ElCochran90's Profile
Send a PMJoined on: Aug 25, 2018
Bio:
About time I updated this bio.
Name: Edgar Cochran
Country: Mexico
Currently living in: Mexico City
-God's servant and one of his blessed sons (John 1:12; John 3:16).
-Lover of the entire animal and plant creation.
-Film lover and reviewer for Letterboxd.com (https://letterboxd.com/elcochran90).
-Adjunct professor and personal tutor of Statistical Inference, Business Forecasting, Marketing Research and Portfolio Theory.
Fangaming experience began in August 2018, so only modest achievements here. However, I'll describe some relevant FAQs here made to me during my stay here since 2018:
Q: Are videogames art?
A: Yes
Q: Are fangames videogames?
A: Yes
Q: Why are your reviews long and unconventional?
A: I am a film reviewer; in a way, I sort of unconsciously dragged my style of film reviewing to the world of fangames. I often involve personal experiences in my writing. Expect that structure; I'm not planning to change it.
Q: How are you rating games? Do you compare fangames as normal games that your ratings are lower than all other people ratings or are you just a critical person?
A: My ratings are not lower than people's ratings all of the time regarding fangames, but they are most of the time. However, this is not my intention. I am rating them as normal games, as in, I don't have a different spectrum for rating "normal", "official" games than fangames. They are in the same scale, because they are all videogames. I don't like to think myself as a critical person; ratings are just subjective numbers. However, I have realized that I rate games more harshly than I rate films/short films, which I do more often.
Q: What are your favorite fangames?
A: I have not played enough fangames to make a comprehensive and representative list, but this can be answered by going to my Favorites list. Anything getting 6.7 or higher will be considered immediately as a favorite.
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380 Games
380 Reviews
For: I wanna be the Math Major
I'll spare you those deaths without giving the exam away. Missing instructions are:
-Use the least amount of parentheses as possible, following the operational order
-Use four decimals to round your probabities. Round properly. If the fourth decimal is a 0, use THREE decimals.
-If the result is an exact fraction, use the fraction instead (but sometimes; this is uneven, so you'll have to try both anyways at some questions).
-For integrals, use a CAPITAL C for the constant term (this was cheap)
-This might be common sense when using a PC, but this time DO NOT use the * sign for multiplication. Express everything as you would in a normal exam.
I'm proud to be a huge nerd.
P.S. When I arrived at question 26 and the game began to have impressive production value, I just lol'd.
For: I wanna make a Sandwich
Ok, I have to interrupt this review with something: You can create a final boss for a bud's unfinished fangame but cannot add a second boss to your own unfinished fangame? WHY! The irony and paradox breaks my head and heart.
Anyway, the plot is totally 2015's Piece, but the development is certainly so 2019. Platforming, production value and variety is quite good at many parts. You can tell what is new and what isn't, like two people of differing level-creation skills and different visual styles. Compare the opening world with the golden castle, or the section turning from B&W to Purple & White with the Super Metroid stage. The list goes on. Although this came as uneven for me, I won't deny that it added to the element of surprise regarding "what the hell does the next world will look like?". That's the fun part of it: the uncertaintiy, more than the final outcome.
After Sephalos, Piece ranks #2 in my list of fangame makers that can recreate classic original videogame universes and adapting them to the standard engine so that The Kid becomes a part of said world, incorporating traps, needle, gimmicks, jokes, memes and/or bosses. The FGM blind games, all 4 of them, are collabs to me, but you can sort of see a director behind, the mastermind behind the project. This work proves that. The adventure spirit is exactly the same, the variety is right there in your face to surprise you, and song choices are always the best.
Sorry to be the party pooper, but this is also a trap game. Some are creative and are worth witnessing what happens; many of them are trash, and when placed at the end of a save, it just kills my mood. I appreciate the humor behind every Game Over text, like Geezer did with his original UNFINISHED game; I also appreciate every trap being different for a wonderful comedic showcase (I Wanna Bigger P****); I don't appreciate my effort being thrown to the trash with a flying spike or with a Thwomp making a "UGH!" sound because that got old a long time ago.
Anyway, there is a surreal segment at the middle of the game which experiments with audio and visuals, and it was a nice moment of experimentation. I will always be cherishing those moments. Also, the fact that the game becomes informative about sandwich ingredients is pure gold; sometimes the smallest ideas do the greatest things. There were two instances where I laughed out loud and that's a good thing, because I am a sad (not literally) and boring (maybe true) guy finding difficulty in laughing. A particular 60-second avoidance segment features a meme song which kept me smiling like an idiot for a full minute. Since it was a first-try, I died intentionally to rock back and forth my head while the song was playing and avoiding again. The song is available, as always, in the Music folder. (Note: I just decided to go there and listen to said song, peanutbonus, while I finish my review). Piece is a meme-maker; you can't stop that.
