sherwind
VIDEO GAME LOGBOOK!
This page will be used to document some of the games I've played over the years!
I'll update it whenever I'm in the mood to talk about any certain game, so expect this to be an eternal wip.
NINTENDO GAMECUBE
Initially released in September, 2001. This is my joint-favourite console! My GameCube was the Platinum Silver version, that came with MKDD and Pokemon Colosseum in 2004.
PIKMIN
DEVELOPED BY: NINTENDO EAD
RELEASED: OCTOBER, 2001
The first game in one of my favourite series of all time. My childhood best friend owned this game before I had a GameCube, and I'd go to her house and watch her play all the time; completely enamoured by this bizarre and quirky game with creature designs like nothing I had ever seen before. Pikmin is a very short game when you know what you're doing; but as a kid it felt endless (and REALLY difficult with that time limit!) I always loved Olimar's diary entries in this game, they have some of my favourite writing from Nintendo and I drew a lot of fanart inspired by them over the years. While this isn't my favourite of the Pikmin games, I really appreciate it so much for starting off one of my most beloved series and for all the creativity it puts on display. I also played the New Play Control! version of this game for the Wii, and I'd like to try the Switch release version some time.
POKEMON COLOSSEUM
DEVELOPED BY: GENIUS SONORITY
RELEASED: NOVEMBER, 2003
The first game that I ever played on my own GameCube. I was a huge fan of Pokemon and seeing a game like this completely blew my mind at the time. I expected a battle simulator like Stadium so imagine my absolute surprise! Johto has always been my favourite region so I really appreciated the abundence of Gen 2 Pokemon in this one; especially with the focus on Suicune, Entei and Raikou and your starter Pokemon being Umbreon and Espeon. This game has a brilliant OST with so many memorable tracks I still enjoy listening to to this day... The Relic Forest theme..! Ah! I remember going there in the game just to pause and listen to the music for a long time. I really enjoyed the somewhat darker tone this game had compared to a lot of other entries in the franchise, and I'd love to see another spinoff some day if they could keep up the quality from this and Gale of Darkness.
NINTENDO GAME BOY COLOR
Initially released in October 1998. I never owned this console growing up, but I had a fascination with older games and loved playing them on my GBA instead. I'm so thankful for the backwards compatibility meaning I could easily access these titles!
POKEMON GOLD VERSION
DEVELOPED BY: GAME FREAK
RELEASED: NOVEMBER, 1999
Not my first Pokemon game, but the first one I ever completed and my childhood favourite. I was completely captured by the Johto region and all of the Pokemon there. My initial starter was Cyndaquil (who got me through the entire game, because I did not understand the fundamental game mechanics-) I can remember this game being the first one where I really paid attention to the soundtrack; the Ecruteak City theme made me feel so peaceful and made my imagination soar all around. I think these games still hold up (especially in the remakes but I'll get to those) and I think it's so awesome how you can travel back to Kanto and even battle with Red. Gen 2 will always hold a really special place in my heart.
SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
Initially released in November, 1990. This is one of my favourite consoles! The funny thing is, I never actually owned a SNES growing up, but I had a fascination with it and learnt how to emulate games so I could play them on our computer.
MOTHER 2: GIGU NO GYAKUSHU/EARTHBOUND
DEVELOPED BY: APE INC/HAL LABORATORY
RELEASED: AUGUST, 1994
My favourite game of all time! I discovered this series through Super Smash Bros. Melee. I used to spend a long time reading the trophy entries and learning all about the different series being represented in the game. I absolutely loved Mr. Saturn's design and the Onett stage interested me so much. I needed to know what this game was! I used to come up with ideas for what the story could be about based of what little I knew from the in-game descriptions about Ness. By some miracle I was able to figure out how to emulate games on our super old family computer, and I was finally able to play EarthBound for myself. It was pretty different to the game I came up with in my head, but I instantly fell in love with everything. The humour; the graphics; the setting; the music! I loved it all. I (very convincingly!) pretended to be sick so I could skip school for a week to carry on playing non-stop. I was completely unspoilt for the whole game, and I'll never forget the first experience of the final boss. I was finally able to get a physical copy of this game from a resale store in Kyoto in 2023. I totally missed my bus while getting it!
ROCKMAN 7: SHUKUMEI NO TAIKETSU/MEGA MAN 7
DEVELOPED BY: CAPCOM
RELEASED: MARCH, 1995
My favourite game in my favourite series! I love the Mega Man classic series so deeply in my heart, and I know it can be an unpopular opinion but I really liked the direction they were taking it with this one. Due to a ridiculously strict schedule, this game was actually developed in only three months. It's wild to consider when it has so many secrets and extra content! Imagining the game they could've made with more time is really crazy to think about. But anyway, I've always been enamoured by this games ending. Both the Japanese version and the English version really interest me regardless of the differences. I usually stick to the original but I can't deny that [cue extremely slow text] "I AM MORE THAN A ROBOT ! !" kind of gets me every single time. It was actually this game that got me really interested in robot xenofiction! I sincerely like the graphical style they used for this one, and I'm sad it wasn't reused for Mega Man 8 as well. I think Rock's sprite is just so cute here... It probably has my least favourite OST for this series, but the credits song and the final Wily Stage theme..! I love them so much.
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2: DIDDY'S KONG QUEST
DEVELOPED BY: RARE
RELEASED: NOVEMBER, 1995
Much like EarthBound, this was another game that I "imagined" the plot for in my head before I was able to play it for myself. I've always liked Diddy Kong for some reason. I used to think his Nintendo cap was so cool when I was a kid and I liked playing with him in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Anyway, this game is an absolutely amazing platformer, but what stands out to me most personally is the soundtrack. It might have my favourite soundtrack of all time! David Wise is a legendary composer and Stickerbush Symphony remains one of my favourite video game songs since the first time I heard it; I really like both the original and the remixed version in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It has a different vibe, but I still like it! Forest Interlude is another favourite, it's just wild to think these songs are from such an old video game! Just like the graphics in this game and its predecessor, they feel so ahead of their time. I have to admit that I kind of suck at the Donkey Kong Country games though. I wasn't able to beat this one until I bought it on my 3DS some years back, but it was really satisfying to finally get it done!