are calling me, let's say hi to Sakurajima, let's... Wait... What's happening. You god damn maniacs! You stole Kyushu from me! This just got deeply personal. (Hokkaido is still MIA, I am less concerned there) #GanbareGoemon #N64

@N33R@fops.cloud This angers me with how much sense this makes... And we've been ignoring this for HOW LONG?!

A lot of #Quake is playing Peek-a-boo with Shamblers and Vores. This makes Quake, a cover-based shooter... Right?

@gabrielesvelto@mas.to @vitex@f.cz Didn't watch Covenant either, watched some reviews and break downs after my older brother said it was kinda meh. The biggest sin of Covenant in my opinion is David's involvement with the creation of the Xenomorph as we recognise them. The scariest thing about Alien, in my opinion, was that Space is big. Like, really big. You wouldn't believe how vastly, hugely, mindboggingly big it is. The Xenomorph could be a reality that evolved in that manner out of necessity. It could have been engineered by a third party, I accept that. But for it to be related to humanity as the creator, by extension as humans made David, undermines that significantly. It does create a different fear, of being absolutely alone in the grand scheme of the universe. It could work, but I don't think it works in the context of the Alien universe.

@vitex@f.cz I forgot we were talking about Covenant and thought we were talking about Promethus... I did not graduate from the Promethus School of Running Away from Things...

So, I finally got around to doing a new blog post on Ishambard's Nest. Yes, I do remember it exists and I want to be better at uploading to that, mostly because it is a better venue for in-depth thoughts on games and stuff. I figured, however, to back up a little bit, and I wanted to talk a little bit about #RetroAchievements I wanted to provide some context to what it all is and why I engage with it as much as I do. It wouldn't be a Nest post without it being a bit of rambling scree, but honestly, at this point I am still trying to articulate this to all to myself as much as I am to you. https://ishambardsnest.blogspot.com/2026/07/retroachievements-what-are-they-why-do.html

I say this quite often with the games I played recently. This game is weird! Etc Typically, this isn't done with much hyperbole, because Dr Slump is a weird game. Glover is a strange game. The Goemon Games are bizarre. Starshot Space Circus Fever really seems to go above and beyond for being just off the walls. In the second world of the game, you attend the Killer Expo, a space venue to show off weapons of war because you are trying to find an experimental device that your ringleader plans to use against a rival space circus. Setting aside, there is a lot of dialogue that is, whilst humorous, is just so strange. At the Killer Expo, we find some people tied up in a torture room, one of them is discussing his crimes. Specifically, having overly-original political opinions, such as how the government wasn't attentive, tender and loving enough. A chortle and a knee-slapper for sure. Then I just sit there and go... Yeah... #N64 #RetroGaming

@KazuShuSora@social.tchncs.de How or why did you settle on the name for your account here, KazuShuSora?

So, I thought I had shot myself in the foot and jumped the gun when it comes to Goemon vocal songs, having showcased 『I am Impact』 a few months back during that particularly Goemon phase. Imagine my surprise when I discover that there are more songs crammed into that little gray cart. 『Gorgeous, my Stage』but more importantly for this #VGMWednesday we have 『The Theme of Mystical Ninja』, what? No fancy name? That's disappointing... At least i couldn't find one in my 5 minutes of searching. https://youtu.be/R7jEC64Da_Q This song feels lifted straight out of an 80s anime. In fact, if you told me the opening was a crudely rendered facsimile of an existing opening for a Goemon anime, i'd believe you. #N64 #GanbareGoemon

@GamingWolf@mstdn.games The irony is... I WAS going to do the DK Rap this week, but i am holding into to one for just a little while longer.

@zorrobandito@aus.social Oh, I plan to get to those at some point. Much like Perfect Dark, those games are a tiny bit daunting. Though, my initial toot was more of a joke that I was talking about a bad First Person Shooter for the N64, instead of saying I need to play one of the absolute classics!