A fun adventure and varied fangame with traps that amuse you, others that frustrate you and bore you, many styles that are uneven and, finally, a final boss that aims at reaching MattinJ's proportions (nice one there Geezer, truly), this comes with my humble personal recommendation. It's the game we expected and kind of deserved after so many years.
P.S. I ate a sandwich during the final boss. Nice night.
For: I wanna find my Destiny
Aside from that, the visual variety is exceptional with decent music choices, sky-high production value for its time and iconic and very fun bosses once you know precisely what to do. The challenge curve is pretty flat, meaning that, besides the turorial, you will face the same difficulty throughout. This leaves room for experimentation, implementing gimmicks, puzzle screens, needle and overall platforming of all sorts of the same difficulty. This is important because you are prepared properly for the game since the very beginning and, once you're hooked, it is impossible to let go and pospone your gameplay. It is sensational.
Consider a considerable spike of difficulty for the final boss, which has three phases, having a save after the first two. The challenge is considerably hard, but the sense of accomplishment after obtaining victory is irreplaceable. What seems like the definitive victory ends up with an additional avoidance challenge which is one of the most epic things you will ever play in a fangame, and the ending moments are nothing short of spectacular and jaw-dropping.
This is a textbook reason of why not only I consider videogames as art, but fangames as videogames (and if A = B and B = C, then...); a 7.7 (basically 8/10) is a very powerful rating for the likes of these grand proportions. Of course, everything is inspired, but the art of fangaming is creating your own world with existing resources and create something new. Stealing? I call it inspiration.
Phenomenal adventure game.
For: I wanna stop the Simulation
The journey has come to an end. The blind races are over(?) and the story comes full circle, as it all turned out to be a computer simulation, duh. That's the concept from which the final boss derives, but so does the whole adventure.
There is an interesting debate here and it is that, with every new FM Blind Race entry, the game "stops being less of a fangame and more a copy-paste of original games". I find this of relevance because it would seem that our preconception of a fangame is unconsciously attached to the usual The Kid stuck in his engine and a 21 X 11 pixels hitbox. Not only with each entry, but also with every new event, the Fangame Marathon has welcomed even other roms and hacks, such as Hyper Metroid. It also started to give publicity to new indie games, such as Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Bit.Trip Runner, The End Is Nigh, Baba Is You, Celeste, Cuphead, Spelunky, among others, all of them with varying popularity. The immortal trilogy that became tradition in the fangame community is VVVVVV, Undertale and Super Meat Boy. However, there is not necessarily a positive correlation between a new indie game being represented in every FM Blind Race and a copy-paste engine. Isaac does copy-paste, but Celeste doesn't. Neither does Baba Is You. However, Contra does, whereas Super Castlevania II doesn't. There is no rule. The Doom segment of Warp The Worlds revolutionized the capabilities of a 3D quality fangame and blew everyone's minds. It is one of the best moments in fangaming history.
To what extent is the essence of fangames being lost? I say it isn't. That would be an exaggeration, and you see it with the stages that retain the original engine, such The End Is Nigh, Super Mario Bros., etc., and even with the nods, such as Guy Rock (er, Guilty Gear Isuka's Home Sweet Grave for the 9000th time) or a Miku cameo during the final boss of Warp The Worlds. It's been a long time since over 9000 (heh) variations of an original game became a universe of their own, featuring all types of genres, and I think new ones are being born. That's called evolution. I welcome it. Experimentation is for the bold ones.
So, is a fangame good because it retains the original engine and mechanics, or because it experiments? In my humble opinion, I say both as long as they are done well, but the latter is necessary for exploring possibilities and expanding horizons. I encourage makers to keep doing it despite the negative opinions.
What is holding this back as a personal favorite from my super-elitist and demanding list in my exaggerated rating system mocked even by The Wannabes during their streams, then? The little wrong decisions. Those that harm gameplay. Decisions such as not having a save before each boss in Isaac, having the freaking Up key as a jump key besides Shift in Super Castlevania IV (which wouldn't matter if you didn't use the Up key for aiming your damn whip!), making all of the first Runner2 screens trivial as you cannot die, and having a very disappointing and ugly final boss (even if the idea is cool and retro). The ones that hurt Find A Cure, such as the first phase of the final boss being harder than the second one, having Super Metroid too long and cryptic to decipher at points (still my favorite stage of Find A Cure though, because wow), and having repetitive and frustrating level design in Celeste and The End Is Nigh. Well, what can you expect from experimentation? Trial and error.
