Nintendo World Report Forums

NWR Interactive => Podcast Discussion => Topic started by: TheYoungerPlumber on July 18, 2014, 07:17:35 PM

Title: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on July 18, 2014, 07:17:35 PM

Guillaume takes a break from his RFN editing duties to co-host this Radio Trivia episode full of quality music and games.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/radiotrivia/38108/episode-127-a-history-of-love-hotels

Did you like this episode's game selections? Let your fellow listeners know in TalkBack! Think you've got a better choice? Then send it my way and your request might be on the next episode of Radio Trivia: Podcast Edition!  Heck, throw in a question and specific songs if you want.  Just remember, it has to be a game found on a Nintendo system in North America (unless we say otherwise)!

You can hear Guillaume (almost) every week on Radio Free Nintendo.

Games featured in this episode:

1. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
2. Crashmo (3DS)
3. Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)
4. Yoshi Touch & Go (DS)
5. Tomodachi Life (3DS)

(Highlight the text above with your cursor to view it.)

Title: Re: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: ClexYoshi on July 19, 2014, 06:33:32 AM

3 for 5. kinda lost one on a bit of a technicality. I guessed Pushmo World on Crashmo and had no clue about Tomodachi life.

I'd like to use this oppertunity though to talk about game 3's post discussion a bit and another game in that series that was brought up. Kirby Squeak Squad is a game I would very much like to defend. It's not a bad game by any means; it's a lot better than the other rash of DS Second party platformers that were coming out at the time (Wario: Master of Disguise, Super Princess Peach, Yoshi's Island DS, Starfy 4 when that made it's way to the US). The problems with Squeak Squad is that it's this weird flagship half-step that was cast in the shadow of Canvas Curse, which was considered an incredibly innovative game at the time.

Flagship had at the time just come off of Amazing Mirror and probably got right to work on this immediately because it used a lot of those Nightmare in Dreamland/amazing mirror assets. they flirted a little bit more with that Kirby Super Star-esque multiple moves in a copy ability thing that Amazing Mirror had dipped it's toes into, but didn't take the full step. replay value was not instilled through the use of a hard mode, but by littering stages with little treasure chests like amazing mirror had and switches to secret stages... actually, come to think about it? If Amazing Mirror was like them building a whole game off of the Great Cave Offensive's structure, than Squeak Squad is akin to a game built around Dyna Blade.

Yeah, Squeak Squad had really bland level design and was super short to boot with no real replay value. Daroach and his band of thieves aren't very memorable characters, and the game is just a very bland Kirby game with a bunch of half-ideas. The bottom screen served as a reserve inventory for copy abilities, health items, and chests you had to bring to the goal of a level, but it's really not fleshed out... it sort-of teases the ability to merge these items, and you'd think that'd mean some Kirby 64 action, but mixing stored copy abilities really just amounts to  getting to be able to use the mix roulette on the fly.  They have these collectible technique scrolls for each of the copy abilities to give kirby an extra move with each one (there's some real hilarity going on when you find out that they even gave the Sleep ability a scroll) that ultimately ends up not adding much as the level design never crutches on the idea of needing to use these ability scrolls from what I remember.

Return TO Dreamland and Triple Deluxe are FAR better games because of the masterful level design and the way they play with expectations in their respective hard modes. Squeak Squad is a solid if... forgettable game.

Title: Re: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on July 20, 2014, 12:14:52 AM

ClexYoshi: That's a fair assessment of Squeak Squad, and I pretty much agree. Certainly not as bad as Master of Disguise. (BLEH!) I think the bland level design and some of its music bothered me more than they bothered you, but it at least played like a Kirby game. The game felt phoned in or perhaps rushed to market in comparison to Flagship's prior work. It's not a coincidence that Squeak Squad was both under-cooked and Flagship's last game. I never compared Squeak Squad to Canvas Curse--to me those two games are apples and oranges.

Title: Re: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: ClexYoshi on July 20, 2014, 04:46:24 AM

Quote from: TheYoungerPlumber on July 20, 2014, 12:14:52 AM

ClexYoshi: That's a fair assessment of Squeak Squad, and I pretty much agree. Certainly not as bad as Master of Disguise. (BLEH!) I think the bland level design and some of its music bothered me more than they bothered you, but it at least played like a Kirby game. The game felt phoned in or perhaps rushed to market in comparison to Flagship's prior work. It's not a coincidence that Squeak Squad was both under-cooked and Flagship's last game. I never compared Squeak Squad to Canvas Curse--to me those two games are apples and oranges.

I do think that Gui should give it a try if he can find a cheap copy. If nothing else, I think it'd make for good new business! As for Squeak Squad's soundtrack, there's some good pieces to be found there! I actually like the boss theme that isn't tied to any of the Squeak Squad boss fights, and theres some pieces I really like... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6UymPDYbqE I kinda like this one for some reason. it's just a simple little tune that plays in one bonus room and isn't a part of the sound test or anything, but it gives this sense of tension and importance. also, I love any and all remixes of the Legendary Air Ride Machine theme, even if it's a downgraded sort of GBA MIDI sounding version of it.


Also, TYP. I'm going to be sending in a request that I -REALLY- hope ends up on the show next time...!

Title: Re: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: ClexYoshi on July 20, 2014, 08:02:36 AM

I really hate not being able to edit Talkback. ._.

Title: Re: Episode 127: A History of Love Hotels
Post by: ClexYoshi on August 10, 2014, 01:31:45 PM

So...

I recently got around to playing Kirby Triple Deluxe. I honestly cannot blame Gui's mistake, as one of the songs you used is indeed ripped from Return to Dreamland and used for Triple Deluxe. The Egg Engines 2 track is reused in Triple Deluxe unedited.