My childhood flashback and the current enemy image of Destroy All Humans 2
Unn?* Welcome to my new column with a title that might be a bit idiosyncratic for some – more on that below! For a long time I thought about starting separate columns on individual subject areas. But that would probably have gotten too much, so I’m just lumping together everything that’s important to me and that interests me. Video games, series, books and other things that may not always be easy to classify or would otherwise not find a place. But here it is!
Oh yeah, don’t expect a regular, scheduled column that comes out every Friday or so, or whatever. I write something when I have something to say. Theoretically, this can of course also be every week, but perhaps only after two or three weeks due to time or other reasons. I already have enough deadlines to observe at work, so I’m taking it a little more relaxed here.
Back to the 90s with Super Mario and trading cards
What did you collect as a child? Or what would you like to collect? When I was at school (at least in the early years) the Panini soccer stickers were a real lure for me. In fact, I still find the mechanics behind it somehow exciting, whether it was with the stickers back then or with Pokémon cards now. What’s in this packet? Can I get something super rare?
Sure, these days we’re all upset about loot boxes in games. Not wrong, I think. The difference is that with video games – at least for some – I already pay the full price and then there are loot boxes on top of that. A crucial difference for me, especially with Panini, is the following: I can reorder individual stickers or trading cards if I’m missing any. I can’t really do that with Ultimate Team in FIFA – or EA Sports FC as it will be called in the future – or in other games. If so, then often at very expensive in-game prices from other players.
It is a topic that could be discussed at length. But why am I actually writing this… Recently I noticed that Panini now offers trading cards for Super Mario. Trading cards + Nintendo, a gold mine? Maybe. I was curious and thanks to Panini, who sent me a package to look at – and two for you, who we raffled off on Twitter and Instagram – (thanks for that!), I was able to take a good look at it.
It can sometimes be so light-hearted and relaxing to just deal with such basically mundane things instead of following what’s going on in the world or dealing with the current sow that’s being driven through the internet village. In times of Corona and war, I no longer feel like using the supposedly social media. Instead, just feel some childlike joy. And the best part is, these things don’t just fade into obscurity and obscurity when a server goes offline or a new game comes out. It stays with me physically and has its own value, whether for me on the shelf or if I decide to sell such things again at some point.
The collection includes 252 cards, which of course puts many of the Super Mario characters in the foreground, but also enemies and well-known items such as mushrooms, stars and tanks. There are also 72 glossy cards. What I particularly liked about it are the beautifully designed motifs of the cards – apart from the standard cards with items and the like. The interaction of the characters in this moment, whether they are friends or antagonists, just looks coherent and does the series justice. And of course the aforementioned shiny cards. Why do glittering things actually have such a magical aura?
Incidentally, this is not Panini’s only trading card collection for video games. There is also the Minecraft collection with all sorts of blocky themes for fans of Mojang’s sandbox world. There are a number of nice themes here too, spanning all the different aspects of the game. And then there is the now third series of Fortnite trading cards. They seem to be quite popular. Although at first glance I find it less interesting to only collect outfits and accessories in x different genres. In any case, the fans seem to like it, otherwise we wouldn’t have reached the meanwhile third series.
Destroy All Humans 2 or also: When old enemies are back in fashion
Destroy All Humans was one of those games – or rather a series – that I used to want to play but never got around to. So I was even happier when I finally jumped at the chance to play the Destroy All Humans remake that THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games released two years ago. The remake of the sequel, Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed, will follow on August 30, 2022, and it provided the same carefree fun in the short time I was able to spend with it on my home computer.
Playfully, I got what I expected after the first remake. I found it more interesting that the former enemy image of the second part has suddenly arrived in the present again. Set in the 1960s, Destroy All Humans 2 sees the Soviets/KGB blowing up the alien mothership. And already the Russians are your opponents. In view of the global political situation, this old enemy image of “West versus East”, which some probably never went away, is more relevant than ever. In terms of story, of course, everything remains the same, nothing has been adapted to the current situation and fortunately not defused. But there are coincidences… In that case, I wish the circumstances were different, but that’s the reality.
As you know from the first part, everything in the game is exaggerated, from the hippies to the KGB agents in their fine suits to the muscle-bound villains with their diabolical laughs who want to get at you. Not that they stand a chance against you. Right from the start you attack them with superior weapons, throw them through the air with your psi powers and so on. In other words: If you liked the series and/or the remake in the past, you can put the new edition on your shopping list. As long as Black Forest Games doesn’t screw up something, which I don’t assume from the first impression.
What else was
Last seen: Within a few days all episodes of heartstopper on Netflix. A beautiful coming-of-age series based on the webcomic of the same name, which due to the episode length of approx. 30 minutes is also perfect for binge drinking. Recently too Dracula Untold seen it and wasn’t all that excited about it. It was okay, but also far from a masterpiece. You can watch it once, but I don’t think I’ll remember it for long.
Last (private) played: I’ve finally finished Alan Wake Remastered after it’s been sitting around for a while and I’ve been taking a break for other things. I still think it’s as good as it was then. I wasn’t really aware of how many more WTF moments the DLCs have compared to the main game. I’m very excited to see what Remedy will come up with with Alan Wake 2 after all these years. Please get good!
Last read: The name Diana Wynne Jones might be familiar to everyone who made the Ghibli film Howl’s Moving Castle have read. Her book is the basis of the film and the second part of this three-part series, which is rather loosely connected The Palace in Heaven. I haven’t read the Howl’s Moving Castle book yet, but I found the second novel extremely entertaining. It’s about a jinn who kidnaps numerous princesses and Abdullah, the carpet seller, who is drawn into this adventure. The result is an exciting journey garnished with funny situations and conversations with a number of surprises and twists that I enjoyed reading from start to finish.
* You’re wondering what “Unn?” means? Well, those of you who, like me, come from the best state in the world – Saarland – know it. For everyone else: It’s a kind of universal greeting. It can be a question about how the other person is doing, whether there is anything new and so on. After careful consideration, a suitable and at the same time personal title for my column. A short, concise statement that hits the nail on the head. what’s new What moves me? What am I interested in? That’s what this is all about.
Reference-www.eurogamer.de