Ishambard

Just a man, who people say is obsessed with birds, making his way through life leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of assorted media.

Born in that perceived golden era of the 90s and raised on video games. I have plans to create my own game one day and alongside my YouTube Channel is currently my main creative focus.

My Wife is EmmalenaLEllis (npub1yqr…f9q0)

https://ko-fi.com/ishambard

#videogames #gaming #gamedesign #Pathfinder #Nintendo #YouTube #Birds #Writing #MurderMystery

Retro Achievements profile: https://retroachievements.org/user/Ishambard
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2S3vtyDs5O43ZafpcJu9gA
Blog, of sorts: https://ishambardsnest.blogspot.com/?m=1
On-Going Projects: Untitled SRPG Studio project

Public Key

npub1dx85n2v99dg8vd6rj7dkvn5ldax53k885vfykq7lpfp85cwyv8ps25e2xw

NIP-05 Address

ishambard_at_cupoftea.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsxnr6f4xzjk5rkxape0xmxf60k7n2gmrn6xyjtq00s5sn6v8zxrscpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsl2lsrc

Publishing to

offchain.pub

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1dx85n2v99dg8vd6rj7dkvn5ldax53k885vfykq7lpfp85cwyv8ps25e2xw

Show more details

Published at

2026-05-21T15:10:07Z

Kind type

0 Metadata

Event JSON

{ "id": "bc0589680684bfff9c95544691149e7b088a9443613efe4741f834c8f20a8199", "pubkey": "698f49a9852b50763743979b664e9f6f4d48d8e7a3124b03df0a427a61c461c3", "created_at": 1779376207, "kind": 0, "tags": [ [ "t", "gaming" ], [ "t", "videogames" ], [ "t", "birds" ], [ "t", "writing" ], [ "t", "youtube" ], [ "t", "gamedesign" ], [ "t", "nintendo" ], [ "t", "pathfinder" ], [ "t", "murdermystery" ], [ "proxy", "https://cupoftea.social/users/ishambard", "activitypub" ], [ "L", "pink.momostr" ], [ "l", "pink.momostr.activitypub:https://cupoftea.social/users/ishambard", "pink.momostr" ], [ "-" ] ], "content": "{\"name\":\"Ishambard\",\"about\":\"Just a man, who people say is obsessed with birds, making his way through life leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of assorted media.\\n\\nBorn in that perceived golden era of the 90s and raised on video games. I have plans to create my own game one day and alongside my YouTube Channel is currently my main creative focus.\\n\\nMy Wife is nostr:npub1yqrwfap5pjxttpadc07hcpp2d080g8x6hx3nssu068w8y0kr70xqxpf9q0\\n\\nhttps://ko-fi.com/ishambard\\n\\n#videogames #gaming #gamedesign #Pathfinder #Nintendo #YouTube #Birds #Writing #MurderMystery\\n\\nRetro Achievements profile: https://retroachievements.org/user/Ishambard\\nYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2S3vtyDs5O43ZafpcJu9gA\\nBlog, of sorts: https://ishambardsnest.blogspot.com/?m=1\\nOn-Going Projects: Untitled SRPG Studio project\\n\",\"website\":\"https://cupoftea.social/@ishambard\",\"picture\":\"https://cdn.cupoftea.social/accounts/avatars/109/802/278/783/027/751/original/7318bc2c9256ee5e.jpg\",\"banner\":\"https://cdn.cupoftea.social/accounts/headers/109/802/278/783/027/751/original/f8867ece1a862318.jpg\",\"nip05\":\"ishambard_at_cupoftea.social@momostr.pink\"}", "sig": "6f52d832164f2b43fee622c33e8332f74d8516d8b1793b76f6bad850b82954b8302effdd1b0b8fa1b2b7045be28d10ffcce0c2672d4f839bb06d56aab10cabe4" }

