Meeting Dr. Stone's Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi at AnimeNYC 2019 (Hey Poor Player)

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The three-hour wait. My heart-pounding anticipation. The awe of witnessing a hero from adolescence speak about manga. Being humbled by Boichi's soft-spoken modesty. The fervor and excitement of every last Dr. Stone fan in attendance.

The ebbing disappointment in knowing I missed the chance to interview Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi...but furiously transcribing everything for the sake of the fans.

Over a month later, I still can't believe it, but here we are with the fruits of my own passion. I'm ever grateful that I had this opportunity.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I meant to review the original Game Boy game back when I still pretended this blog had a future, but, well, life happened. I hope this makes up for it.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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This was a pleasant surprise.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I really wanted to give this another chance.

Dr. Stone Vol. 7 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Man, do I love this series or what?

The Promised Neverland Vol. 11 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I don't remember if I was satisfied with this one or not.

8-Bit Chronicles: Dig Dug (Hey Poor Player)

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This was the one game I knew I wanted to discuss when I started this column -- did my passion shine through?

Super Kirby Clash Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I wonder if I'll ever unlock everything in this.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Preview (Hey Poor Player)

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I enjoyed writing this more than the following review; alas, that's how it is with honeymoon periods.

My Hero Academia Vol. 20 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Discussing UA's concert was something I was looking forward to.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Preview (Hey Poor Player)

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This unexpectedly fell into my lap, and, well, a preview ensued.

One Piece Vol. 91 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I'm still quite proud of this one -- I knew from the beginning I simply had to discuss Otama's cheeks, and from there that spiraled into a 1000+ review complete with visual showcases. Needless to say, I set a standard here I'd like to follow.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I just started my fifth playthrough -- the Crimson Flower route, where the new DLC's utilized to its fullest.

Now that I know the full context, I can claim with full confidence that Rhea is crazy.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Vol. 5 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I wish the game had this story.

Snow White with the Red Hair Volume 2 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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The last one for this series; shame, as I rather liked it.

Dr. Mario World Review (Hey Poor Player)

 

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Monetization aside, I liked this more than most.

Dr. Stone Vol. 6 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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In the hands of an expert, edutainment is fun

8-Bit Chronicles: Mario Bros. (Hey Poor Player)

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I'll reiterate this when I finish playing catch up, but for reasons previously elaborated, I had to step away from the blog for the sake of my health. A clearer vision awaits me now, so look forward to our discussion.

Crypt of the Necrodancer: Cadence of Hyrule Review (Hey Poor Player)

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This review represents a shift of direction for my writing career: from now on, you can expect reviews of newer Nintendo games to exclusively feature on Hey Poor Player. Aside from huge games in the vein of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I wanted to evaluate new releases some time after release for two reasons:

1) To accommodate DLC updates in gameplay additions and polishing; therefore, I'd analyze the game in its final, truest vision.
2) To allow my opinion to settle and percolate after launch, letting it evolve past the honeymoon phase.

With my recent decision to scale back reviews here, however, I've recognized this is the most vital step into blossoming as a proper game journalist. For far too long I've neglected to cover newer releases as I've silently pursued ambitious goals for the sake of writing for myself. I simply work far more diligently under journalistic obligations, and with the evidence lying within my Hey Poor Player output, I'd like to think things can only go up from here.

And yes, this means the Nintendo pages in my reviews sections here will be updated accordingly. I'll be working on that over the next month, so stay tuned.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 10 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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VIZ remains occupied with their summer convention duties, so we're behind yet again on our manga review coverage. I've offered to request this month's titles as well, so hopefully we'll get back on track soon.

Super Mario Maker 2 Story Mode Guide (Hey Poor Player)

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This guide's also been a huge source of stress lately, as when considering everything I've had to juggle I've been forced to restrict my Super Mario Maker 2 playtime to the Story Mode. I figured with everyone and their mom having Beginner's Guides out at release, it'd be more beneficial to focus on the campaign, but now I fear I'll neglect it like the original...

There's also some behind-the-scenes stuff going on I'm not happy about, but sadly, I can't get into that.

My Hero Academia Vol. 19 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Viz's convention duties have us a month behind on manga reviews, so I've been stressing out a little. Does it show in the article?

Komi Can't Communicate Vol. 1 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Another new manga! I rather enjoyed this one, so expect reviews up to at least the third volume. (Update: Or not -- delays and whatnot got in the way.)

