Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
Last week, Nintendo announced Nintendo Music, a music streaming service dedicated to your favorite Nintendo soundtracks. Unfortunately, it seems like this service has quite a few problems so far, so I'm going to break down why this is a missed opportunity so far. This is probably an afterthought for a lot of people compared to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, but this could have been a lot better even at launch and makes me question Nintendo as a company yet again.
Note: I am trying something a bit different here with the format. i.e. not doing the usual gameplay footage. Whether you are a new viewer or long time viewer, any constructive criticism is welcome.
00:00 Intro
00:52 The Few Positives
01:46 The Problems That Can Be Fixed
03:45 Nintendo Is Still Anti-Consumer
Sources/Links:
nintendolife.com/guides/nintendo-music-app-every-game-soundtrack-included-how-to-download-all-systems
kotaku.com/nintendo-sheet-music-musicnotes-takedown-dmca-1851547320
geekwire.com/2022/nintendo-goes-after-music-focused-youtube-channel-with-more-than-500-copyright-strikes
digitalmusicnews.com/2020/12/09/nintendo-music-youtube-copyright-strikes
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.znba&hl=en-US
apps.apple.com/us/app/nintendo-music/id6466376604
Music used: Mneumonic45 - Shepard Dogs
Last week, Nintendo announced Nintendo Music, a music streaming service dedicated to your favorite Nintendo soundtracks. Unfortunately, it seems like this service has quite a few problems so far, so I'm going to break down why this is a missed opportunity so far. This is probably an afterthought for a lot of people compared to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, but this could have been a lot better even at launch and makes me question Nintendo as a company yet again.
Note: I am trying something a bit different here with the format. i.e. not doing the usual gameplay footage. Whether you are a new viewer or long time viewer, any constructive criticism is welcome.
00:00 Intro
00:52 The Few Positives
01:46 The Problems That Can Be Fixed
03:45 Nintendo Is Still Anti-Consumer
Sources/Links:
nintendolife.com/guides/nintendo-music-app-every-game-soundtrack-included-how-to-download-all-systems
kotaku.com/nintendo-sheet-music-musicnotes-takedown-dmca-1851547320
geekwire.com/2022/nintendo-goes-after-music-focused-youtube-channel-with-more-than-500-copyright-strikes
digitalmusicnews.com/2020/12/09/nintendo-music-youtube-copyright-strikes
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.znba&hl=en-US
apps.apple.com/us/app/nintendo-music/id6466376604
Music used: Mneumonic45 - Shepard Dogs
![3D Super Hang On [3DS/Arcade] - Junior Course 1CC Playthrough (Citra)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pjHSuhn95fk/mqdefault.jpg "3D Super Hang On [3DS/Arcade] - Junior Course 1CC Playthrough (Citra)
0:21. Stage 1
0:55. Stage 2
1:24. Stage 3
1:54. Stage 4
2:29. Stage 5
3:03. Stage 6
3:40. Stage 7
4:14. Stage 8
4:49. Stage 9
5:16. Stage 10
Last year, I did three different 1CC runs of Super Hang On, covering every course except for the Expert course. Ive already uploaded the Senior course playthrough, and this Junior course playthrough comes from the same time period. You can watch my Senior course playthrough here if you havent seen it:
https://youtu.be/2cdoF07MinI
The Junior course is a big jump in difficulty compared to the Beginner course, with the latter being one of easier arcade clears to execute. This course gets quite hard in the second half with the exception of Stage 9, which is surprisingly easy. Its not that much easier overall than the Senior course, but the thing that works its favor is the briefness of it. Its only 10 stages/sections. I had quite a few mistakes that slowed me down but nothing that killed the run outright.
3D Super Hang On is highly recommended, as I mentioned in my description of the Senior course video. Its an extremely accurate translation of the arcade classic and is playable with no issues in Citra.
Played in Citra in single screen view using the xBRZ Freescale shader.
#citra #3ds #sega #arcaderacing #racinggames #1cc #retrogaming #classicgameplay")
![Mushihimesama [PC/Arcade] - Stage 5 Mid Boss No Miss No Bomb (1.0 Normal Original, S-Power)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q2rHG05BVpc/mqdefault.jpg "Mushihimesama [PC/Arcade] - Stage 5 Mid Boss No Miss No Bomb (1.0 Normal Original, S-Power)
So I went back to Mushi in order to try to make a push to clear it before the end of the year and I wanted to document my routing for the Stage 5 Mid Boss in particular. His patterns arent too hard to dodge with proper routing and S-Powers quick movement speed.")
