iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#justbeatit Epic Pinball, Enigma table. A table that has a definite beat condition, with level progression & not much to do after you beat the final level. Not much to do before then other than hit gems in predetermined spots. Not great but has a "one more try" quality. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#justbeatit Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil - New Classic, a remaster of the 2002 bullet hell. The series' slower denser patterns aren't my preferred shmup style but the original and its 2 sequels were my first bullet hells and the music is great. 1cc'ed Normal. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#justbeatit Crimzon Clover's Arrange Original mode with a top 10 score with all ships. A great medium difficulty mode that bridges the gap between Novice & Arcade modes. Play for survival or score. Has a Gradius-like powerup bar and only small power loss on death. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#justbeatit Cruis'n USA for N64. A fun racing game where the main challenge is dodging traffic every few seconds. Might as well be called Cruis'n California because half the game takes place there. Has rubber banding, but in both directions. Got all the car upgrades. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#justbeatit Streets of Rage, 1cc Hardest with all chars. A solid but not excellent first effort. It suffers a bit from slow-scrolling and a trivial infinite jab combo being optimal (and necessary) strategies. Music and vibes are off the charts though. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I 1cc'ed Battle Circuit w/ every char a few years ago & I #justbeatit again on hardest difficulty dip switch settings w/ every char. Probably the easiest game in the Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle even on hard. Regular enemies are mostly no threat; it's all about the bosses. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

#justbeatit Crimzon Clover's Arcade Original mode with a top 5 (*) score with all ship types. This is the best shmup - so many modes and an incredibly well designed scoring system make it great for anyone from beginners to superplayers. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I cleared all 4 miniloops of Clu Clu Land which started the hard second loop, which means I #justbeatit by VGS rules. It's a maze chase game where you uncover pictures. Fun to play for score like I did for the Classic Gaming Podcast scoreboard. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Tanuki Justice, a simple solid run and gun. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_gm...

youtube.com

Tanuki Justice 1cc Hard

YouTube video by LHCGreg

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

#justbeatit Donkey Kong Country 3 - Despite some annoyances like the memory minigames and parts of the final boss not being clear what to do, I'd put this on the same level as the much-revered second entry. It's great platforming fun. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

KingOctavious called it a #justbeatit when he completed every mission and got the jackpot in the Deep Sea table of Epic Pinball (DOS) so I will too. This is a decent table with progression and not too many places that tend to send your ball down the drain.Score: 916 mil. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Pinball (NES) is a basic pinball game. Flippers become invisible at 100k and come back at 150k so 150k is the #justbeatit condition. Despite the lack of features and the weird ball physics, it's not the worst game of video pinball I've played, though far from the best. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

#justbeatit Rod-Land (Famicom), a single screen elimination platformer. Hit enemies with your rod and then whip them around to defeat them, but what you really want to do is collect all flowers so enemies drop letters in EXTRA for an extra life. Took ~6 runs to 1cc. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

#justbeatit Snow Bros (NES), a rather limited and janky port of the Bubble Bobble-esque arcade game. No extends for score, instead a slot machine every 10 levels can give lives (or not). Stick with the Genesis port developed by the original developer Toaplan. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

#justbeatit Felix the Cat, an extremely easy NES platformer. It has a bit of a stop & go rhythm that I wasn't a fan of. I recommend Kero Kero Keroppi no Daibouken 2 instead if you're in the mood for an extremely easy NES platformer. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

#justbeatit my brother-in-law James at Caveman Games for NES. I'm not usually a fan of these types of minigame collections but this was just the right amount of entertainment and laughs while waiting for Easter dinner to be ready. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

#justbeatit Snow Bros (Genesis), a fun port of a Bubble Bobble-esque arcade game. Shoot snow at enemies to ball them up then roll them into other enemies. Beat all enemies with one roll for big points. Bosses every 10 floors break things up. 1cc'ed Easy and Hard. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Inspired by a recent Classic Gaming Podcast, I was a bad enough dude to rescue the president and I #justbeatit Bad Dudes for NES. It's an ok single plane beat em up considering the system, with a surprising amount of move variety. I̵͙͑̒̆'̸̭̋̄͝M̴͕̦̊̀ ̸̡̝̏̏̌B̴̳̮̺̏À̸̞̊͝D̴̛̘̙͘!̶̘͌̇̚ @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Late for @polykillpodcast.bsky.social's time travel month but I #justbeatit Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Dungeons ranked from best to worst: Forest, final castle, Gerudo Training Grounds, Shadow, Well, Spirit, Deku Tree, Fire, Water, ice cavern, Dodongo's Cavern, Jabu Jabu's belly.

