at long last my new video is out!! i had to get a new computer to finish it but it's done. join me for aconcagua, a story of mountaintop betrayal and intrigue, and the absolutely incredible true story that inspired it.
about half of this video was made in google earth, and i am absolutely never doing anything like that ever again. nothing but respect for jon bois and bobby broccoli and everyone else who has ever managed to make that piece of shit software do anything worthwhile
For the upcoming issue of TangoPunk!
Get every digital PDF for around $5 at https://www.patreon.com/TangoPunk (I don't mind if you unsub immediately!)
Physical copy subscriptions are available at https://www.patreon.com/TangoPunk too - everything looks better in printed zine format.
Individual physical issues can be bought at https://tangopunk.sumupstore.com/
Also bought a copy of Jumping Flash recently, which I've been breezing through. I've played that opening level multiple times over the years given its knack for appearing in Japanese demo discs, back when I was dumping and documenting those as a hobby. But as someone who didn't grow up with a PS1, I never otherwise played it in its time, which I decided to finally amend since it's so cheap and ubiquitous here in Japan. I've always been really fond of the visual style; there's not necessarily a lot of coherence to the levels and what populates them, but they have a pallette and general style I'd call SIGGRAPH-adjacent. Between the bright colors, abstract imagery, and constant checkerboards, it's pretty clear that one of Exact's mission statements with this game was to make a game that feels like you're playing inside a Silicon Graphics workstation tech demo or something, the kind of thing you as a random member of the public only saw in magazine shots or maybe in, say, an incredibly grainy QuickTime video. It's easy to see how it impressed in the sort of environment it came out in. Somehow it still works, though, and the impressively thoughtful platforming controls for what's pretty much the very genesis of such games in 3D makes it a charming pleasure to play. There are plenty of reasons why it got quickly outclassed by subsequent competition, but it's a fine representation of both the PS1 in its earliest days and also the kind of developers Sony recruited to give the system traction in drawing from the X68k scene.
All told, a relaxing game after a long and pretty hectic work month. I dig it. đ
I picked up a copy of Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 for the PS4. It was cheap at GameStop and I had a coupon so I only paid like 13 bucks for it. I didnât even realize they put this out. I loved the Mega Man X games back in the day on the Super Nintendo and PS1. I played those a ton. Hearing that Capcom theme/jingle/sound when the companyâs classic logo appeared on the screen instantly took me back to the 90s. I hadnât heard it in forever. These are still some of the best games ever made!
