Messages

351

TalkBack / Re: Video Games and Anime Expo 2016

« on: June 01, 2017, 07:21:17 PM »

Nice report, Kim. Too bad you couldn't get a pic of the Duck Hunt or Lumines cosplayers. Were there any games or experiences/panels that were your favorites?

I must say when I saw that this was about last year's AX, I wondered if I had missed this article for a year or if I was just on time!

Are you and Becky going to be part of the E3 crew this year?

352

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 524: Original Podcast, Do Not Steal

« on: June 01, 2017, 04:28:10 AM »

Thanks for talking about Night in the Woods. It sounds really interesting.

For the Mega Man X series, all I can say is that I loved Mega Man X. I was never able to beat the final boss. I've heard there are tricks that I didn't know about back then, so I should get around to trying it again.

I asked for it for my birthday. My mom quizzed me about the game because she was concerned that the X stood for something of an adult nature. Ahhh, the more innocent days of videogames!

353

TalkBack / Re: Orchestral Pokemon Gold and Silver Album Receives Vinyl Set

« on: June 01, 2017, 03:59:24 AM »

The vinyl discs look so cool!

Too bad they misspelled reorchestrated on their promotional materials. ;p

354

TalkBack / Re: E3 2017: Can Nintendo Ride the Momentum of the Switch?

« on: May 30, 2017, 08:10:55 PM »

I think Nintendo will do what they said they will. Primarily focus on 2017. I imagine there will be a few glimpses of 2018, especially early 2018, but that 's it. At the rate the Switch is selling, Nintendo won't abandon it, so I don't think that is a concern. If what has been announced so far, doesn't go a fair ways towards justifying your $300, then you probably made a mistake in buying the Switch in the first place.

I think the whole premise of the article is just going to set people up for disappointment (those that want a big 2018/19 blowout at this year's E3). There has to be a balance between keeping it close to your chest and keeping nothing secret. I personally think Nintendo is finding a better balance than they have in past years/decades.

As far as talking more before E3, so as to avoid scoops, why should they give a damn? While it may put some PR plans slightly astray, their biggest concern with leaks is probably who is doing it/who should they entrust with info (especially PR agencies and some second/third-parties).

Yes, Sony has announced alot of games, years before they come out. It's become such a pattern that people have caught on and seem to be increasingly tired of it.  FF XV or Vesus XIII, The Last Guardian, Kingdom Hearts 3, FF VII R. The first two games took a decade to release and for the last two, a 2018 release is looking pie-in-the-sky and they were revealed 4 and 2 years ago, respectively.

They announce games so far in advance, that some of them end up getting cancelled/in limbo. There are some games Sony has revealed in years past that may not make it until 2020 or beyond. Will they release on the PS4 at that point or the PS5? Will that have justified your purchase? I think not.

I understand wanting to be hyped/exciteed. I do too. But hype for the sake of it doesn't do us or even Nintendo, ultimaely, any favors.

355

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 524: Original Podcast, Do Not Steal

« on: May 29, 2017, 12:48:58 PM »

Surely the patents on the Super FX/FX2 chips have to be expiring pretty soon, if not already, thus removing the legal problems, unless Nintendo signed very unfortunate contracts back then (though even those usually have some sort of escape clause). The MP3 patents have recently ended, and the Super FX chips were developed before then.

356

TalkBack / Re: New Details About Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Confirmed for Switch

« on: May 23, 2017, 07:21:19 PM »

I'll wait for E3 for video and details to have more of an opinion on the game itself. But based on what we cirrently know, I can't help but feel the game would be better/ more appealing if they got rid of the rabbids. But then again, to get rid of them would mean the game wouldn't exist, since the whole point of the game is to use Mario to bring the Rabbids back from the grave. The game may sell well, but I have a feeling it may do little or nothing for the Rabbids series ultimately.

357

Podcast Discussion / Re: 522: In Defense of Stereotypes

« on: May 14, 2017, 08:03:44 PM »

Jesus! I haven't even listened to the episode yet, but the subheadline to the article startled me for a second, because in the email I sent you this week, I had made a joke about the Nordiques, but then I edited it out. I had to double-check to see if I had truly taken the joke out and I did.

