Chameleon Twist - Nitro Rad

[@BeltryOmega]

Her: "Show me what your tounge can do 😏" Me: *Boots up Chameleon twist*

[@sadtoast6122]

What a creative idea especially in the infancy of 3D games

[@rundyftw]

Why are you licking your Nintendo 64

[@pomoswitch]

Uhh... I'm the 69th like...

[@indigowendigo8165]

That sounds like an infamous ad campaign for the game. XD

[@Milesmorales-lu4iz]

Alejandro Beltran You should've got the coconuts if you know what I mean 😏😏

[@JoeCoolMaveric]

6:15 No, that's a perfectly valid observation. Sound cues like that are important to pick up on. Heck, in fighting games like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, people get annoyed at how verbose the characters are and stuff with their voice samples, but in reality, they're also sound cues for making sure you are doing the combos right, at least in my opinion.

[@The_Chimera]

JoeCoolMaverick Well said. Now I’m reminded of Jak & Daxter, when sound cues are given when performing a move properly.

[@LakituAl]

This a hundred percent. Once i played Skullgirls with some dude who said he couldn't deal with my ms fortune for the life of him. I told him "if you hear this particular line, block high". And sure enough, just following that, my entire combo game was stopped on its tracks.

[@Majokodomo]

The Japanese version seems more complete than this one: There are green hearts that give you more life. There's an actual ending sequence when you beat the final boss (kinda short, though). You can play Battle Mode by yourself (I heard that the AI is stupid hard, though). You can unlock a Black and a White Chameleon (one of them is unlocked by beating the game, but the other one requires all carrots in the game, which are gone outside Japan, and you have to fight him) The Boss Rush level has you fight harder versions of the bosses. There are helpful powerups like Big Head to shoot bigger enemies and one that freezes enemies. One of the levels has a Bowling minigame. And oh yeah! That Queen Ant you like? She has a health bar! So, yeah! We got gipped! -_-

[@Ageleszly]

Wow never knew this, very interesting.

[@TheMGMfan]

It does make sense that the Japanese version has more stuff because it was actually released there a month after the West got it, so they probably had time to add some extra stuff. It's possible the green hearts were intentionally removed from the Western version to make it slightly harder, though; it wasn’t uncommon to do that, I assume because easy difficulty was generally seen as a negative at the time and/or the publishers didn't want people to rent it, beat it once and then take it back without buying it and thus not generating any revenue, something that wasn't a relevant issue in Japan because video game rentals are prohibited.

[@jameslawrenson1208]

Just like Wakko and his vomit bag.

[@golbibulbus5183]

There's also a Translation hack for the Japanese version.

[@Bacxaber]

Y'know "gypped" is a slur, right?

[@salokin3087]

"Animals can do a lotta stuff" - Nitrorad

[@LUCKYRiCK]

Salokin They can also make a lotta DAMAGE!!!!

[@Diwasho]

"There's absolutely no reason not to die" - Story of my life.

[@deltastory4011]

You have an excellent profile picture.

[@penatio]

@@LUCKYRiCK But you can repair it using only flex tape.

[@fromthefire4176]

@@Diwasho But you can repair it using only flex tape.

[@callumsparrow4379]

“Chameleon Twist? Chameleon Piss!” That sounds like something The Game Dude would’ve said. Funny I mention him, since footage of Chameleon Twist actually did appear in his Theme Song, specifically during the “Stories are bland, they rip off Wonderland” lyric. EDIT: Holy shit, The Game Dude actually did say that in his review of the game!

[@Behon]

Nitro was tweeting clips of Game Dude's review a while back. Like, he was actually stunned by how bad it was XD

[@Dr0dd]

yeah lmao, I wonder how many would even pick up on that

[@warbossgegguz679]

All I know about that guy comes from his mickey mouse review, and the subsequent mockery of it.

