Messages

226

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 656: Top 1010 of the Decade

« on: January 19, 2020, 10:17:24 PM »

Fun to hear everyone list out their favorite games.

Gui's list was probably closest to mine, and quite frankly held some surprises -- some of the games that he talked about are ones I didn't think would even be in the running for this type of discussion from most people. (La-Mulana comes to mind; I feel like many people don't appreciate that game, but the feeling you get after piecing together some tough clues and reaching that next level of progress is fantastic. If would also have made my top list, despite the moments of "Oh, that's absolute BS" you experience at some parts.

227

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: January 19, 2020, 10:12:43 PM »

Started playing The Kore Gang (Wii), and got to stage 9 before calling it a night.  This is a weird little Wii platformer that feels released in 2010... but reportedly started development a decade earlier than that. That age shows in the design, but it's still perfectly playable.

The in-game camera isn't awesome, and your character doesn't control particularly well. The game (so far) has still be pretty fun, though. It also banks on a lot of weird and odd design to help distract you from the design limitations; I'm ok with that.

In the end, my biggest problem is one of comparison. The gameplay is ok, but nothing special and outdone by a handful of other Wii platformers. The weird story and setting is outdone (for me) by Mushroom Men - another Wii game with outdated design but weirdly cool levels, but one that had a better soundtrack and just felt more grounded to me. So Kore Gang is kind of an "also ran" release from either viewpoint.  Still, if you can look past that and approach the game with tempered expectations, there is some fun to be had here.

228

General Chat / Re: Official WNBA topic: Mystics win the 2019 WNBA championship

« on: January 19, 2020, 05:27:25 PM »

How much longer do you think Diana Taurasi will play?  She's been around for a long time already, and is nearing 40. Definitely an hall of fame player, but you have to figure she's at the very tail end of her amazing career...
 You'll still be in for a show though. Britney Griner is an absolute beast (in a complimentary way) and a fierce competitor.

229

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: January 19, 2020, 05:14:56 PM »

...
DoF doesn't have any glaringly asinine elements.
...

Our viewpoints differ here.

I think it probably would have had fewer asinine elements, but there are still some present and we don't know what might've changed (for better or worse) from the leaked script.

Also, people take this all too seriously.

230

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: January 18, 2020, 11:02:48 PM »

...

Tor Valum isn't a villain nor a Snoke replacement.

If Tor Valum is a Sith who trains Sith, the Sith aren’t defeated. My understanding is in Duel of the Fates, Kylo Ren just fucks off after being defeated by a Darth Vader vision. Tor Valum being introduced and notably not defeated is bad storytelling in the last installment.
...

I disagree that this would be bad storytelling - or at least not particularly worse than a lot of other story points in any of the Star Wars movies. It could be framed in plenty of ways that would make sense. Nothing in this story is about "total destruction of the Sith". If Jedi influence remains and is being reinforced by Rey at the end of the script, then why shouldn't a possible source of Sith influence also remain?

However, I agree with a lot of your other thoughts. Especially that Kylo Ren would've been more interesting if he chose to be an irredeemable villain with enough conviction to never doubt his own choices.

231

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 46: Rhythm Thief

« on: January 18, 2020, 08:47:09 PM »

Rhythm Thief?  Isn't that the game that everyone said was really good, but almost nobody bothered to play?

EDIT:
So is anyone else playing Rhythm Thief yet? If not, you should be!

I've been short on time so haven't made much progress... but wow, the production values are great. Even though I typically don't enjoy rhythm games, the mix of Layton-esque exploration and story with a variety of different rhythm-based mini-games is a lot of fun!

Definitely a hidden gem for 3DS. It really makes me wish I had a physical copy to share the fun with my kids.

232

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: January 18, 2020, 08:37:59 PM »

... One thing for sure, DoF would have been the better movie. ...

Can't agree with any certainty.

It might have been a better movie.  On the surface, I'll say that the script definitely sounds more appealing at a high level, despite a few niggling problems. I'm sure the critics would've preferred this movie. But execution really matters with big productions like this and sometimes "big, fun, and dumb" is better than a script that has strong/interesting ideas but botches the execution.

