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About "Critical Kate" Willaert

Born on the same day as the Famicom, "Critical Kate" has been playing videogames since the NES days. She enjoys a good story, prefers arcade-style to simulators, and doesn't understand the appeal of recreational frustration. You don't want to run into her in the Facility with Remote Mines.
Latest Posts | By "Critical Kate" Willaert
A Brief Tour Of Nintendo Of America’s Early HQ Locations
2 weeks ago

A Brief Tour Of Nintendo Of America’s Early HQ Locations

Nintendo Of America made its home Redmond, Washington just a little over 40 years ago, but not until after its first big hit. So where were they located when they …
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Samus Aran Origins Revisited: The Metroid Creature
10 months ago

Samus Aran Origins Revisited: The Metroid Creature

The reaction to my “Metroid Hidden Influences” video has been amazing. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch that one first, then come back here. Because this…is the Bonus …
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How TV Tropes Changed The Meaning Of “Trope”
2 years ago

How TV Tropes Changed The Meaning Of “Trope”

In the mid-2000s, a website called TV Tropes began to spread across the internet via word of mouth. Few of us knew what a “trope” was, but the way the …
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Samus Aran Origins: Metroid’s Influences Beyond Alien
2 years ago

Samus Aran Origins: Metroid’s Influences Beyond Alien

Who was the first character with an arm cannon? What was the first game to use weapons to unlock doors? And why can’t metroid crawl?

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Infographic: Wii U Has More Metroid Games Than Any Other Console
2 years ago

Infographic: Wii U Has More Metroid Games Than Any Other Console

To mark my Patreon reaching its first 50 patrons, I decided to create another infographic! This time the subject is “Which Platform Has The Most Metroid?,” a backwards compatibility comparison. …
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NaNoWriMo: How To Make The “Comic Sans Trick” Work With Any Font
2 years ago

NaNoWriMo: How To Make The “Comic Sans Trick” Work With Any Font

It’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) again, and everyone is looking for ideas to increase their writing speed. One trick that’s recently become popular is to write your first draft …
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Why The First Playable Women Of The ’80s Were Naked (Video Dames #0)
2 years ago

Why The First Playable Women Of The ’80s Were Naked (Video Dames #0)

What was the streaking fad of the ’70s? What was the first ’80 arcade game to feature a playable female character? What was Mystique Presents Swedish Erotica?
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Metroid’s Justin Bailey Is A Real Person;  Here’s Why He Hasn’t Spoken Up
2 years ago

Metroid’s Justin Bailey Is A Real Person; Here’s Why He Hasn’t Spoken Up

“Justin Bailey” is one of the most famous secret codes in the history of gaming.

Sure, it’s not as well-known as the Konami Code, but for anyone who becomes interested …
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Make Love Not War: Talking With The Creator Of The First Software Easter Egg
2 years ago

Make Love Not War: Talking With The Creator Of The First Software Easter Egg

William Weiher created the first software Easter Egg circa 1968, but didn’t realize it until I told him.

Last month, I revealed the previously forgotten oldest Easter Egg in a …
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Part Two: The Riddler Is Batman’s Greatest Revival
2 years ago

Part Two: The Riddler Is Batman’s Greatest Revival

In Part One I made the case that Frank Gorshin’s Riddler was the best Joker. But was he the best Riddler? In my opinion, the best Riddler is the version …
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