I just finished EarthBound and I have one complaint: it wasn’t long enough. I’m joking of course, but that’s how much I enjoyed that game; I wish it had gone on for another 40 hours. It’s such a shame so few people played it when it first came out. They missed out on a true gem. It’s definitely in my top 10.
I remember when this game first came out as a kid. Thanks to gaming magazines etc I usually kept up with most of everything that was coming out. But I had no idea what the hell this game was really. I rented games in a really small town way up north and it had a really big box. Big box obviously meant cool game.
Big box DID mean cool game though. Except I had no idea what the hell I was doing and my cousin had to take over and figured out how to level up etc. Once I understood how it worked the game took over my life. I became obsessed with it and I must have played it 20+ times. Game seriously changed my life and eventually led me to other RPGs like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 3 (6) etc. It's what made me fall in love with storytelling, character and world building.
Hell, I can probably thank Earthbound for leading me indirectly to my love for things like Berserk. So fuck ya Earthbound. Even nearly 25 years later I still get that wonky ass music stuck in my head in my head. Hell, even right now for example.
As for me, I'm nearly done with Dark Souls 2. Still a love-hate relationship with it. Feels like half the time it goes out of its way to be more annoying than challenging. But it has so many damn cool moments with its atmosphere and scenery that I forgive it until the next moment it thinks mobbing me with 10 monsters at once with 80 statues spitting petrify bullshit at me is clever.
I finished the Sunken King DLC and it was pretty cool mostly. It's also the first time in the entire series I put away my trusty bandits knife (which I've beaten repeatedly all of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 and 3 with) because my DPS was so unrealistic against some bosses that I just fully upgraded a Gyrm Axe and mysteriously it became easy mode. That Queen Elana bitch summoned Veldt and it was impossible with a bandit's knife. Gyrm Axe? Turned me into fuck you mode and annihilated him in like 5 hits. Never once in the other games did I feel like something wasn't reasonably doable with my precious knife. Makes me sad yo.
Also finished off, minus one area Old Iron King. This DLC was kinda awesome. I loved the creepy queen things whispering things. It reminded me of the ghosts in Fatal Frame (especially the last boss of 3). The DLC felt slightly tedious but it was one of the more fun and less bullshit areas of the game. Fume Knight was a fantastic boss too. He felt like an Abyss Watcher, The Nameless King and Gwyn all wrapped up into a steel bastard. He was rough, but felt fair. Very satisfying to kill when I got the dodging down.
Anyways, fuck this game, I love it but I can't wait to be done with it.
While I'm at it and I remember, a very special fuck you to Shrine of Amana. Those sexy druid voices are meaningless against my rage towards that place.