update: they cooked

It's that time of year again to play peak-of-the-century

Brothership turns 1 today. A very good game. I might even say it's the best new game Nintendo's put out in over 3 years, though I've admittedly felt somewhat distant from their recent offerings.

Just beat Legends ZA. Genuinely a really fun Pokémon game, probably in the top 5 for the series, although the finale completely missed the mark for me. The most clever idea in ZA is that it gives a framework to understand Team Flare's perspective in a way that X & Y never even attempted to.

I replayed Pokémon Ultra Sun and, to my surprise, had fun. Unfortunately, some of that fun was undermined when the game started asking scintillating questions like "let's tacitly justify Pokémon torture" and "Lillie is useless." Oh. Neither of those were questions, were they? youtu.be/JotCgyIe70U

Lillie is perhaps Pokémon's greatest achievement, a single character in games which demonstrate why this series is worth caring about. I'm less fond of that bag she's always carrying around, though. Sun and Moon almost manage to reconcile these two opinions. youtu.be/3G9QPimGu4M

This was me with Astro Bot last year

The AI summaries YouTube places on my own videos are so full of nothing they couldn't possibly be useful to anyone. I'm assuming there's no way to disable this "feature." The second one makes my Brothership video sound like a sponsored ad by Nintendo lol

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon turns 10 today! It is, as of now, the most recent brand-new entry in the series! And to be truthful, I think that if it weren't for nostaliga for Explorers, Super might be my favorite entry.

What's all this about "streamlining" DQ7 I'm reading? If it doesn't take 20 hours to get vocations and I'm not going through Providence's Mountaintop Tunnel five separate times, am I *really* playing DQ7?

Nearly seven years later, Deltarune continues to be a triumph. Equal parts clever, funny, and earnest, Deltarune is the rare game to remind us that the most worthwhile things in life lie just beyond ourselves. I'm confident the game'll be able to stick the landing. youtu.be/3GbJfhgCyfg

Questions for those that have played Pokémon Sun and Moon: when you received Solgaleo/Lunala, what did you name it, if at all? Importantly, why? Lastly, what did you end up doing with it?

Addendum! While playing through Brothership, there was one joke that reminded me of something else. It was the same joke, executed similarly, only I had a much different reaction. Why the difference? Is it simply because it happened in a game I wasn't fond of? youtu.be/8i3RA7Dy6-A

Sometimes I remember they made an entire season of Star Trek textually about how suffering is not only inevitable, but actually a prerequisite for greatness. To that end, nearly every single character in the show is centrally defined by a single traumatic moment.

Though Unwound Future is far from the last Professor Layton game they would ever make, it has still retained its reputation as the series' high point within broader conversation. Let's just say it has held onto this position for good reason. youtu.be/Aaiyw4bKSdQ

They always cook with these Arcanum zones. It also 99.9% confirms we'll eventually be using the Arcanum to travel to Khonsu's world. Which wasn't too hard to predict, but it's nice to see I was on the right track.

society thing #psmd

I know there's a lot who are underwhelmed by Legends: ZA's setting being so limited, but that's actually what I've found promising. That its scope is tailored to its premise (facilitating an urban redevelopment plan) shows a commitment to an idea Pokémon is usually hesitant to follow through on.

Listening to some Ace Attorney music, and it reminded me how effective "Reunion, and Turnabout" is in re-introducing the concept of spirit mediums. Rather than the act itself, the case focuses on the *why* of it, using the dead as a tool for shirking blame and abdicating autonomy.

the tl;dw Before you are two candidates: Rayquaza: -Becomes free-will-pilled -Has his head in the clouds but performs duties flawlessly when reminded Gardevoir: -Burdened by natural order -Inexplicably wants her memory wiped every few months (claims it's "part of her role") I know who I'd follow.

Lastly, it's time to discuss the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. In-between learning the values of a good rescuer, Rescue Team shows us that the "roles" humans and Pokémon occupy may not be as static as we thought. ...Just be sure to ignore the Gardevoir in the room. youtu.be/PAttVi6mz1g

layton backrooms

Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the most impressive open-world games. It's one of the most impressive games, period. And now with Definitive Edition, Xenoblade X also happens to situate itself neatly between the series' past and present, for better... and for worse. youtu.be/_oXse5d4D_0

Pleasantly surprised by the positive reception to the new Fantasy Life, because honestly, my faith in Level-5 has cratered in recent years. I wasn't planning on picking this up, but seeing some more footage of it has made me more interested. Hopefully this means good things for their other games.

