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 OP updated! Come join us for our game for our December games - Avenging Spirit & Bubble GhostHello, and welcome to...   Believe it or not, the Nintendo Game Boy turned 30 years old in April. Nintendo’s masterpiece that would bring handheld gaming to the mainstream was technically weak compared to the many competitors that would emerge during its lifespan – but it was built like a tank, ran for hours on just two AA batteries, and perhaps most importantly, in the West it came with a pack-in copy of Tetris. The console had an incredible lifespan, finally being officially discontinued in 2003. I absolutely loved my Game Boy, and I have fond memories of playing it pretty much anywhere I could get away with it, swapping and lending games with my friends, and slowly amassing a nice little library of titles that I eventually sold off because young me was a goddamn idiot. Being an Australian though and at an age where I couldn’t afford a ton of games, I’ve become aware over the years of just how extensive the library for the Game Boy is. Everyone is familiar with the massive hits– Tetris, Super Mario Land/Super Mario Land 2, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Kirby’s Dream Land, and a small franchise that you may have heard of called Pokemon. But the Game Boy library contains so much more, so many weird and wonderful little games that don’t seem to get the attention that their bigger brothers on the NES and SNES got. This thread aims to change that! Inspired loosely by the old Retro Game Masters threads that Shlapintogan ran in years gone by, I thought it might be fun to go through one of the Game Boy’s titles each month in a book club-like fashion and play it together, starting with some lesser known releases – though lets face it, in the age of the internet, a lot of you will probably have at least heard of these games even if you haven’t played them.  So originally there were some challenges to go along with each game - as it turns out though, writing challenges for Game Boy games that can tend to be rather...simplistic...is a difficult endeavour. We might run some friendly competitions in the thread depending on the game of the month but otherwise if you want to participate simply: 1) Play the game. 2) Post about it!  There are a couple of options here. From easiest to hardest: Emulators/ROMs: The sensible and most affordable option. I recommend BGB for a lightweight and easy to use emulator that can emulate Game Boy games in either original, Color, or Super Game Boy mode. Obviously due to Something Awful’s  rules, I can’t link you to ROMs but if you type ”<game name> ROM” into Google I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for. Just make sure to delete them within 24 hours, my Uncle works at Nintendo and he is extremely litigious. Flashcart: A hybrid option for those of you who might want to play on original hardware but don’t want to try and track down physical copies of these games, the EverDrive-GB X3/X5/X7 (all at https://krikzz.com/store/) allows you to load ROM files onto an SD card, plug it into the EverDrive cartridge and play the ROM on original hardware – depending on the version of your flashcart it may also have the ability to use otherwise emulator-only features like savestates. Super Game Boy (SNES)/Game Boy Player (Gamecube): Play Game Boy games on the comfort of your big screen! The Super Game Boy was a Super Nintendo cartridge that allowed you to slot in a Game Boy cart and play your games on your TV! This blew my mind as a kid, and some of the carts even had special features that only showed up on a Super Game Boy. You should be able to pick up a Super Game Boy pretty cheap – there’s also a Super Game Boy 2, released only in Japan, that has a more accurate processor speed, but for the purposes of this thread there’s no need to go nuts. There’s also the Game Boy Player for the Game Cube, that consists of an attachment that slots into the bottom of your Gamecube along with a boot disc to actually access the hardware – I don’t know much about these or how readily available they are, but make sure if you do get one that you also get the boot disc! Game Boy/Pocket/Color/Advance: Experience these old titles as they were meant to be played – outside in direct sunlight or with some sort of oversized magnifying lens with lights build into it bolted on to your Game Boy. A Game Boy Color will let you get a color palette slapped over the top of everything, and a Game Boy Advance SP will get you a backlit screen! Old Game Boys can be had pretty cheaply and easily off eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or by bugging your friends to clear out their box of gaming junk sitting in the back of their closet. The hard part might be finding some of the original cartridges though – as an example, the first game I have in mind saw an extremely limited release in the US and one of the others goes for several hundred dollars. If you absolutely must play on original hardware, your wallet might be served best by going for a flashcart. If this thread inspires you to build a collection of old Game Boy carts though, that’s awesome too.  Presenting games to get you into the Christmas spirit! Avenging Spirit  Bubble Ghost  Mode 7 fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Dec 1, 2019 |
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May 25, 2019 15:28
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 June 2019 - Monster Max  July 2019 - Donkey Kong  August 2019 - Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru ("For the Frog the Bell Tolls")  September 2019 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening  October 2019 - Gargoyle's Quest  November 2019 - Trip World  Mode 7 fucked around with this message at 07:59 on Dec 1, 2019 |
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May 25, 2019 15:28
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So, since there's a week to go before we start the first play through, feel free to chat about neat Game Boy stuff here in the interim I guess! These things are unstoppable. This Game Boy was bombed during the Gulf War - the casing is slag, the buttons are fused, but the electronics still function! I believe this Game Boy is still on display at Nintendo World in NYC. It also seemed like just about everyone owned one, too, and it's kind of amazing how instantly recognisable they are. I know older friends and family members who wouldn't have a clue about any modern gaming consoles yet would instantly recognise a Game Boy!        Hillary Clinton, Brandon Lee, Dave Grohl, John Fifer, Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted, Scarlett Johannson and Chris Evans Also if you want some pure, unstrained 90s right into your veins, check out this video for Super Mario Land by Ambassadors of Funk featuring M.C. MARIO, a hip hop remix of Birabuto Kingdom from Super Mario Land (no, really). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nF92mu8X0
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May 26, 2019 03:51
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This sounds like fun! The Game Boy library is mostly unexplored for me so I look forward to putting my Everdrive to more use and finding some gems.
