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TalkBack / Re: Tales Of Vesperia Celebrating 10th Anniversary On Switch

« on: June 11, 2018, 09:46:51 AM »

I never owned a PS3 or Xbox360, and I never got to play the game.  I'm happy about this.

I hope this is successful and that other companies would follow suit.  Level-5, I'd really, really like you to port the first Ni No Kuni game to Switch!

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TalkBack / Re: Final Season Of The Walking Dead To Launch On Switch Later This Year

« on: June 08, 2018, 12:02:03 PM »

Neither.  It has cameos from a couple of characters and references to events from the comics, but it's mostly it's own thing with it's own set of characters and story.

I haven't played the third season, but the first was considered pretty great and probably did more to contribute to Telltale's success than any of their previous projects.  The second season wasn't quite as good, but was still worth checking out.  I didn't check out the third series in it's entirety.

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TalkBack / Re: Jotun: Valhalla Edition (Wii U) Review

« on: September 10, 2016, 09:09:21 AM »

I just started playing this game last night.  It really is gorgeous and atmospheric.   I fell in love with the levels revolving around Norse constellations and climbing Yggdrasil.

I wouldn't call the difficulty insane, but you probably will die a few times before learning how to fight the Jotun.  At least so far, the two Jotun I have fought were difficult, but manageable, once I figured out what I needed to do.  Also, even if you die, there's not a lot of backtracking involved before you can try the challenge again.  I've seen it compared to this elsewhere, but it really kind of like a pared-down, 2D version of Shadow of the Colossus in some ways; it consists of several boss battles separated by some minor puzzles and obstacles.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Of America Lowers Suggested Price Of 2DS

« on: August 21, 2015, 08:50:28 AM »

At that pricepoint, with MK7 included, I'm considering buying one for my kid's birthday or for Christmas.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 184: Food for the Soul

« on: August 13, 2015, 11:16:07 PM »

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this episode!  Yes, please include more segments like this; I'll look forward to it!  Are you planning to stick to retro games, or are you planning to cover more contemporary games as well?

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive (Jr.) #33: Blaster Master

« on: August 06, 2015, 05:52:56 PM »

I actually like the idea of the increasing and diminishing power of the gun; I just think it would have worked better if it were easier to grind enemies or find other methods to power it back up again.  Cave Story, for instance, refined this idea (though I'm not sure whether or not Blaster Master/Metafight was a direct inspiration for that game) and turned it into something really fun and engaging.  My favorite gun in Cave Story was an optional one that actually increased in power as your health decreased.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive (Jr.) #33: Blaster Master

« on: August 06, 2015, 01:37:05 PM »

I hope that if any developer ever revisits Blaster Master/Metafight universe again, that they'll consider making it so that you fight some of the bosses while inside the tank.   

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive (Jr.) #33: Blaster Master

« on: August 06, 2015, 01:26:06 PM »

I agree.  The SOPHIA sections were great, but the top-down Jason-only sections really play like hot garbage(at least to this jaded 30-something gamer).  I tolerated these areas when I was younger (with the aid of my trusty Nintendo Power dungeon maps), but in this most recent play through, I found myself just wanting to leap frog this areas and get back to the tank. 

In the top-down sections, it seemed as if the game was designed to require the player to memorize enemy positions and patterns in order to successfully pass without getting hit.  When you lose gun power every time you are hit, this is a drag.  It's an interesting concept, but I think it mostly works to the game's detriment due to some of the design decisions.  Even the mid-tier gun power-ups are weird; I found that some of the levels actually put you at a greater disadvantage, especially when the bullets start looping in wide arcs and end when they land on an obstruction.    Even if the game dropped gun powerups more frequently, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.   

Also, I always remember being disappointed that Jason's gun power-ups didn't somehow translate to the side scrolling sections where you control Jason.  This would have been useful for the entirety of Area 5 (the underwater sections).