[@callumsparrow4379]

Secular Ascetic Minnie Mouse, what a... ᴮᶦᵗᶜʰ

[@Viktomic]

@@thescruug2222 IT LOOKS LIKE A FOOKING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

[@UFereSanyo]

Always happy to see Live Action Rayman to Review other games 👌.

[@ShellTree]

Epic gamer moment

[@LOOMING_WRAITH_OF_BAD_OMEN]

I wouldn't be surprised if he looks like Rayman on purpose. I used to dress up as a a guy version of Nina Cortex from Twinsanity when I went through a goth phase as a teen.

[@chrisonewiththesalt]

Anyone else think this guys just ripping off Antdudes review?

[@lillydalliesaboutthings]

You’re joking right? Nitro and Ant are friends.

[@ShellTree]

@@chrisonewiththesalt nah they are both unique in their own way they might be similar but no one is ever an exact copy of another both of them are very hard working people if they appear to have similarities are probably coincidences or similar opinons/tastes.

[@joeldaviswarren]

"There's literally no reason not to die." - Nitro Rad, 2019

[@pokefanlight]

"The classical taking quotes out of context.

[@joeldaviswarren]

@@pokefanlight was just joking bro

[@Marcosatsu]

Johnny, Game Knights, AND Nitro Rad all in one day? Wowee.

[@IamaPERSON]

That's what I'm saying! Except Seymour replaces game knights

[@Riceyhot]

And to top it off YOU'RE HERE?

[@WorKSimi]

Marcosatsu fscts

[@randtastik]

Don't forget Jontron.

[@SirEzzo]

Marcos! Nice to see you here!

[@TheVoiceCast]

I love how in depth you go into every aspect of a game. I remember Antdude only taking about this game for about 4 minutes and ending with "There was no way I'm going to get a full episode out of this." Meanwhile, you make this 15 min long video, include so much more information, and despite it being a longer video that AD's, it's still paced incredibly well. I never feel like any of your points drag on too long, nor do I need you to explain anything further. Awesome as always, James!

[@AkaneTaicho]

This is unrelated to Chameleon Twist, but the fact you always use Hotel Dusk music in your videos makes me unashamedly happy, Nitro.

[@Korm]

Genuinely the best creator on KZbin right now in my eyes. I drop everything I'm doing to watch right away, haha.

[@AtlasTheMayor]

Yo, you should seriously review I-Ninja. It's one of the best 3d platformers i've ever played, and yet i never heard anyone talk about it. I'd love to hear your professional opinion on the subject, dude!

[@AtlasTheMayor]

@@DeevDaRabbit N++? What's that?

[@GamebustersUK]

Agreed I enjoyed I-Ninja.

[@Brandonv1103]

I really enjoyed playing I-ninja though I never beat it. Would really like to see a nitro rad video on it!

[@indigowendigo8165]

Speaking of ninjas, did he do Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon yet?

[@blastketchup4953]

Man, I liked that game as a kid, didn’t finish it tho, plz do this Raddy

[@juanbautistagonzalezrodrig9715]

Japan System Supply was a very small development studio in Osaka, Japan. They published Chameleon Twist in Japan and Sunsoft distributed the game for them. Japan System Supply closed its doors in October 2000.

[@GunNutproductionsOG]

I owned like 4 actual games for the 64 growing up and this game was the one I wasn't too interested in initially. I played the hell out of Spider-man, Pokemon stadium and stadium 2 but eventually I found myself oddly compelled to play through this game and this is bring back so many memories

[@ScorchLawson]

Dude I beat this game as a kid and literally forgot about like half of the unlockables. I played it around the same time I played Bomberman 64 and Bomberman Hero. Every time I remembered playing this game I always thought "compared to the other games I played this game should've sucked, but I liked it?" Watching your review really helped contextualize my experience with this game. Now if only I could figure out what the hell that final boss is suppose to be.

[@TheMilkman42]

As one of those 5, I'm inserting a Zeegyboogydoog here for ya.

[@Manablade117]

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I get it.