Either great minds think alike or NHL jokes are that obvious! I'll go with the former!

Anyway, uh... go Sharks!

358

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 521: Last.FM Towns

« on: May 10, 2017, 11:04:10 AM »

Watching/listening to the stream made me reaize what we miss since RFN stopped recording the bits inbetween segments. Like Jon posted on Twitter: Greg Leahy on Death Wish III: "It's challenging, as all true art is meant to be." That gold is so radiant, I had to put on sunglasses.

Looking at the rate Syrenne buys games, a 1 TB microSD card can't come soon enough for the Switch!

I thought Super Mario Land 2 was great. The size and design of Mario's sprite was impressive back then. I liked the themes of the worlds and the characters. The music was good and off-kilter. Almost felt like Mario was through the looking glass even more so than SMB 2 (a game that wasn't meant to be a Mario game in the first place!).

I wish Nintendo would take more chances with the design/look of games like they did during the SML 2/Link's Awakening days. It doesn't always work out, but as games like Breath of the Wild and hopefully Super Mario Odyssey prove, they usually produce something special when they do.

SOTE. I had the game during the early N64 days because it looked like it'd be fun at the time (plus I wasn't going to ask for Crusin' USA, so choices were slim!). The Hoth battle was fun and defintely the higlight of the game. The everpresent fog, especially in the on-foot sections, was kind of annoying, even back then, when that was a fact of life for many 3D games. The train level was a drag. Overall, I enjoyed it, but don't feel a need to return to it.

Thanks for selecting my song choice for the ending music. I was unaware of the background behind the name "Rith Essa", so that made it all the better.

359

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 225: Jiggy in the Woods

« on: April 27, 2017, 09:05:23 AM »

I loved the snowy mountainous level and the haunted house level. I would enter first-person mode and just gaze at the moon, Christmas lights, the pumpkins, harvest moon, etc. Banjo-Kazooie just invited a closer look back then. Starting with Banjo-Kazooie and then Ocarina of Time (especially at Lon Lon Ranch), I'll still gaze/zoom in on the Moon in a game if it looks good, atmospheric, etc.

360

TalkBack / Re: Genyo Takeda Announces Retirement From Nintendo

« on: April 27, 2017, 08:58:52 AM »

46 years. Astounding. Nintemdo's employee retention rate is absolutely incredible. I remember hearing on Warning A Huge Podcast, years ago (around 2010/2011) that a employee retention rate survey was done among Japanese videogame companies. Employee retention being measured in time, how long has the average employee worked there. Square Enix was the worst. Their employee retention rate was 18 months, meaning their workers burned out fast (this was entering into the titantic FF 13 Versus, FF 14 1.0 trials).

Nintendo's retention rate was the best in the survey. 20 years.

I remember reading an Iwata Asks about the Game & Watch. He interviewed three people who created the first games. They all joined Nintendo in the 1973-77 period and all three were still working there! It's amazing to think there is a significant, though shrinking pocket of workers at Nintendo who were there before Nintendo ever made a videogame.

361

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 225: Jiggy in the Woods

« on: April 27, 2017, 01:29:20 AM »

Great to hear from CurtDogg again! I loved Banjo-Kazooie. Such a great looking and playing game for the time. I remember being less fond of Banjo-Tooie. I never beat it unlike the first game.

The absolute nadir of the collectathon for me was Donkey Kong 64. Alas, I tend to be a completionist and I remember getting everything except for one minigame. It was one where you chase the beavers into a hole. I must have spent an hour or more trying to beat that mini-game and then gave up, thinking it's not worth it. While I had fun with DK 64, throughout the game, I always had the impression it should be better than what it was. I never had that feeling with Banjo-Kazooie.

362

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 519: Heroes of the Pun Storm

« on: April 27, 2017, 01:14:28 AM »

"We all know we want Jon to retire from the rap game."

I ask you, what is this foolishness? We're all eagerly awaiting the rap cover song Jon promised us in December. Not to mention anything he may suddenly grace us with, off the dome, as it were. Whenever I hear "Regulators, mount up!" I think of Jon and Jonny's raptastic effort. If James or Gui travel to E3 this year,  maybe they could meet up with Jon, and make similiarly sweet music together. I suggest "Mr. Wendal."

