finished finished Pokémon Heart Gold after a lot of tedious training, and I thought you know what, let me finish off my save of Pokémon Crystal from a few years ago. it was a lot easier, didn’t even grind at all
shot is of the (final) final battle. went down to literally the last hit and last pixel of health. much more thrilling fight
Spent the last month and a half finishing this, got the true final boss and best ending. Incredibly unique jrpg and one of the most interesting games I’ve ever played.
I’ve beaten Kileak: The DNA Imperative!
Kileak is a launch PS1 FPS by Genki and the first in a loose trilogy of mech FPS with its sequel Epidemic and the better-regarded Brahma Force. You play as the captain of a mech-piloting special forces team who’s been sent to a remote base in Antarctica to apprehend Dr. Kim, a pretty bad dude who excavated the progenitor of all life on Earth and used it to make an army of freaky mutants. Go in, shoot robots, flip switches, listen to cheesy FMVs. Such is the life of the spec op.
It’s not a well-regarded game. Even at the time, reviews were mediocre and retrospective of the PS1 launch universally poo-poo it, with complaints about narrow hallways that don’t allow you to avoid enemy attacks and uninspired enemies. And this is where I allow myself to be slightly pretentious because I think Kileak is, infact, a pretty good game, and often misunderstood. It’s not a hIdDeN gEm (it does suffer from early 3D clunk like how you can’t strafe and aim at elevated targets at the same time, and gives you no reason to replay it after beating it), but it is a game that can provide a good time if you play it on its own term.
Kileak is categorized as a FPS because… it’s in first person… and you shoot things… but I find that sets false expectation because if you go in wanting challenging enemies or fast-paced combat, yeah it sucks. But Kileak makes much more sense if you view it as a dungeon crawler, or even as a survival horror. You’re mean to methodically clear out hallways, check your corners, and alternate between your regular guns and the weapons that draw their power from your mech’s energy reserves. Be conservative with the later until you can secure a power recharge station, and be sure to check your map once you read the end-of-stage elevator to see if you skipped over any missables. It’s a game that rewards patience and a thoughtful approach.
Kero Kero King PS1
Used save states in the final third of the game just so I could complete it in a reasonable amount of time. The final boss opponent required no miss-hits and chip-ins from some distance away. Doable, but I don’t want to be here for another 6 years, so I used save states after every hole and regular game save after each opponent.
I had thought maybe I had finished it and lost my save and started from an earlier point, but I had not seen the last few opponents and definitely not the final boss, ending, or credits.
Loved it.