Last Notes

2024-12-19 12:07:49 UTC

I have 11 games in my unfinished list right now. My plan is to get a couple more over the line before the end of the year.
Seems feasible.
Top candidates at the moment are
Doom (Atari Jaguar)
Buck Bumble (N64)
Burnout (Gamecube)
Alien 3 (Megadrive/Genesis)
Snoopy vs The Red Baron (PS2)
Going into the new year I think I will endeavour to keep the quantity of unfinished games below 10 at any given time, that should provide me a decent level of focus, just need to make sure I don't get bored and rapidly cycle through too many games.
Mastering games might be benched for a little while, unless the Mastery doesn't involve too many additional hours on it. Like having to do multiple playthroughs of a long RPG, looking at you Shadow Dragon DS!
#Retroachievements #VideoGames #RetroGaming #Emulation
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/679/366/590/785/362/original/01449ec5bf12482d.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/679/366/803/476/799/original/74fa3385bd82ad44.jpg

2024-12-16 14:26:25 UTC

So, I know it isn't the end of the year yet. There is still two weeks to go. But that annoying time-consuming beast, Christmas, threatens to eat up my spare time, with house tidying and family hosting.
But I crunched some numbers. This year, I have completed 98 games. 85 of them registered on #RetroAchievements and another 13 I picked up from my YouTube channel, like Crow Country and Fuga 2. This does not include indie games from itch.io
That's nearly 100 games this year. That's nearly 2 games a week!
I will see if I can eek out a couple more before the year's end.
Going into 2025, I might bring that average down to 1 game a week, because I could easily smash out some 8-bit or arcade games to keep the average high, but I want to try and do 52 meaningful completions next year.
Or maybe I can just see how many NES, SNES, Master System, Genesis/Megadrive games I can mark as complete by the end of the year. I have options.
#RetroGaming #ConsoleGaming #VideoGames
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/662/945/108/169/220/original/6da7f6a23af3e8b3.jpg

2024-11-24 20:00:49 UTC

So, I seem to never learn.
On my list at the moment to play is a #Dreamcast classic that got, in my opinion, a great little #GBA port.
That game is Chu Chu Rocket.
It's a fantastic little puzzle game, and like all the best puzzles games, it is mechanically simple, and some puzzles require really thinking outside the box.
The thing that blows my mind, however, is that there are about 2,600 puzzles built into the game.
Admittedly, 2,500 of those are user puzzles from the old European, Japan, and US servers. But that is a ridiculous amount of puzzles to try to solve, and i recall when I had this on my old GBA, I beat... I think maybe, 60% of those?
Doesn't matter now anyway, I'm going to plug away for 100% of this game, which should keep me busy for the next month or so!
This will be a slow burn, much like Valkyria Chronicles 2, which I need to get back to at some point 🤔
#Sega #GameBoyAdvance
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/539/693/780/198/196/original/fa5ef58158140671.png

2024-11-19 09:05:22 UTC

- reply

You raise very good points, and I must admit I have always considered that I used everything here incorrectly.
I stumbled into Mastodon and the Fediverse a year or so ago when I was looking for some kind of alternative social platform, and I believe it was my younger brother who mentioned this in passing. So much so in passing that he forgot he told me about it!
Honestly, I have no real idea of how I want to utilise this space I have around me, but for the time being, I am fine being unabashedly me 😆

2024-11-08 21:25:44 UTC

So, it got pretty brutal towards the end, but I managed to complete #FireEmblem Shadow Dragon on merciless difficulty. It is most definitely lacking in mercy during the last few stages.
The game gets heavy on the casters, and most characters have no resistance growth. So that's fun when they can throw down a long-range Nuke of 25 damage, and you'd be lucky to hit the max HP of 60 HP on any character during a run.
Shadow Dragon is not a terrible game. it's a remake of an NES game, and it does its best to stay true to its roots. Adding some minor adjustments and giving some of the characters a light coating of fleshing out. Though it really is just the major players, don't expect some of your chaff to have any personality.
Mastery is going to take some time here, as I need to get all characters levelled up to a certain point and do all the nonsense gaiden stages. At least I can play it on normal difficulty going forward.
#Nintendo #NintendoDS #RetroGaming #RetroAchievements
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/449/437/578/906/789/original/1f4ec01a37b6f50a.jpg

2024-10-27 22:47:04 UTC

So, I am going to say something slightly controversial.
I just beat #DOOM on the #SNES again, this time on Nightmare for that sweet #Retroachievements mastery ( thanks, @npub104z…xc3c your recent mastery of it inspired me), and I must admit...
I don't hate it. Actually, I really enjoyed it. Getting back into the groove of it for Nightmare difficulty wasn't as painful as I expected. Though the speed that enemies will close the gap on you makes the Rocket Launcher near pointless...
It's an impressive port, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good game. Even for the time, the other ports are probably more playable, but this is the only console port of its time that had the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind.
Do I think you should go out and play it? Heavens no. Honestly, don't put yourself through it. It is very much a curiosity.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/381/812/471/923/930/original/99a5f3e49a4946e6.jpg