#IshambardPresents Starshot: Space Circus Fever #N64 Developer: Infogrammes I love a good 3D platformer, sadly, Starshot is not one of them. Presents done, cue ending theme. Right, you are probably wondering, what's the beef? I'll see what I can say in 700 characters. Floating space platforms are not a fun place to platform around. Planets are. >50% of jumps are over instant death pits Jumping is theoretical, not always a guarantee Same with activating flight mechanics No invulnerability frames after being hit Some puzzles are way too frustrating to execute Funky framerates Death is inevitable and repetitive to the point of screaming Just the entire last stage of the game, and awful escort/lure mechanics A god-damn sequel baiting negative ending I surprised myself there. Whilst the game has a bizarre sense of humour to it all, it doesn't make up for the suffering this one inflicted on you. Another one for the avoid at all costs pile. Save yourself, it is too late for me.

@stdsxezat@linuxrocks.online I have never hit the boost button so hard or fast as I did for this game.

@Arelith@mstdn.games I generally think the first Mortal Kombat movie is deemed an acceptable video game movie, so I don't think you are necessarily in the minority there!

@gnitro@urusai.social It is rough, with very few redeeming qualities. Even the oddball humour isn't enough to save this one. It's a mixture of mediocre and frustrating.

@gnitro@urusai.social Two of the achievements seemed to have issues. Annoyingly, these are progression achievements, so things you should get through normal play (Beat Stage 1, etc) with no bells or whistles. The annoying thing about the game is that it auto-saves at certain points, and it is very difficult to create back-up saves, essentially i am working on a run where i plan to make a back-up copy of the save before the trigger points for the missing achievements. Then if it still doesn't work, I can at least create a support ticket on the site to get the developer to look into it. Though, there are a couple of tickets open relating to the specific achievements I am trying to get that have been open for about a year... So that's not promising.

@PaseoBaggage@mstdn.games Honestly, the last part of the first planet is some moon logic nonsense, so I am not entirely surprised. I wish I could say the game gets better after that... But it really doesn't...

Spend the better half of the morning re-stringing and helping tune @EmmalenaLEllis@cupoftea.social ' harp. She says she is grossly out of practice, but it is still impressive to see/hear

I make it sound like fishing in Stardew Valley is a stressful experience... And I suppose it can be? I find myself entering a bit of a flow state, bagging fish after fish, dipping into the nabbkng the treasures... It truly is one of my gaming happy places.

@outofprintarchive@retro.pizza Quackshot is peak Disney. I would love to see them do a remaster of that, in the same vein as what they did for Castle of Illusion and DuckTales.

@jenny753@indiepocalypse.social Can never have too many devices that can play Doom.

My first encounter with the Strogg Gladiator in Quake 2 instilled a fear in me. Running around a corner, on what felt like moderately okay health to be instantly gibbed from the end of a corridor by a fast moving bipedal tank would do that to you. The Gladiator railgun does 50 points of damage. That doesn't leave much for margin of error when fighting them. Sure, once you learn the dance by approaching fast, forcing them into a melee attack, dodging that and repeating, it is less of a problem. Also as long as you are constantly strafing they will miss you, but N64 Quake 2 maps don't always give you the luxury of space to strafe around them. The parasite is still a more annoying enemy, but every time I saw a Gladiator it was like a mini panic attack. #Quake_2 #N64 #RetroGaming

Quake 2 should come with a whiplash warning, considering how different it is in terms of tone to Quake 1.