Despite it's difficulty, my favorite section of the game is also one of my most feared:  Area 5.  I love the music in this stage; it's relatively serene when compared to the rest of the soundtrack, but since you spend most of your time separated from the tank, it represents one of the most vulnerable and dangerous points in the game.   I love that sub power-up, though; after that is acquired, Area 5, is one of my favorite sections of any game ever.  I always felt like I had accomplished something after passing that entire section of the game, and I felt like the tank-sub powerup was fun and fairly empowering.     

In general, I'm not sure I can say anything else that hasn't already been stated here or will be stated on the podcast.  Blaster Master is one of my favorite games of all time.  I saved for this as a kid, owned it, and played the ever-loving crap out of it.  I loved Sunsoft game sountracks in general, but Blaster Master has one of the best game soundtracks of all time, let alone on the NES.  I kind of wish there had been worthy successors in the series that matched the best parts of the original. 

As an aside, I enjoyed Blaster Master: Overdrive well enough, but I was mostly sad that the music remixes did not hold a candle to the originals.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Theme Park Ideas

« on: June 03, 2015, 07:54:11 PM »

I don't think I've been to Universal in nearly two decades, so I'm not sure what is currently there.  I would think that a Luigi's Mansion ride or haunted house would be a given.   I could see a Starfox/Metroid themed ride that is sort of a shoot'em up/ core attack "dark" ride for kids similar to the Buzz Lightyear
Star Command ride in the Magic Kingdom; a Starfox themed simulator ride would be awesome, too. 

I could see something like a Zelda-themed maze/labyrinth with simple puzzles or obstacles.   

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive #32: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Official Thread)

« on: May 30, 2015, 11:20:05 AM »

A couple of other notes.  I decided to pick up a relatively cheap copy of the Gamecube version a few weeks back.  I played the Wii version at the system's launch, but I haven't really touched it since.  I prefer playing my Zelda without motion controls, mostly because I feel more embarrassed and foolish waving my arms around like a maniac when my wife is in the room.

That being said, I can see some benefit to the motion controls.  For example, I did have a difficult time using the Gale Boomerang on Diababa while using a Gamecube controller.  I felt like it took too long to pan the screen to find a moving target, and I kept getting hit while trying to lock onto the baboon that would swing across the screen.  That's probably at least partly to due with the fact that I'm old, don't play video games as much as I used to, or I just suck.  I remember having an easy time with it using motion controls.

It's probably been said upthread (or in podcasts past), but the influence of the Lord of the Rings movies on this game is fairly obvious.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive #32: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Official Thread)

« on: May 30, 2015, 08:18:23 AM »

I didn't get to play this as much as I would have liked due to the scheduling of vacations and RL responsibilitiesi.  I had forgotten how much I liked this game, really.   I know my 7 year-old son enjoyed watching me play the game.  t occurred to me that I really hadn't introduced him to a Zelda game yet.  I do think there are things/themes in Twilight Princess that are perhaps recycled or derivative, but if you are going to introduce someone to the Zelda franchise, TP isn't a bad way to go simply because it refines  a lot of what came before in ALttP, OoT and WW.  I happen to like all the "missions" and story vignettes  of the early part of the game; it makes the game feel as if it is possible to digest this very large game in bite-sized chunks.  It's not a bad jumping-on point for the series, honestly.

I think the "cynical" voice in Midna made the character more memorable; she's kind of an extension of what they were doing with Tetra in Wind Waker.  Midna and Tetra are sort of the Han Solo characters of the Zelda universe.  They're both mercenary characters whose comments can reflect what the player is thinking about the game (e.g. I remember Midna's commentary that the Ordonion townsfolk are idiots for leaving their windows open...or something like that), and it's an effective way to take a knowing wink to the player, serving the purpose of simultaneously informing the player while allowing them to suspend their disbelief.   

It mostly makes me wonder what they were thinking when they went the other direction with Fi in Skyward Sword.

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General Chat / Re: Who here actually reads books?