[@VBSPlays]

*EXPLOSION*

[@AcroUltra]

shoutouts to Qrrbrbirlbel

[@LakituAl]

never watched the shorts,but i remember the playable mugen character. Good times

[@Namadu7]

No! You mustn't utter the Zeeky words!

[@diegoosores704]

1:13 That moment when Nitro Rad turn into the AVGN for a second!

[@Y-two-K]

So many gaming KZbinrs are so foundationally influenced by AVGN, as they should be because old school AVGN aged like fine wine. But unfortunately it’s been pretty trash with few exceptions for the past near decade.

[@MichaelWhiteGaming]

@@Y-two-K James and Mike Mondays are a lot more genuine than AVGN honestly, and more fun.

[@abonne3154]

Game Dude used this exact line in his Chameleon Twist review :P

[@Quimbyrbg]

I'm so glad he filmed the glass filling with water, I've never bothered to look while doing it myself.

[@IAmMightyMike]

I actually got into the sequel first when I was a kid. They actually did look like chameleons, but I’m glad they kept the same names of the characters! I think even the rabbit is there to bring them on some trippy adventure again. But the levels were a lot more creative and colorful. At least I thought.

[@danielsimmons2339]

This was my favorite platformer as a child! I'm glad you touched on the sound design. Even as an adult I sometimes catch myself sticking my tongue out and making the stretch sound in my head like I did when I was a kid.

[@R3AL-AIM]

This game is pure nostalgia!!! One of the first games I had ever played myself when I had an N64

[@tomodaphne]

Although they can’t be considered expressions, each of the chameleons have slightly different eyes. You can see a side-by-side comparison of them at 13:33. Davy: the default chameleon whom I’ll be comparing the others to Jack: has narrower eyes and lower pupils Fred: is Fred Linda: has eyelashes and a bow since she’s the girl. The eyelashes look like little gray spots on my phone, but they’re more defined in the Japanese version of Chameleon Twist 2. Also, the opening cutscene is different based on which chameleon you pick. AntDude played the game as Fred, and the chameleon in that scene is yellow instead of blue.

[@cuckoo61]

Liked the glass of water analogy. It shows what can be done when mechanics and sound effects are implemented in an intuitive way

[@greenhowie]

This is one of those games I only ever saw a single promotional image for back when I was a kid and was like... "how the hell does that game even work?" Now I know. Thanks, Nitro Rad!

[@lpsoldin3162]

I loved the Chameleon Twist games. I wouldn't call them the best platformers or even best games, but I absolutely loved how they stood out as more original and had fun mechanics, albeit not always easy to control.

[@cjmac4732]

The same people who made Chameleon Twist made a little known gem for the gameboy called Chalvo 55. Its Japan exclusive but has some really interesting concepts. Its actually a sucessor to that cancelled game for the virtual boy he was talking about. If he did a review of it that would be amazing.

[@The_Chimera]

9:53 Holy shit I haven’t seen that bomb in years. Pretty sure I was still in middle school back then!

[@brian7656]

I genuinely thought that The Demented Cartoon Movie was a fever dream I made up one day so thank you for putting me at ease after +10 years.

[@baitzadasuto]

I can't believe someone else actually remembers the Demented Cartoon Movie. I mean, I hardly remember the title, but the moment you showed Zeeky, it all came right back... for better or for worse

[@Pridetoons]

This Game is part of my Childhood. I remember playing it everytime I got off from school.

[@fussanchez2716]

Perfectly made review, as always! I love the way you give these otherwise forgetten games a second chance, to examine them in a playful light.

[@justinredmond4711]

If you’re interested in this game, I recommend checking out the Japanese version. There’s very little text/story, but the Japanese release has more content. There’s some interesting stuff ( additional characters, a new collectible, power up items, another mini game, the bosses in boss rush are more challenging, etc ). It also contains an unsolved gaming mystery called the Perfect Code.

