I love Balloon Kid.
Games I <3: Balloon Kid
Jul 8
Balloon Kid Misc.
Jul 8
This post is an addendum to this article. There’s so little Balloon Kid information out there that I’ve tried keeping a semi-comprehensive log of interesting links relating to the game. I’m also putting the call out there for anyone with knowledge of any related material to contact me or leave a comment to add to the list. So without further ado…
Addendum:
- Here’s an unscientific comparison of the three versions of Balloon Kid (click on it if seems to be cut off on your display):
Perhaps in the future I’ll do a more thorough analysis. There may be many more differences between the versions than I mention in the article; I’ve played substantial portions of each version, but only Balloon Kid in its entirety. A few are mentioned in the interview linked below. The screen captures also suffer a bit from YouTube compression. It’s also unlikely that Hello Kitty World would be played on a screen smaller than Balloon Kid or Balloon Fight GB would, so adjust the size of the rightmost screenshot in your mind accordingly.
- There’s not much in the way of Balloon Fight fan productions, but I did find this rock remix of the Stage 1 theme by a band named “Sprite Slowdown“. You may want to adjust your volume as the track has a drastic increase in volume near the start:
Sprite Slowdown – Balloon Kid
- Nintendo of Japan has a webpage for Balloon Fight GB. There’s some nifty artwork of the monsters and a better shot of the art on the game’s box (which may have been created specifically for the re-release?).
- An interview about Balloon Fight GB from the aforementioned webpage. Translated by Anthony Calderon of N-Sider.
- Someone inexplicably did a vector of the game’s logo.
- If anyone has access to manuals (whether physical or digital) for either of the three games, I would love to see some artwork or read the story/character/enemy descriptions. I’d be happy to share them on the site as well if anyone would be willing to scan or transcribe the good bits.
- There may be more information/artwork in contemporary issues of Nintendo Power or Japanese video game publications. If you can find any, do let me know!
Feelin’ It
Jun 5
What was it about A Link to the Past that made it the definitive 2D Zelda game for me? When playing an enjoyable game, the sense of enrapture is usually well developed enough that I don’t stop and think about just why the enjoyable activity I’m engaged is actually compelling. What made the game so much better to me than the subsequent Zelda titles on the Game Boy? Can one simply say “it just feels better”? These games aren’t magical in any (literal) way, these are products specifically engineered by people to make us feel some sense of enjoyment visceral enough for us to sacrifice our idle time to explore their worlds. I could write on and on about the little things that filled me with joy in LttP. The grand sense of uncovering secrets hidden amidst the landscape, the tension of the spectacular boss battles, the slow and steady expansion of the power I felt as Link got evermore items and abilities.
But perhaps a more abstract and popular example of this sort of “deconstruction of fun” is ICO for the PS2. I’ve run across numerous articles that aim to describe in as much detail as possible why it is such a special game. The mechanic of escorting Yorda through the labyrinthine structure of the castle creates a bond between the player and their dependent, ethereal partner. The way the camera swivels on a pivot to keep an eerily human gaze on Ico at all times, failing to keep centered when he quickly falls down a great height. The way Ico’s awkward jumps and swings grant him a sense of weakness that heightens the tension and sense of weakness in critical moments. It’s nearly-nonexistent user interface, etc.
Really though, when I first played through the game those years ago, I was struck by the game’s simple beauty and was compelled to explore. It was only after I had read others attempts to describe the game and chose to give a presentation on what ICO did differently from other games as a college project (which necessitated description and exposition) that I sat down and thought about what, maybe, were the elements that came together to produce that experience. A “good game” can be good in an almost undefinable way. It resonates on a level deeper than that of exact descriptive language. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why “good” directors can end up making bad games. Fun isn’t a science.
Conversely, when a game is bad (or rather, disliked), my experience has been that people are able to articulate these emotions with an almost resounding clarity. Something about the hits and impacts in Street Fighter III just feels right to me, but I know that Guilty Gear X is simply too stiffly animated and the characters too outlandishly designed for me to really enjoy on the same level.
Sometimes, man, you just gotta feel it. 
Highcoo
May 15
one week passes
still I see no post
does this count?
With the recent release of HeartGold and SoulSilver, I thought it high time I corrected one of the glaring errors of my childhood – namely, not beating Pokemon Crystal. Picking up where I left off a few months prior, I got my last Johto badge, defeated the Elite Four and then conquered Kanto. Only one area left standing in my way – Mt. Silver.
A brief outline of my team:
- Lugia – Level 60 (caught, but not really raised in any significant way)
- Typhlosion – Level 53 (my starter, named “StarmanDLX” in honor of EarthBound and my Bulbasaur in Pokemon Blue)
- Suicune – Level 51
- Gengar – Level 50
- Farfetch’d – Level 44 (seemingly useless in battle, training him to learn False Swipe)
- Voltorb – Level 18 (just to use Flash)
I think I flipped a wig when I saw that the final boss’ first Pokemon was a LEVEL EIGHTY-FLIPPIN’-ONE Pikachu, my highest level Pokemon being at 60 and 53 following that, I knew things weren’t going to be easy.
