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General Gaming / Re: BacklAugust 2024! (Forums Are Dead Edition)

« on: August 31, 2024, 12:48:12 PM »

The Splatoon 3 DLC is baffling to me. The setup would be perfect for co-op, so why is it only single-player? There are already several games with a similar premise which have co-op, so I have no idea why they keep making single-player-only DLC for a multiplayer-focused game.

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General Gaming / Re: BacklAugust 2024! (Forums Are Dead Edition)

« on: August 30, 2024, 02:20:00 PM »

For my final completion of the month, I've finished Death's Door (Xbox X|S). I first heard about it when seeing a lot of people compare it to Tunic, and the two do have some things in common such as their Zelda inspirations and drab, plain art style. The combat is a little more involved and flows better, but still feels tedious at times with the large amount of hits that enemies and bosses take to defeat. The game is more linear than I was expecting, but there's still a little bit of exploration in each area, which I like. Some of the wacky characters belie the serious and dark tone, though the game does seem to treat the subject of death with a certain brand of irreverence. Overall, Tunic has the more interesting premise, but Death's Door has the better gameplay, making them tough to compare. I'd probably rate the game Breadcrumbs out of Feeding Birds.

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General Gaming / Re: BacklAugust 2024! (Forums Are Dead Edition)

« on: August 28, 2024, 01:37:20 PM »

I recently wrapped up SteamWorld Build (Xbox X|S) for another completion. For some reason I was under the impression that it was a tower defense game, and while it has a very light element of that, it's largely a simulation/resource management type game. As things progress, it constantly throws in one more resource to monitor on top of all the existing ones, like a juggler who keeps getting handed one more bowling pin. The interesting gameplay was digging around in the mines; personally I would have preferred a game that scrapped all the city stuff and instead focused on being an RTS-digger. Overall, I don't think there's anything wrong with SteamWorld Build, it just isn't for me. I would probably give it a rating of trail-mix-with-too-many-raisins out of snacks.

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General Gaming / Re: BacklAugust 2024! (Forums Are Dead Edition)

« on: August 28, 2024, 01:36:21 PM »

I remember seeing some footage of a pixel art mode where the characters where all SNES/Mega Drive sprites. Did you come across that?

Yeah, that's the premise of the story mode. Mario and Sonic both get trapped in a portable game system, which is an 8-bit version of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, and they have to win gold medals to escape. Meanwhile, Luigi and Tails are left in the regular world and team up to try to help them from the outside however they can. So the chapters swap back and forth between playing the 8-bit games and the regular events.

If you are playing solo as I was then after stage 99 you have a cool final boss fight and get the bad ending. If you have two players you can find a secret exit in stage 99 and get about 20 more levels and then fight the boss and get the good ending. I have a save at stage 99 in case I get the opportunity to have someone help with that coop only part of the game.

That seems like an odd way of locking the true ending, especially for the time period!

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General Gaming / Re: BacklAugust 2024! (Forums Are Dead Edition)

« on: August 21, 2024, 04:12:23 PM »

I've been kinda busy so I'm checking in late I know, but I had gotten around to a game earlier this month. It was a little later than the closing ceremonies of the real Olympics I s'pose, but I've wrapped up Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. I had seen that it contains a story mode so I figured I could play through that to consider the game completed. And I've gotta say...

...I probably shoulda just watched the Olympics instead. The story mode contains way too much blabbering for how little interesting it has to say. I get that I should know what I'm getting myself into with a "story mode" of a game, but the ratio of cutscenes-to-gameplay here is extremely out of whack. It probably averages 15-20 minutes of inane dialogue just to be thrown into an event that typically lasts 1-2 minutes. It sort of feels like playing a visual novel that gets interrupted by a random minigame now and then.

This is probably because it was developed by Sega, but I felt like there was a bit of a disparity in how the story treated the two main protagonists of Luigi and Tails. Tails gets to do the fun stuff like scale Tokyo Tower; snipe Eggbots with a bow; punch Shy Guys in the face; etc., while Luigi is getting absolutely bodied in events like Karate, Boxing, Rugby, etc. Poor guy can just never catch a break...

The game doesn't have much else to offer either, as the only other option is to just play single events individually. No competition modes or anything to tie stuff together, and no extras like a shop. This series has always been a little questionable, but I don't think this one matches up to even previous entries in the series.

I would probably rate this game a Big Oof out of 10.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?