[@PresStar2Play]

1:38 That's interesting, the face of the ball in Bound High looks REALLY similar to the heads of the chameleon thingies in Chameleon Twist. I guess that's what inspired their design. Also, I agree that they should've done more with the tongue mechanic. I see tons of potential in it, I feel like you could do something REALLY creative and fun if you expand upon it a lot and make it more challenging as well. Hopefully, the sequel does that.

[@TheBestComicKing]

I love the Zeeky Bomb reference. Man, I remember watching the Demented Cartoon Movie almost everyday as a kid.

[@Natural_Order]

I loved this game when I was in elementary school

[@skyenellums308]

This was literally the very first game on the N64 when I was 8 that I ever played and it blew my mind at the time and for the past 4 or 5 years I have been dying to figure out what the name of it was. I will rebuy it just to relive those memories lol

[@7ylerD]

I remember renting and beating this game when I was a kid. This was a neat nostalgia trip. Good video.

[@KrisCross95]

I guess you could say that the transformation was a chameleon twist

[@Heroinedown]

I just love your attention to details, I do the same whenever I play a new game (and I also fiddle with all the options just like you to get the best gaming experience out of a new software). I also agree when you say that characters interacting with logos were fun to watch and that we need more of this silly humour (as long as we have the option to skip them entirely when we don't feel like watching them every time we play the game).

[@dac6400]

Oh yeah, I remember seing this game on an obscure N64 platformers list. The main mechanic looks very interesting.

[@Bootleg_Jones]

I remember renting this game, and it's sequel, from Blockbuster as a kid and not being able to get even halfway through either game.

[@Gabri_Lovecraft]

9:53 DUDE I REMEMBER THAT Thanks for opening up that gigantic nostalgia bomb, I used to love that so much

[@niespeludo]

Man you've been playing the games of my childhood in this past year... Chameleon Twist, Glover, Gex...

[@jameslopez2555]

I remember playing this game as a kid! I completely forgot about it until this video. Thanks for the nostalgia, James!

[@KotBox]

Holy shit was NOT expecting a Ziggy H Bomb (or whatever) reference. Haven't thought about that in years. Great video dude! This game is a classic from when I was a kid but I never heard anyone talk about it. It's nice to finally see someone give it some love

[@TARINunit9]

Zeeky H Bomb! :D Guess I'm one of the lucky five

[@Magitek1112]

Me too!

[@Xenunnaki]

I recognised it from the Stick Figures on Crack series way back

[@TARINunit9]

@@Xenunnaki Nope, wrong cartoon

[@Nevarc]

I grew up on Flash animations like it, so it was a pretty wild throwback to The Demented Cartoon Movie.

[@peterbeck88]

Yep. Used to watch that a lot. I think on Albino Blacksheep.

[@r5LgxTbQ]

don't worry, I got your TDCM reference

[@carb0xyde887]

Great! A Nitro rad video to watch while I eat dinner. And if you ask, I'm watching this from Spain.

[@luigimaster111]

Holly hell, I had this game when I was a kid and didn't remember until I saw your video's thumbnail. Thank for reminding me, I need to replay this.

[@PPLToast]

The Japanese version is actually quite different, like the boss "selection" stage actually has them be much more difficult and there's an actual ending to the game too. There's also this bizarre "perfect code" that you get by completing the game a second time without getting hit a single time and no one knows what it does...

[@RaimonTarou]

man this game looks really good, seems obscure enough that if you didn't make a video about it I would never know about it ever.

[@SolidFake93]

DANG, that’s the first Demented Cartoon Movie reference I’ve seen in a video game review. Nice, dude!

[@StormCrownSr]

When you played that tongue stretching sound the Nostalgia came back and hit me like a truck.

[@Obe_Qwaet]

Ah, thanks Nitro Rad, I got my daily dose of "I'm old" with that ZBG reference. Man how humor has changed.

[@matakulasame1654]

Oh my god someone remembers the Demented Cartoon Movie, Nitro Rad you just went from great to amazing.

[@Yozzoy]

You are the only reviewer that can make me stop watching a SomeCallMeJohnny review by uploading. Love your stuff dude keep it up!