2024-09-12 20:31:43 UTC

I came out of my time with #Castlevania Circle of the Moon with a mixture of love and despair.
For a #GBA game, it's a really solid entry in the franchise. The DSS card system is interesting and creative, but also the games biggest weakness. Combining different cards gives you a wealth of abilities, from element attacks to different weapons and even summons and familiars. Really cool stuff!
But the cards have a low drop rate. We're talking 1/40 odds, and they are not always on common enemies. In fact, a good number of cards are on monsters that spawn late games in areas you don't backtrack to.
Ignoring that, for the most part, the game itself is great. Great visuals, great music, the remix of Vampire Killer in the penultimate area is 👌
My non-card based criticism is long corridors with the same enemy configurations are weirdly common and lack of warps between zones makes some backtracking a bit of a nuisance!
#GameBoyAdvance #RetroGaming #VideoGames
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/126/440/017/061/311/original/8e188eea7193d461.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/126/440/142/699/055/original/9d8823b71e37a327.png
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/126/440/318/100/725/original/9c07fd8d5f8727df.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/126/441/306/836/290/original/bbb53a38cb76e5cc.jpg

2024-09-12 17:59:02 UTC

Not to throw too much shade on him. He's clearly going through a hard time.
But... Like... Death in #Castlevania Circle of the Moon...
This version of him is probably the least visually imposing I have ever seen him.
Perhaps when I get around to the other #GBA games, i will put a ranking of how threatening Death looks and also how tough he is to beat.
Circle of the Moon death at the moment is a very solid D tier Death, in my opinion, which is somewhat sad. I expect better from you, Mister!
#RetroGaming #GameBoyAdvance
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/125/868/763/885/845/original/f90067f0e5a26cfd.jpg

2024-09-11 14:31:31 UTC

*Shotgun pumping intensifies*
Though I will always remember that brief moment Steam told me this was not verified to work on the Deck.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/119/397/762/720/102/original/0032d6710930ef2e.jpeg

2024-09-09 09:34:18 UTC

So... Ummm.
This was unexpected, and I couldn't keep silent about it for too long.
Who was aware that there was a #Snoopy flight combat sim, on #PS2 , based on Snoopy's WW1 ace pilot persona and his battles against the Red Baron?
My ignorance is showing here regarding Snoopy and Peanuts lore, as this element has some pedigree to it, and my exposure to Snoopy was limited at best. I vaguely remember watching a few specials as a child, and i was familiar with some of the imagery of Snoopy in his leather cap goggles and scarf.
I need to give the game a little more time, but my initial impressions of it...
Honestly, it seems like a legitimately fun game, and I might need to give this one the Let's Play treatment!
Won't lie, kinda hype for this.
#RetroGaming #VideoGames #PlayStation2
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/106/895/409/436/260/original/af510be7d22c041f.webp

2024-09-08 18:00:44 UTC

- reply

Some of the pinch points that makes #TomorrowNeverDies on the #PS1 so frustrating is the game is... Kinda janky.
When you don't know about these things, they can really catch you off guard. The example below comes from Mission 9, but it does happen in numerous other spots in the game, but this one I could trigger.
Sometimes, enemies will only spawn in when they are off camera, which means they will often spawn behind you and riddle you with bullets before you turn yourself back around.
And trust me, that guy wasn't waiting around the corner and popped out as I panned the camera around.
#RetroGaming #ConsoleGames #VideoGames #PlayStation1
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/103/199/673/277/655/original/0f5ee642d3f6d366.mp4

