Alright, this is quite a neat game, which hearkens back to the 16-bit/32-bit era of 2D platformer games. Presented in a retro 4:3 aspect ratio (which my computer monitor is, which I prefer), it also has scanlines to enhance the nostalgic, CRT feel to the visuals.
You can cast zip lines to prevent from falling, as well as for climbing to higher platforms.
I find Steel Assault to be rather difficult. You have an energy whip to lash enemies, and can also punch them when up-close. It seems that I just have to die constantly until I figure out the attack patterns of the bosses and mid-bosses because it is pretty unforgiving.
So far I’ve only made it to the 2nd level. Very hard, but fun game. Fortunately, this game is available on Steam OS, so it runs natively on my Linux desktop computer.
I played Ikaruga in the game centers when it first came out. I was living in Himeji at the time, and I was excited to find this at the game center near Himeji Station. Being the spirtual successor to Radiant Silvergun, I was pretty hyped and greatly anticpated its release. I bought it on the Dreamcast when it was first released, too. Since it was under 1,000 yen on Steam, I bought it again. It’s weird seeing it in English. The game’s text can be switched to Japanese though. I appreciate how this game supports 4:3 aspect ratio monitors like my own. It runs perfectly on my Linux desktop through the Proton utility.
I’d like to mention the Nayirah testimony from 1990. Maybe you are familiar with it. If not, you can look it up. A young Kuwaiti girl named Nayirah gave a testimony to the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus, claiming that Iraqi soldiers were taking babies from incubators and leaving them to die on the cold floor. The problem is that Nayirah’s full name was Nayirah Al-Sabah, who was actually the daughter of Saud Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti ambassador to America and she did not witness any of this happening as she claimed, because she was in the USA. It was all a lie, but that fake sob story was one of the biggest factors that drove the USA to war in the Gulf.
The situation in Ukraine is not as simple as you are led to believe, but people are bombarded with propaganda to incite an emotional response rather than a rational response. Unlike in 1990 though, we have the internet to connect with each other and debunk the demagoguery and fake news. The problem in the Ukraine is that the violence has been going on for years already in Ukraine, but this has been widely ignored by the West. You are correct in that Ukraine is a sovereign nation, but a George Soros-backed color revolution in 2014 ended that. Molotov-cocktail flinging mobs of thugs drove out the duly elected president out of Ukraine while waving portraits of Stepan Bandera, who was Hitler’s collaborator in Ukraine. These are the ones that the Obama administration were backing to take over the Ukrainian government. During WWII, many Ukrainians welcomed the Nazis as liberators since they hated the Soviets. This Nazi ideology has gone on for generations, and they still wave swastikas to this day. The symbol of Ukraine’s Azov Battalion is an amalgamation of two Nazi symbols: the Black Sun and the SS mark. You can clearly see these on their arm patches, vehicles, etc.
They proudly wave the Nazi flag next to the Azov flag.They’ve even made their own flag that is an amalgamation of the Ukrainian and Nazi flags. These are the people that are supported by NATO, George Soros and his minions, the Wormtongue corporate media, etc.
Viktor Yanukovych was the Ukrainian president this violent mob deposed. This was a man who sought good relations with Russia, pushed back on the IMF, and rejected US corporate interests such as Monsanto. The Neo-Nazi thugs saw to it that Soros and corporate American interests were pleased, and Ukraine has been the center of terrible corruption ever since then, with Hunter Biden having a job on the board of Burisma Holdings, a natural gas firm there. This Neo-Nazi group has been shelling ethnic Russians in Donetsk and Luhansk for years now. These two provinces are now breakaway republics. For the same reason Ukraine wanted to claim independence from the USSR, these two republics wish to claim independence from the Ukrainians whom they have been fighting with for years. Russia has stepped in to stop the genocide.
Nazis are not Canadian truckers who want freedom, nor are they fat bikers with American flag T-shirts with their Mexican wives, nor are they parents who speak out at school board meetings because they do not wish their children to be taught to hate themselves for being white or to have LGBTQP issues shoved in their children’s faces. Those who accuse them of being so are directly supporting actual Nazis in Ukraine and have done so ever since the USA put them into power. Here is the deal: many Ukrainians don’t like these jerks either. Zelenski was elected as a populist (and Jewish even), but one man alone cannot drain the hideous swamp of corruption alone, especially when very powerful people in America are nurturing the corruption. I’d like to believe that Zelenski is a good man, but at this point I am siding with Putin as he is the one the corrupt American politicians, banksters, and corporate media all hate the most.