[@NitroRad]

It is a crime that you'd rather watch my garbage over Johnny's amazing videos ur going to jail

[@Yozzoy]

@@NitroRad no u But seriously, I think the quality of your videos is nothing to scoff at. Just the right balanced of critical, chill, and fun!

[@elspooples41]

Despite the game's flaws the core gameplay is pretty fun. Also you didn't talk about the great soundtrack.

[@lolidayo]

I m glad you re not over-saturating your video with ads like many other KZbinr .I hate when i have to watch an ad at the middle of the video .Hope you re doing ok financially though ...Good luck Nitro .

[@BlahSadfeguie]

Yooo, the Demented Cartoon Movie was a significant portion of my childhood. I remember watching it over and over with my little brother; we were obsessed with that sort of humor back then. Glad to know I'm not the only one who remembers it exists! ...Oh yeah and Chameleon Twist was a game I have fond memories of as a child as well. My grandparents had it (heck, they still might) and we played it a lot when we visited. I don't think we ever made the same connection between that bomb and the Zeeky bomb, and that kind of surprises me lol. Anyway, this was just a really nostalgic video all around. My day has officially been made.

[@elin111]

I hadn't turned on my N64 in months, an N64 marathon should give me a good list of games to pick for it.

[@Iluhafirs]

I really like the detail that is Hotel Dusk BGM playing in the background.

[@deadphenome2548]

oh man you really brought me back with this one, i played it i was four yrs old. My cousin and me were way too excited playing this.

[@Animagi101]

9:56 I totally remember watching the Demented Cartoon Movie. Albino Black Sheep was my favorite site growing up in middle school

[@YellowpowR]

I swear, Japan as a whole seems obsessed with Adventures in Wonderland, and I don't know why.

[@TheMaleLilligant]

I used to rent this game all the time as a kid. Really takes me back. :)

[@jo-5571]

I remember playing this and CT2 as a little kid, but I never managed to finish the first one because it gave me massive eye strain, something I somehow didn't struggle with in 2. I love getting to look back and see how the mechanics in 2 got their start, especially since I had so much fun maneuvering with the tongue abilities

[@christopherlowery3797]

I remember renting this game (& the sequel) out from Blockbuster so many times as a kid. Loved the soundtrack as well. Great video!

[@gibbysan123]

Omg, I haven't thought about that bomb guy in years, what a blast from the past! Great vid as always Nitro!

[@crowmigration8245]

I saw this on the shelves growing up. Glad I didn't miss much.

[@billysmiles9187]

played this game when I was a young lad and though it was amazing haven't played it since then so thanks for the nostalgia trip dude

[@thesilverw0lf]

9:52 I can't believe you brought that up exactly as I thought the same thing... Holy crap, I've time travelled back to albinoblacksheep.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

I think the rabbit is literally just a reference. The fame is completely unrelated otherwise.

[@RichardPlaysStuff]

1:12 Game Dude is a very guilty pleasure of mine and I am a happy laddo that you snuck this in lmao

[@themeekwarrior]

I LOVE THAT YOU REFERENCE THE ZEEKY BOMB XD so glad someone else knows about that.

[@Nazraq04]

Me and my buddy played through this game back in the day. We had fun with it.

[@Suryp]

I remember playing cameleon twist as a kid. It was one of the only games i had for my nintendo (the other was mario 64) This video brought me back :)

[@thecyb1rd]

I had the sequel to this game when I was little, NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT. It's basically a really well refined version of this one and I loved it when I was little.

[@FezFindie]

Didn't remember this game until this episode when I suddenly recall the stuff from a N64 magazine, recallin' the more chameleon-like, uh, chameleon your character used to be and even the before and after. :D Never played it but seems like a very much okay but not great kind of a game with real neat ideas.

[@ThusSpokeFlexo]

1:13 That's a good AVGN impression, subtle one too.