**glances at The Last Jedi with disgust**

If you can't know the actual outcome of both potential paths, and we certainly can't here, then second-guessing what might've been is an empty game of speculation instead of some kind of 20/20 hindsight.

233

Announcements / Re: Topic of the Day

« on: January 18, 2020, 08:51:43 AM »

Not too much for topics happening right now. Even though it ain't new, guess I'll go with Daan's Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore review with that game releasing today.


For added reference, Daan reviewed the game when it first came out the Wii U here and Donald also did a review of the Wii U version here for a second opinion.

Dang... Have this game on Wii U, but haven't gotten around to playing it yet.
Sounds like I need to make time sooner than later, given how strong the review impressions are.

234

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: January 18, 2020, 08:49:20 AM »

The "leaked script" sounds pretty decent, and I like the big picture. There are a bunch of details that I don't particularly like as described, and some especially weak moments in the way things are wrapped up... but some of that might've been revised. Even if it wasn't, the movie sounds fun to watch.

I don't know though. Would that proposed script really be better than Rise of Skywalker? Both have some good and some bad points, and that's running on a lot of assumptions regarding how the "leaked script" would turn out. It's also easy to see how the death of Carrie Fisher would've made that script difficult to film - I think the leadership shown by her character is integral to the story (and one of the parts I liked most about it). Depending on what your expectations are for the final movie in a trilogy of trilogies, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to say definitively which story is "best".

I'm also a bit worried that some of the moments that sound good might not have turned out that way. Managing the "side stories" would've had to be done better than in The Last Jedi, because the pacing and lack of urgency (and relevance) there absolutely killed pacing and makes re-watching that film a painful slog. I'm not against having so many split lines of action in the film, but it would take a fine touch to make things come together well.

235

Movies & TV / Re: Disney+

« on: January 18, 2020, 08:30:46 AM »

So finally sat down and watched Willow on D+.  It wasn't amazing, showing the kind of age you'd expect from a typical 80s fantasy movie, but was better than I had expected and worth watching. I feel like they did a good job with the world-building, mixing in just enough moments of magic and wonder, and that bodes well for the upcoming D+ series.

236

Nintendo Gaming / Club Nintendo Retrospective

« on: January 16, 2020, 10:54:42 AM »

Yes, I know my.nintendo.com is still a thing.  I also know that it mostly sucks, offering meager discounts on select digital games (most of which are overpriced to start with or never see normal sale pricing take effect) and free 3DS themes.

But I'm talking about the real Club Nintendo that used to send out cool physical swag. Statues, little trophies, posters, bags and cases for your games, hats and shirts, controllers... the list goes on. In the heyday of Club Nintendo you'd even be given free once-a-year gifts that were surprisingly awesome, if you have managed to accumulate enough points by registering the games you'd bought.

I found a site that documents a bunch of the prizes that had been available:
https://www.mariowiki.com/Club_Nintendo_(rewards_program)

Looking back now, there are a handful of things I wish that I had ordered. The Super Mario Accessory Box would've been awesome, or the terrycloth towel collection, or even some of the posters.  Still, it was a good source of nice stuff.

My favorite items (that I still own and use today) include:
#1: 2-D Mario Reversible Pouches - These little pouches are really nice, and convenient for a whole bunch of storage/travel purposes; they've seen frequent and non-stop use since getting them!
#2: Nintendo 3DS Game Card Case - Invaluable! The many different custom covers are nice, and having several of these at home lets me store all the empty DS/3DS game cases in one location while still having a convenient way to carry all my games with me. Love them.
#3: Mario & Friends Pin Badge Collection - Although it's mostly just decoration, I still really like this "elite status gift"... people complained at the time, but the buttons are timely and nicely packaged for display while not being used. Big thumbs from me!
#4: Starman Messenger Bag - Honestly, the size and quality of this gift didn't overwhelm, but it's split time between being hung as decoration and actually being used to move stuff around, and is still kind of neat.

Were people here gaming at that point?  Did you get your own swag from Club Nintendo before it got shuttered and replace with the current all-digital alternative?  I'm curious to hear if anyone has fond memories - or maybe regrets about some of the limited availability items they missed.