8-Bit Chronicles: Bubble Bobble (Hey Poor Player)

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Annnd a four.

Sorry for the delay; think of it as me finally awakening from my "AIIIIEEEEE BANJO'S IN SMASH!!!" stupor. Expect a Super Mario Maker 2 blowout soon!

Dr. Stone Vol. 5 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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And a three.

Hey Poor Player's Cadence of Hyrule Guide (Hey Poor Player)

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And a two.

One Piece Vol. 90 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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And a one.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

To claim that I "hate" any game adorned with Mario's name -- one that personally translates to "God" in no less than thirteen different languages -- is not an action I'd ever take lightly. Not that any mainline games haven't ever fallen below expectations or there haven't been less-than-stellar spin-offs, but my reverence for Nintendo's mascot doesn't stop at his being responsible for getting me into gaming; nay, it's how both the character and his endless gaming catalog represent, to me, wholesome appeals into innate accessibility. However, as crass as I fear such overt distaste would come across, it is said devotion to the portly plumber that requires further diligence and honest criticism on my end, for I cannot possibly turn a blind eye to whenever my idol takes a misstep lest he ever grow arrogant with pride. With both respect and duty in mind, that is precisely why I declare the following:

I hate Paper Mario Sticker Star. I abhor it as if it killed my cats, that it's the source of the suffocating nihilism greeting me every morning with further news of climate change and Orwellian fascism, and that, yes, as if it's the primary culprit behind stealing my pencil sharpeners in 5th Grade. That I'm hardly alone in this opinion is my lone sense of comfort: while the game isn't without its ardent defenders, Sticker Star has drawn no sense of passionate ire following its release; enough, even, to make me steer clear for years after launch, and yet I still wasn't ready for when I finally sat down with it. To claim it is Nintendo's worst modern product might be disingenuous in a world where something as anti-consumer as Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival exists, yet even that vile, tone-deaf consumerist filth has something resembling an easily-gleaned purpose. (That, and well, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones with how they turned its failed amiibo line around with Animal Crossing: New Leaf's Welcome amiibo update.) Sticker Star has nothing to justify its impenetrable design, let alone be worthy of the Mario brand: we may laugh at a line or two, ooh and aah at some shiny colors courtesy of 3DS's 3D feature, but any fleeting joys are instantly smothered by patently obstructive puzzles, actively mocking the very ideas of telegraphs and progression as we rack our brains at how anyone in development thought this could provide entertainment.

Yoshi's Crafted World Guide (Hey Poor Player)

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I'm way late in sharing this here, the reason being I initially wanted to archive it after all the relevant work was complete. However, with the missteps and lessons involved, we still got a ways to go on that, so here we are.

And yet for all our trials and tribulations, we still struck gold -- I'm just as shocked as you to learn our Yoshi's Crafted World guide has, in total, accumulated over 100,000 views. It's a unprecedented milestone for Hey Poor Player, as the site's never reached this level of consistent traffic. Heck it's even earned the site another much-needed Google search suggestion! 

I had previously discussed my apprehensions towards this blog's future, but more than anything else, this project has rendered my presence on Hey Poor Player a top priority. Much as my passion lies within meditative escapism and retrospections regarding video games, I'm further recognizing just how vital it is to market myself via a constant presence within the public sphere, and as it currently stands, Leave Luck to Heaven cannot provide that.

Again, this is hardly to say it's curtains for the blog, let alone further contributions for said retrospection -- let's not forget I'm currently covering 80's gaming! -- but for the moment, I'm still evaluating what it truly means to be a gaming enthusiast/blogger, and so I have no choice but to re-prioritize my output here. Putting it this way: when I'm also juggling reading, political studies, exercise, and self-studying Japanese, I can't afford to beat myself up over unrealistic goals for the sake of writing for myself.

What this new direction will entail remains in gestation, but for the moment, you can expect some page re-structuring over the summer. I'll also probably establish a Mission Statement/About Me section or something that'll further outline my goals, so look forward to that.

8-Bit Chronicles: Dragon Buster (Hey Poor Player)

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Behold the new rating found in the tags below: So Bad It's Good. Granted, I don't know if that's entirely applicable to Dragon Buster, but I always kept laughing at its brutally unfair gameplay, so uh, there ya go.