2024-09-08 17:47:14 UTC

So, I am not that familiar with #TomorrowNeverDies it is a #JamesBond film i barely remember. But how does the #PS1 game fare?
Well, it's a 3rd person shooter, not my first choice, but workable. It is also a bit of a ball buster, and the game knows it.
The game gives you lives, that's quite a courtesy, so if something bad happens, you pop right back up and continue there, no immediate reset of the mission there. Courtesy 2, you can carry up to 10 health packs, and each health pack heals you by 1-2 health pips per use. Nice!
Now, the catch, you will haemorrhage hit points. If you don't get the first shots in and either get a lucky quick kill or stun lock, your health and armour will drain like no tomorrow.
First-time playthroughs will end in disaster as you wrestle with some of the nonsense, if you know where the enemies are and the extra lives, it can still be quite a frustrating play that borders a little on the unfair.
#RetroGaming #VideoGames #ConsoleGaming #PlayStation1
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/103/180/328/227/475/original/976806c63acdda28.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/103/180/647/568/090/original/de1b0fc969f14632.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/103/181/124/008/006/original/c541c999e01e752c.jpg

2024-09-08 13:46:33 UTC

So, I talked a little about #BombermanQuest after I completed it recently.
But one thing I didn't talk about was the sound effect that places when you use the Tackle Belt, an item that allows you to charge at an enemy at speed to stun them.
It can also be used to activate switches, but... Ummm... I really think they could have gone for something a little more impactful, and I will not excuse that pun.
I still recommend that people give this a look at it. It's not a bad game, but perhaps a little on the easy side.
#GameBoyColor #Bomberman #RetroGaming
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/102/218/016/857/367/original/19cb22678b27906d.mp4

2024-09-05 15:28:55 UTC

Omg, I finally did it!
I finally managed to get the 1 continue clear on #BattleCity for the #GameBoy
I am shell shocked, truly I am!
The thing that made this unbearable was trying to beat 50 stages in total without dying too many times or you base being destroyed. The latter stage bases (Change that to Latter Stages Basses, and you have an Indie Prog Rock group there) are challenging to defend.
If your base falls, that's it, back to stage 1. Forget the fact that you have 10+ lives stocked up! An entire run of this game takes, maybe, about 2 hours? That was a really tense 2 hours, I am not going to lie!
There are only two more achievements that will be challenging to get, but I only need to clear stages 31 - 40 without dying and 41 - 50 without dying, and I can use level select.
This has been the most taxing #RetroAchievements game I have played, and this is coming from someone who has got all the achievements in 007 Racing!
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/113/085/644/039/524/710/original/bc70f2bdd2bd35f1.jpg

2024-08-20 12:13:34 UTC

- reply

I think I have this because GOG gives it away for free 😆😆
Will need to check out this video!

2024-08-14 07:37:38 UTC

I was really torn on what to put up for #VGMWednesday this week. But having a backlog of things to toot is never a bad thing, right?
Today, I want to appreciate a variant on a classic. At Doom's Gate, also known as E1M1 (For being the BGM for Episode 1 Map 1 of #Doom ), but let's not talk about the original. Let's take a moment to appreciate the 3DO version of this track.
https://youtu.be/AjEx292Ph8M?si=BdwbmdyoddZEBEH4
I first experienced 3DO Doom this year, and honestly, the soundtrack for this version is pretty damn cool!

2024-08-13 09:50:16 UTC

- reply

The old Sierra adventure games really had no chill 😅
I think the Space Quest Collection was one of my first Steam purchases, fantastic games 😊

2024-08-12 06:54:07 UTC

#LinksAwakening stands as one of my favourite #LegendOfZelda games of all time. It is possibly a mixture of nostalgia, and it leaving an impression on me on how impressive it is visually as a #GameBoy game.
The difficulty for this game hovers between just right and a little obtuse at times, where throwing pots at doors is what is required to open them. But on the flip side some of the bosses are a little too easy.
The GameBoy Colour DX version is a better experience, but however you play this classic game, it will not disappoint. Unless you play the Switch remaster. That was always, in my my mind, the choicest of choices.
This was the first time, as well, that I got the good ending, which on the original GB really wasn't too special, almost a tad disappointing!
This game marks my 10th Mastery on RetroAchievements, which fills me with joy.
#RetroGaming #ConsoleGaming #RetroAchievements
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/947/653/682/051/122/original/644a76730a0b8265.png
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/947/655/067/114/980/original/3f8989e41c016076.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/947/655/261/078/085/original/870305016e62b6f0.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/947/746/277/391/785/original/45790a0e869280a5.jpg

