Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
Now we start to get into the really weird stuff.
Pikuniku
Looking like disembodied Mr Men, this charming puzzle platformer is what the Europeans think a Japanese bizarre game looks like, you play Pikuniku, a red blob who can roll and kick things who after being exiled for breaking a bridge is called into action to stop the evil entrepreneur Mr Sunshine, they certainly got the humour right but is notoriously short.
B-Tier Game.
Music Racer
A third rate version of the more superior Audio Surf, the object is to drive to the beat while avoiding the obstacles, every theme is synthwave and every background feels like it's taken straight off an 80s album cover, lack of song variety, fake longevity and a sequel that requires connection to an inferior music streaming service just makes Music Racer a chore to finish.
D-Tier Game.
My Friend Pedro
The first of many titles with only one person who did most of the work, My Friend Pedro takes an unnamed silent protagonist into the criminal underworld to take out the Kingpins under the influence of a talking banana named Pedro, probably the most fun I've had running and gunning as each scenario lets you pull off bullet time along with numerous set pieces that really keep the plot interesting, I won't spoil the ending but be prepared for a hilarious twist.
A-Tier Game.
Onto episode 3, where the games start getting more unusual.
The Touryst
Join a blocky version of what looks like a young Tom Selleck as you enjoy a vacation in the mysterious regions of the Pacific islands as you discover their hidden secrets among a host of mini games, it became trendy to make things out of pixel blocks as an excuse for not having a real artist, a novelty in some games but frustrating in this one, still okay for what is mostly a collect-a-thon.
C-Tier Game.
Trailmakers
Build machines and contraptions from the materials found in the mysterious planet you've been stranded on, or just leave him stranded forever and play in sandbox mode where the community shows how much more creative they are with thousands of creations on hand to download for free.
Other games execute this better but fun for what it is.
C-Tier Game.
Guacamelee 2
Super star Luchador Juan Aguacate takes up the mask once again to save his family from Salvador in the Mexiverse, Salvador's goal is to obtain the sacred Guacamole and rule the entire Mexiverse. Juan must get back into shape and stop Salvador while acquiring the guidance of the chicken illuminati to acquire fantastic chicken powers. It's as dumb as it sounds but played with a straight face, this is also around the time where Mexican culture boomed thanks to Cinco De Mayo gaining more recognition internationally. The style is very Metroidvania with routes only opening up once the right power is obtained, very goofy and pretty straightforward to play.
B-Tier Game.
Expect a few episodes of this to drop over the next few weeks.
Kona
Set in 1970 in the harshest of winters in Canada, you play as Detective Carl as he attempts to solve the mystery behind murders in a far off town in the Frozen North while also surviving the harsh environment, setup like a survival horror but plays like a thriller, unfortunately my experience was less gritty Canadian Detective more ragdoll physics as I encountered a glitch that yeeted me somewhere north of Saskatchewan ruining any progress I'd made up to that point.
C-Tier Game.
Wandersong
A cartoon like RPG about a Bard who saves the world through singing but he has the attitude of a child who wouldn't eat his vegetables, the narrative attempts to paint the typical justice hero as a sociopath while the wimpy bard is treated like the hero we should all support yet he's drawn like a gingerbread man, I would be much kinder except it added a level select cheat that lets you cheese all the achievements making the whole story redundant.
D-Tier Game.
What Remains of Edith Finch
A point and click story game where title character Edith Finch recounts all the deaths of her entire family from their emigration from Norway to being an abandoned house in present day USA, each story bringing a sinister atmosphere as the reaper gets creative with how it kills each family member, although you never see the gruesome deaths, it still proves to be very unsettling and outright upsetting, it's video game story telling at it's finest.
S-Tier Game.
Over the last three years, I've become an achievement hunter, for those who don't play xbox, each game since the 360 has a minimum of 1000 points for a full completion of tasks listed in each game, when I got back into xbox, I went from a lowly 200,000 to over 400,000 and this series will investigate the games I played during that time, most of these are Indie titles so expect those to be prioritised.
Tracks - The Train Set Game
I haven't picked up a wooden train set since my nephew was young and before that it was when I was young, with a set from Swedish toy makers Brio, a typical set wouldn't look out of place in Ikea.
The game is a simple building simulator with the physics to match, if you've ever designed a race track, the concept is pretty much the same, not much to say, just play your own way.
B-Tier Game.
Touhou Luna Nights
It's strange that I've never played Touhou as a bullet hell having only previously played it as an arena fighter, a pretty terrible one at that, as a metroidvania controlling time and plenty of knives as everyone's favourite maid Sakuya Izayoi, the experience is just as hard as a typical Castlevania game with all the labyrinth navigation that comes with it, fairly competent game with no lore required to enjoy, which is just as well as asking me to read about Touhou lore is like asking a Kingdom Hearts fan to explain the plot.
C-Tier Game.
Untitled Goose Game
My first 100% when I returned three years ago having already played it on the Switch, a charming game where you terrorize a sleepy British village as an asshole Goose, everything from dragging Rakes to the Lake to stealing Bells, your job is making life misery for the town, I absolutely love this game and have even learned to speedrun it, while I have long completed it, I still play it with my Niece and Nephew.
S-Tier Game.
It's been a while since I did a top ten and where better to restart than on the music page as we showcase some theme songs with some famous artists.
16. Jonas Brothers
Not really surprised it's a Disney cartoon, Jake Long American Dragon.
15. Chuck Lorre
His first job was help composing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme, he would later create Big Bang Theory.
14. Keith Emerson
90s Iron Man was blessed with one third of Prog Rock trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
13. Simple Plan
You can hear their performance in What's New Scooby Doo.
12. Tom Jones
I originally thought it was an imitator but no that's really Tom Jones singing Duck Dodgers.
11. Aerosmith
The guitarist did the 90s Spiderman opening.
10. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
Easy one, comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with Teen Titans but it was popular enough for the band to have their own cartoon.
9. They Might Be Giants
They have a more famous tv theme song in Malcolm in the Middle but for this list they were the artists behind pre school show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse including the Hotdog song.
8. Macy Gray
Macy Gray has a very distinct voice that anyone can recognise so expect to hear it play out to Nicktoon classic As Told By Ginger.
7. Little Richard
Legendary artist Little Richard lends his voice to the Magic School Bus theme.
6. Bruce Willis
Wait he's not a singer? Bruce can sing pretty well, back when celebrity cartoons was still a thing, Bruce Willis created Bruno the Kid, a heavily under rated show but he did everything including the theme.
5. B-52s
People reading this expect the Flintstones, nope, the second version of Rocko's Modern Life.
4. Destiny's Child
You wouldn't picture such a famous group of artists doing cartoons but they did do Disney's the Proud Family.
3. Bob Marley's Family
The legacy of the godfather of Reggae music can be heard through his family performing the theme song to Arthur.
2. Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup didn't just do one theme song, their earliest was Jimmy Neutron but they also did Phineas and Ferb.
1. Will.I.Am
When I found out about this, my jaw dropped; the Black Eyed Peas artist wrote and performed the theme song to Samurai Jack.