237

NWR Forums Discord / Re: The Make UncleBob Respond Thread!

« on: January 16, 2020, 10:28:28 AM »

No - don't make UncleBob reply. His posts about awesome stuff he gets (like the Layton stuff from Japan he posted in the Run the Series thread) always makes me so jealous! 

Seriously though, it's awesome to see him post about things that I didn't even know existed.
@UncleBob: you're the best kind of crazy!

238

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Out for the Season (Broken Hand)

« on: January 16, 2020, 07:29:22 AM »

The blocked dunk was great... but wow, those Gordon dunks...   

239

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: January 14, 2020, 09:45:11 PM »

Borrowed a copy of Ghost Trick (DS) to play through again. Wow, I had forgotten just how lovely a game it is!

The downside is that (roughly halfway through) there hasn't been any tough puzzles to work through at all - either the game is dirt easy, or I'm half-way remembering the solutions as problems pop up.  However, the production is amazing for a DS game and the story is absolutely bonkers in all the best ways, so lack of challenge isn't hurting the experience at all. A gem of a game, and playing it again makes me regret trading it away years ago.

240

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Out for the Season (Broken Hand)

« on: January 14, 2020, 03:56:52 PM »

I would watch WNBA games... but I'm not really invested in that league and already struggle to find time to watch games for my very favorite NBA team. In principle I'd like to; in practice it's just not going to happen.

(A similar thing could be said about the NFL; haven't seen a football game in years.)

241

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Best of the 3DS eShop: 2011 Releases & 3D Classics

« on: January 14, 2020, 02:47:50 PM »

... He mentions there that you can not design your own puzzles unlike now when he says you can.  ...

And I'm right both times!

No seriously... the level creation tool isn't in-game; you have to download a computer program to design levels, then distribute them (or play them yourself) using the QR code that gets generated.  This wasn't available initially, but it's a pretty cool "share" from the dev team.

The developers posted the code here:  https://code.google.com/archive/p/pyramidsleveleditor/downloads

242

General Gaming / Re: 2019 Gaming for NWR

« on: January 13, 2020, 06:58:59 PM »

Dang - I had a list on backloggery, but cleared it out just before this topic was posted.  Oh well.

Why would you do that? Need to keep that list so you can reference it for topics like this! Too bad since I thought we might have quite a bit of overlap from Game Boy games plus maybe some other stuff like Metroid: Other M.

If I wasn't so lazy, I could piece much of it back together by looking through the old Backloggery dates and events... but that would take effort.  We did cover a lot of common ground last year though!

243

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Best of the 3DS eShop: 2011 Releases & 3D Classics

« on: January 13, 2020, 06:56:46 PM »

As the only person who's voted for Pyramids, I'll just say it's a neat little puzzle platformer that I probably would have missed if it wasn't like the second original game released on the eShop.

Hahaha... So glad someone else voted for this game!

I have fond memories of playing it when 3DS eShop wasn't so crowded, but just wasn't sure if it held up or not. My memories are of a fun little puzzle game, with plenty of stages to work through and the option to design and share (via QR codes) your own levels too. Even the (somewhat limited) 3D effect was enjoyable at the time.

However, I also have memories of other people questioning my credibility when judging games after hearing me say the game was better than expected and totally worth playing... which is why I didn't vote for it here.

244

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Best of the 3DS eShop: 2011 Releases & 3D Classics

« on: January 10, 2020, 06:25:13 PM »

For me, Pushmo and VVVVVV are the clear winners.

Pushmo makes good use of the 3D effect if you have a capable system, but still works very well without it. The puzzles are pretty good, even if there is a bit of trial and error at times, and there are a ton of levels in the game. Having a rewind feature is a life-saver here though, as there will definitely be times you wish you could take back a move!

VVVVVV is a very different kind of game, and won't appeal to everyone due the challenging design... but it's got a great sense of (minimalist, classic computer graphic) style, very solid chiptunes, and a labyrinthine world to discover. The game includes a lot of bonus content... but I found the main game much better designed than the optional bonus content.

Both are games that I'm happy to go back and play, years after purchasing them.

(I also voted for Mighty Switch Force and 3D Classics Kirby's Adventure...)