So, I was going to meme dunk on myself for choosing to play Rocket: Robot on Wheels, another N64 3D Platformer after having traumatised myself by playing Starshot. Then I see the game was made by Sucker Punch Productions, of Sly Cooper and Ghost of Tsushima fame... Okay, you have my attention... #N64 #RetroGames

Faith has been restored in my love for 3D Platformers, especially those of a Collect-a-thon nature. Well, the collecting portion was never in too much question. After what was a personal disaster for me with Starshot: Space Circus Fever, i had a bit of down time. Some introspection and wondering if I really wanted to go through my list of 2026 N64 games... Knowing that at least two of them were First Person Shooters and then there was 3D Goemon, at least the latter promised me a good time. It wasn't because I was particularly busy over the last couple of nights! It most certainly was a serene, reflection! Anyway, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, within the first 15 minutes made me slap my hands on a table and go, "That's what I am talking about!" Sure it has its quirks, it's not flawless. But Rocket has more enjoyment in its little finger than Starshot has in his entire body. And Rocket doesn't even have arms! God damn I am looking forward to playing more of this! #N64 #RetroGaming

@Hundstrasse@retro.pizza The drones are the worst thing about Duke3D for sure. Using doors on them is surprisingly effective, baiting them to explode on the other side of a closed door. Requires a little bit of patience, but it can really save health and ammo. Admittedly can't confirm if that strategy would work on the most modern versions of Duke3D...

Perhaps i am being drastic. But, Starshot Space Circus Fever is making me actively dislike 3D Platformers. I can't tell if it is an emulation issue or the game just runs like an absolute dumpster fire. I feel it must be the former, N64 emulation from my understanding is a technical nightmare and most games, even the ones that run well, are secretly screaming about something in the background. #N64 #Emulation #RetroGaming

@Judeau@mas.to @EmmalenaLEllis@cupoftea.social Only 8 had to be replaced, which saved a bit of time, we did most of the replacing LAST weekend , and during the tuning process there I accidentally broke one. Replacing the original 7 took me about 2 hours because that was my first time ever doing anything like that and forming the knot for the soundboard is not particularly easy... Tuning then took... Maybe about an hour and a bit? We'll need to keep tuning it back in place over the next day or so, to make sure it holds the notes... 🥲

@GamingWolf@mstdn.games With great power comes great responsibility

@COMPU73E@retro.pizza As hilarious as that would be, I can see a lot of potential political commentary that could be present in the game going WAAAAAYYY over their heads.

So, like, I have done Doom 64... I have done Quake 1 and 2... I have done Goldeneye 007 and the World is Not Enough... There really is only a handful of peak N64 shooters I need to complete. So that obviously means the next thing I need to play is South Park 64

I've played enough XCOM to know that that 80% is really about a 15% chance to hit... I would say Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the #GBA looks like an XCOM game, but it was developed by Julian Gollop of UFO: Enemy Unknown fame... So a direct line can be drawn between the two games. To be fair, Rebelstar itself is a series that dates back to 1984, so it would be fair to say that Rebelstar was the foundation for which XCOM was built. This feels like a game that is worth checking out. I've always been quite a sucker for strategy RPGs like this. #RetroGames

Rocket: Robot on Wheels continuously caught me off-guard as I played it. From building a rideable roller coaster in the first world to colour-based puzzles using a paintball cannon vehicle in the second world, the game presented a really cool mix of puzzle-based and skill-based challenges. Despite being called a Robot on Wheels Rocket is, effectively, a unicycle. His physics, momentum and movements reflect this. Turning on a dime is not possible and how he moves takes some getting used to. The game provides hints to the key collectable via the means of riddles to help steer you in the right direction. Not too dissimilar to how Mario 64 does the Power Star hints, but still requires a bit of thought to figure out. The other thing that surprised me was how difficult the game gets, and the difficulty spike happens quickly. Even in the first world, some of the platforming challenges are a test of patience. I can imagine many kids never getting to the end of this one. #N64 #RetroGames

It is very very rare I will straight up tell people to avoid a game, which because of that, might get people interested in trying it. Do this at your own risk. That's all I will say. I would not blame you if you canned this one after the first hour or so.

@EscGoat@mastodon.social Yeah, i had heard about an anime, and I was fully anticipating someone bringing it up!