Destructoid Changelog - Stupid, but great

I barely registered the weekend even happening. We didn’t get a pre-release key for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for some reason. That’s fine, it just meant that I had to go out and get a copy and then play it real fast. So, that was my weekend. More on that later.

Now we’re on the precipice of a new week’s end, and it’s something of a blank slate for me. So many possibilities. So much time for me to waste with indecision. Maybe I’ll just sleep instead.

Our first Monthly Special Issue is in the bag. Speaking of indecision, we’re still trying to figure out a good way for people to be able to read it after the issue has already gone out. I don’t want to lose all these great interviews in the inboxes of a few cool, cool people. If more cool, cool people are able to refer their friends to the newsletter, I want them to enjoy it too. Maybe we’ll put them up on the site after a few weeks, but I don’t want them to lose that exclusive, secret club feeling. So, we’re still deciding.

In the meantime, if you want to get October’s monthly special, then all you need to do is refer a friend through the link provided below (the button just gives you the link). Send a friend that link, have them click on it and sign up, and you’ll be put on the list. I haven’t nailed down who this month’s interview will be with, but I have some ideas. I’ll let you know after I poke someone and get their answers.

Anyway, I hope you’re well. Let’s get into this week’s cool, cool stuff right after I give you the referral link again. See you below.

In the cartridge slot this week

Parasite Eve

I first played Parasite Eve a few years ago, but stopped on the sequel before anything good happened (aside from some awesome scrolling pre-rendered backgrounds). I wanted to give it another go, but I also felt like it was high time to replay the original, so I did. It is so much more of a mixed bag than I remembered.

It’s bonkers. People speak of the opera scene at the beginning – an even better opera scene than Final Fantasy VI – but everything trying to explain the opera scene is so much weirder. If you ever wanted to see the word “mitochondria” severely abused, then this is the media to do it. You’ll learn some interesting facts mixed into a tale about mitochondria becoming evil and betraying the cell. I feel this would be like if your liver gained sentience and stabbed your heart.

I’ve looked up some of the facts that Parasite Eve spouts about mitochondria, and they’re apparently true. However, it’s really betting hard on you, believing that they can become intelligent.

Except that’s not even the most ridiculous part. I’m going to refrain from spoiling the end for you, but gosh, do I want to. You’d need cement to keep your disbelief suspended.

Even if it’s a completely bonkers plot filled with characters who can’t seem to stick to a single personality and whose brains frequently fall out, it all lends itself to a stylish experience. From the dialogue scenes in a police car that is going way too fast, to selecting your destination from an interactive map of New York, it exudes confidence.

It’s strange that the sequels to it dropped the combat system. In fact, it’s weird that the combat system has never been duplicated (however, an upcoming indie game, .45 Parabellum Bloodhound is lifting it). It mixes real-time movement with a Final Fantasy-esque action turn-based (ATB) system. So, while you’re waiting for your ATB bar to fill, you can move about and dodge enemy attacks. I supposed the Final Fantasy 7 remakes have something similar, but not quite.

The weapon upgrade system, on the other hand, can stay trapped in Parasite Eve. Essentially, you can swap stat upgrades and special traits to other guns by using tools. However, the benefits of each trait are a mystery without experimentation. I wasted a lot of ammo because I had a 5x multiplier on my rifle, which meant I could shoot five times in one turn. What I didn’t know was that this also divided its attack rating between those five shots. This has the benefit of being able to spread damage across multiple targets in one turn, but it also meant a lot more ammunition was being used, and I was leaving myself open to attack for longer. I was better off with just one powerful shot. Not intuitive. Neither is the UI, for that matter.

Still, there isn’t much out there like Parasite Eve. It’s something that could really benefit from a remaster or a remake (so long as not too much is changed). Scratch that. Parasite Eve is a special game; perfect as it is, as daft as it can be. Don’t change a thing. It’s peak PS1.

Elsewhere on Destructoid

The Rocky Horror Show is getting a video game adaptation this October

There isn’t much in terms of weird news this week, but I’d say that this definitely qualifies. The makers of the Angry Video Game Nerd games are making a game based on Rocky Horror Show. This isn’t the first time this has happened. There was one for microcomputers in 1986, and another for Windows in 1999. This one, however, is a sidescroller, so it’s at least distinct.

A trio of obscure but rad Famicom Jaleco games are coming to Switch

This is how I found out that City Connection has been releasing enhanced ports of Jaleco’s old Famicom titles. Just recently they released Bio Warrior Dan, and now they’ve got Pizza Pop, Saiyuuki World, and Magic John on the way. You might recognize the latter two as Whomp ‘Em and Totally Rad, as they were released in North America. Also, I suppose you’d have to be reasonably familiar with the NES library to even know of them. This is the first time Pizza Pop is being localized, and I’m kind of excited. There’s an episode of Game Center CX where Arino plays through it, and I thought it looked pretty good.

Thank cluck, Chicken Police: Into the Hive is out in November

I’m probably one of the biggest pushers of Chicken Police. Did you play Chicken Police: Paint it Red? It’s pretty great. Lovingly written with great film noir sensibilities. Well, the sequel, Into the Hive is out November 7. I’m mostly looking for more of the same, since I can get some variety from the series in one of its spin-offs, such as the upcoming W.I.L.D. Tactics. I can barely contain all of my jazz.

11 best classic console ads

Tiago has done an excellent job rounding up some of the best ads for consoles. It’s a great read/watch. However, I want to point out that this is a list of the best video ads. Print ads are a completely different ball game. They got pretty insane in the ‘90s the Game Boy “Play it Loud” lineup of colors, the Virtual Boy, Atari’s Jaguar console, and the Turbografx-16’s Johnny Turbo. The ‘90s were great.

Reviews for review this week

Judero

Someone in the comments summarized my review of Judero as "I don't understand it, and I hate the art, gameplay, and writing. 8/10!" I like to think I’m more nuanced than that, but it’s accurate. I find Judero to be ugly, the gameplay is routine, and the writing is all over the place, but it’s all just so sincere. Like I talked about with Parasite Eve, there’s absolutely no game like Judero, and that counts for a lot. I wouldn’t change a thing, Judero is amazing.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

As I mentioned, we didn’t get a pre-launch code for Echoes of Wisdom, so I played it over the weekend and did my write-up. It’s okay. Playing as Zelda isn’t enough for me as a hook, and while it sort of does its own thing, it does so with a notable lack of focus. It’s fine. I didn’t feel like I was suffering through it, but I found the whole thing to be unspectacular. And an unspectacular game in a spectacular series really stands out as a disappointment.

Throne and Liberty

You’re almost certain to lose me at the words free-to-play MMO (though, admittedly, I play Elder Scrolls Online), so my interest in Throne and Liberty lies somewhere at zero. Just not my cup of tea. But it is Stephen Mills’ cup of tea, and he seems to really enjoy it. Read his review because I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Victory Heat Rally

I’ve been looking forward to Victory Heat Rally for a long while now, but now that it’s here, I’ve found that it could have probably used more time to cook. The racing is fine; but it’s been fine since the demo. The game built around it, and even some of the tracks, could have used some fine-tuning. All and all, it isn’t a bad game, but there are a lot of frustrations in the way of enjoying it.