Ah yes, Klonoa had some really terrible magazine ads that had nothing to do with the game, as was the style at the time. This “weirder than your sister” one in particular always felt to me like they watched ten seconds of game footage, threw their hands in the air, and cried “we’ve got nothing to work with!” And then used a random placeholder.
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Played through Mario Sunshine for the first time. I’m a huge fan of Mario 64, but kinda can’t stand Galaxy, so I’ve always been curious to see where I’d land on the intervening Gamecube outing. Turns out I don’t like it very much!
It’s super pretty, and the tropical vibes are great. Being able to see levels you’re not currently in out on the horizon is extremely cute. But basically everything else didn’t work for me.
The expanded focus on storytelling could theoretically be cool, if Peach’s portrayal in the mainline Mario games wasn’t so reliably abysmal. Peach having absolutely zero agency in this game, from the very same era when she was hip checking Bowser into oblivion in Smash, is just pathetic.
The camera’s rougher than 64’s, aiming for Galaxy’s more directed angles but not polished enough to stay out of the way. Levels feel more linear than 64, and have a bunch of gimmicky and repetitive objectives which deemphasize movement. And the platforming itself feels pretty crummy, saddled with strange restrictions on Mario’s speed/rotation and missing some key moves from 64 like the long jump. The new FLUDD jetpack is supposed to make up the difference I guess, but I found hovering around with it too slow to be much fun.
All that said, I’m glad to have finally played Sunshine. It was the last mainline Mario I’d yet to check out, and if nothing else the beach vacation theme is consistently lovely. Please let Peach do cool stuff.
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I started way too many games to be able to participate in this month’s games so forgive me for being a host and nothing more! I have added them to my Grouvee Game Club shelf so they will not be forgotten in my entirely out of control backlog of games. You can also check out the shelf for other games we’ve played if you want to receive an imaginary 100% badge for playing all the games.
Without further ado, September’s theme is going to be… Autumn!
Feel free to play loose with this theme. You may nominate up to two games that feature an activity or vibe that you associate with the season. You’re welcome to share what makes you think of autumn to inspire others in their game suggestions. For example, when I think of autumn, I think of fantasy, forests, and school. I could go on and on but I’ll just list those three hahaha.
EDIT: Game suggestions should be submitted by Sept. 10th.
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I’m going for the easy route to suggest two games that include autumn as a seasonal change that I find cozy.
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Kingdom
There are multiple iterations of this game. Kingdom, Kingdom: New Lands, and Kingdom Two Crowns. Kingdom is the original game. New Lands is a reworked version of the original. Two Crowns started development as an expansion of New Lands but then ended up with its own release. I would recommend Kingdom Two Crowns as its the “complete” version of the game and still receives updates and DLC. -
Stardew Valley
I love farming sims. I grew up with Harvest Moon and it’s been a long time since I’ve played this genre even though it’s one so beloved to me. I’ve played basically Year 1 of Stardew Valley many times but never got far at all. I would love an excuse to try playing it again.
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It is kinda cheating, because I am playing Stardew Valley at the moment anyway. 
Summary
Year 3 now. Shane 
and I have our first baby and I made grandpa proud.
I started the game on Steam, because I want to try and get all achievements this time and there is so much new stuff to find, before I was playing on GOG.
It is definitely a perfect autumn game and all I can stomach right now. I need the repetition and the cozy, the known sprinkled in with a bit of new stuff. Everything else I can’t hold interest in at the moment. Depression is a b*tch. Maybe that’s why I resonate with Shane so much.
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I struggle with depression as well, among other things, so I can very much relate to just wanting to immerse myself in the joys of familiar rural living.
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We could kusum play Silksong in honour of Stardew Valley, because ConcernedApe is in it.
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This is a trap, don’t fall for it, @BMO just wants to avoid fishing in Stardew Valley! 
I also wanted to add:
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Yes, 100% true. It’s entirely why I have never played it.
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Just do a 0% fishing run.
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I’ll suggest Beacon Pines. It’s been on my backlog for a few years now. It takes place during a harvest festival. Gameplay, i think it’s like an Oxenfree style choice-based narrative adventure.
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I think we did Beacon Pines a few months ago if I recall correctly.
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We played through Beacon Pines already as a game club pick but you’re more than welcome to play through it and share your thoughts. :))
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I’m not participating and I won’t be playing but night in the woods is perfect for this time of year
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- A Short Hike
- Night in the Woods
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Definitely a great game and worth your time! Would like to read your thoughts about it!
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I’d love to have a Beacon Pines discussion. I played it over one fever-induced weekend and missed the the club chat around it.
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Maybe I will play it on my own. Still got XIII, Drova and The Quarry to get through and if I do end up joining the game club this month, I might have to save it for later.
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People who played through it can also discuss it anytime in this thread since it was an earlier selection, so I don’t think anyone will mind revisiting a game previously played.
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The final poll is here! Since we only had a few suggestions, I’m limiting this poll to one vote. The voting process ends on Sept. 15th.
- Kingdom/New Lands/Two Crowns (PC, macOS/iOS, Linux, Android, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
- Stardew Valley (PC, macOS/iOS, Linux, PS4/Vita, Switch, Xbox One)
- A Short Hike (PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
- Night in the Woods (PC, Mac/iOS, Linux, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
0
voters
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