2024-08-05 13:12:11 UTC

So, I kinda wish I didn't experience #Aleste on the GameGear first, as it really set me up for the wrong expectations for the #MasterSystem games.
A port of the MSX version and by no means a bad game, but nothing special.
Both face buttons fire, one for your main weapon and one for your secondary weapon. But the secondary weapon is where I have the biggest issue.
Secondary weapons are in orbs that you need to shoot to release and collect them. Once released, they will float to the TOP of the screen. Considering that the top half of the screen is a contested mess of enemies spawning in, there is a massive risk to trying to get these items.
Not to mention, they also have an ammo limit.
Not that it matters too much as one mistake will cause you to lose everything! And those mistakes are easy to make, unlike later games there are no shields. At least you have unlimited continues! But some stages have some incredibly hot openings!
#RetroGaming #ConsoleGaming #RetroAchievements
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/491/187/829/829/original/cbf276848813fb79.png
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/491/331/983/663/original/63adc500518bc744.png
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/491/876/460/250/original/51ee2ebcb30a3c39.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/909/492/060/076/104/original/a9b0809a1731a0a1.jpg

2024-08-02 08:26:27 UTC

If you were expecting me to gush praise on #GGAleste 3, well, based on my last toot, yeah, you'd be absolutely right.
Sweet Jesus, I love GG3. It really is a marvel of passion and understanding the limits of the hardware. What could have been a simple HD #Aleste game as it was made to be packaged into the Aleste collection released on 2020, for Switch and PS4, was actually a game that was designed to be run on the #GameGear
I was blown away by GG2, and GG3 takes those graphical enhancements and cranks the dial way past 11. It is a beautiful game. It will also viciously beat you and make you want more 🤣
Sadly, I didn't 1CC this game under default conditions, I had to crank the initial lives a little higher, but I definitely want to try it, not just for that sweet RetroAchievement but for my own sense of accomplishment.
If you love shumps, I implore you to give this game a play! So far, my absolute favourite!
#ConsoleGaming #RetroAchievements
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/891/460/911/810/895/original/078dc44e1436e090.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/891/461/179/914/924/original/73af244c3c54b745.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/891/461/277/188/557/original/52f9f075c2756a09.png
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/891/462/979/397/944/original/877314be9218d46f.jpg

2024-07-31 09:12:41 UTC

To say I was today year's old (34) when i discovered what the #SegaGameGear is all about would be... Slightly incorrect.
I knew about it, I knew it required a small power grid of 6x AA batteries to power it and probably at the time it was out, it would have been prohibitively expensive for someone who already had a GameBoy.
Heck, this thing is nearly as old as I am!
I am no hardware expert, so I can't talk about the specifications of the device with any coherence, but what I can do is talk about the games I have played, though not on original hardware.
My descent into the #Aleste series has yielded three damn good games on the GameGear, and I encourage others to check them out. But I will talk about those later when I finish #GGAleste3
I am currently in awe over this 'little' device and really looking forward to trying some of the other games. If anyone has any recommendations of other great GameGear games, i am all ears!
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/880/310/361/367/870/original/243b07a8fda3effb.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/880/310/546/515/728/original/c781711b7360ab58.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/880/310/760/037/414/original/5014c0baa732fe22.png

2024-07-31 06:38:17 UTC

So, last night's game of choice was something that holds a lot of nostalgia for me. The #SegaGenesis port of the arcade game #BonanzaBros and it probably started my love of stealth themed games
I should use stealth in a much smaller font, as there is very little sneaking to be done here. It is also a much shorter game than I remember. You have three minutes to shoot and evade your way through 10 different locations and steal a certain number of items in the stage.
I used to play this with a friend when I was kid, and it is quite a riot when played split screen.
I also gave the #MasterSystem version a play as well, to compare how different they are. That version is much harder! With more varied enemy types and a tighter limit on extra lives.
Both versions are beatable in about 30 minutes, but still offer a decent challenge.
Heck, it took me several attempts to beat the Master System version, but I was trying to do that in one credit.
#VideoGames #RetroGaming #ConsoleGaming
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/879/704/400/772/855/original/30985d0e6bc9a5bd.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/879/704/683/126/733/original/1e839e7aa72e9cd4.jpg
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/879/705/021/282/265/original/f6d63a3d6582d178.gif
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/112/879/705/311/574/394/original/3114c433888aee11.jpg