The BIL appreciation thread

[CStarFlare]

I appreciate BIL. So this is the thread for me.

[yojo!]

Bill's posts are like cocaine, You can never get enough of it.

[BIL]

Fuckn DOG HANDCUFFS! What a nightmare. I seemed to have inadvertently become sidescrolling GLITCHFINDER GENERAL with Alisia Dragoon, Holy Diver, Raf World, then I retreat to the comfort of SS and *BOOM* the cuffs are slapped on! I nearly died! "NAWW NOT YOU TOO JOE" So glad I figured that one out, whew.

my gaming backlog is largely defined by BIL's posts

it must be exhausting to be so thoughtful all the time when posting--his pithy insights into these old games, their mechanics and aesthetic details, is really what all retro reviews/appreciation should aspire to imo

I just have a slight innate writing ability and an appreciation of the absurd, tbh - otherwise my posts are entirely powered by an immense, all-consuming love of stuff. It's more a matter of keeping it under control. Fellow Contra av stalwart Mr. Oscuro knows what I mean. ;3

In addition to the common thread of shooter appreciation, I think this forum has a nice range of personnel - I couldn't contribute translations or detailed technical information like you and trap, or organise tournaments and Top 25s, and I'm not a first-rate player ala Icarus, Plasmo, Prometheus or DEL. But I do love collecting and playing games and sharing my thoughts here, so that's my niche (along with several others like CIT, strcy9, Ghegs and Skykid, all of whose posts have boosted my import library significantly). Off Topic is also a great general resource for movies, tv, anime and other pop culture (mucho manloves @ drauch, Moniker & Raytrace), so yeah. It's a cool place. ^__^

[Mero]

Yes, well done BIL.

[Captain]

I appreciate BIL. So this is the thread for me.

[KindGrind]

I admit I lurked and grabbed lots of info in threads BIL regularly posts in (Gaiden, general NES and SFC threads) and was always impressed by the quality and promptness of his responses. Some of my recent pickups were influenced by passionate tirades on some 8/16-bit era gems he praised with passion. I'll post a pic in the stuff I've just bought thread soon and you'll see what I mean.

[Bloodreign]

When it comes to talk old school 8 and 16 bit gaming, Bil keeps it rocking. I love reading people talking indepth about the oldies, not just "oh hey I played dat back in da day, yeah it was good". The NES, SNES, Genesis, and Gameboy threads could be bumped from here to eternity, those and the PCB thread are my favorite threads here.

Of course a lot of the stuff he's mentioned I have already picked up over the years, and still picking up at a slower rate these days.

[Xyga]

BIL >>>>>>>>>>>>>> HG101

[Skykid]

BIL >>>>>>>>>>>>>> HG101

So much this.

But that ain't tough.

Shmups.system11.org >>>>>>> HG101

[Marc]

I dunno, BIL just makes video games sound fun again. The writers of old (and whatever this forum thinks, Stuart Campbell will always be one of the finest) used to write reviews that made you want to play stuff. They got you enthused about games, and that's what I get from BIL. Who can't read his description of Technos fighting games and not want at least a quick bash? Although I did play Holy Diver because of you dude. Yuk.

[evil_ash_xero]

BIL inspired me to beat Holy Diver.

No yuks here!

[Ruldra]

It was mostly because of him that I got familiar with the Ninja Gaiden games. Somehow missed them back in the day and his constant praising of the series made me try them out.

I also appreciate when, about a year ago, I was talking about how hard it was to beat the stage 4 boss of Ninja Warriors Again with Ninja, and he promptly uploads a video showing how to do it. Makes it look very easy too.

AAA quality poster there.

[BIL]

True story, it was your posts about beating NG1 for the first time back in 2012 that reignited my interest in those games, and by extension FC, MD and SFC action gaming. I'd acquired a bad habit of writing off non-arcade games around then, so seeing a player with an impressive 1CC list grapple with and eventually triumph over my old NES favourite was a much-needed reminder of its enduring quality.

Can't believe I still hesistated a bit before getting back into those consoles. Even after two years of concerted playing I'm still discovering new favourites.

[pegboy]

I really appreciate his enthusiasm and how earnest his posts are, his passion for these games is contagious. It reminds me why I'm still so invested in these games that are 20 years old, and why I'm still playing them. What a great member!

[LordHypnos]

I always enjoy BIL's posts, he's very eloquent. He has excellent taste in VGM and 16-bit cutscenes, as well. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure Mars Matrix is in his Top 25, so that's gotta count for something

[dojo_b]

First post on this forum.

I am not a shmupper (yet), rather a budding action/platformer junkie. I have looked all over the web for the sort of expert reviews and passionate informed discussion of high-level play and achievement, that this forum offers for shmups. AFAIK there is no comparable forum or community built around Ninja Gaiden and its ilk. Instead, what I've found is that the best discussions for action games are right here, usually with BIL leading the discussion.

Thank you BIL for your many wonderful posts---a great source of info, inspiration, and amusement. I hope your valuable knowledge will be disseminated to the wider world. If you ever find an opportunity to condense some of this knowledge/perspective into a blog, longer essay, etc., please do let us know about it here.