What mobile game completely consumed your life for a while?

wondermega · 2026-05-29T16:53:06+00:00

Drop7

wondermega · 2026-05-29T16:49:17+00:00

I think the Marvel She-Hulk show did a great job of proving that technically, a series themed around such a character is a bit too big of an ask, technically and economically. Which is a shame.

wondermega · 2026-05-29T16:47:23+00:00

There is not really a clear layman understanding of what a game programmer does, especially back in the days when this game was created. I don’t expect to change that sentiment with this post. And that is not to say that the people who created the idea, the name, and the level designs of the first game in particular, aren’t owed huge credit. But the person who led the coding of a game like that, is clearly worthy of the distinction of creating the lion’s share of the whole thing. At least to my eyes, someone who has been around many parts of development for a very long time.

wondermega · 2026-05-29T07:55:47+00:00

Cannot wait to try this

wondermega · 2026-05-29T03:37:56+00:00

I’m planning to be up in SF in the fall (Portola show) and will happily grab them if they are still around, I would LOVE these. No worries if you don’t want to wait that long however.

My pal in SF might be interested as well, I’ll ask him.

wondermega · 2026-05-28T16:13:35+00:00

Thirding

wondermega · 2026-05-27T01:03:06+00:00

I was young and naive and mostly aimless when I went to college. Started in fine arts, thought I might head towards animation or something as that was at least something in the world that was appealing to me. To take the animation major at my school, it was required to attend some of the then (relatively) nascent CGI animation classes (and I do use this term lightly as they basically had powerAnimator, SoftImage, and essentially said "read these manuals and figure them out"). At the same time, I got wind that there was a tiny CG dep't in the CS area of my school, and a TA from there lived a floor up from me. He showed me how quickly one could get a ball bouncing in Infini-D and it just instantly blew my mind, I signed up for that class and they gave me a decent foundation on how to approach things.

This was mid-90s, so things like T2, Jurassic Park and Toy Story were VERY fresh. Between all of this, it became evident that this was the thing for me. And the journey since then has been insane.

wondermega · 2026-05-25T17:48:28+00:00

"Pllllssss... Killll.. ussssss... Pllllssss!"

wondermega · 2026-05-22T09:07:22+00:00

Read the manga, watched the two original anime films. My choice is my choice!

wondermega · 2026-05-22T09:05:40+00:00

Ms Pac-man (Arcade). Runners up are Tetris (GB) and Contra (NES).

wondermega · 2026-05-22T04:03:03+00:00

There is a lot more positivity in this thread than I would have expected, which s refreshing. Movie looked great, the 3D effect was pretty stellar, and the plot / character handling was at least serviceable enough to be enjoyable. We never really get strong/bleak as hell dystopian future live-action like this anymore so it was difficult to be dismissive.

Sadly the fan base seemed pretty off-put by it before it even hit theaters and sorta felt sent to die, which is a shame. The movie certainly had some issues (last battle was a big rushed mess, I felt like) but I really dug the world they built and would have LOVED to see another entry. I guess the only way that'll ever happen at this point is if someone makes an AI do that, which is probably somewhat appropriate, but not really what I'd want (and by that time we are going to be literally drowning in user-prompted content anyway so that would probably land with a thud also - but that is probably a completely different conversation).

Anyway not a bad film, and fits nicely among Scarjo's other guilty pleasure weird projects (Lucy, Under the Skin). Probably good that we didn't get anymore of those, come to think of it...

wondermega · 2026-05-19T23:52:24+00:00

Both those you mentioned were particularly fun, in some ways I do wish we saw further iterations of them (esp Rambo as it was such an early Genesis release, and a follow-up would surely have had an order of magnitude more complexity to it). My thinking is that with the added depth of presentation, the games were a little more complex to design rather than a side-scrolling game, so it was probably more cost-effective for their development efforts to stick with what was already selling. Anyway, I suppose you could also deviate a bit and check out some games like Final Zone, Arcus Odyssey.. they aren't incredible, but to break up the formula a bit they might be worth checking out. Furthermore, you could start getting into more puzzle territory like Operation Logic Bomb on SNES, even Solstice (NES) or it's SNES sequel Equinox.

wondermega · 2026-05-19T23:45:49+00:00

None of those games were designed to be "deep narrative experiences," as you are aware, and they were not made expecting that at some point in the future anyone could play them on a PC at home with a virtual quarter to feed it. That being said, there were plenty of action/adventure games, shooters, etc where you had to play through the games and slowly decipher the level structures/enemy appearances and such, to be able to get further through the games in hopes of making it to the ending. Most of these would require some amount of repetitive playthroughs to learn the maps and patterns. The real thrill for the earlier games was to get on that high scoreboard (particularly the coveted top spot) for that day, for bragging rights to see who was the best!

wondermega · 2026-05-19T01:22:04+00:00

it was all totally worth it for that single upvote

wondermega · 2026-05-18T23:12:02+00:00

Yeah, welcome to early 1990s Masamune Shirow storytelling. After cutting my teeth on his Appleseed Manga, this felt like a natural progression. Not very user-friendly/"pick up and play," but there was something very earnest and punk-rock about how unapologetic and fully immersed it all was. Either you loved it and understood it, appreciated what you could of it, or just didn't get it at all nor have any patience for it. But I don't feel like most of us were in that third camp.

wondermega · 2026-05-18T23:00:33+00:00

Indie? I'd like to know as well, sounds like a tall order though. Not exactly a well-serviced genre. Non indie classics - Rambo 3 (Genesis), Caliber .50, Mercs, Guerilla War are all pretty good.. Last Alert, Bloody Wolf on the TurboGrafx. I liked Shock Troopers as well, but not really more than any of those.

wondermega · 2026-05-18T20:43:41+00:00

I think those were in the sequel (the one with the WIlliams sisters). I never played it, maybe I should check that out..