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May 26, 2019 04:03
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I'm down to muck about in this realm.
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May 27, 2019 06:15
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I remember I got to pick a game to get for my birthday as a gift as a little kid. Out of all the things I could have picked. I picked Mortal Kombat For Game Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ackTtYJPBEY But sure I'll toss my hat in and participate
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May 27, 2019 07:02
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This is a neat idea for a thread, I never even heard of this particular game for Game Boy before. The Game Boy was the first video game system I ever owned, and I remember a lot of fun road trips thanks to it, including the who-knows-how-many years it took me to beat Super Mario Land (in my defense I was 6 when I first started playing that). I even have a (barely held together with tape) guide from 1991 that had in-depth strategies on like 30 or so games, as well as little blurbs on another 100 or so in the back. It's one of the many things I would utilize before going to FuncoLand to get a used game that seemed interesting from stuff I had read. Someone's even uploaded it to the Internet Archive which is really nice. It's over here if anyone's curious. I've actually been playing through the games listed in that guide over the past month as a 30 year retrospective sorta thing for me, so this is right up my alley. Angry_Ed fucked around with this message at 07:43 on May 27, 2019 |
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May 27, 2019 07:20
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Tom Gorman posted:I remember I got to pick a game to get for my birthday as a gift as a little kid. Out of all the things I could have picked. Mine was Mortal Kombat II so I feel your pain.
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May 27, 2019 08:36
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Tom Gorman posted:I remember I got to pick a game to get for my birthday as a gift as a little kid. Out of all the things I could have picked. Oh man, I remember reading a review in a gaming magazine when MK came out for Game Boy just tearing it to shreds, but if I ever actually saw how slow it was, I'd forgotten it. That looks godawful. The only fighting game I recall being worth a drat on Game Boy is World Heroes 2 Jet, and even then I think it was "adequate" rather than actually good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLeHVp6qQDI
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May 29, 2019 00:25
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I would also toss out that the best game in its entire series was the GB Battle Arena Toshinden. But it too was only of "adequate" tier.
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May 29, 2019 00:34
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Angry_Ed posted:This is a neat idea for a thread, I never even heard of this particular game for Game Boy before. Thanks for this, this was a cool little read. I never knew there was an Ultima game for the GB, or a Nobunaga's Ambition for that matter. Might be worth looking into later down the track when I run out of games to suggest!
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May 29, 2019 00:44
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Hey everyone, just a reminder that we'll kick off the club at 01/06/19 12:00AM GMT. For those of you in the US, that's 31/05/19 5pm PDT. I don't know any of your other timezones off the top of my head, work it out! Excited to get underway, I'll also share a super secret controls tip for Monster Max when we kick off because as far as I know the game doesn't tell you about it anywhere and it's essential to progress. Fun!
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May 31, 2019 06:12
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I'll give this a go. I definitely miss the Retro Game Masters threads.
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May 31, 2019 06:26
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My Game Bo
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May 31, 2019 13:00
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I also miss the retro game master threads. I recently backlit my game boy color so I am interested in this. Never heard of the first game choice. It’s a bit pricey but I may pick up a real cartridge depending on how well it does/doesn’t hold up.