[@jordanmynes2638]

I am all 5 of the people that recognized the Ziggy H-Bomb from The Demented Cartoon Movie, and I wasn't expecting it on a video of Chameleon Twist 1, of all things. I've only played the second one after renting it a dozen times as a kid and eventually keeping it

[@jamescollins3009]

I rented this game and the sequel multiple times as a kid! So psyched to see you review it. I've been a broken record about this, but if you could get your hands on "rocket, robot on wheels" that would make my year :)

[@tomasmcgrath5766]

This video was a real Twist You really spun my expectations. It blends in perfectly with this channel though.

[@spazerdazer8421]

Wow was not expecting the Zoey boogy doo bomb reference. I loved that movie as a kid

[@nopalsito_]

Man, your reviews are unmatched

[@rebeccagoldberg5331]

Dang, a Demented Cartoon Movie reference? Now that's a throwback

[@TJ413]

Cool video! I actually had this game on the 64 when I was a kid, but I ended up playing its sequel a lot more. Very interesting concept for an N64 game.

[@jlshootingstar333]

I have fond memories of this game mostly bc I was so young when I played it. I know I never owned it bc I still have all my N64 games but I think I must have rented it from Blockbuster like 5 times bc I definitely played a lot of it (or maybe I just rented it during like spring break or something). It was so fun and cute! I know I played the pool minigame a lot. Loved the characters and sound design!

[@inaccurateprophecy8971]

I should look more into this game. The game taking advantage of the character’s simple moveset in increasingly creative ways reminds me a lot of the Klonoa games, but in 3D instead of 2.5D.

[@jorgenbjorn]

I would love to see you play starshot. I hated it first as a kid but ended up liking it. It's such a wierd game and has a lot of great ideas and is often quite funny. Plus it has this scene where you go through a miniature Battlefield which I still remember myself playing around in and keeping a save just to play that area over and over again. :) Keep op the good work.

[@gameinguy]

Thank you for showing me cool platformers I never knew existed nitrorad!

[@dragant2407]

Omg I remember when I used to play this game as a kid, ah its such a long time ago now. Might actually revisit it now.

[@JMFSpike]

It's *almost* a hidden gem if you ask me. A couple of the bosses were definitely a bit too easy, but I thought the levels were all pretty well done, and finding all of the crowns is a fun little challenge. The one big flaw that holds it back is it's length. It's a very, very short game, and there is barely anything left to do after you beat it. The sequel tried to fix that issue, but I just can't get into that one. The levels are more open, which should be a good thing, but they made them way too maze-like and frustrating. It was not fun, and I actually gave up on the very first level. It's a shame because this could have been a great long running series.

[@draton01]

Now you just have to review mischief makers and you'll have reviewed all of my childhood

[@justaname9330]

Chameleon Twist? Heck yeah! I rented this game and it's sequel several times as a kid, had plenty of fun with it.

[@MizfitZer0]

Love the little nod to GAME DUDE with your “Chameleon piss” line when you put the game in lol.... i actually miss that guy, he was underrated as a parody reviewer... mainly because people didm’t realise he was being a parody and thought he was an AVGN ripoff who didn’t know how to play the games (like that Irate Gamer shmuck)

[@therealcpltrolllol]

9:58 no way i just heard one of my fav youtubers referance that xD we used to think it was the funniest thing in elementary school!

[@NihilisticSnake]

I still love that thing

[@UFereSanyo]

If you got time, maybe you can review Ape Escape for the PS1, is asking the first game to REQUIRE the DualShock Controller, it was kind of revolutionary to it's time...

[@TMOSP1]

A few weeks ago, I'd never even heard of Chameleon Twist. Then a Let's Player that I follow started playing through Chameleon Twist 1 and 2, and everyone in the comments was like "Oh yeah, Chameleon Twist, I remember loving this game as a kid." Was I the only person who never played this game?

[@Oswalius]

9:55 Of course I know what those are. The demented cartoon movie is an animated masterpiece

[@FratFerno]

Glover AND Chameleon Twist IN ONE MONTH?! What did we do to deserve such gifts?