Putin was very clear that he does not want Ukraine, and that his goal is to allow The LPR and DPR to claim independence, stop the genocide being waged upon them, and to “de-Nazify” the country. I hope he is telling the truth. But regardless of whether Putin is an angel or a devil, this constant military intervention has worn thin. Putin is striking against the rotten people that the Obama/Soros color revolution instated.
Additionally, Russia apparently targeted US-run biolabs from the very first day. The authoritarian news has claimed that this is not true, while at the same time claiming that attacks on such facilities could trigger massive illness outbreaks. These biolabs have not only been listed on public record, but the people of Ukraine have been petitioning their government to have them shut down for years already, and now the US Embassy in Ukraine have removed the documentation on these places. Yeah if I was to invade a country, the first thing I’d take out are the “animal health labs.” Something is definitely going on beneath the surface, and it is quite possible that Russia just saved us from something much worse than the virus that came from the Wuhan lab.
If you look at it just at the surface, there really was nothing to gain from Russia striking Ukraine. Russia is now nearly universally vilified, and their economy has taken a heavy blow. If you believe the propaganda media and think that Putin is just attacking Ukraine just because he doesn’t like them or whatever, then he has got to be the stupidest president. Putin has kicked out the central banksters from his country, opposes the sexualization of children, has very harsh punishments for convicted pedos, and emphasizes faith and family. He’s not a saint himself and I don’t like a lot of his actions, but he is fighting against this “New World Order” and has spoken against it repeatedly. I think both the Left and the Right in the USA have it completely wrong about Putin. My hunch is that he’s just saved the world from the next manufactured pandemic.
So no, I don’t stand with Ukraine, a country overrun by Neo-Nazis and that has been murdering ethnic Russians for years.
I’ve no idea who Claire Lehmann is, but she’s exactly the type of person I have avoided since high school. She obviously affirms herself through groupthink and shuns free-thinkers and needs to appeal to “popularity” to validate her opinions. As I have told my daughter, you’re better off being alone than to suffer the company of idiots and jerks whom you call “friends.”
As Jean-Paul Satre said, “If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company.” Or as Nikolai Tesla said, “Be alone, that is the secret of invention. Be alone, that is when ideas are born.” The greatest minds do not fear being alone.
I had to look up this woman’s name and apparently she has a reputation of being an Australian “Karen” journalist. Ha!
February 7th marked 10 years since Mom’s death. During these 10 years, I’ve thought of many conversations that I could not have with Mom. Many questions wish I could ask. I think of the knowledge that was lost when Mom died. Mom had been in and out of the hospital so many times that I did not ask to interrupt when Mom was talking to Aunt Kathy. I thought that I would be able to talk to her again after that, but I was unable to the next day. I wish I cold have spoken to her one last time, to maybe even say goodbye. I lost my chance and a day later she had deteriorated so quickly. I lost my chance. I’m sorry. I miss you, Mom.
I found a secret area in Huntdown and found Kaneda’s bike parked outside of a building. Awesome cyberpunk/dystopian future nerd reference. I love this game!
Today, on February 7th, our precious bug has passed away. The night before last, she had flipped over on her back. In the morning, Mayu found her on her back and helped her over. She had probably struggled for a long time and it exhausted her.
This morning, Mayu fished her out of the box’s substrate and helped her to her food. She saw her tongue weakly lick the banana for one last time. I took this picture this morning, and you can see that her legs are curled up underneath her. I’m happy we had provided Pun-chan a long life, and Mayu took good care of her.
In Japan, cups of jelly are sold for kabuto-mushi (Rhinoceros beetles like Pun-chan) and kuwagata (stag beetles) and they come in different flavors. Once she tasted the brown sugar flavor, Pun-chan refused to eat the other flavors (fruit varieties). In fact if she was given another flavor, she would get upset and flip the jelly cup over overnight. She loved bananas too, and often her little face was covered with a banana mess. Mayu would place a slice of banana into the brown sugar jelly cup. I’m glad that she got to taste her precious banana one last time before she died.
Life became difficult for Pun-chan towards the end. Actually, a few months ago, her two front “hands” had somehow broken off. It’s just the way these beetles are, and it’s why you have to be careful to not try to forcefully pluck them from a tree as their feet may break off. We had provided her wonderful food for her and kept her warm, which gave her an unusually long life. I’m sad she is finally gone, but I’m happy that she is no longer struggling as it’s been like watching a grandmother struggle with life.
We are not allowed pets in our apartment, so Pun-chan has provided us with that role that cannot be taken by a cat or something. There’s an innate part of our hearts that desire to take care of plants and living creatures. I think that is a great part of what it means to be made in the image of God. When I was new to Japan, these large insects freaked me out. But I married a country girl, and Mayu grew up catching cicadas and other insects. She’s taught me to love and care for such insects in our nearly 21 years of marriage.
