Prof. 9
@prof9
Occasional ROM hacker and Mega Man Battle Network / Star Force modder | Part of @therockmanexezone.com
New mod release for Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection: Expanded music options This lets you swap in-game music to your liking. Set separate playlists per type of BGM, selectively choose Original or Arranged mix per individual track, and more. forums.therockmanexezone.com/mmsflc-pc-ex...
The Odyssey (IMAX) A phenomenal retelling of an old classic, that cleverly invokes modern themes to feel incredibly grounded despite the pseudo-fantastical setting. Only part that fell a bit flat for me was the end fight scene, but that was in the original too. IMAX is 100% worth it for this one.
Hero of Law (Emu) True labor of love & must play for any Ocarina of Time & Phoenix Wright fan. The references in text, music, animation are on-freaking-point & had me laughing out loud constantly, and there's even an awesome new mechanic. Connecting Link's Awakening unlocks something truly special.
Dark Auction (PS5) The characters & plot are good, but man is the setting poorly handled. It's jarring to see a story based around Hitler have so little to say about WW2's atrocities; at best, it feels cowardly. Use of gen AI taints the game's visual identity even if some of it was patched later.
I've been working on a mod for Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection that lets you swap music to your liking. You can set separate playlists per type of BGM, selectively choose Original or Arranged mix per individual track, change the Main Menu music and even play the DLC music in-game.
Disclosure Day (Theater) With a plot that is vapid and often inane almost to the level of comedy, this film acts like it has something profound to say, but I came out of it an utterly unchanged man.
World's End Club (NS2) What appears at first to be a cutesy puzzle platformer turns out to be an amalgamation of Kodaka and Uchikoshi's greatest hits. Many ideas from their previous works make an appearance here, and it does feel a little derivative as a result, but it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS2) I don't mind a linear Metroid, but MP4 purports to be an open world, yet is in fact even more handholdy than MP3. Not once did I feel challenged on navigational awareness because each level is a straight line. The GFX do be looking great though. 120 FPS is awesome.
ReCore: Definitive Edition (XSX) This game feels like a vertical slice that was stretched out to full length. Movement & combat are fun & feel good to play, but story is thoroughly lacking. Its best moments come after the credits, where it really does shine; sadly only for a brief, fleeting moment.
Pulp Fiction (Theater) A number of slower--meandering, perhaps--opening acts, that come together beautifully in the final act. The out-of-order storytelling challenges you to pay close attention to what's happening. It's easy to see why this was such an instant classic.
I feel like when your soundtrack ends up being MORE expensive than the actual game, you've really goofed up your pricing.
I never really checked, but Shooting Star - Misora Live Version and Shooting Star - Sonia Live Version do have some slight differences in the melody to accommodate the Japanese/English lyrics. Only in the Arranged versions, of course. Maybe these never were meant to get vocal versions after all?
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (Theater) Never saw the originals and holy crap this was cinema. It's endlessly derivative and pastiche, but presented so candidly that you can't help but be absorbed. The film's utter reverence for its inspirations can be felt throughout and makes it all work.
Metroid Prime Federation Force (3DS) Completely fails to capture Metroid's essence but is pretty fun in its own right. One of the most overhated games ever. This game's main problems are releasing in 2016, and not inheriting Hunters' fantastic control scheme. Playing this actually hurts my hands.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions (BD) Watching this 25 years after the fact, it's exciting to see just how much of modern pop culture can be traced back directly to these films (and the OG books). Fellowship is the best one and an all-time classic. Older movies just hit different.
The Mandalorian and Grogu (IMAX) The novelty of Mandalorian S1 having long worn off, this film makes it painfully clear how much of a non-character Mando is. Like most modern SW media, it's just more of the same, but deep down, there's some small joy to be found in that; like eating comfort food.
Pragmata (PS5) Nothing beats a good, old-fashioned, short, linear, level-based, companion character action adventure. Story is pretty unremarkable, but the gameplay is so good. Hacking feels fun even if combat favors gunplay maybe just a bit too much. And wow, what a visual spectacle this game is.
Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles (YouTube) This was a nice little surprise. Tangle & Whisper are fine in this but I do think comics OCs (which I don't follow at all) should get a *proper* mainline game debut before being added into other types of side media. Gemerl stocks rising.
Here's a Resume Field Music mod for Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. This makes the field music resume after a battle instead of restarting each time. (SF1 only for now.) Grab it here: forums.therockmanexezone.com/mmsflc-pc-re...
This trick to get guaranteed Mr. Hertz encounters still works in Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. Run around in this specific spot in Alt. Echo Ridge ER with max encounter rate. Easy way to get the No Hurt for Hertz award.
I created a Damage Multiplier mod for Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. This lets you increase the damage taken from enemies by up to 500%. Grab it here: forums.therockmanexezone.com/mmsflc-pc-da...
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (IMAX) This movie is just like the 2nd Sonic movie in that it's a worse movie in general, but a better representation of the Mario universe. Despite the lack of a plot or any character arcs, it's a fun albeit unremarkable watch. Surprising amount of fight scenes here.
Here are the strings in Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection's files referencing the Battle Network music DLC, so we can all stop beating around the bush.
RE Framework exposes every single game object via its API, with full reflection information, labeled structs and even function hooking. We've been doing all this stuff manually, in assembly, for more than 15 years! And now it's all just here, right in this convenient little tree window!
Created a small mod for Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. This restores the Lunar Knights posters at Nacys when playing on English language. forums.therockmanexezone.com/mmsflc-pc-re...
Finally got off my ass and finished the MMSF2 enemies pages for TREZ Wiki. www.therockmanexezone.com/wiki/Enemies... www.therockmanexezone.com/wiki/Bosses_... Fun fact, since the game prioritizes drops from G viruses, Mettenna is the first virus to have a location listed with 0% drop rate.
Seems that in Star Force 2, if you have any elemental search Sub Card active, the G Virus encounter rate is bumped up from 1-in-32 to 1-in-4.
Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen (NS1 & NS2) Kanto's open design is still unmatched, and Sevii feels like getting half a game extra. Every victory in FRLG feels earned; every achievement hard-fought; every milestone rewarding. So much cool hidden stuff in these games that you have to actively dig for.