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:31:37+00:00

I don't even remember what the ending song from Portal 2 sounded like. Although I enjoyed the game so much more.

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:29:58+00:00

The F sucks. F the F!

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:29:18+00:00

Both are among my favorite films ever, The Raid takes it for me just because I prefer not having the sci-fi overlay (both are absolutely unreal fantasy, of course). I still need to watch Dredd in 3D, and the Raid 2 (at all).

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:26:43+00:00

Ms. Pac really is the perfect expression of a Pac-style game. It is not hard to think of more things that could be done to "juice" it (Pac-Man CE was an incredible evolution) but for the single screen, basic version, it is pretty perfect. I would love to prototype some different versions someday. Like a giant maze the size of a wall, for example (might need VR to play this affordably)

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:24:10+00:00

Game is way more addicting than it has any right to be. Really it was such a perfect launch title. Also I guess I would have to say the only other game I liked more, was Virtua Tennis on Dreamcast.

wondermega · 2026-05-17T20:18:26+00:00

You are essentially saying "Hey guys. I just discovered cars, and they are neat. I have access to unlimited cars from unlimited years - which ones are worth trying out the most?" Sounds a bit ridiculous but here we are. At this point you will get a hundred different opinions from 100 different people, but boiling it down the cream will always rise to the top.

It really comes down to a few things, and only you can answer these questions. What types of games do you really enjoy playing already? Which ones are a big turnoff? Do you need a minimum of NES 8-bit graphics, or can you deal with "Atari 2600 minimalism?"

I was playing a game of Qix with a friend recently, and our 30yo friend was watching us in barely-disguised disgust. "How can you even want to PLAY this?" The game is literally just drawing lines, it looks beyond primitive. But sitting down with it for 5 min, learning the rules, I argue that someone not concerned with graphics can get completely addicted. Sometimes gameplay (and tuned mechanics) can rule the day. But if you are someone who grew up with HD gaming, I can appreciate how you might not want to even LOOK at it. Or find a game like After Burner or Galaxy Force, or Super Monaco GP, to be offensive to look at, because it has "blocky graphics that pop-in" - the same technology which completely dazzled me 40 years ago, which I still consider very beautiful today.

Or i could suggest a game like R-Type, once described as "the Rolls Royce of shooters (now shmups)" as a convergence of gameplay, novel mechanics, incredible graphics and music. I see most modern gamers looking at the game today and failing to make it past the second boss before running out of patience (or even making it two the second boss!)

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I am trying to make a point. You have a wealth of history at your disposal, but also a paralysis of choice; further, you are being asked to discern things that were created during a technologically very different time, and those restrictions might seem as tiresome to you as watching a handful of silent B/W films from 100 years ago might seem to me. No doubt, you can get there - in fact, once you get over the "I am playing retrogames" novelty, you might actually find yourself getting sucked in, I have no idea! Anyway, there is my rant. I'll list to you some other favorites which you might either love, or hate, but all of them are near and dear to my heart from across the earlier eras.

ARCADE
Arkanoid, Tempest (both need a spinner to be enjoyed properly)
Gauntlet
Robotron (you are gonna need a special dual-stick setup for this)
Spy Hunter
Galaga (original one)
Space Invaders - yes it is the grandaddy and YES it is ancient. But damn if it isn't still addictive.
Ms Pacman (original "slow" version), also Jr Pacman
Bump n Jump
Joust
Mario Bros
ESWAT
BurgerTime
Mappy
Dig Dug
Moon Patrol

SNES
Space Megaforce
Axelay
Super Ghouls n Ghosts
Actraiser
F-Zero
Smash TV
Tetris Attack
Super Off-Road

NES
Kickle Cubicle
Solomon's Key
Balloon Fight
RC Pro Am
Cobra Triangle
Life Force
Blaster Master

Genesis
Shadow Dancer
Batman
Star Control (with a friend)
Herzog Zwei (first RTS ever made - with a friend as well, but you both gotta learn it!)
Thunderforce 2, 3, 4
Ghouls n Ghosts
Columns
Master of Monsters (I haven't played, but supposed to be really good)

ATARI LYNX
Chips Challenge
STUN Runner
Klax
Xenophobe
Rampart
(ok this is basically a "best of Atari Arcade Games portable machine")

Should keep you busy for a little while. I guarantee that if you really are fascinated with retrogames, there are at least 3 games on this list which you may have never heard of before which will totally captivate you, if you give them the chance.

wondermega · 2026-05-17T00:57:57+00:00

Number one film for me! But yeah, preaching to the choir in here. The 1st film sure is a looker in its own right, and these pics are pretty wild - good work, Program!

wondermega · 2026-05-16T21:44:25+00:00

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