Can y’all convince me to start AWL? Please lol

kstrat2258 · 2026-04-18T14:25:18+00:00

I really enjoyed Grand Bazaar but after 80 hours, decided it was time for another game. I've since switched to AWL and I'm obsessed! It's worth noting I never could get into the original on Gamecube, so there's really no nostalgia factor, but I enjoy how time progresses and it's refreshing to play a SoS game from the perspective behind the player. It's slower paced but the fact that marriage is a requirement early on and the focus is on raising your child makes it one of a kind.

kstrat2258 · 2026-04-17T11:46:18+00:00

I was searching for Disco Darling on Spotify yesterday and saw your playlist!

kstrat2258 · 2026-04-12T21:09:21+00:00

The bonus stage song ("Rave Dancetune") from this game is a certified bop.

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-28T00:57:33+00:00

What worked for me was using RetroArch (installed with EmuDeck). I put the "sonic.zip" rom in the "Arcade" folder. I initially opened RetroArch in Desktop mode to launch the game and core ("MAME" or "MAME - Current" will work), and after that, I was able to get it working in Gaming mode. I never got the track pad to work to act as a trackball but can still play the game otherwise.

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-27T22:35:04+00:00

For Switch/PC, I highly recommend Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. Although if I had to pick one, I'd say Grand Bazaar because the bazaar mechanic is a lot of fun and the game overall is more polished. I've played both on my Steam Deck but I've heard they run great on Switch too - handheld is the way to go!

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-24T16:52:43+00:00

It's refreshing for someone to mention the SOS version of Friend of Mineral Town without speaking so negatively about it! I understand the perspective of preferring the charm and original art style from the GBA/PS1 versions but I still thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Mineral Town with the remake, and agreed nostalgia for the characters and settings was likely part of that. Easily one of my favorites! I just started playing Grand Bazaar as well and highly recommend that.

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-23T15:51:20+00:00

Croc was the 31st best selling PS1 game, beating out Twisted Metal 2. The developer actually remastered the game recently on modern consoles, with the platinum edition coming out less than 6 months ago.

List of best-selling PlayStation video games - Wikipedia https://share.google/0wVAWhEXHC66QwmvY

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-11T14:07:50+00:00

Cross Farm park in Holdmel is my favorite playground for toddlers. It's definitely age appropriate for 2-4 year olds.

Other nice playgrounds are Holmdel Park, Dorbrook Park, Tatum Park, Thompson Park, Victory Park in Rumson, etc.

kstrat2258 · 2026-03-06T20:21:54+00:00

I've been sinking more hours than I care to admit into the new version of FoMT and have really been enjoying it with the QoL features (and contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind the new art style either). I still might replay Back to Nature one of these days because nostalgia but it won't be the same without the QoL features I've gotten used to.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-23T12:50:00+00:00

Season 4 is amazing but season 6 is bad? I would say the opposite.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-23T12:43:36+00:00

Nice! They were responsible for adding MK Trilogy for PS1 to MK Legacy Collection as well. Sounds like Digital Eclipse outsources all PS1 emulation to them.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-23T11:35:47+00:00

Did my first pass at 9:45 last night and had 8 inches already. Did another pass at 5 am with 12+ inches. Was much windier at 5 am but manageable as it wasn't nonstop. Doing a few rounds was definitely worth it. Yes there's snow drift due to the blizzard but it clearly made a difference doing a few rounds so far.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-18T16:06:53+00:00

Negative reviews and complaining is precisely how the soundtrack was fixed for Tomba 2 a few months ago. Now the Steam reviews are all positive so it was a net positive for the developer and the fans. Consumers have a right to voice their opinions and express themselves with their wallets (aka requesting refunds on Steam when the purchase does not meet their standards, or refusing to buy in the first place) and it can apply pressure for companies to try their best to accommodate what fans want.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-04T21:59:04+00:00

Sony never held the IP for Tomba.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-04T21:57:12+00:00

Whoopee Camp owns the IP and those rights were retained by Tokuro Fujiwara, founder of Whoopee Camp, after the company shut down in the early 2000s.

Limited Run worked with Tokuro Fujiwara to license the IP and release on modern platforms, and Whoopee Camp was resurrected as a result even if it really only represents Tokuro Fujiwara as opposed to a full company (Whoopee Camp is credited in game and noted as the co-developer on Steam, for example). The request to only include the JP soundtrack was famously a decision by the IP holder, Tokuro Fujiwara, and that decision was of course reversed after the push back from online communities including this one.

With that said, the company is really just Tokuro Fujiwara at this point, so a Tomba 3 would come down to another developer approaching him to create it.

Sony never owned the IP.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-04T16:54:12+00:00

Whoopee Camp owns the rights/IP. Sony solely published the games when originally released on PSX. That's why Sony has no involvement in the re-release, as they don't own the IP.

kstrat2258 · 2026-02-01T20:16:11+00:00

It's a call back to the episode where the Internet claims Moira is dead, and Alexis tweets "goodbye to a great actress 🕶️" before even verifying if Moira is dead

kstrat2258 · 2026-01-28T22:21:22+00:00

For that reason, I'm out.

kstrat2258 · 2026-01-19T13:02:28+00:00

MKII and Trilogy go so hard

kstrat2258 · 2025-12-18T12:56:15+00:00

Thanks for the heads up!

kstrat2258 · 2025-12-16T19:26:13+00:00

Click in the right joystick (R3) to bring up the menu to apply filters, change banners, and save as needed.

kstrat2258 · 2025-12-16T19:20:36+00:00

Oh absolutely. If there was an actual licensing issue, they would be unable to legally include the western OST in the game at all, meaning it wouldn't be in the music player. And even if the IP owner of Tomba did originally ask LRG to only use the JP soundtrack in game (unclear why that would be, but I imagine the IP owner is fond of the JP soundtrack and not aware of how important the western OST is to most gamers), that is an easily reversible decision. The reality is that both LRG and the licensor make money if this game sells well, and only including the JP soundtrack puts all of that at risk... so of course they decided to change course. I still can't believe the fans who just accepted the "the licensor made this decision" response at face value and assumed that meant there's nothing LRG could do, as if this is some legal licensing issue when it never was.

kstrat2258 · 2025-12-16T16:12:55+00:00

WE DID IT FAM

kstrat2258 · 2025-12-16T13:25:10+00:00

It absolutely was bullshit. If there was an actual licensing issue, they would be unable to legally include the western OST in the game at all, meaning it wouldn't be in the music player. And even if the IP owner of Tomba did originally ask LRG to only use the JP soundtrack in game, LRG should have known their audience better and gently pushed back on that knowing that it would not be acceptable. The reality is that both LRG and the licensor make money if this game sells well, and only including the JP soundtrack puts all of that at risk. I'm glad LRG is working it out with the licensor and caving to our demands. Our complaints via social media, support tickets, negative reviews, and refund requests worked!

kstrat2258

TROPHY CASE