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May 31, 2019 13:37
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Summer is crazy here, but I think I can squeeze in one game a month. COUNT ME IN! Having 2 dozen systems that are capable of playing Gameboy games, now to decide which one to play these on. Or to use a different one each game... Hmmm.
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May 31, 2019 14:14
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This is a cool little thread. I'm down with participating in the future. I never played Monster Max but seeing that Titus was involved with it gives me pause. Even before Superman 64 I identified that company with terrible games.
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May 31, 2019 14:21
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Mode 7 posted:Oh man, I remember reading a review in a gaming magazine when MK came out for Game Boy just tearing it to shreds, but if I ever actually saw how slow it was, I'd forgotten it. That looks godawful. The Takara SNK Gameboy ports were all neat. Samurai Shodown, King of Fighters 96, Real Bout Fatal Fury were really pretty fun to play and they felt like they were predecessors to the whole Neogeo Pocket fighters. They also did a Battle Arena Tonshinden port too. I'm trying to beat the high score on the Kirby's Pinball Land cart I bought. I love the game but I mostly play on the Poppy stage and the music is slowly driving me insane. https://youtu.be/QpqqIggE_co
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May 31, 2019 16:03
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I'm tempted to join in on this. The Game Boy is a big nostalgia item for me, although on reflection I think most of that is centered specifically around Link's Awakening. My game library was pretty small. I bought a GBA SP about twelve years ago and although I haven't actually played it in years, I think I have more games for it (~15) than I ever did for the original back in the 90s. Always been curious about its giant library and the many weird and wonderful games that passed me by. The only thing holding me back is that the above-mentioned nostalgia and the strong association with The Past also dredges up a lot of negative emotions for me at this point in my life. After this thread was posted I played through Kirby's Dream Land to test out BGB and it basically destroyed my mood for the rest of that day. :\ I then uninstalled it. Might be slightly less of an issue when it's a game I never played back then, like Monster Max. I might give it a go and see if I can get over myself, otherwise I'll at least follow the thread. (Kirby's Dream Land is still fun, though.) As an aside, I was a little disappointed that BGB skips the Nintendo startup logo and the accompanying 'ping'. Sway Grunt fucked around with this message at 16:59 on May 31, 2019 |
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May 31, 2019 16:52
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Glare Seethe posted:As an aside, I was a little disappointed that BGB skips the Nintendo startup logo and the accompanying 'ping'. I can't really think of an emulator that does have the startup sequence, mostly since that's built into the system hardware and not the cartridge ROM.
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May 31, 2019 16:56
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Angry_Ed posted:I can't really think of an emulator that does have the startup sequence, mostly since that's built into the system hardware and not the cartridge ROM. Yeah, I figured it was something of the sort, a limitation of the emulation. Fortunately it's on youtube.
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May 31, 2019 16:58
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This sounds up my alley. I'm game (boy).
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May 31, 2019 17:27
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Count me in, too, if it's not too late! The Game Boy was the first system I bought with my own money, and I loved the hell out of it. An excuse to check out stuff I've never tried before is exciting, too!
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May 31, 2019 17:36
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Mode 7 posted:Excited to get underway, I'll also share a super secret controls tip for Monster Max when we kick off because as far as I know the game doesn't tell you about it anywhere and it's essential to progress. Fun! Ah, the good old days when Instruction Manuals existed and you needed to read them or you were hosed.
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May 31, 2019 17:38
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More than just Tetris! There's also Donkey Kong 94.
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May 31, 2019 17:39
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Hey everyone, we're live! As promised, important control tip for Monster Max - feel free to skip it if you want to go in completely blind. Hold down the jump button to immediately jump again as soon as you touch a block on landing - this is the only way to traverse vanishing blocks, you can't jump off them fast enough otherwise Other than that the game is pretty good about telling you what each item/pickup does as you pick it up, and you can access in-game help by pressing SELECT. Let's go!
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Jun 1, 2019 01:06
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Welcome to all our new club members, I'll have a list of participants in the second post shortly and work on half-assedly prettying up some sort of score...roster thing.HMC posted:This sounds up my alley. I'm game (boy). I very much like your avatar. Angry_Ed posted:Ah, the good old days when Instruction Manuals existed and you needed to read them or you were hosed. I was one of those kids who read every game manual cover to cover before playing the game. I did try and find a copy of the manual online but can't seem to get a hold of one. I don't recall if the manual tells you about it or not, I think it was just either accepted design at the time for isometric adventure stuff or the expectation was you would fail to clear a room repeatedly until you figure it out. NyetscapeNavigator posted:More than just Tetris! There's also Donkey Kong 94. Donkey Kong 94 is a masterpiece and may very well be next month's game as more people should play it. Apparently there are people who don't know what happens once you clear 100m. 