I repeat: I ENCOURAGE IT.
The whole Konami section was miraculous and it was awesome to see the concept of The Kid being reinvented at every section while reminiscing of our childhoods. Contra contains one of the best traps seen in fangame history if you use the Konami code, obviously replacing B and A with their respective input equivalents, and the final boss is long and fun, which is something rare to accomplish, since it contains react-able action and a fair challenge. It also had me laughing with its traps. Were there traps in Contra?? Well, maybe it had soldiers hiding in bushes, but not a P switch lol! Super Castlevania IV is something I particularly thank, because it was the dream of many finally come true. It does make some mistakes (Up key damn it!), but graphics and level design is great. The boss of the area is nothing amazing but, again, there is a nod to the original I Wanna Be The Guy.
Production design leaves nothing else to be desired, so expect the highest quality everywhere. Baba Is You was particularly well implemented to the engine we know, with smart puzzles and a chill atmosphere. Isaac replicates the game to astonishing levels thanks to Erik's usual commitment, and the secret orange boss was a brilliant troll (which also scared the Bejesus out of me); the nightmare for ending Stage 1 was hilarious). It shines at many instances.
What does 2020 store for us? I wish I knew, but if blind races are over, please just say to me that a new game will be released to commemorate the new decade.
This whole odyssey gave me two good games and two new favorites to my clear list. The final boss, when read between the lines (er, the names of the folders), has jokes commemorating what characterize us: MIKU, private fangames, roms, hacks, clear lists, bookmarks... Good stuff. I like the makers reminding us we belong to something worth being noted.
I do believe that fangames are art as well; that is why I rate them as normal games. I make no distinction. Otherwise, I would have rated I Wanna Be The Overlord with 12.4/10 I guess.
Thanks for listening.
For: I Wanna Find a Cure
It seems like an obligated tradition to open with a Super Mario Bros. world. It is ok, standard quality for a fangame, but not something you would expect from a marathon release. Its average quality is almost compensated with one of the best traps you will ever see in fangame history if you that particular trick in World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. 3.
From there, it picks up with unexpected original game picks, adapting the character to new worlds and adventures. Among the first half, I must highlight the astonishing replica of Cuphead. Although the first phase of the final boss has one annoying attack, the rest is spectacular and pays proper tribute to the legendary final duel of the game. Adapting it to the microcosm of Crimson was the most logical step. Erik was the man chosen to do these wonders.
The section featuring Celeste, The End Is Nigh and Runner2 is the section dedicated to honor popular indie games, adapting the Kid to those worlds in one way or another. However, expect no bosses during this section, unless you consider chases as "bosses" (they're not). Maybe it's a nod to modern PC platforming. If that's the cause, it's no less than honorable. Still, it dragged down the pace and adventure feeling of the previous game decisions.
And ooohhh, Plasmanapkin is responsible for single-handedly creating one of the most infamous stages in fangame history: Super Metroid. Speaking the obvious without being able to deny objective truths, the world is massive, fantastically looking and the overall layout is built truly like the original game, 99% faithful to the SNES atmospheric titan (except for the final boss, which comes from the underappreciated Metroid: Fusion). I understand the complaints of people: it takes approximately 45%-50% of your total playtime. It requires at least three hours in tranquil exploration just like a game of the franchise would. Is that the experience fangamers would expect from a fast-paced FM delivery? Clearly not for the majority. I must confess I didn't care. On the contrary, it is my favorite world. However, who on Earth would consider a great idea to feature THIS game on a blind race? What's the purpose of making a race? Are you mad???? Use this in another fangame/collab.
Final boss is a great disappointment and the second phase is much easier than the first one. Also, second phase looks great, but if you'd like to see what's awesome and who originated that, play the Lunatic version of I Wanna Be The Best Guy 2 and see that spectacular final boss. The sequels wanted to approach it but the initial impact of Best Guy 2 will forever remain.
All in all, it's a collection of great ideas that sound better spoken aloud than when transformed into reality. Platforming is really not that interesting and becomes frustrating in some worlds, and I'm looking at you, Celeste. So Megaman X decides to use the dash button, which actually you can change in the settings. Cool. Why the hell would you change the rules? Do you know how many free deaths I had with that awful level design just because you decided that my settings are trash and therefore use the shoot button??? The shoot button for dashing.
I'm out.
34 Favorite Games
370 Cleared Games