![Crossgunr Infinite [PICO-8] - 421,314 pts (to Level 10)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qoJnaceOUZE/mqdefault.jpg "Crossgunr Infinite [PICO-8] - 421,314 pts (to Level 10)
0:15. Level 1
0:54. Level 2
1:35. Level 3
2:14. Level 4
2:57. Level 5
3:56. Level 6
5:01. Level 7
6:23. Level 8
8:13. Level 9
9:50. Level 10
Link to the game: https://aktanedev.itch.io/crossgunr-infinite
Last weekend, AKTANE released a sequel to Crossgunr called Crossgunr Infinite. Instead of being a caravan shmup with a clear starting point and endpoint like the original, this game opts to be more like an endless shmup. It technically had 99 levels but realistically, someone probably wont see the last stage on a single run because the difficulty ramps very quickly. If you try level 99 in the practice mode, its super stuttery.
As far as the game goes, it starts out pretty easy the first two stages but after that, the difficulty starts to ramp up and youre forced to learn the enemies that spawn in every stage, as their attacks get more fierce with each passing level. Also, the bosses are pretty tame for the first four stages but after that, they get a lot harder.
The one thing that works in your favor, just like in the first game, would be the Crossguns. The further you get, the more of them you get. This helps you to get through those larger bats before their barrage of bullets kill you and for taking out bosses. Also, well placed EX shots are crucial to surviving. They work just like they do in the last game and are even important now than they were before, and not just for score either.
I did this run for AKTANEs Crossgunr Infinite Caravan on Shmup Junkies Discord. Im very proud of this run as Ive been practicing quite a bit this week. This is a fantastic PICO-8 game that I can recommend to anyone interested in the fantasy console.")
![Alex Kidd In Miracle World [Sega Master System] - No Miss 1CC Playthrough (No Cheats)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ry_r3hNQAW8/mqdefault.jpg "Alex Kidd In Miracle World [Sega Master System] - No Miss 1CC Playthrough (No Cheats)
00:17. Stage 1 (Mt. Eternal)
02:53. Stage 2 (First Motorcycle Section/Mt. Eternal Pt. 2)
04:08. Stage 3 (Lake Fathom)
05:47. Stage 4 (Island of St. Nurari)
06:58. Stage 5 (First Peticopter Section/St. Nurari Pt. 2)
07:30. Stage 6 (Village of Namui)
09:34. Stage 7 (Mt. Kave)
11:56. Stage 8 (The Blakwoods aka Blackwood Forest)
13:17. Stage 9 (Speedboat Section/Bingoo Lowland Pt.1)
13:53. Stage 10 (Bingoo Lowland Pt.2)
16:04. Stage 11 (Radaxian Castle)
20:20. Stage 12 (Radaxian City)
21:51. Stage 13 (Last Peticopter Section)
22:33. Stage 14 (Nibana Kingdom Castle, very short with no action)
22:50. Stage 15 (Nibana Kingdom, last Motorcycle section)
24:37. Stage 16 (Jankens Castle)
30:38. Stage 17 (Lake Deep aka Cragg Lake)
If you were to talk to anyone that owned a Master System back in the 80s and early 90s, one game that would be mentioned in that conversation would probably be Alex Kidd In Miracle World, if its not the first game that comes to mind. Alex Kidd In Miracle World was Segas answer to the original Super Mario Bros back in the 80s. This game proved to Master System owners that Sega could produce a platformer that could compete in terms of presentation and gameplay with Nintendo. By the early 90s, it would be built into the Master System II, a later model of the system that was sold at more of a budget price.
This game earned its excellent reputation amongst Master System owners for a few reasons. One, it looked outstanding for a console platformer circa 1986. Its a colorful, vibrant game with plenty of great environments that still holds up to this day, with simple but memorable tunes to compliment the graphics. Two, it has more storyline than something like Super Mario Bros. You interact with NPCs that fill you in on whats going on, which is a nice touch for this time period. The last stage is solving a puzzle with some clues you get in Stage 14 from the king of the Nibana Kingdom, if you bring him the letter found in Radaxian Castle.