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

#justbeatit N2O, a 1998 PS1 psychedelic tube shooter with music licensed from The Crystal Method. Challenge comes from how the tube twists making it hard to line up shots and blocking your view. If you like the visuals and music there may be something here for you. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

#justbeatit Banjo-Kazooie for @polykillpodcast.bsky.social's time travel month. Screw the haters, the game show is one of the best parts of the game. I was having so much fun I cleared every space on the board without using jokers. I'm glad I had the opportunity to revisit this old favorite.

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

This 1998 N64 game based on a game show was Greg's second #justbeatit for @polykillpodcast.bsky.social's time travel month. What is Jeopardy? Hard difficulty CPUs are always right on DDs and FJ so strat is to DD hunt and beat them to it. After a few losses I had a runaway into FJ and got the win.

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

#justbeatit Spyro the Dragon, a 1998 PS1 collectathon that's more "how do I get over there?" than "do the tasks". It's fine but it's no Mario or Banjo. I hope everyone who complains about Rusty Bucket Bay has even stronger words for Spyro's obscure supercharge solutions. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Antarctic Adventure is a score chase game that's like Outrun with a penguin running across Antarctica to reach each station before the timer runs out. Pick up flags and fish for bonus points. Loops after stage 10 and I made it to stage 24 so I'll say I #justbeatit. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

#justbeatit The Joy of Putting, a free Flash-like minigolf game by @potomax.bsky.social. It's basically a puzzle game where you try to figure out reliable ways to ace holes. I took notes on strats. My best scores were 18 on the Mini course, 22 on Maxi, and 22 on Sporty. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

#justbeatit Cattle Crisis, a 4 minute long scoring-focused PICO-8 shmup I tried during a shmupping session with Mr. Sparkle and @wiedo.nl. After an hour of playing my best score was 1.26 million. Mr. Sparkle has gotten 4.06 million in the past but I think I'm done. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

#justbeatit Super Smash TV (SNES), a Robotron-style twin stick shooter. It's pretty tough and takes practice to get further each time. I got the pleasuredome ending, unlocking turbo mode with 2x speed, 2x lives, 2x continues and almost beat that second loop. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

#justbeatit Flipnic, a weird unrealistic pinball game for PS2 with missions to complete to unlock the next table. I did not like the table design. Too many areas difficult to escape from and areas with weird physics. Pads its length by including mirrored table versions. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

#justbeatit Thunder Force III, my new favorite 16-bit shmup. Very memo-heavy and has some great FM tunes. On higher difficulties you lose your powerups on death but recovery is manageable. It took me several practice runs but I finally got the Mania difficulty 1cc. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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Reposted by LHCGreg

Gematsu @gematsu.com · 04/09/2025

Natsume Atari has filed a trademark for Shatterhand in Japan: chizai-watch.com/t/2025097921 Shatterhand is a 2D action game originally released for NES. The trademark might suggest a remake or sequel is in the works, a la Shadow of the Ninja Reborn or Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

I did one of those video game music challenges back in June. Here are are my picks. My self-imposed additional rules were no repeating games chosen by myself or other people participating and no reusing songs I used in a previous challenge.

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

#justbeatit Exile III, a Win95 CRPG. Char growth by point allocation, lots of useless skills & spells, tactical grid combat, tons to explore. Beginning is great but a bit of a slog by the end with you overpowered and annoying dungeons. Still good on average. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

I made a top 50 games list. No ordering, just grouped by system.

