vanessa's corner

6/13/26

Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994)

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this game, but ive never actually beat it legitimately! The old Steam release (before it got delisted) had workshop mod support, so i beat the game with a no-damage mod, but I finally got around to playing it for real (on original hardware!) I love the art direction in this game, especially the prerendered 3D graphics that were prevalent in the era, and I love it when games can convey story without any written dialogue. The blue sphere stages are iconic, but they become a monumental pain in the ass when you get to the super emeralds. The music is insane as well (to be fair the Genesis is chock full of amazing music!)

5/24/26

Yakuza 2 (2006)

When I had originally played the remake of Yakuza 2, Yakuza Kiwami 2, I heard a lot of complaints that there was a lot of cut content, as well as music that was replaced with generic tracks. I had been meaning to play the original for some time now, and I am glad I finally did. The original PS2 games (and the PS3 games) had some very brutal combat, this game included. The hit sounds are extremely satisfying, and the music (that is only present in this game) has a very grungy 2000's feel to it, its a stark contrast to the remake, and I highly prefer it. The most glaring omission from the remake is the entirely cut city of Shinseicho, which actually does not have that much going on in the original game. There is the giant Tsutenkaku Tower that overlooks the entire area, as well as the original area for the acupuncturist (which if you've played Yakuza 2, you know thats where you unlock Tiger Drop.) There are some things that were definitely improved in the remake, however. The loading times before and after each random enemy encounter can get a bit annoying, but I am used to it since most of the PS3 generation RGG games had the issue until Yakuza 5. In conclusion, I highly recommend that you check out the original version of Yakuza 2 if you are into these games. It offers a much different experience and atmosphere than the 2017 version (and play it on a CRT, if you can!)

5/14/26

guess I should actually write like I'm not insane

Hello! I am going to use this blog to post about anything I find interesting, including video games, movies, and shows (reviews? but very informal). I'll probably also post about projects and their progress, expect that soon! (or as soon as I'm happy with my website's layout LOL) Speaking of, the website is going pretty well! I have spent most of the time making assets for it (buttons, banners, etc) instead of actually writing any code or writing paragraphs to read. I wanted to get the main home page and the blog done first, since they will be viewed (and updated!) the most. That's all for now! Make sure you sign up for updates with the RSS feed on the sidebar, or just copy this link.