245

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Out for the Season (Broken Hand)

« on: January 09, 2020, 08:52:19 PM »

Oh, boo!  Embiid is getting surgery on his hand after that nasty-looking finger incident.
I feel bad about making light earlier; dislocations happen, but torn ligaments really suck.

246

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Of America Holding Major eShop Sale Including First Party Titles

« on: January 09, 2020, 08:30:06 PM »

Will this just be a repeat of the holiday sales? I'll find out... later.

A lot of repeats (at least, in Canada for non-Switch systems).  I managed to hold off over the holidays, but am sorely tempted to pick up a few Atlus 3DS titles this time around.  Maybe I'll see how the old wallet is feeling next payday and decide then.

247

General Gaming / Re: 2019 Gaming for NWR

« on: January 09, 2020, 08:13:36 PM »

Dang - I had a list on backloggery, but cleared it out just before this topic was posted.  Oh well.

2019 was a pretty decent gaming year for me though. Had a month or two where work was busy and gaming died off... but otherwise, played a lot of games.  That was a huge improvement from 2018, when gaming fatigue hit and I only played through a handful of new games.

Highlights from last year include:
* Guacamelee - I had reasonably high expectations; the game exceeded them
* Layton and the Last Specter - after a long time without playing a Layton game, this was great
* Metroid Other M - a game with clear flaws... but I had a lot of fun with it!
* ToeJam & Earl - played together with my son; this was the first time finishing the game, so beating it together was a good experience

Also worth noting this was the first year in a long time that my backlog went down instead of increasing! Yay!

248

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Out for the Season (Broken Hand)

« on: January 07, 2020, 11:05:11 AM »

Damn, Toronto gets a key reserve back from injury tonight... at the cost of another starter taking his spot on the injured list. It's amazing they have a .667 record considering how many injuries to key player they've endured so far; having two starters from last year choose to just walk away didn't help the depth chart either.

Maybe this is karma for taking the championship last year against a decimated Warriors squad?  Maybe not, because the Raptors had to fight through their own injuries in the playoffs along the way - that's a part of the process for almost every team that makes it so deep.

It just blows to follow your team and know that they are consistently missing key contributors. Seems like there are a lot of teams in the same boat this year though. Here's hoping for better health across the league in 2020.

249

General Chat / Re: NBA Thread: Out for the Season (Broken Hand)

« on: January 07, 2020, 09:07:16 AM »

Regarding the Embiid injury: 
Ugh. Looks horrible, and will definitely not feel good for a while. But (probably) not as bad or as serious as it looked. These kind of finger dislocations happen more than you'd expect, they just don't always get caught so clearly on camera.

I've had dislocations before, and suspect most (amateur) athletes have as well. Maybe not so blatant though!
That one looked nasty. The Thunder bench reaction really adds to the video.
 


(Edit: After reading Embiid's own comments, I'm probably being too flippant here. Moderately serious dislocations happen a handful of times per year in the NBA; doesn't make it any less painful or nasty looking though.)

250

Movies & TV / Re: Star Wars IX The Rise of Skywalker

« on: January 07, 2020, 08:49:15 AM »

I find rating the Star Wars movies to be difficult... some of the movies that I enjoy aren't the ones I'd consider to be best, whether that's due to nostalgia or other factors. Still, if talking about which movies I'd be most willing to re-watch right now then my list would look something like this:

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Rogue One
4. The Force Awakens
5. A New Hope
6. Rise of Skywalker
7. Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure *
8. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor *
9. Phantom Menace
10. Revenge of the Sith
11. Solo **
12. The Last Jedi
13. Attack of the Clones

* Very vague memories of the old Ewok spin-off movies; pretty sure they aren't good movies, but it's been so many years since seeing either that they rank higher on my "to watch" list anyway
** Solo might have ranked higher if I hadn't seen it recently

Honestly, the bottom half of that list gets pretty hard to watch, with pacing and storytelling both pushing the boundaries of what I'd enjoy watching.

As a bonus, my favorite Star Wars-related TV shows are probably:
- Clone Wars
- The Mandalorian
- Rebels
- Star Wars: Droids
- Ewoks