So I squeak by the boss’ Pikachu, Blastoise and Espeon and then he suddenly decides to send out the bane of my existence: SNORLAX. This level 75 powerhouse forces me into a depressing battle of attrition, wherein I nearly exhaust my entire supply of potions and revives. The Snorlax uses Amnesia to boost his Special Defense up to obscene levels so none of my elemental attacks do any damage beyond a pixel or so of health (my Lugia’s Hydropump became worthless WITH Rain Dance). Every time I make a slight dent into Snorlax’s massive armor he uses Rest to spite me. His Body Slam move, considering the differences in levels between Pokemon, was absolutely devastating. After around 30 or so minutes of trying unsuccessfully to whittle away this monstrosity’s HP and having my best Pokemon faint and revive multiple times, Snorlax seemingly uses all the PP for Body Slam. At this point, he begins using Snore to KILL MY POKEMON WHILE HE SLEEPS AND REGENERATES HIS HEALTH
So I don’t know what to do, Snore is a weak move but my Pokemon are paltry in level and their attacks do barely any damage. I can just see myself blacking out and waking up at the last Pokemon Center, my head hanging in shame as I realize how ineffectual of a Pokemon Master I really am. I’m like Ash in the Pokemon Movie when he turns into a rock, only I don’t have a Pikachu in my party to revive me with its tears. Instead I shall remain as a pitiful statue lying amidst the rubble spread about the feet of the final boss for an eternity, reminding untold generations to come of my failure. They will write songs about my failure, like Guy Fawkes.
So I get desperate, none of the Pokemon I’m using are doing any good. I figure anything is worth a shot at this point, so I send out my weakling level 44 Farfetch’d to confront this level 75 colossus. I think I heard Snorlax laughing through the speakers of my TV. I didn’t even know the game could do that, but whatever. Every time this beast uses Snore, Farfetch’d enters critically dangerous HP territory. I’m talking red color, beeping noises, the works. I use Hyper Potions like shock therapy to snap the poor bird back into consciousness after every near-death experience. I can practically hear PETA knocking on my door.
It works.
With every lapse in attack, Snorlax uses Rest to regain his health. I use this moment to have Farfetch’d perform Swords Dance, greatly raising his attack power (or so the pixelated text informs me). This goes on for at least 12 turns, eventually I am unable raise my attack power any further. Next time Snorlax uses Rest, it’s time to put this theory to the test.
I use Slash. His HP crawls beyond the half-way point, well into the yellow “caution” area. Swords Dance has infused Farfetch’d with Super Saiyan levels of strength. He has ascended to the next level of consciousness, mere mortals dare not provoke his mighty duck-billed wrath. The single stalk of leek he carries with him transforms into a cane of divine jurisprudence. With it he dispenses justices against the cowards and sinners who dare cast Snore in the midst of Pokebattle.
Another Slash. He’s dead.
From this point on, nothing can stand in my way. Venusaur? Charizard? Just who the hell do you think I am?! They are nothing to me. I crush them with the fists of a million burning north stars. As the battle ends, the trainer stands before me in utter shock. The customary post-battle formalities are through, the only words that escape his mouth are “…”. That’s right, just don’t say anything. It’ll be easier that way.
I am a Pokemon Master.
IT BEGINS
Apr 29
Semester’s over, yay! Motivation to update the site seems to evaporate whenever I have classes. So how about this – I vow to make at least one weekly content update for the duration of the summer. Some may be big, some may be small, but they’ll be something at least!
Or your money back!
Should I falter in this endeavor, feel free to pinch me or something.
But not too hard.
Actually, let’s just forget this whole pinching business.
End of an Era
Jan 7
The decade that brought us the GameCube, Xbox, PS2, and GameBoy Advance has come to an end.
If you want to get technical the N64 and the PS1 were laid to rest in this decade too.
The SNES is fixing to be the next NES, aka the console that “retro gamer” wannabes (like myself with the NES) will play, if it hasn’t become it already.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Nintendo Community Fangame Convention (NCFC) is an online amateur game convention. Game creators from various websites gather in a temporary community to share their games, discuss game design, and interface with other game making communities.
Kind of like SAGE, but Nintendo themed! I decided to work on Mario’s Time Machine DX and submit it but school and work and friends prevented me from working on it at all.
Booths linked off-site from NCFC, So I redid the FanGames pages a bit and added a new demo for SMRPG LotFP, as well as a video showing off Mario’s Time Machine DX. Enjoy!
DragonBall Z’s Music
Aug 28
For those of us who grew up with DBZ on Toonami, we remember it’s music, a mix of techno and hard rock intensifying with the suspense and action. But for those of us who lived or visited outside the US and watched it there saw and heard a different DBZ. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever since I stumbled upon his 1989 film, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, on television many years ago, Hayao Miyazaki has been a favorite director of mine. At the time I didn’t really understand what it was or where it came from, but I did recognize that what I was seeing was something truly extraordinary. Gorgeous animation with a peaceful, charming setting whose thoughtful serenity poised itself as a stark contrast to anything I had ever seen in an animated movie before. Now Disney has brought over Miyazaki’s latest film, “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” (or just “Ponyo”), for Western audiences to enjoy.