Snow White with the Red Hair Vol. 1 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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We're now entering convention season, so expect some delays in manga reviews as Viz invests their time into panels and whatnot. 

Anyway, this is my first shojo review! I enjoyed it, but I was entering uncharted territories here, so you may see signs of my grappling with it. I'm planning to at least cover the second volume.

8-Bit Chronicles: Twinbee (Hey Poor Player)

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As noted in the article, Twinbee's already the first game in this column to stonewall me. I wonder how many will follow suit?

Luigi's Mansion

The Nintendo GameCube -- alongside Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox -- wouldn't just represent the next generational shift in 3D gaming, but Nintendo finally stepping outside their comfort-zone. While their stubbornness towards online gaming would endure, their embracing of disk-based media allowed for seemingly countless new possibilities. A flagship game was necessary to prove its power, and with Super Mario Sunshine set to launch the year after, why not go with his overlooked brother?

Enter Luigi's Mansion: initially designed as a tech demo showing off the GameCube's capabilities, the decision to build upon that as a game would render it Luigi's first game -- well, the first one actually involving Nintendo, anyway -- wherein he'd search a haunted mansion for Mario and suck up ghosts with a modified vacuum cleaner. Unlike the 1993 mishap Mario is Missing!, however, Luigi's Mansion would not only deign it fit to put the poor plumber's name into the title, but have actual Nintendo designers, including Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself, make it a reality. It would finally vindicate Luigi -- the second fiddle to Mario's spotlight; the eternal understudy to the first player.

8-Bit Chronicles: Sky Skipper (Hey Poor Player)

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Diving into Nintendo history is always a pleasure, especially when it involves a long-lost golden grail such as this. Man, if I could ever achieve what those guys at Sky Skipper Project did...

Contrary to the "good" rating below, I was bit harsher than it deserved. It's weird as all hell, but it's not bad. Really. It just takes time to get used to.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 9 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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So much for a streak -- this one kicked my ass. Regardless, I certainly the passion entailed speaks for itself. I forgot how morbidly cathartic this arc was.

Metroid II: Return of Samus

Back in the days of Super Smash Bros. Melee when I'd browse its lauded collection of lovingly-crafted trophies, I couldn't help but foster a burgeoning affinity towards one particular replica: Samus's Starship, hailing from Game Boy's Metroid II: Return of Samus. Not because I was experiencing Metroid nostalgia, you understand -- I wasn't yet a fan by Melee's release -- but more so in cultivating a touch of personal pride via its accompanying origin date of 11/91; in other words, my birth date. How vindicating is that? I've always held warm feelings towards Super Nintendo for similar reasons -- perhaps that's why it's my favorite console -- but it surely can't top that. A wonder, then, that Metroid hasn't ousted EarthBound, Kirby, and Smash Bros. from their seats as my all-time favorite Nintendo franchises.

Alas, perhaps it's that the stars only aligned for coincidence as opposed to birthing an outright classic, for Metroid II: Return of Samus never enjoyed the accolades of its successors (Super Metroid, Metroid Prime) or even its own NES progenitor. This isn't due to any untoward experimentation so commonly found in retro sequelization -- if anything, its goals breed potential finally realized in its incredible 3DS remake: Metroid: Samus Returns -- but rather that the Game Boy is ill-equipped to handle such direction; in other words, we're dealing with a game featuring familiar genre pratfalls found in its heyday. As you've likely guessed, the absence of a map system and woefully obtuse level design do little favors for Samus's Metroid-hunting expedition, but I confess my main problem lies within a particularly clumsy bait-and-switch in its music score. I cannot emphasize enough how the opening Tunnel Theme -- one I've written in the past as being a damn good tune -- instills us with urgency and drive, headlining our mission of eliminating SR388's Metroid hives.

My Hero Academia Vol. 18 Review

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This came to me pretty quickly. Next month's gonna be a doozy for manga reviews, so I hope this streak continues.

8-Bit Chronicles: Pac-Man (Hey Poor Player)

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Pac-Man is here! For this entry, I included comparisons via the ghastly Atari 2600 misfire and the NES version. I think that's a fun direction I'll be taking many future entries in, but next time will be a little different. See you then!

