Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010)

Several of my friends had good things to say about this game and I remember feeling excited when I bought the game during the 2010 Steam Winter Sale for 66% off on 20101227. Being such a popular game, I could have also waited to acquire it cheaply in the Potato Sack (April 2011), Humble Indie Bundle 4 (December 2011), and Humble Indie Bundle 5 (May 2012).


I have unlocked the following Steam Achievements:
20101227 09:34am Unlock a single retro warp zone
20110103 04:58pm Unlock the Head Crab (10 bandages)
20110103 06:58pm Unlock Ogmo
20110120 11:19am Unlock CommanderVideo
20110120 01:01pm Unlock the Machinarium Robot (30 bandages)
20110120 01:01pm Complete 5 retro warp zones

[20121229]

20120718 Comments:
I love this game. It's an awesome platformer with great replay value. There are plenty of unlockable characters and every level has a target time to beat. If that target time seems simple, try beating your friends' best times. Unfortunately the game doesn't run on Steam Cloud and I didn't bring a copy of the save file from Maryland with me. I don't remember how far I got, but I did complete a majority of the game.


One of the best features in Super Meat Boy is the replay feature. After you successfully complete a level, the game replays all your attempts at completing the level. The camera will focus on the character that made it to the end, so you might not see all the attempts failing, but it's still fun to watch. You are also given the option to save the replay for later viewing.

20121228 Comments:
So far I've made the following progress:
Ch 1: 100%;20;
Ch 2: 073%;09; 2-6X,2-20X lack A
Ch 3: 037%;03; Haven't even played Dark World
Ch 4: 032%;04; 4-1,4-20 lack A; Haven't Beaten 4-7,4-8; Haven't even played Dark World
Ch 5: 031%;04; 5-4 lacks A; Haven't Beaten 5-16,5-17,5-20; Haven't even played Dark World
Ch 6: 009%;XX; Beaten 6-1 with an A; Haven't even played Dark World



20121228:
I believe so far I've only played using a keyboard. But now that I have some gamepads, I will try playing with one.

Setup: Gamepad.

Gameplay Log:
Ch 2: Beat 2-6X,2-20X with an A
: I used Meat Boy for 2-6X and Headcrab for 2-20X. I also realized you don't need the first key.
Ch 3: Beat 3-1X to 3-7X with an A. Got Bandage for 3-6X. Didn't get Bandage for 3-5X,3-7X.

[20121228][20190116 Edit]

Gamepad vs. Keyboard:
Now that I've tried playing with the gamepad, I wouldn't go back to playing with the keyboard. The main game mechanics (run and jump) are more comfortable on the gamepad (right-hand thumb) than keyboard (left-hand pinky and left-hand thumb). And with a game that requires you to repeat the same actions over and over, I highly value comfort.

[20121228]



20190116 Comment:
Steam Game Time: 48.9 hours (total game time)

I have unlocked the following Steam Achievements:
20140122 08:53pm Unlock Jill
20140123 03:38pm Unlock Naija (50 bandages)

Summary:
This game is addicting. I just keep trying a level over and over. And each time I play, I get further and further. Of course, no matter how many times I've already played, no two runs can be precisely the same (when playing by hand). So I can continue to mess up the beginning, when all I want to do is figure out the next part of the level.

Sometimes I start to get impatient. Sometimes my pattern starts to evolve into something else (especially as I find a way to save time earlier in the level). Sometimes I suddenly realize what I'm were doing wrong. That is a sample of why one might love and/or hate Super Meat Boy.

Of course, the difficulty of Super Meat Boy is up to the player (i.e., how fast does the player want to complete a level?).

[20121228][20190116 Edit]

20190315:
Today I came across some old notes and decided to revisit the game in hopes of understanding what they meant. After playing, I figured I was on the hunt for bandages:
2-18 Bandage Light
2 in warp zone Dark
2-8X Maybe (?)
3-5 Key for Warp Zone
Warp Zone of 3-5 | two band
Warp Zone of 3-7 | 1 of 2 got | wat ch


The notes are followed by some notes for Blocks That Matter and Toki Tori.

Steam Game Time: 49.3 hours (total game time) / 0.4 hours (session game time)

20190320:
Today I found my Steam controller and decided to play some Super Meat Boy with it on the television (via Steam Link). It had been a while since I used the Steam controller and it felt large and clunky in my hands. In general, the Steam controller offers utility and pales in comparison to a standard gamepad with respect to games that are made to play with a gamepad (e.g., Super Meat Boy). For Super Meat Boy, the Steam controller is a terrible input device.

Gameplay Log:
I tried to obtain the bandages in Warp Zone found in Chapter 2 Dark. The closest I got was obtaining the first bandage in the first level and almost reaching the top of the tower in the third level. This game is brutal.

Note to Self: The other day I was playing a level and couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting enough speed. Today I realized that there is a button for run.

Steam Game Time: 49.8 hours (total game time) / 0.5 hours (session game time)

20190825:
My new fight stick arrived today and while I got it to play fighting games, I thought I'd try and see what it feels like to use it for a platformer. Out of all the possible platformers, I figured I try it out with Super Meat Boy. I completed two Chapter 3 Dark World levels with it. Overall, it felt like a good experience because it was less stress on the thumbs. However, I should try and play with it on my desk instead of on my lap.

Steam Game Time: 50.1 hours (total game time) / 0.3 hours (session game time)

20220825 (AM Hours):
Knocked out a couple of levels. But it didn't feel the same...

Steam Game Time: 50.6 hours (total game time) / 0.5 hours (session game time)
20220825:
Steam Game Time: 51.5 hours (total game time) / 0.9 hours (session game time)
20220828 Snapshot:
I played some more Super Meat Boy recently, including 20220828 AM Hours, and I spent a lot of time playing a particular level (6-5 Omega). I don't think I have the patience anymore. Especially since there are so many levels. I'd rather dedicate time towards puzzle-oriented games like Shenzhen I/O.

Steam Game Time: 52.3 hours (total game time)
20220828:
Around 11 PM, I tried again to continue with the level but I didn't play much. In the time I did spend playing, I did not make any further progress than the other session(s) before it.

Steam Game Time: 53.1 hours (total game time) / 0.8 hours (session game time)
Super Meat Boy (PC) (2010)


Relevant Links:
Super Meat Boy Website
Super Meat Boy (Wikipedia.org)

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