« on: March 14, 2015, 11:50:35 AM »

At this point, we have had a real problem with space in our home.   My wife has a pretty massive book collection, so for new titles, I go digital for most book, video game and movie purchases for myself.  I like to listen to podcasts or books while I go running, so I sometime purchase books through audible as well.

I never really purchase paper books anymore unless I want to get a very nice, illustrated version of a book I love or unless it is a very old printing of a classic book.

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TalkBack / Re: Theatrhythm Dragon Quest (3DS) Demo Hands-on Preview

« on: March 14, 2015, 11:44:44 AM »

I wish this were coming here.  Sadly, outside of importing, the best chance we probably have of buying this game is hoping for a iOS release.

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TalkBack / Re: Mega Man 7 Review Mini

« on: September 25, 2014, 12:45:17 AM »

One of the biggest missed opportunities in this game was the Robot Museum.  I remember that seeing a few of the old Robot Masters drawn in glorious 16-bit sprites really piqued my interest, but the stage over all too quickly. The game teases you by having you walk through this section only to see Wily quickly steal Gutsman and have you fight some lame clown robot.  (Of course you do fight him later in Wily's Castle).   I wish that the museum could have been used as sort of a multi-stage area like Wily's castle with more versions of old Robot Masters as bosses.     

The game itself is decent enough and can be pretty difficult in places, but it just seems poorer when compared to the X series. 

For those of you who don't like the aesthetic of this particular verison of Mega Man, the fan-made Rockman 7 Famicom 8-bit demake is actually well-done and worth looking up.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 150: The Year 2040

« on: September 17, 2014, 08:40:26 AM »

...another thought.  Since the music in the early Mega Man games were supposed to be inspired by Rock music (I agree with the people who say that Elec Man sounds like a sped-up version of Faithfully by Journey), you could probably think of the song selection in the stages as different tracks on an album.  On every rock album from that era, there was always going to be that one song that is a little different than the rest.  Just my 2 cents.   

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 150: The Year 2040

« on: September 17, 2014, 08:35:15 AM »

With regard to the Mega Man music, Magnet Man isn't that out of place in MM3 when you think about it.   The first three Mega Man games seemed to have at least one track per game that seemed to be a little slower and/or were more upbeat: Elec Man, Crash Man and Magnet Man, respectively.  I can't speak for the latter games in the main series because I haven't played them enough to remember the music.

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TalkBack / Re: New 3DS, It Can't Be Worse Than the Old 3DS

« on: September 02, 2014, 08:26:13 AM »

This only makes me hope that Nintendo will add to the general confusion by calling their next console the Wii New.

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TalkBack / Re: Hyrule Warriors Might Have Starred Female Link

« on: August 23, 2014, 04:13:50 PM »

I think they might have tried to use Aryll and Tetra if they had been able to borrow more from the art style of Wind Waker.  Maybe they didn't feel that the characters fit in with the overall aesthetic of the game?  I agree that I would have liked to see Aryll, at least much more so than Agitha or Lana.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pikmin 3 to Wii U, replicatable freezing

« on: August 23, 2014, 04:06:13 PM »

I'm not sure that it is the external hard drive.  I do have one of the "recommended" hard drives with an external power source.  I've experienced the same problem with Pikmin 3.  I have a number of games stored on the external HD, and I've only experienced this problem with Pikmin 3 thus far. 

I have had more success exiting to the Wii U menu if I didn't load Pikmin 3 using quick start.     

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 390: Internal Swords

« on: July 16, 2014, 11:49:41 PM »

Just out of curiosity, has everyone on the podcast crew tried The Last Story?  I'm sure it must have been covered on the podcast, but I honestly can't remember for certain.   It's currently on my backlog of shame. 

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TalkBack / Re: Theatrhythm May Continue Without Final Fantasy

« on: July 16, 2014, 11:43:25 PM »

Dragon Quest would be nice, but I can't imagine being that interested in most of the old scores unless they were the orchestrated versions of the music.  I still have some of the old orchestrated OSTs; they're very nice>

For all of it's faults, Chrono Cross did have some amazing music even beyond Time's Scar.  I'd be interested in a game that covered a lot of Square's other stuff like Vagrant Story, Xenogears  or Valkyrie Profile.  None of these were on a Nintendo system, of course. 

