Games

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Random fun, or perhaps just signs that I’m getting both old and weird.

In finding myself in the mood for some Advent, the only version I’ve ever encountered on modern platforms is the version from OpenBSD’s games install set. Which shows some of the joys of FORTRAN to C conversion. The code looks like the most significant changes it’s seen in years are just related to security measures ala OpenBSD. Since I don’t have a machine running that OS handy, it’s not a quick login and run.

In debating how much poking and prodding getting code to compile on one of my Linux or Windows environments, I came across a fun little fact. ESR has a repo on GitLab dubbed Open Adventure that both compiles on Linux, and has tried to make the code more legible to modern sanities.

While trying to figure out the game from its source may be a surprisingly good idea, l find it rather covenant that it compiles and runs. Because while poking around code is what lead me to the mood to play advent, that’s a bit of a different activity from porting advent, lol.

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Xbox Gaming Lead Still Doesn’t Understand The Nintendo 64 Controller

That kind of maker two of us. I always found the N64 controller confusing and old feeling compared to the previous generation of consoles. By contrast the Play Station controller was pretty natural, and easily picked up by a kid accustomed to the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. Adding the analog sticks in the Dual Shock configuration didn’t change that.
Actually one of my minor grumbles when I bought the original Xbox One was the controller. The Xbox One controller is fairly familiar but swaps the D-Pad and left thumb stick from what you’d remember on the old Dual Shocks.
The times I’ve used an N64 controller, well, let’s just say I tried not to have to move my grip 😜.

My day in pictures and yadda, yadda

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Getting up this morning: Willow was so comfortable that I had to take a picture. Got cleaned up, took the Bonnie birds for a walk, and breakfast. Calculated that my routine of breakfast sausage to share with the dogs and toast or the like, is about 560 calories. Actually the most calories is the peanut butter on the toast, lol.

Made coffee, took Willow for a walk, and then got to finish my coffee. Because by then she’s armament for her second walk. Coffee and Xbox make for a cozy morning off.

Misty has two super powers. One is hunting for food. The other is being comfortable.

A mixture of Saints Row 4, Metal Slug 3, laundry, lunch, and Twin Mirror reminds me that mixing chores and relaxation is a good plan. Forgot to hang the wash, but at least I did manage to clean my refrigerator 😂.

Pretty often I end up making pasta, but rarely beefaroni. Growing up it was a relatively common cheese delivery vehicle amongst my mother’s cooking. Actually, I don’t have any recollection of eating the canned stuff. So much as stuffing my face until a nap was warranted, lol.

Kind of worked out as a perfect storm of convenience. Had some ground Italian sausage in need of being used up, been meaning to use up the elbows for a long while, and boiling the macaroni is good for the humidity. Plus yields more food for next week, and when aren’t I okay with such food for dinner? 🤪

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 On a whim decided to boot up my old Game Boy Color since I was looking for the pencil box it lives in. Don’t think I had turned it on in a good decade, lustruum at least. Figured it would be a good first test of my new rechargeable batteries, and answer the question I’ve posed for a couple years now: does it still work?

Much to my surprise it, and joy, it powered on. Had to try and boot the Pokemon Gold cartridge at least three times to get passed the firmware’s boot screen; lack of a continue game makes me assume the coin cell must be dead. The Yu-gi-oh cartridge however booted straight away and still offers a continue button in the menu.

As far as I can tell: it seems fully functional. Pretty sure that the screen is a hell of a lot more dim then it was 21~22 years ago when my mom bought it for me at the pawn shop. But 90s era LCDs are kind of known for that, and I still find it pretty impressive that so much fun could be housed in such a small for its day, and still rather lightweight package.

Misty is not sure what to make of this odd device that looks like an oversized phone. But knows she can’t eat it.

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 Overall Dragon Quest 11 has made me chuckle more than a few times in the course of its story. Especially involving Rab.

Most of the best chuckles have been somewhat out of place bits involving bunny girls. Well, depending on whether or not he already reminded you of Master Roshi by the first gag.

The bit with the naughty stick however is just so deliciously fitting and humorous!

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 Signs that I really liked a game: when I’ll buy it on another platform.

Resident Evil 0 was probably on sale when I bought it on Steam. Mostly, I got it because it would be the most like what I grew up with: the original Resident Evil, dual shock, and director’s cut editions. While I had very mixed feelings about Resident Evil HD, since it invalidates everything I remember: I really enjoyed zero. Haven’t cared too much for most of the series since the original trilogy, and had never played zero.

Thus, seeing it on Xbox sale for $5…no brainer. The only real negative from my time with it on Steam was how hard it is to actually hit the giant ass bat monster….lol

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 Passing thought: spending thanksgiving morning knee deep in the dead, playing doom. Unsure if I’m getting old, or just have really good taste in how to pass time waiting for downloads to finish 😆

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

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When encountering it on Xbox, I found the first entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan a superb adventure game. Enough so that after finishing it: I pre-ordered the second entry on the spot. I can understand why they targeted Halloween weekend as the launch for The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope. The game has a rather gruesome opening prologue before meeting up with the survivors of the bus wreck. It’s content is kind of ideal for Halloween, and I’ve been looking forward to it all month.

My Halloween plans pretty much were eat cake, and play Xbox. ‘Cuz even I need a day off once in a while, lol.

Early on Little Hope feels like things are a bit less heavy on the Quick Time Events (QTEs), given the shift from holy crap, pirates! Over to demons that go bump in the night as the main threat to your lives. Didn’t expect the twist at the end to make such crystal sense of everything that happened, but it was well executed. Whether intentional, or just my own attitude, it made the feeling of having had enough of the demons confronting the characters, and opting for more a aggressive approach: seem rather appropriate to the story. How it impacts the significance of characters surviving, well, made me feel a little less bad about missing a QTE and losing one on the way to the house. Some aspects of the gameplay may take advantages of people who paid attention in Man of Medan, or just be ready to oopsie you the same way over; it’s hard to tell.
Sounds like there are plans for a third game in The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes. I’ll probably be nabbing that when it comes out. Definitely a very fun game series.