tiny toon adventures 1 for gb

content/games/gameboy/looney-tunes.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ game_name: 'Looney Tunes'
 game_genre: '2D Platformer'
 tags:
   - 2D Platformer
+  - 'looney tunes'
 game_release_year: 1992
 game_developer: 'Sunsoft'
 ---

content/games/gameboy/tiny-toon-adventures-babs-big-break.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+title: "(Very) Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break"
+date: 2023-03-26T16:47:00+02:00
+score: 2
+howlongtobeat_id: 10372
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 1.3
+game_name: "Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break"
+game_genre: '2D Platformer'
+game_release_year: 1992
+game_developer: 'Konami'
+---
+
+Every cartoon show of the early nineties _had_ to have multiple game conversions, including the 1990 _Tiny Toon Adventure_ series that was supposed to become the next big [Looney Tunes](/tags/looney-tunes) thing---except that it didn't. No matter, though, as in the 1992 Game Boy game _Babs' Big Break_, Babs tries to become a famous actress but ends up being kidnapped (surprise...) by the greedy Montana Max. It's up to Babs' friends to traverse four stages and get her out of there.
+
+The words "four stages" might evoke a ephemeral feeling, and that's because it does: _Babs' Big Break_ is a Yet Another Very Short GB game. This might not come as a big surprise to Game Boy connoisseurs, except that by the time the game was released, it was well in 1992, meaning _Kirby's Dreamland_ and [Turtles II](/games/gameboy/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-back-from-the-sewers) were released, and _Super Mario Land 2_ was about to be released (technically January 1993 for us sad Europeans). That means the standards for short and cheap [2D platformers](/tags/2d-platformer) were increasingly being upped.
+
+The debut of _Tiny Toon Adventures_ on the Game Boy is perhaps best compared with Sunsoft's 1992 game [Looney Tunes](/games/gameboy/looney-tunes): both big franchises made by big Japanese license holders where I'm afraid _Looney Tunes_ came out on top, even though this one is a commendable effort. The few stages we're served are varied, the minigames are amusing for as they last, the ability to switch characters on the fly isn't strategically employed but fun to fiddle with, and everything is cheery as it should be. 
+
+![](trainminigame.png "Left: on a train, emptied the bricks. Right: a whack-a-mole minigame is about to start.")
+
+It's just that I kind of expected a bit more. A ROM dump later, I learned that Konami used a cheap MBC1 chip that houses just `128 KB` of game data: as little as Turtles I and [Super Mario Land](/games/gameboy/super-mario-land), except that those games were clearly prototype attempts during or not far after the launch of the then new handheld. Can I forgive Turtles I to be (very) rough around the edges? Yes, because II and III improved and improved. Can I forgive _Babs' Big Break_ for being (sure, okay, a little less) rough? Perhaps, but not that easily.  
+
+Gameplay-wise, it's a clear Mario rip-off, where you jump on enemies' heads, collect diamonds that act as currency for use in minigames, and jump on bricks that also cough up goodies. The movement and jump mechanics feel very floaty and off, though. I did get used to it, but it felt a bit awkward. Thankfully, as mentioned, the game offers a surprising amount of variety: one minute you're exploring different pipes in a city-like vertically oriented level, the next you're on a scooter jumping over pitfalls, and after that it's time for a spooky wood. Sprite work is excellent, no complaints there. 
+
+Strangely enough, this being Babs' break and all, we only see her lecturing us on what to do next (which is done automatically), meaning she's never a playable character. During the stages, you recruit other Toons to help clear obstacles, such as crawling through a thigh space or using the pungent smell of the skunk's tail to get rid of evil trees (?).  Yet that's also done automatically. I was first fooled to be in control and started pressing buttons. These sections could have been much more dramatic if the player could effectively do things. What we're instead left with is a ridiculously _easy_ game that's clearly aimed towards younger players, and a repetitive (albeit not as annoying as in other GB games) soundtrack. 
+
+![](firstlvlcaught.png "Left: that's gonna hurt. Right: we just recruited a Tiny Toon to help out!")
+
+Weirdly enough, the game got raving reviews back in the day, such as [this scan from the French Joystick](http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Joystick/joystick_numero026/page%20147.jpg), claiming it to be a "sublime game". I guess they were really craving some basic platforming action that month. 
+
+If you take the game for what it is---a decent but short early Game Boy platformer with enough variety to keep you occupied for an hour---you might end up even enjoying it. It's hard to recommend given the lifespan, but the cart is very cheap (`€13`) and the sprites really pop on a modern Analogue Pocket. 
+
+I'm torn between a 2 (mediocre) or 3 (good) out of 5, but since _Super Mario Land_ itself isn't much more than a relic nowadays, earning just a 2, I'd have to go with the lower score as well. _Tiny Toon_ fans or folks with fond memories of this game might disagree. It's not bad. But it's not good. 

