The year 2023 was a bit of a departure for me, as I soaked in more new video games than I would in a typical year. New releases such as Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and Super Mario Wonder took up a good chunk of my playing time, and I also enjoyed a fair share of new downloadable games.
As a result, I sort of eased off from a lot of arcade game play, and playing newer games also greatly cut into my time I would otherwise be using to revisit older games in my collection. A couple of days into 2024, though, and I've largely focused on going back to some of my arcade staples.
I teased the new year's stream on Cohost, and if you'd like, the first 1CC of the year on WWF WrestleMania is now archived on Twitch and YouTube:
The Twitch channel also has a VOD archive of the full eight-character 1CC run, if you really want to see the game beaten on maximum difficulty with every wrestler in the game.
But, on a whim, I also revisited Taito's Wardner no Mori/Pyros on my own time. It's a game I did a 1CC video for a few years ago, and it popped back into my mind again. I think it's a really neat twist on the Ghosts 'n' Goblins style of game, but this game is far more generous to the player. After doing one trial run to remember what was in the game, I was able to get a sort-of-messy 1CC on my second try.
I put this one back in my rotation, as one of my goals for 2024 is being able to submit for marathons and raise money for charities. I think I'll turn back to this game every so often, that way I can remember all of the secrets and get a really clean run going for submissions.
Wardner/Pyros did have a SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis home release, but I recall not liking that version as much. I might have to revisit that at some point to see if my mind has changed. Otherwise, if you haven't already, I would recommend giving the arcade version a play if it is accessible to you.