I kind of wish the new Theatrhythm covered more Final Fantasy Tactics tracks; I'm happy for the few that are appearing on it, though.

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TalkBack / Re: New Smash Brothers Characters Revealed

« on: July 16, 2014, 11:15:31 PM »

At least we know for sure now that Nintendo hasn't completely forgotten about F-Zero. That's a good sign at least, right?

I heard on GameXplain that supposedly Sakurai posted a message on Miiverse that said:  "And welcome back, Captain Falcon.  When are you ever getting a new game of your own?" 

Trolling both Nintendo and the F-Zero fan base in one post; Sakurai is a true master.

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General Gaming / Re: The Wolf Among Us

« on: July 10, 2014, 12:40:11 AM »

I finished it late last night.  It's probably my favorite Telltale series to date, and I've enjoyed it a bit more than TWD.   My only real complaint about the series is really that it's gotten so far away from an adventure game format at this point; it was always been light on the puzzle elements, but now it mostly feels like a choose your own adventure visual novel on rails with some QTEs thrown in.  The first episode had a few neat, if mostly inconsequential, investigation moments, but it felt like the series focused on conversations and fights after the second episode.

Still, the story was well-done, the plot points were mostly tied up nicely and the climatic confrontation was engaging (as were most of the fights in the series).  It's interesting that as I got more invested in playing as Bigby, I felt less ambiguous about letting him cut loose during fights (to the degree that the game would actually let me.)  I still refrained from having him go lethal when possible, though.


I have to admit that I was kind of confused by the meaning of the final conversation with   Nerissa at the end of the story.  Was it implied that she was actually a glamoured version of Faith that Bigby met in the opening scenes of Episode 1?   Also, I'm surprised that the game mostly forgot about Crane.  Last we heard, he was supposed to be on a plane to Paris, but as he was mostly a liability, I wouldn't be surprised if the Crooked Man had Bloody Mary get rid of him.  .   

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General Gaming / Re: Getting Old and Gaming

« on: July 08, 2014, 08:28:23 AM »

I'm quickly approaching my late 30s, have been married for nine years, and have three children who are six, three and 9 months old.  My gaming time has its ups and downs, and its been a long time since I've made it any sort of priority.  I made the decision early on that I didn't want to be that dad who ignored his children to play a video game or watch a football game on tv, at least until they were old enough to participate.  So, normally, unless I'm playing a bit of Mario Kart, Mario platforming or (lately) Pikmin 3 with them, I don't game at all until after they go to bed.

Most of my gaming is done on the 3DS and Wii U Gamepad, though I still spend a significant amount of gaming resources on Steam games.  Typically, I use steam to play a lot of the shorter games that aren't available on Nintendo systems; a lot of them have been episodic adventure games.  I'm currently still working my way through Valiant Hearts, The Wolf Among Us and Walking Dead Season 2 (as the episodes appear).

I'm guessing that I may never get out of gaming completely, however.  For every person I've known who has "outgrown" games, I know others who are older than me who still enjoy gaming and find time to do it.  You always do if something is important enough to you.   After my grandfather passed away last year, my grandmother, who just turned 80, pulled out her old SNES (which was given to her by one of my cousins) and started working her way through A Link To The Past Again.   At Christmas she was asking me if I remembered where to find the Moon Pearl in ALttP (I didn't remember, but I looked it up for her.)  I remember that when she was playing it 20 years ago, she got good enough to beat it in 3 to 4 hours; that's something that I was never able to claim.

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General Chat / Re: What are you hyped about today?

« on: June 26, 2014, 09:45:00 AM »

Recently found out that my company has contract funding through the end of the year.  It may not seem like much, but as I was furloughed for nearly a month in February due to budget/contract problems, this is pretty huge and somewhat of a relief.