Outside of that, Delaney dispalyed the artistry we RFN letter writers strive for, but rarely achieve.

I'm glad Texas Brisket Challenge is continuing to pay dividends. I was touched by the depth of feeling in Greg's voice as he rejoiced in the replacement of Phil Simms on the CBS AFC games.

Thanks to Jon for the enlightenment on MOBAs. I had never really looked into them before.

363

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 517: Survey Says

« on: April 09, 2017, 10:39:36 PM »

Jon is at sea this week

I hope he didn't go on any three hour tours. We may not hear him for years, in that case.

MonoChrono sounds interesting. Never heard of it before. Should have this Siren, on again. Kid has potential. Anyone notice that every two months or so, Jon's voice gets decidedly softer, and he starts talking about niche Japanese games and occasionally mentions he's a lesbian. Very strange. Almost like he's a different person.

364

TalkBack / Re: The Positives and Pitfalls of Review Democratization

« on: April 09, 2017, 10:08:00 PM »

Great article, Justin! Review scores should never be used by publishers as a guide to pay/bonuses, etc. But since that brand of stupidity seems to be rampant and an accepted part of the industry, especially by American publishers, I think throwing out some percentage of the high/low scores would be the easiest way to handle the problem that wouldn't just introduce a new set of problems itself.

365

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 514: G-Radio feat. Kayzee and Lil' Burk

« on: March 21, 2017, 02:12:35 AM »

I feel like I can definitively say that with the exception of Lindemann and maybe Carl, whenever the hosting buck for this show gets kicked down the road, it seems to enhance the talent of the new host by virtue of the pressure being on.

lolmonade, we are pilgrims in an unholy land. With the two recent episodes of NWR Chat, Jonny L has more than proven his hosting bonafides!

Congrats to Gui. He did a great job under seemingly hectic circumstances. Next time he hosts, change the name to Talking Nintendo with Gui.

Jon producing an audiobook guide: Maybe the next best thing would be to take a Twitch video of one of James's live streams and overlay a commentary track by Jon, critiquing his gameplay.

366

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 512: Percy the Liar

« on: March 10, 2017, 05:30:42 AM »

I agree that this RetroActive was one of the most entertaining in awhile. I see on Twitter that James is threatening to pick a game for a RetroActive in April. Be afraid, people. Be very afraid!

If this is a trend, I wonder what game Jon will choose. I assume Greg would go last since he was the first to choose a game by himself, during the dark days of the great RetroActive RPG crisis.

367

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 511: Wordplay Ahead

« on: February 28, 2017, 04:55:46 AM »

Definitely worth 50p though.

Another RFN back-of-the-box quote right there. They should put the game out on Switch VC and put the quote there among other endorsements.

368

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 149: Horse Names on a Budget

« on: February 27, 2017, 04:43:51 AM »

Bravo on the subheadline for the podcast article. Bravo!

Listening to the third track of the first game, it has same beginning notes as Saria's Song from Ocarina of Time. Any composer overlap between the two games?

369

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 510: Kutar Hero: On Tour!

« on: February 26, 2017, 04:12:09 PM »

Imagine my surprise when part of my letter (the more important part, probably) was the stinger. I appreciated James's off-the-cuff dramatic reading. Hopefully, one day I'll slay the bearerists and write a drama worthy of Ray's shining example. Too bad Jon's reaction seemed slightly cutoff at the end. I can only assume he was making plans to immigrate back to Canada . Note that "Have a Merry Switchmas Day!" was sung to the tune of Mickey's Christmas Carol, for those not familiar with the cartoon.

Kutar. Another watershed moment in RFN history, like Cocoto: Fishing Master. Perhaps a RetroActive of one of the Cocoto games is in order.

I can't decide between the Super NES and the Nintendo 64 as my favorite consoles. The SNES felt like the fulfillment of what NES games were in our imaginations. The rain and lightning in the opening scenes of Zelda: ALTTP. That was next-gen, baby! The N64, while primitive by today's standards, felt like a whole new world was opened up. I remember the many times I would go to first-person view and look at the moon in Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie. Those blurry textures elicited such joy!