Pokémon Red and Blue

And so, it finally begins: my foray into a certain video game phenomenon that's ballooned far past its Nintendo origins. In a development still eluding my inner seven-year-old, I've largely cooled on my Pokémon passion. This isn't to say we had a falling out -- my two visits to Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions should be testament enough -- but that I've only just purchased Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu! four months after release, still have yet to open it, and am currently resisting the smoldering coals of Pikachu's eyes as I type this prove it's no longer my No. 1 video game priority. I confess this as a young man whose Pokémon background mirrored that of every other young boy in 1999 America: I played Pokémon Red -- one of the two versions we're reviewing today -- to death, worshipped the localized cartoon daily, and collected countless cards, stuffed animals, books, and toys. Those, too, reflect the ravages of time: the teams I've forged in Pokémon Red are forgotten and erased, I've long since abandoned the (still-running!) anime, my old cards -- despite my best efforts in preservation binders -- still pop up in various nooks and crannies,  strategy guides and comic books lie torn and/or lost, the stuffed animals display worn seams and cat gnawed-tears, and toys lie broken, disassembled, and battery-drained.

That it took this long to cover a full-length review for Pokémon -- having previously only covered brief impressions for Pokémon Soul Silver and Pokémon White while only reviewing the Detective Pikachu spin-off -- most publicly proves this shift, but make no mistake: while we could chalk up any number of reasons why I've fallen off the Pokémon ride, my same passion for writing, game analysis, and historic study applied to its Game Boy roots. It is my dedication to nostalgia that keeps me on this path, and what better evidence than playing both Red and Blue versions via their 3DS Virtual Console re-releases to completion? This was completely unnecessary in itself -- both only differ in version-exclusive Pokémon to catch --  but their infamous balance sparked an insatiable curiosity. If there's any confirmation a deep love for Pikachu still beats in my heart, let it be that.

Leave Luck to Heaven's Future

Read this.

Why I felt like posting this on Twitter, I dunno. Call it me reaching out to people rather than babbling within a bubble.

Regardless, it bears repeating this isn't Leave Luck to Heaven's end. However, it's become clear I need to prioritize what's best for me and my career, and the current developments in the works for Hey Poor Player will decide that. In the meantime, if you exist, dear reader, please bear some patience.

I can, however, promise a new review by this weekend. 

Dr. Stone Vol. 4 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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As stated in the review, it's absurd how quickly Dr. Stone picked it self up after its rough beginnings. Not that I ain't complaining -- it's easily one of Jump's best manga.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 8 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Anyone who follows The Promised Neverland in Jump already knows this, but man, this series just keeps getting better and better. Ain't no stopping the Shirai/Pozuka train!

Unfortunately, as I've been cooperating with my bosses to branch out Hey Poor Player's repertoire, I've made the decision to cover only manga granted via review copies, so this means no more Silver Spoon articles. I know, such a masterpiece deserves better, but Yen Press just won't respond to my emails...

Worldly Weekend: Mega Man 2

Okay, we're getting warmer: Mega Man 2's American boxart is no prize, but maligned as it is, I like to think it's not the catastrophe that was the original. Say what you will about inaccurate character design, but as they feature something resembling actual proportion, I think of it as a relative success in that patented 80's way of box arts fulfilling the template for our imaginations. This fantastic Eurogamer interview with artist Marc Erickson reveals it was a uncoordinated hodgepodge of circumstances -- a hapless art director's interpretation of Mega Man ("he's obviously shooting, so he must be using a pistol"), Erickson simply assuming the character was an actual man, and an overall lack of cooperation between the various Capcom branches in conserving the original character design. Simply put: let us not judge Erickson for simply doing his job.

Nay, we are here to judge Mega Man 2, otherwise known as one of the finest classics of the 8-bit era and what truly etched our Blue Bomber into gaming history. By the same token of the former, it's no stretch declaring it one of the NES's masterworks, and for my money, I consider it the system's finest third-party effort. When considering how many Mario knock-offs stumbled and fell in their ill-fated attempts to capture the golden goose, that it can stand arm-in-arm with the actual Marios and Kirby's Adventure is a miracle I cherish dearly. There's no slippery controls, no projectiles nonsensically thrown in arcs, no absurd difficulty for the sake of absurd difficulty -- it's just a damn good video game, one I'd dare even say reaches the vertigo of perfection.

My Hero Academia Vol. 17 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Annnnnd more My Hero Academia.

A Worldly Weekend may or not arrive today! If not, uh, I may just post it Monday or Tuesday, anyway. Hey, it's my blog...

