Heyos! Got another set hot and ready to go here.

https://youtu.be/odFfmAGAr74

This week we're taking a look at:

Zikkurat - Undomiel_
Doors: A Tribute "2" - Sackboy_power754
Project Ninja ???? 2 - Esuki
Cheetah's Revenge - Mr_Scheissbatzn
The Darkness - ryomodono

This whole group was really fun, and the Yellow Squares could've been Green Circles without too much work. Even the Orange Diamond only got there for a lack of ambition. They're all definitely worth a go through.

As always thanks for all the support, i'm glad you're all finding some enjoyment out of these. Looks like we've got a month to go. Y'all have a great day, yeah?

Behind the Curtains Stuffs
Got the secondary recordings for episode 049 done yesterday, i'll probably play through them again in a minute to have them fresh so i can do the outro. Yesterday got kind of busy (and shockingly not because of the Switch), it didn't help that there was something weird bugging out in the hub that took something like forever to unkink (there was an extra space in one of the tags or something). Anyhow, it ought to be wrapped today.

Season one is drawing to a close. Just wanted to drop a reminder of the other thread. i know some of you have posted over there already, but if you haven't, and you've got some particular questions or suggestions you'd like me to hear, toss them up over there. All of the suggestions i've gotten so far have had a real positive effect on how the show's turned out.

What what? Tuesday (Takeaway) already? Surely you jest!

Zikkurat - Undomiel_

There's not really a lot that needs to be said about this one. It remains a very well-presented platformer with fairly standard gameplay. It does serve as an example of how a well-chosen set of materials and decorations can really help make a level feel like more than it is (this is not a back-handed compliment, mind. It really is important). i liked the sticker switch, but i do remember sweating over which stickers to use when i used them way back in my LBP1 level. i mean, you want to pick something that makes sense for the level, but also something the average player would have found in the game. Still, i would love to see the mechanic used a little bit more in community levels. i mentioned it in the episode (i think), but the point bubble placement is really quite good here. There are enough that you can get a good score chain going, but not so many it feels over-stuffed, and the spacing makes you have to push a bit without needing you to be absolutely perfect in your timing.

Doors: A Tribute "2" - Sackboy_Power754

Man, i really wanted to beat this one, Got stuck in the same place i did before, though. Figured out you were supposed to be using the front-to-back wall-jumps there, but i still couldn't quite nail the timing. Still, the level is really well-done, with a lot of neat stuff going on in the areas i did see. i can't believe i didn't put the "cheap 3d movie gimmick" in a PiP for y'all. i have failed.

Project Ninja ???? 2 - esuki

Looking at it now, i'm pretty sure that last kanji is supposed to be read as "tsurugi" and not "ken." Bugger all. This level, folks, this is pretty gold-standard when it comes to alternate abilities on sack-things. Even on a fourth (fifth?) playthrough i noticed a couple of new things (like, did you know you can slice the arrows out of the air? Or that attacking from behind does double damage?). The environment is better than i gave it credit for in the episode, and the rooftop fight feels properly epic if you take it seriously, and don't just face-tank the boss. This really needs more plays, and a team pick, and then more plays.

Cheetah's Revenge - Mr_Scheissbatzn

i have no idea how to pronounce 'tzn' . i consider this a deep personal failing. This one is probably a little better than i initially gave it credit for. There's some nice use of depth going on, and you can keep a decent-enough pace throughout the level. i still think the palette is a bit to samey w/r/t other levels in the same setting. It's not, perhaps, entirely fair to judge this level in comparison to others, but it's kind of like zombie movies. Even if one is very well-put-together, if it's just hitting the standard notes, it's not going to leave much of an impression given how saturated the genre has become (of course, that leads a lot of folks to double-down on the "humans are the real monster" aspect, and so we get interminable slogs like The Walking Dead, or Crossed, and yes, i do consider Crossed to be basically zombies, and mostly garbage). Also, why monkeybars? i mean, really.

The Darkness - ryomodono

Meh...i mean, the power-up is nice, and i like the idea, but there's not really all that much done with it, and the level is so...flat? Empty? This one feels a bit more proof-of-concept than finished product. At the same time, it's not really a bad level, it's just kind of there.

So, yeah, that's the that, i figure. Hope y'all find something you like, and have a great day!

Behind the Curtains Stuff

Not much beyond what we said in the LBsP thread yesterday. Though it did remind me, Mei's gag in the intro is basically the plots of Puppet Master 1 and 2 mashed together. If you absolutely must watch a killer-doll movie, and you'd really like one of those dolls to spit leeches on some poor sap, well, there are worse pieces of scholck from the era. Though, to think of it, you've got one puppet with super-strength man hands. One's got a knife for one hand, and a hook for the other. There's the guy with a drill on 'is head. Later you get a chap with the world's most efficient flamethrower for an arm. i mean, really, leeches aren't all that threatening in the first place, just kind of gross. Poor Leech Woman. i bet she gets no respect at all. Of course, it could have been worse, she could have been spinny-face-guy. i bet they make him eat his lunch alone. Anyway, what i'm saying is, i watched a lot of garbage movies growing up. Also, don't watch any Puppet Master movie after part 2. Just, you know, don't.