The most important thing that made this game a classic was the gameplay. The level design has variety in spades, whether it be the first stage where youre coming down a mountain, the different vehicle sections, or the two Castle stages which feel like dangerous dungeons. You also get Items to use during your adventure, many of which are extremely helpful whether it be the Power Bracelet which shoots projectiles, the Powder that makes you invulnerable for a short period of time, or the Psychic Cane that allows you temporarily fly. I made use of the items to make certain sections a lot easier. Mario couldnt store items to use later in the original Super Mario Bros.
There are a couple of flaws with the game. The biggest flaw has to be the rock paper scissors matches. They only involve basic memorization of the initial patterns and no real skill beyond that. Once you know the right answers, you win every time. It just gets in the way of the boss battles, which also feel like an afterthought compared to the stages themselves which are extremely well designed overall. Second, the movement here is a bit too sensitive. Its very easy to mess up a jump or move too much and get yourself killed running into something. Its far from unplayable and thankfully, Alex Kidd has no inertia. However, there is definitely a learning curve to the platforming here. Also, Alex Kidds punches do not extend far without the Power Bracelet.
As far as my run goes, I didnt rush it. I just took my time and used items at very specific points. I tried to go for a lot of the extends, but I did mess up getting the extend on the alternative path in Stage 3 which is my biggest regret of the whole run. The interesting thing is that some of the extends depend on which question mark blocks you hit and in which order. Youll notice this in Stages 7 and 8 for example where I get Death but then I get the 1UP on the next one I destroy.
I had to practice certain parts like the two Castle stages, Blakwoods, and Stage 15 in order to get consistent on those sections. The last Castle has some interesting traps that can easily steal your lives if you do not know whats going to happen. I actually botched my route in Stage 15 a bit as I crashed the motorcycle a bit earlier than I wanted to, but I used the Psychic Cane like I did in Blakwoods to avoid some risky platforming.
Its a shame Sega didnt do better with the Alex Kidd series after this.
Played on RetroArch with the SMS GX Plus core using the ScaleHQ shader. No cheats were used. This was not a speedrun as my focus was on survival.
#sega #mastersystem #alexkiddinmiracleworld #alexkidd #platformer #retrogaming #retro #retrogames")
![Fire Arrow X [PC] - 5 Minute Mode No Miss ALL Clear 4,614,700 pts (Fire Arrow Plus)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/slNqYp-HbU4/mqdefault.jpg "Fire Arrow X [PC] - 5 Minute Mode No Miss ALL Clear 4,614,700 pts (Fire Arrow Plus)
After about 15 hours of total playtime between both versions of Fire Arrow included in Fire Arrow Plus, Ive finally done a No Miss clear of the 5 Minute Mode of Fire Arrow X. Amazing caravan shmup.
Played on Linux via Proton GE 7.14")
![Robotron 2084 [Atari Lynx] - 1,264,350 pts (to Wave 52)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/snsFizuyNCQ/mqdefault.jpg "Robotron 2084 [Atari Lynx] - 1,264,350 pts (to Wave 52)
Robotron 2084 got a lot of ports back in the day, but one of the most surprising ports is the Atari Lynx version of the game. Released in 1991, it managed to get around the lack of dual joysticks by allowing the player to change the direction of the shot with the B and A buttons while your character autofires by default. Not only that, but it manages to cram a very fast paced game onto the small Lynx screen, and does so without slowdown despite plenty of sprites on screen.
Ive had this game in my Lynx collection for over a decade and it has always been a favorite of mine. I decided to come back to this one via emulation to see how far I could push my high score, and I managed to score over a million points for the first time on this run.
I may create a discussion video breaking down this version of the game in the future, especially if people are interested in it.
00:00 Intro
00:14 Waves 1-5
01:39 Waves 6-10
03:38 Waves 11-15
05:35 Waves 16-20
08:09 Waves 21-25
10:32 Waves 26-30
12:46 Waves 31-35
15:15 Waves 36-40
17:23 Waves 41-45
19:29 Waves 46-50
21:57 Waves 51 and 52
Played in RetroArch using the Handy core. My shader preset is a custom combination of the PSP color and Fakelottes shaders.")