370

TalkBack / Re: Event Report: Nintendo Switch Preview Tour

« on: February 17, 2017, 02:20:04 AM »

Great report, Justin. Nice to see another perspective on the Switch and its first games. Your impressions on 1-2 Switch seem to be what I feared that game to be.

Your article prompted me to look for your last post on the site (from 2009!). Here are some choice quotes from the TalkBack thread for that blog post:

Jon Lindemann:

I can't think of another Nintendo enthusiast site from which a writer could literally have taken an 8 year hiatus, come back, and have the site still be around (and even still have some of the same people on staff, for crying out loud).

Dan Bloodworth:

First Lindy takes the director's seat and now Justin's back. I know I haven't been in contact as much lately, but things here are definitely getting exciting.

ShyGuy:

Is that Karl (Castaneda) threatening to come back?

TYP:

Hooray! See, I figure if I stick around long enough, our name will be Planet N2100 and a cybernetic Louie the Cat will be Director.

EDIT: By the way, I consider Justin to be a kindred spirit for this site--we both pounded away at databases and code to bring Frankenstein monsters to life. NWR's code and DB design isn't the greatest, but by golly it works. ...Well, most of the time. So I give MegaByte thanks for putting up with the aggregation of crap code we've spewed over the years.

Justin Nation:

As for the site... damn folks, when I got back in to see how much behind the scenes is still similar. Aaagh, I couldn't even imagine. Bubble gum and duct tape. This place was my chance to learn both Cold Fusion and SQL... I didn't know a thing about diong them right. Oh well, it stays alive and at least aesthetically it's been made nicer.

371

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 509: You Could Die Tomorrow

« on: February 16, 2017, 06:41:25 PM »

Sometimes you have to let the world burn, James. It's like a tire fire. Don't put it out, better to just let it burn itself out.

372

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 509: You Could Die Tomorrow

« on: February 13, 2017, 03:50:57 AM »

Son, I am disappoint! I think RFN is firing on all cylinders these days, but I think you threw a rod this episode. Not because of what was in it. That was high quality as always. But rather, what was missing.

Only the briefest of brief allusions to the Super Bowl? If anything deserved a nice healthly segment this week, it was that! What I want to know is, what happened? Did Jon get a little lazy on wash day and instead of wearing his Julio is Coolio t-shirt, he was watching the game decked out in San Jose Sharks regalia? Did Greg not make the required number of sacrifices to the blood gods?

I wanted to hear the resignation in Jon's voice that only a fellow Atlanta sports team fan can know. I wanted to hear the bile rise in Greg's throat as he grudgingly praised Tom Terrific (sorry, Tom Seaver)!

I realize there may be only six RFNNFL fans in the world (three of which are on the show), but bah gawd! let our voices be heard, proud and unashamed!

373

TalkBack / Re: Trio Of Towns Tumbles Into North America February 28

« on: January 21, 2017, 12:21:11 AM »

Hope it does well, so the series continues.

Not that important, but "benefits" at the end of the second paragraph is misspelled.

374

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 95 - STIFFNESS AT SWITCHMAS

« on: January 20, 2017, 12:03:36 AM »

On the Famicast Twitter page, it showed a screencap at the 4:55 mark of Takashi Tezuka at the Zelda booth, with the gang walking by him unaware (as pointed out by a YouTube viewer). So I watched the video with that in mind. JC turns the camera from the Splatoon 2 demo and at 4:20, Tezuka walks into view in front of JC, passes directly in front of Danny, then you guys walk behind and pass him as shown in the screen cap. Then at 5:29 you see Tezuka talking with a tall man who's making big gestures (perhaps, OMG Takashi Tezuka!).

It would have been better if the tall man had been Ty, then only after the video had been published would he have said, "Oh, hey guys, guess who I met at the Switch Event." "WHAT?!?"

Only just started listening to the episode, so can't comment on it, but wanted to mention the Tezuka sighting on the forums.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo World Report's Live Coverage Of The Switch Reveal

« on: January 12, 2017, 08:56:01 PM »

What's the server, network of nwr chat for those who might decide to use a seperate IRC program?