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Jun 1, 2019 01:16
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Mode 7 posted:Donkey Kong 94 is a masterpiece and may very well be next month's game as more people should play it. Apparently there are people who don't know what happens once you clear 100m.  I just bought this the other day and I would be very down for this once I get the save battery replaced
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Jun 1, 2019 01:38
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i was just trying out a bunch of game boy games i'd never even heard of as a kid so yeah count me in. even after that i still haven't heard of this game lol
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Jun 1, 2019 01:58
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Enjoying the music so far!
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Jun 1, 2019 03:05
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Played for a few minutes. Not digging the gameplay yet but the David Wise soundtrack is good as usual.
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Jun 1, 2019 03:29
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Breadallelogram posted:Played for a few minutes. Not digging the gameplay yet but the David Wise soundtrack is good as usual. The gameplay took me a little getting used to. I didn't fully understand how I was interacting with the items and the movement wasn't intuitive to me. After I finished the first training level things started to click though.
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Jun 1, 2019 03:55
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Links Awakening is to this day the only zelda game I'll play again and again.
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Jun 1, 2019 03:59
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I tried out the game for a bit. Sometimes it's hard to tell what you're supposed to avoid, I got a game over in the first level from rubbing my face on things to find out what they do.
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Jun 1, 2019 05:57
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 Look at this little fella! I love him! Interesting game so far. As an American, the entire isometric computer game genre totally missed me, so idk how it compares to the rest of its ilk. I’m gonna keep plugging away at it, though. There’s definitely a trial-and-error design philosophy at play here, but the levels seem (so far) short enough that it’s not a huge problem. The Game Boy platform seems like a good fit, in that I can imagine it being a great game for long car trips or waiting rooms. I finished the first (non-tutorial) stage but I died the first time because I forgot the stated mission (to destroy the brain, which I initially assumed was a collectible). The missions are definitely worded strangely. I assume they’re all gonna be too-clever programmer wordplay? (ie. “MANY DANGERS ARE TO PASS IN FINDING CROWN OF ICED ACRUTINE”. I guess it’s supposed to be like “stack routine”?)
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Jun 1, 2019 06:23
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I'm actually too busy to get much gameplay in today (this is part of why I wanted a monthly game club!) but I will say this from the small amount of time I've spent reacquainting myself with this game. The end of level music is loving awesome.
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Jun 1, 2019 10:00
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Played for a bit. Agree about the music being very good. There is definitely a lot of trial-and-error involved, especially since the isometric perspective sometimes makes it trickier to avoid dangers. I'm using save states for that reason. I might need to pay more attention to the mission goals because twice now I've made it to the end of a level only to get stonewalled by the locked door. I'm not sure if the solution to opening it is always available in the final room or if you have to backtrack sometimes for the right item combination or something of the sort (that would be a bit of a pain). edit: Okay, you can definitely get to a room without the right items for it, as it turns out. So occasionally a bit of backtracking might be necessary. Made it to the third floor so far (skipping one level per floor) but probably done for today. edit2: Pushed through to the fifth floor. I can't imagine doing this without save states - between the often deadly platforming and unpredictable enemy movement the game can be a real dick sometimes. Sway Grunt fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Jun 1, 2019 |
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Jun 1, 2019 12:43
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I haven't had a chance to get in on this yet myself, but is this game focused more on the puzzle aspect like Solstice on NES or Equinox on SNES? Because I bounced hard off of Solstice when I tried it years ago.
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Jun 1, 2019 19:22
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yeah this feels like a programmer's little pet project that was considered good enough for commercial release. not a fan of the enemy behaviors or how vanishing blocks don't reappear until you leave the room but i'm digging how goofy it is and how max looks when he's ducking 
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Jun 1, 2019 19:34
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Only had a little bit of time to mess around with this game so far, it's interesting but clearly a Rare game in that it's designed to punish the player for spurious reasons. Even in the "Playpen" training area where without warning a block vanished and dropped me down a floor. The music is really drat nice though, I especially like how if you idle long enough Max pulls out a guitar and starts jamming and the music changes.
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Jun 3, 2019 03:54
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