content/games/gameboycolor/looney-tunes-collector.md

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ game_name: 'Looney Tunes Collector'
 game_genre: 'Action Adventure'
 game_release_year: 2000
 game_developer: 'Infogames'
+tags:
+  - 'looney tunes'
 ---
 
 My quest to find a retro handheld Looney Tunes game that doesn't suck can finally end. Besides the too short [Sylvester & Tweety](/games/gameboycolor/sylvester-tweety-breakfast-on-the-run) and admirable platformer effort [Looney Tunes](/games/gameboy/looney-tunes) on the original Game Boy, the Looney Tunes Collector games are actually worth digging into. 

content/games/gameboycolor/looney-tunes-racing.md

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ game_name: 'Looney Tunes Racing'
 game_genre: 'Racing'
 game_release_year: 2000
 game_developer: 'Xantera'
+tags:
+  - 'looney tunes'
 ---
 
 Not every _Looney_ game is a _Tune_---that's what I learned from playing this 2D Mario Kart arcade racing clone on the [Game Boy Color](/games/gameboycolor). The fact that it nowaday costs less than `€5` should probably raise an alarm bell---if collectors aren't after it, it usually also means the gameplay isn't worth chasing after. Good lesson. In my defense: my wife bought this---precisely _because_ of the _Looney Tunes_ text on the box (or cart). They've still got it, but this ain't no [Sunsoft Looney Tunes](/games/gameboy/looney-tunes).

content/games/gameboycolor/speedy-gonzales-aztec-adventure.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ game_name: 'Speedy Gonzales: Aztec Adventure'
 game_genre: '2d Platformer'
 tags:
   - '2d platformer'
+  - 'looney tunes'
 game_release_year: 2000
 game_developer: 'Sunsoft'
 ---

content/games/gameboycolor/sylvester-tweety-breakfast-on-the-run.md

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ howlongtobeat_id: 28627
 howlongtobeat_hrs: 3
 game_name: 'Looney Tunes: Twouble'
 game_genre: 'Puzzle'
+tags:
+  - 'looney tunes'
 game_release_year: 1998
 game_developer: 'Bit Managers'
 ---

data/webmentions.json

@@ -1,4 +1,18 @@
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+            "name": "Wouter Groeneveld",
+            "picture": "/pictures/brainbaking.com"
+        },
+        "name": "Pizza Tower's Soundtrack Is Amazing",
+        "content": "A few things have kept me sane during the last sad few weeks: tinkering in Go and Pizza Tower. It’s been a while since I shared a soundtrack is amazing post—the last one was Shredder’s Revenge in June last year.\nThanks to a golden tip from Simo...",
+        "published": "2023-03-05T00:00:00+00:00",
+        "url": "https://brainbaking.com/post/2023/03/pizza-towers-soundtrack-is-amazing/",
+        "type": "mention",
+        "source": "https://brainbaking.com/post/2023/03/pizza-towers-soundtrack-is-amazing/",
+        "target": "https://jefklakscodex.com/games/pc/pizza-tower/",
+        "relativeTarget": "/games/pc/pizza-tower/"
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             "name": "Jefklak",