« on: February 20, 2024, 09:39:36 PM »

I have no rightly idea what could happen this year, it feels like so many things are possible! I think I'll just take a look at what other people here have been predicting and choose ones that seem more probable, or at least fun.

-The Switch successor will release this year, probably in November. That's right, I'm going back to that classic release time.
-The Switch successor will have backwards compatibility with games and accounts, but probably not controllers and accessories. It might work with Labo VR though.
-A new 3D Mario will be announced this year, to release within the launch window of the new system. Another classic launch style returns!
-A new Donkey Kong game of some sort will be announced. Dunnn dun dun dunnnn dunnnnnnn dunnnnnnn
-A new spin-off Pokémon game will be announced, one that's part of an existing series. C'mon PokéPark 3!
-Metroid Prime 4 finally sees a trailer this year... with some footage of actual gameplay to boot! Most likely accompanied by another apology, but don't count that as part of this prediction please.
-At least one more remaster or remake of a GCN / Wii game will be announced. I've learned my lesson in being too specific.
-I'm gonna be bold and say no more new amiibo. Don't @ me if this happens.
-Another Rare N64 game will be announced for NSO, my guess this time will be, I dunno... Banjo-Tooie. If it's DKR this time I will be livid.
-Mop it up will make more posts than Nintendo releases games. Yeah yeah, fat chance of that I know, but sometimes ya gotta be daring!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2023?

« on: February 20, 2024, 07:57:56 PM »

Wow how did I do so well?! This doesn't feel right!

As always, thanks for putting this together, these are always to see!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: NSO November 2023! (AKA Not Another Forum Event!)

« on: November 14, 2023, 01:15:45 PM »

I'm always up for some online games! When I have the time at least... matching up my schedule with someone else's could be tricky, especially several someone else's.

I have the expanded NSO catalogue so I'd be down for any of it. I've played N64 the most, but would still be willing to join any group for that since it's full of fun multiplayer titles. I've already played through Kirby & The Amazing Mirror with my friends, but it's a fun enough game that I'd join an NWR outing. I've played a lot of the games from the other system apps as well, but would still be willing to jump in and give someone a hand with a game.

I should probably try to be a presence on the NWR Discord but I dunno... things just move so quickly there, I can't keep up! It kind of feels like the people there just sit in there 24/7, which isn't something I would want to do even if I had the time. It's very easy to miss something and have something get buried before I'd even see it.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter

« on: October 24, 2023, 04:07:37 PM »

I did actually complete DooM Eternal last week, just haven't sat down to write about it. Though, reviewing what I said earlier, I'm not sure if there's much else to say about it, as my earlier impressions seemed to cover most aspects of the game.

I did encounter a few glitches, though they were minor and not stuff that impedes progress. A few times, an enemy got stuck walking in place. Sometimes the map rotation noise would get stuck in a loop upon closing the map screen, but could be fixed by opening it again and spinning the map.

What's up with the weird platforming segments and moments of "spot the climbable wall"? What does this game think it is, Metroid Prime?

Whereas I rated DooM 2016 an 8/10, I don't think I can give this followup any more than a 7/10. It does have some interesting ideas in it, but I never felt like I reached a point where things meshed together very well, and it also made a couple of weird missteps that the original seemed to consciously avoid. This is probably splitting hairs, but I also feel like, even moreso than the first one, Eternal feels much more like something out of the Quake series than DooM. I s'pose that Quake became far more known for multiplayer than anything, which is why they stuck with DooM for these. Not that a franchise can't try new ideas and I've enjoyed plenty of games that strayed from an original formula, but I don't particularly feel like this pair of games contain the quintessential elements I enjoy from the classics.

Are you playing this on XBox or Switch?

Oops, sorry! Xbox (Series X)

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter

« on: October 16, 2023, 11:26:26 AM »

I've been playing DooM Eternal, and boy do I have some mixed feelings about this one.

First off, let's just get this one out of the way: I don't care for how overly violent it is, it's unnecessary and disgusting. I s'pose this is still sort of like playing a horror game, as I often find myself closing my eyes or looking away!

There are way too many tutorial popups! I eventually discovered that there is an option in the menu to turn these off, I wish I checked on that sooner.

It's been a while since I've played DooM 2016 but I think this is the same set of weapons, just with some mods to unlock for more functions and firepower. I like the variety on offer here, it offers a bit of a way to customise weapons for my own playstyle.

