So, did this video game meme thing that's been floating around on Twitter. I have no real presence on that site (or really use it, at all) but it seemed like a fun thing to fill out. Honestly, I don't know if my tastes are even remotely interesting or if they're embarrassingly pedestrian, but I figured what the hell. Here's the meme if you want to fill it out yourself: https://i0.wp.com/pbs.twimg.com/med.....Z-XEAI83wt.jpg

And since I like to write a lot in these author boxes, I figured I'll explain more why I picked what I did as well as put some runners up.

Favorite Game of all Time: There was no other option. Hollow Knight is nearly everything that I want in a video game. My favorite genre (Metroidvania), great music, beautiful graphics and art, a lot of polish. I won't call it perfect, no game is, but damn if it doesn't feel close to it. I actually want to get into game development someday and I can only hope I can make a game that's half as good as it.


Favorite Series: I really like Castlevania. The music, the feel, the art style. Now, I don't care for the Classic series, nor for the "Modern" 3D entries, but those 2D ones, the "Metroidvania" Castlevanias, are my jam. It's a shame that the series is pretty much dead in the water and we'll never get to play as Julius Belmont AKA the guy (with some help) finally iced Dracula for good.

Runner ups: Classic Mega Man, Shantae


Best Soundtrack: This was a tough one. I really didn't want to place the same game twice, but then I thought to myself: "What does Best Soundtrack really mean to me?" And it's simple: it's a soundtrack that I like every song in it. Sure, there are a lot of soundtracks I love, too many to list, but they all have at least one or two, usually more, songs that I skip over or don't listen to. But I don't think there's a single song in Hollow Knight that I dislike, and that places it at the top of my list.

Runner ups: Chrono Cross, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night


Favorite Protagonist: This was a tough one for me, so I decided to list my favorite male and female protagonists.

I chose Sam and Max because, while there are plenty of male characters I liked, these two not only stand out to me because of their personalities but also because they encouraged me to play a genre I usually don't like that much (Point and Click Adventure games). To be fair, the first and third season of Sam and Max wasn't too bad but the second season is impossible without a guide. Despite this, their banter and borderline sociopathic personalities are so charming that they make me want to play their games regardless. I might even buy a VR headset, something I've had no interest in, just to play their latest new game. That's how much I love these two guys.

Shantae is probably my favorite female protagonist because, despite not being female, brown-skinned, or a half-genie myself, I do relate a bit to Shantae. See, one thing that often gets overlooked is that Shantae has a bit of a self-esteem issue. She often doubts she's really good enough to be a guardian genie and little hints here and there in her dialogue point to her not thinking much of herself. Despite this, she still never gives up and I find that very inspiring. So if she, a person who constantly worries she's not good enough in the face of adversity, can still prevail, surely I can do okay in my own life, right?


Favorite Villain: I'm not sure I can really explain it, but I do like Count Dracula as portrayed in the Castlevania series. I think that maybe the reason I like him so much is that all things considered, he's ultimately a tragic villain. He sought a forbidden power because of a terrible loss and being unable to accept death as a natural part of our world. He keeps coming back in an attempt to genocide the human race as a big "Fuck you!" to God (seriously), only to be put down again and again by the Belmonts and distant blood relatives. Truthfully, he could just stop and live peacefully in isolation and almost did so at one point but, well, saying any more would be a spoiler. He's evil, but when you find out why, well, at least for me, it's hard to not pity him a little bit. He could let go of his hatred and bitterness any time he wants but chooses to embrace the cycle of resurrection and destruction again and again instead, and that's kind of sad.

Runner ups: GLaDOS, Risky Boots


Best Story: I really liked Mother 3. It's legit one of the few video games to actually make me cry and I'm not ashamed to admit it.


Have not played but want to: Oh Silksong, you keep teasing me with your release date of "TBA". Someday, I suppose, someday...


You Love Everyone Hates: So I'm not sure how true this actually is, but since AVGN ripped into it, I guess it counts. I had this game on the SNES as a kid and played it a lot. Got pretty good at it too! I don't think it's that bad at all but maybe I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed it.

Runner up: Plok. I don't know how many people dislike that game, but I loved it as a kid. But unknownst to me, it was released during a time when people who actually getting sick of platformers. Which is a shame, because Plok actually came before Rayman, but Rayman is the one who gets credit for his limb style.