ADDENDUM: Maps are ubiquitous in video games. Some are better than others. All of them are special to me. Why is that? Allow me to explain. Warning: several minutes of Wizard101 discussion to follow. youtu.be/jG7EfXTKBZk

man I'm never leaving the editing dungeon

I'm making an unexpectedly quick return to the Layton series with a two-for-one special! This time, I talk about Curious Village and Diabolical Box, why one works for me far more than the other, and the Original Trilogy's fascination with 'time travel'. youtu.be/x-CjwXaDKeA

Just finished all main story chapters in Xenoblade X. The base game is as amazing as I remembered it, a strong blend between open-world and episodic high-concept Sci-Fi. On the other side of the spectrum, the new Ch. 13 makes me question whether or not Xenoblade is a series for me anymore.

Mario & Luigi is a series that means a great deal to me. It was a formative series for ironing out my taste in games and setting me on the path to experience many of my other favorites. Consider this a love letter of sorts... a VERY long one. I present to you all: Mario & Luigi Made Me Love RPGs! ⤵⤵

ADDENDUM: In this video, I step out of my comfort zone to become your elementary school English teacher. I want to get to the bottom of an age-old question: What do we mean when we say, "what's this story about?" (Spoilers for Nine Sols) youtu.be/SR4YvOrdXyE

average xenoblade experience

Gates to Infinity isn't exactly fan-favorite #pokemon. What it is, though, is an endearingly soapy game, one which asks us to imagine a world where fate turns on how well we regard our friends and neighbors. A game about how a change in perspective can reshape reality. youtu.be/zkg8VW_JcbI

My random .txt file of intrusive 2am thoughts on Pokémon sun and moon has now surpassed 2000 words lol I really wasn't planning on making this video until next year, but this is just getting ridiculous

It's crazy how good Definitive Edition is shaping up to be. X was already a top 10 video game to begin with, but now they're adding so much. I am going to be all over this when it comes out.

Just finished Gates to Infinity for the first time in 8 years, and I have to say, I was not expecting the Gurdurr story of all things to destroy me emotionally. It might be the best little vignette a Pokémon game has done. Needless to say, I will be giving this game an absolute *glazing* next month

In theory, a soft-reboot was exactly what the Layton series needed. In practice, Layton's Mystery Journey is a game dragged down by obnoxious characters, weightless drama, dull locales, and plodding storytelling. In practice, LMJ was the last thing the series needed. youtu.be/0JXHHYssO5I

Live now! Beating Every Mario Game for Trans Lifeline! I'm matching the first $300 in donations! youtube.com/live/sM2nD3o...

Hey, everyone! Just letting you know my video on Layton's Mystery Journey is finished (it'll be about two weeks before public release). It's up on my Patreon if you're interested! patreon.com/AurumAlex

Guarding

Unironically, the most exciting part of this trailer is when it said "Gather three beagflea squashes in Oblivia," and then it actually shows you where the beagflea squashes are, instead of expecting you to aimlessly wander around an entire continent for a single quest looking like a fool

Now that the dust has settled from all of the Mario RPGs we got last year, I think this how I'm feeling about them as of now. I could be convinced to swap Brothership and Superstar Saga, but it's been a while since I last played the latter.

Video! Unsurprisingly, I had a bit to say about Brothership: how the game retains the spirit of Mario & Luigi, the difference between a Lighthouse-type and an Ultibed-type collectible, and whether or not the game really understands the nature of "connections." Check it out! youtu.be/FK2-5RK7ZvA

Giveaway from Koalaty Shelves!🐨 5️⃣winners: 4 will get a set-of-4 stickers, and the final one will get choice-of-3 A6 prints! How to enter: 1️⃣Follow @haychel.bsky.social 2️⃣Like❤️ 3️⃣Retweet🔁this tweet Also reply which PMD char is your fav (optional) 🌎Open worldwide, ends Jan 29 2025! Good luck!

Being the end of the year, I wanted to recount my favorite projects I made. First up is, I suppose, my most controversial video of the year on Bowser's Fury, a game which seems ambivalent on embracing the idea of "open-world" Mario. As I try to argue, I think there's good reason to be ambivalent.

For anyone who's interested, my Mario & Luigi: Brothership video is now available on my Patreon, alongside an addendum to that video. I plan for the main video to release late next week. Check it out here: patreon.com/AurumAlex

Since I recently finished Mario & Luigi: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, I suppose it's only appropriate to start Ys: Brothership next (Ys series is 👌, by the way)

Finished Brothership finally. This is definitely going to become a video, but for now some quick thoughts: -Really liked how dynamic Concordia was as a setting -Bosses were great, though maybe a bit too few -Slow at points, but not a problem overall -Music grew on me over time -No hard mode :(

Another year, another Wizard101 video! This time, I talk about Selenopolis, why context is everything, quick tips on building the perfect dystopia, systems vs. circuits, and what happens when you don't know color theory. Check it out! Link: youtu.be/xJb5GTwneCA #Wizard101