However, all of the different weapons and tools mean that every button does something, and there's no less than four different cooldowns to monitor. I've been getting better at remembering the more important functions but I still fumble with the controls now and then because of how complex they are. I wonder if they could be handled more intuitively but at the same time, I don't have an idea what would be better.

Considering that the original game kind of poked fun at exposition in AAA games, I'm surprised at how many cutscenes and dialogues there are. The one that frustrated me most so far was when the player character utilises a huge turret; why don't I get to control this?!

There have been some fun set pieces in some of the stages. I like that there are secrets to discover in the levels, although I'd prefer if progress in a level was saved so that I didn't have to do the whole thing again on replay just for one or two items I missed. I s'pose the cheat codes to unlock can help mitigate this somewhat.

Again, it's been a while since I played the original so I'm not sure about what all is new here, such as enemies. I will say that, at times, it feels a lot like playing a "Brutal DooM" source port of DooM 2016.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

« on: September 15, 2023, 12:24:05 PM »

Rumor: It prints money.

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TalkBack / Re: Princess Peach: Showtime Launching March 22

« on: September 15, 2023, 12:17:46 PM »

This game looks fun and cute and amazing. Amazingly cute? Either way, I'm definitely there for that!

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TalkBack / Re: Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door Remake Announced For 2024

« on: September 15, 2023, 12:12:41 PM »

It's okay to leave some doors closed.

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TalkBack / Re: F-ZERO Returns Today as the Next 99-player Title

« on: September 15, 2023, 12:06:55 PM »

It's nice to see the forum's biggest F-Zero guy in here laying down a history lesson.

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TalkBack / Re: Mario vs. Donkey Kong Remake Scampers onto Switch This February

« on: September 15, 2023, 11:52:25 AM »

This seems like a pretty random game to remake, especially since they could have just put the original on NSO.

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: September 03, 2023, 01:07:32 PM »

Oh, I s'pose I forgot to be mentioning on which platform I played some of the games! A Short Hike is an Xbox One game, and Tunic is either Xbox One or Xbox Series, I'm still unclear how to tell if a game was technically released on Xbox Series or if it's an enhanced Xbox One release, so I'll let you decide which one. Also, it's a small thing, but Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III are not currently on the Genesis NSO dealie; I played them in the Sega Genesis Classics collection on Switch.

Out of curiosity I was browsing a little of the reception for Tunic, curious what others had thought. A lot of people seem to compare it with a game titled Death's Door, with many saying it's the better of the two. This one's also on Game Pass, so I'll have to put it on my list and check it out! Maybe for next Backlaugust... although it may leave Game Pass before then so will probably have to sooner...

Anyhoos! Here's the score breakdown for the games I played this time:

A Short Hike - 8.5
Tunic - 8
Pokémon Trading Card Game - 7
Castlevania Bloodlines - 7
Shinobi III - 7
The Revenge of Shinobi - 6
Shadow Dancer - 6

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TalkBack / Re: Online Play Confirmed For Super Mario Bros. Wonder In Direct

« on: September 01, 2023, 11:23:14 AM »

I have mixed feelings about this. I s'pose this feature has its merits in terms of sociality, but it's no replacement for proper co-op and should exist as just one mode of online. They already figured this out in two prior Mario games. At least it has some form of online since the first trailer made it look like it could just be local only, and maybe I'll get lucky and they'll add proper online co-op in a future update...

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: August 31, 2023, 01:29:33 PM »

These games show an issue with the Genesis controller having only three main buttons, as whether or not Shinobi tosses a shuriken or slashes with his sword is based on distance to enemy, but it feels inconsistent and often still throws a shuriken at slash range. Having a separate sword button would have been ideal.

So jump is one button and shuriken/sword is another. What is the third button used for?

Magic! There are a few different spells, but it can be used only once per stage. They're not particularly useful, but can help at certain spots.

-----
    
Closing out Backlaugust is Tunic, just in time! It sometimes reminded me of one thing I liked about Outer Wilds, where sometimes progression is tied to simply gaining knowledge of how to do something or get somewhere. Collecting game manual pages is a unique and interesting way of tying puzzles together. I liked exploring the world and figuring things out, though the final set of puzzles was too technical for my liking, similar to stuff like sudoku. Conversely, I disliked the slow and tedious combat. I don't think I'll elaborate any further, so as to not invoke the wrath of its fans any more than I may already have!