You Hate Everyone Loves: There couldn't be anything else. Now, I know this is going to step on some toes, and for that I'm sorry, but I hate Mega Man 2, or to be more precise, I hate how much everyone gushes over it. It's not that great, Wily Castle 1 isn't the best Wily Castle song by a long shot (any of the Wily Castle songs in 3 is way better, not to mention the majesty that is Wily Castle in Mega Man 5), a lot of Robot Masters attack patterns are bullcrap, whoever designed Mecha Dragon's boss room should be taken out and shot in the head... with a Nerf gun, there is no defending Boobeam Trap... I could complain about this game all day but I'll just say this: Mega Man 2 is not the best Mega Man, not by a long shot. In fact, I don't think the series even got good until Mega Man 3 and it didn't truly find its rhythm until Mega Man 4.

Yeah, me and Mega Man 2 are not on speaking terms... and yes, I've played it at least a few times, because even though I don't like it, I do love Mega Man Classic.


Best Art Style: This was a tough one for me, because there are a lot of good art styles, and plenty I haven't seen yet, but so far, I really loved the art in Blasphemous. If anyone tells you that pixal art is cheap looking, point them to this game. The smooth animation, the detail, the style... wonderful, all wonderful.

Runner up: Cuphead. If only because it revitalized interest in old, frame-by-frame animation and rubber hose animation.


Favorite Ending: Okay, so I'm going to put this in spoilers because I want more people to play this game. The reason I love this ending is because I think it's actually one of the most optimistic and positive endings in video game history. Near the end of the game, you find out that the player character, Soma Cruz, is actually the true reincarnation of Dracula and if he doesn't act fast, his former hatred of humanity will consume him just like it did in his past life. Thus, he finds the source of Dracula's power and destroys it, freeing himself from it. And with that, Soma Cruz, and therefore Dracula himself, are free from the sins and hatred of his former self, allowing him to live a normal, happy life. And if someone as evil as Dracula can be redeemed, that gives a lot of hope to the rest of us.


Favorite Boss Fight: Another tough one for me. Maybe there's one that I actually like better but can't remember. But when it comes to boss fights, this one has a lot going for it. Tricky but fair attack patterns, multiple phases to keep you on your toes, and a rocking soundtrack. Everything I would want in a good boss battle.


Childhood game: These questions are getting harder for me. While my collection did increase over time from birthdays, Christmases, and simply saving up allowances, I still only had a limited number of games I owned. A lot of games I would rent over the weekend, only to have to return them. Still, I chose this game because I did enjoy it a lot growing up and it's one of the few games from my childhood that still holds up (even if the inventory system is a bit of a pain). It helped to install a love of RPGs, a genre I didn't own any other games in aside from Super Mario RPG and it's the prequel to Mother 3.

Runner ups: Plok (seriously)


Relaxing Game: I... don't think I have any games that are relaxing. Or... maybe I don't enjoy relaxing games?


Stressful Game: I did enjoy playing this game for a brief time, but man is it stressful. First off, it's only fun on voice chat. The only people who play in text chat are young kids and they're not exactly masters of reason and logic. And even if you're lucky to play this in voice chat, it's still stressful. I'm not good at lying or detecting when people are lying to me. Some people take this game way too seriously or can just be surprisingly nasty over a game. If I can find another voice group to play with, maybe I'll give it another shot, but for now, I'm taking a hiatus until further notice.

Runner up: Team Fortress 2, but only because of the bot infestation. If the bots were booted out, the game would be fun again.


Game you always come back to: I couldn't think of anything because I've been too busy to play games lately.


Guilty Pleasure: Big shock, the guy who likes (fictional) hyper and weight gain likes a game based on hyper parts and weight gain. Actually, there are a lot of attempts here and there to make WG games, but this was the first I found that actually was a legit game and not just a glorified tech demo. Not that there's anything wrong with those, but sometimes I want something I can sink my teeth into. That said, Vale City was written by someone whose native language is not English and it kinda shows. Still fun, though.


Tons of Hours Played: Skyrim original: 995.4 hours. Special Edition: 530.1 hours. Enough said.


And that's it! If you actually read all of that, I love you... platonically speaking. Also, while I normally don't do this, and she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to, , I challenge you to fill one of these out and maybe write a little bit below the submission if you feel like it.

Okay, that's it. I got things I have to do and I'm sure you do as well. Laters.