8-Bit Chronicles: Donkey Kong

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Hello, and welcome to my new Hey Poor Player column: 8-Bit Chronicles, wherein I analyze classic arcade-munchers of the 80's! Giving I already host another column (Sleeping With The Enemy), I'm certain this is rather left-field, so let's break down how this came to be and what it'll entail.

As readers may recall, I announced last fall I'd be covering Arcade/8-Bit video games after 2019's New Year. The reasoning was simple: given their brevity, they'd serve as excellent outlets for maintaining a consistent writing output. As opposed to the 1500-2000 word caps I typically uphold for Leave Luck to Heaven, these would gravitate towards 1000 words -- a reflection of their pick-up-and-play breadth, if you will.

Sleeping With The Enemy: Admitting Fault (Hey Poor Player)

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Truth be told, I've been bearing some unflattering insecurities regarding my writing, and Sleeping With The Enemy took the full brunt. With its objective in bearing my soul, I feared my topics bore irrelevant fruit, that I lacked the appropriate prose necessary to convey an effective thesis, or, worst of all, that such hesitation proved my inability to maintain an audience as a game journalist. This caused a significant delay, and it's weighed upon me heavily.

Regardless, here's the next iteration involving Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. True to the subject matter, I hope any criticism paves the road to a better future.

On a lighter note, there's been exciting developments behind-the-scenes for Hey Poor Player! I can't share them now, but you can expect them within next month. I suspect this'll finally be the breakthrough our little site's been waiting for, so I'll be giving it my all!

One Piece Vol. 89 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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....oh dear, I've been so focused on my next Sleeping with the Enemy that I forgot to archive this here. Anyway, BOY AM I READY FOR WHOLE CAKE TO END.

US Government “Borrowed” Yoshi’s Island DS Music For EPA Flash Game (Hey Poor Player)

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I'm sharing this for no reason other than that this is the funnest article I've ever written. Yours truly took it upon himself to document the latest feud between Yoshi, tax-thieving extraordinaire, and our own US government.

(In case you were wondering, no, I don't buy the EPA's latest statement -- clearly Yoshi had a hand.)

Nyankees Vol. 1 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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What, you didn't think a cat manga review was inevitable?

Anyway, expect a steady flow of "one and done" Vol. 1 reviews beginning this spring -- I'm beginning to recognize it's not just about analyzing what you love, but the general influx of what the media produces.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Before I begin this review proper, I must confess there exist two factors that've always dumbfounded me regarding Super Mario Bros. 3, the NES game revered as the system's masterwork. Admittedly, one bears little on the game's quality in itself; mainly, the shock that its original Japanese release was a whole two years earlier in 1988 than its 1990 American release. Technically speaking, that's more so a year-and-a-half (Japan's October 23, 1988 to America's February 12, 1990 -- and that's to say nothing of Europe's August 29, 1991!), but the point is, I just think it's silly 1988 America was busy greeting a reassembled black sheep in Super Mario Bros. 2 while Japan was living it up with the Holy Grail of 8-Bit Gaming. As always with the medium, The Land of the Rising Sun really does have it good.

The other cause -- one immediately more relevant and, as evidenced by this Koji Kondo interview, has certainly confounded others -- is how I am never not baffled by the silent title screen. Anyone who's played the Super Mario All-Stars remake should certainly recall the jubilant ragtime remix of the classic Underwater Theme, perfectly accompanying the game's curtain-raising opening via choreography: the subdued drone introducing Mario and Luigi, the trumpeting eruption of delight greeting not only both the title and the theater's showers of enemies and power-ups, but our joy in playing one of the greatest 2D platformers ever crafted. A disorientation perhaps exclusive to those who played the SNES/GBA versions first (including yours truly), this aural absence unveils our first impressions of Super Mario Bros. 3 as a stunning retcon, its reduction to silent pantomime a bewildering relic.

Case Closed Vol. 69 Review

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As mentioned on Twitter, this'll be the last Case Closed review for the foreseeable future. Not that I haven't fallen out of love with the series or anything, the series' rigid formula produced repetition that often impeded consistent critical thought. As I plan to branch out into other manga this spring, this difficulty rendered it prime for the axe. Consequently, I suspect my more ardent  readers may notice my wavering conviction throughout this particular review.

Regardless, we'll be back on track with game reviews here soon. Expect to see Sleeping with the Enemy return this month as well.