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TalkBack / Re: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct To Air in Two Days

« on: August 30, 2023, 12:34:16 PM »

I'm still holding out hope for online play!

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: August 30, 2023, 12:33:05 PM »

Rounding out the series is Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master! Three games into this franchise and I still haven't quite figured out the timing of the double jump. Shinobi has learned some more ninja moves for me to mistime, such as a wall jump, and climbing across ceilings and pipes; this game really makes you feel like an incompetent ninja. Moves like a drop kick can be very useful. Compared to the previous, the stage design is generally easier and more fair, and I hardly used rewind at all until the final stage which is a ridonkulous gauntlet. Rigauntulous. These games show an issue with the Genesis controller having only three main buttons, as whether or not Shinobi tosses a shuriken or slashes with his sword is based on distance to enemy, but it feels inconsistent and often still throws a shuriken at slash range. Having a separate sword button would have been ideal.

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: August 29, 2023, 02:51:28 PM »

Another Genesis title in the bag, Shadow Dancer! I thought it was a sequel to Revenge of Shinobi, but apparently the arcade version released prior to it, and just took a couple of years to show up on Genesis. This one feels even more akin to a scroller shooter ala Contra, with infinite shurikens allowing for mindless rapid fire, and one-hit deaths. Fortunately the enemy concentration is lower than in Revenge, but it still results in a more difficult game. Shinobi now has a dog following him around that constantly barks whenever an enemy is on-screen, adding a robust annoyance factor. The bonus stage between rounds is surprisingly easy to perfect and earn three lives. With just four sets of stages it's shorter than Revenge, though it would have of course taken longer if I had to master it to clear it; some of the bosses would have been a real pain on actual hardware.

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TalkBack / Re: Excitebike 64 Taking Green Flag For Expansion Pack Next Week

« on: August 25, 2023, 02:06:30 PM »

That is a very 90s ad, love it.

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TalkBack / Re: Nightdive Studios Announces Star Wars, Turok 3 Remasters

« on: August 25, 2023, 02:02:37 PM »

I was surprised to see this happening, since it didn't have a PC version, and am glad it is! I hope this one also has online multiplayer since it was a real laugh riot.

Considering the port of Turok 2 for Switch did not include the multiplayer (unless it was patched in and I missed it)

I guess you did miss it, because Turok 2 does have multiplayer on Switch now. I'm not sure when it was updated, but I played quite a few online matches when it was populated, which unfortunately was short-lived. But fun while it lasted!

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: August 25, 2023, 01:56:07 PM »

I completed The Revenge of Shinobi in the Genesis collection as a nice break from Tunic, with liberal use of rewind of course. I never really heard anything about this series so I wasn't sure what to expect, thinking maybe it was Sega's answer to Ninja Gaiden, which it isn't. With all the shuriken-tossing action, it sometimes feels more like a side-scrolling shooter. For a ninja, this dude sure moves slowly. A weird quirk of the game is that colliding with an enemy itself doesn't cause damage, only knockback, so I would sometimes use this to avoid being hit by their weapon. With some of the mean setups in later levels, this almost feels required. I find myself wishing I had more Castlevania games to play instead...

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2023! (Forums Aren't Dead Yet?) Edition

« on: August 17, 2023, 02:16:28 PM »

Pokémon Trading Card Game
I was always mildly curious about this game, but never ended up getting the cartridge. Its inclusion on NSO is a nice addition. Now that I can finally try it out, I've gotta say...

...It's a card game all right! While there is a simple structure of progression for the title, it does very little to game-ify the card game, delivering it pretty straight. No grand adventure, no storylines, no real characters, not even something cool like having the Monz pop out of the cards, it's literally cards in the context of the game as well. I've never played the physical card game and have no interest in it, so I don't know what, if any, changes were made to this video game incarnation. I get the feeling it may be simplified over the real thing however, seeing that there are just 7 types.

Being a card game, luck is of course a big factor, especially starting out with a standard deck. As I went along and defeated more opponents to collect more cards, I was slowly able to add some better cards into my deck to mitigate the luck aspect and have useful cards pop up more often. The standard opponents seemed easy enough to tackle them with a wide variety of deck setups, but the final bouts required me to figure out some more specific ones to handle what they throw out.

Overall, while I didn't particularly enjoy the game itself, it was an interesting curiosity to learn some things about the card game and how things work. I would imagine that any fan of the card game would be satisfied.