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Reposted by LHCGreg

Random Stranger @randomstranger.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Just to be clear, this kicks in August 29th, so get your orders in now for stuff from outside of the US. There's always the possibility that policy just flips again because nothing is stable. And you can still buy things overseas, you just have to spin the wheel of tarriffs.

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Reposted by LHCGreg

Boghog @boghogstg.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Posted a checklist of stuff that IMO makes beat 'em ups good in terms of mechanics & game design www.patreon.com/posts/beat-e...

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

#justbeatit Tanuki Justice, a run&gun with platforming elements. 3 difficulties are thoughtfully constructed with higher levels adding more enemies in well-designed spots. Unlimited continues let you restart levels. 1cc'ed Hard, cleared Insane after about 8-10 hours. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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Reposted by LHCGreg

Boghog @boghogstg.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

I've joked about distinguishing between beat 'em ups & "checkmate brawlers" with friends. But the relatively large subset of people who just want every single fucking option in 2D bmups makes me just wanna start doing it unironically.The types that complain about a lack of universal running in SOR4

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

#justbeatit Castle of the Winds using a Windows 3.1 emulator. It's quite easy for a roguelike. I was never in any real danger. Has a smooth power progression. I beat the shareware episode as a kid. The author has made the full version freely available. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

#justbeatit Rainbow Islands (NES), sequel to Bubble Bobble. You're a human instead of dino, you shoot rainbows, and your goal is to reach the top, not beat all enemies. Pretty challenging. I got the good ending on a 2nd play after wishing for fame instead of friendship. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

#justbeatit Mayhem Brawler, a flawed beat em up. Bosses are spongy on Legend difficulty. There's a wall combo that's infinite for as long as you get the timing right. Some bosses can break out of combos with an attack. But you can just camp them, block, and parry. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

#justbeatit Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (GBA), a Diablolike with 5 chars & 4 save slots. Higher difficulties' late game seems balanced for new game+ but early game is not. Some balance issues but decent if you want a portable game of this type. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

#justbeatit Kero Kero Keroppi no Daibouken 2, a short easy Famicom platformer starring Sanrio's cute frog character. Bosses are minigames like concentration and rock paper scissors. Only one is purely luck, the others you can get an advantage by paying attention. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

I looped Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat 3 times and beat the default high score. By VGS rules I #justbeatit. It's Super Off Road with indycars. It should be called Super On Road. Tracks are narrow and hard to pass on and non-Danny cars are just there to get in the way. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

#justbeatit Tiny Toon Adventures (NES). You think you're in for a breezy platformer, then the difficulty spikes up halfway through. Unlimited continues will see you through to the end eventually, if you can figure out the tough parts. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

#justbeatit UN Squadron, a SNES shmup with a shop where you buy weapons & new planes & select which level to do next. You can, and must, grind the supply truck mini-levels for cash for the last plane, killing the pacing. Otherwise decent. 1cc Easy & Normal, beat Hard. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

#justbeatit Metal Slug 7. It's Metal Slug on the DS. 1cc'ed Easy, beat Normal with all characters, gave up on Hard. A very challenging game that definitely gave me the hufflepuffs at times. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

#justbeatit Jungle Book (SNES). The Lion King has a reputation as a difficult 16-bit Disney game but Jungle Book puts up a fight too, especially the autoscrolling level 8 and its boss. Thankfully you get a continue each time you find enough gems in each sprawling level. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

#justbeatit Marvelous: Another Treasure Island (with translation patch), a SFC puzzle adventure game with a Zelda-like interface and 3 controllable characters who work together to solve puzzles. The solutions always make sense, unlike something like Shadowgate. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

#justbeatit Bleed, a twin stick platformer-shooter with a time-slow mechanic recommended by Scotch and SNESdrunk. Controls take some getting used to with jump and time-slow on shoulder buttons. A fun challenging game. Cleared story on Very Hard, arcade on Normal. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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LHCGreg @lhcgreg.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

#justbeatit Super C. Like Contra, I used the code to practice before beating without the code. Super C is probably a bit easier than Contra. Overhead levels in Super C are better than the 3D levels in Contra. It's about tied between them I'd say. @polykillpodcast.bsky.social

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