Topics

1

General Chat / For all the Karens

« on: July 10, 2020, 12:50:00 PM »

I have some friends named Karen, and they are all good people.

It's really disappointing to have that name be used in general lexicon to mean a stupid or self-entitled person. We (as a society) have realized this with other labels that could be hurtful, and have stopped using them. Why do we suddenly think it's ok to just misappropriate an actual name this way?

So I beg you all, if someone is being a self-entitled moron then call them a self-entitled moron. Break the cycle of hurt that all innocent Karens are currently suffering from.

Thanks, that's my mini-rant of the day.

2

Nintendo Gaming / virtual tours - 3DS Louvre, Wii U Panoramic, etc...

« on: March 24, 2020, 01:52:25 PM »

So we're stuck inside, there is no school or outside activities happening right now, and the kids are getting kind of bored.

I was thinking about trying a virtual tour for them - we could read about a different area, maybe watch a movie, or try to cook some foreign food, stuff like that. Then I remembered there were a couple of neat-sounding apps for the 3DS and Wii U that might add a bit of immersion.

Has anyone tried the 3DS Louvre application, or downloaded the Wii U Panoramic "tours"?  If so, would they maybe be interesting time-wasters for kids or family members?  The cost is low enough that I think we're just going to dive in regardless... but I'm curious if anyone has opinions.

(PS - The 3DS Louvre tour cartridge is secretly one of my most coveted gaming items. I know you can download the digital version, but I'd love to find a way to get a reasonably priced English version imported to Canada. If anyone has tips there, please let me know!)

3

General Chat / What are you backing on KickStarter/Indiegogo/etc?

« on: March 07, 2020, 11:22:08 PM »

KickStarter is a weird beast.

Frankly, I don't really like what the platform has (mostly) become, and it feels like a lot of the successful projects coming out of it don't really match the spirit of why the site was first created... however, there is still cool, independent stuff getting released there if you look around, including stuff that convinces a skeptic like me to pony up some cash in advance to see the idea come to fruition.

Presumably, I'm not the only one here who has backed a few things that are currently active on KickStarter - if there is something that left you excited, whether related to gaming or art or music or some other media, take a minute and spread the word about it!

(I'll post again tomorrow talking about what I've got backed and am excited about.)

4

General Chat / Happy Valentine's Day to all the NWR Forum faithful!

« on: February 14, 2020, 05:35:43 PM »

Just want you all to know, you're the best.

5

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.

6

General Chat / who likes hot sauce?

« on: January 03, 2020, 01:23:17 PM »

I'm on a big hot sauce kick. I don't drown my food in it or anything, and want good flavor over pure heat, but am having a lot of fun trying some different domestic brands.

Right now my favorite is a black cherry with reaper peppers sauce from a Canadian company (Pepper North) that is sweet and mixes deliciously with beef tacos/burgers/nachos/etc... They also make another sauce with blueberries and scorpion peppers that is nice and tastes good with ice cream (although you lose a lot of the heat that way).

If you like spicy foods/sauces, what brands do you currently enjoy and what recipes do you use it with?

7

Nintendo Gaming / New 3DS XL consoles are long gone?

« on: November 21, 2019, 02:34:34 PM »

After a few years with my New 2DS XL system getting significant use, I can tell it's showing some wear. Since I've got a bunch of downloaded games, and since you can't easily transfer or play those games anywhere else, I've been thinking about getting a replacement system.

My first thought was to upgrade to a New 3DS XL so that I could actually appreciate the 3D effects in various games. It's not always an effect that I enjoy... but sometimes it's really cool and nothing else does quite the same thing.  Unfortunately, it looks like those consoles have gone extinct by now. Can't find one (new) locally, and initial online searches show they are either priced ridiculously high by re-sellers or simply unavailable at most sites.

Anyone have tips for tracking down one a New 3DS XL console, or have they done the same quick disappearing act that Wii U consoles did?  If so, I guess that I'd better buy a backup New 2DS XL system while they are still available...


Options I've found online:
* eBay - about $320 for a new system after shipping; this isn't actually that bad, although is a 10 or 15% markup from straight retail.
* Nintendo store - about $185 for a refurbished system before shipping; I've heard mixed reviews about refurbished products, so am hesitant here... would I be better off just scouting local used shops if leaning in this direction?

(PS - I live in a smallish town in Canada, which affects retail options and pricing.)

8

Nintendo Gaming / need recommendations: portable (DS/3DS) Bomberman?

« on: October 28, 2019, 12:05:58 PM »

My kids have recently started playing Bomberman, and I was hoping to find a good portable version we could take with us during trips. 

There seem to be several versions available for DS (including even a DSiWare version). From what I can tell, it's something like:

* Bomberman DS
* Bomberman DS 2 (not released in North America)
* Bomberman Land Touch!
* Bomberman Land Touch! 2
* Bomberman Story (not released in North America)
* Bomberman Blitz (DSiWare - I'll talk about this one separately below)

It sounds like the first two games (DS and DS 2) mostly follow the original structure of Bomberman games, the next two are mini-game compilations, and I don't know much at all about Bomberman Story.

It sounds like Multiplayer mode for DS carts is a separate module added in, with two possible versions depending on when the game was released - but most English releases are backwards compatible, and all of them include download play options?

Unfortunately, all of these DS games seem to be somewhat hard to find and more expensive than most older games on the system. So I'm hoping to get some suggestions from any fans of the series who might have played them which are the best options to look for. Download play is a key feature for us, but it sounds like all games have that... so I guess it's the margins (interesting single-player play, differences between multiplayer modes) that will help make the decision. Any suggestions or comments?


The DSiWare release apparently doesn't include download play, and doesn't have a single-player mode. Although easily and cheaply available from the eShop, those shortcomings mean it's out of contention from my viewpoint. I'd rather spend a bit more and get a game that has more flexibility and potential for future resale.

9

General Gaming / WTF endings for classic games

« on: October 28, 2019, 11:48:28 AM »

My kids are into Michael Jackson right now (because it's Halloween, so Thriller has been on rotation and they thought the cinematic quality of his videos was great and wanted to see more).  When I mentioned that he had a Genesis game (because we are also playing Genesis Mini lately), they wanted to see what it was all about.

A YouTube search resulted in lots of laughter, as they quickly recognized the Smooth Criminal video in digital format. Even better was the end of each level when you Jackson's face and he screams just a little bit. Hilarious enough that my kids wanted to see (only) the end of each level.

Holy cow. Did anyone here play that game, and if so, did you see the ending? Normally Jackson dances to defeat all of the baddies when the level ends, and then dances his was into the next stage. But when the game comes to an end he instead transforms into a giant, lethal robot, blows up all bad guys in the area, then flies into space for a first-person shoot out with the big boss. Super weird and unexpected!


Anyway, that got me thinking. What games (classic or otherwise) have you played where things seemed normal enough until the ending and then things went off the rails into crazy-ville?

10

General Gaming / Any thoughts about Gamebooks?

« on: September 06, 2019, 07:49:47 PM »

So Gamebooks were a thing way back in the 1980s.

Kids wanted to have adventures, but mainstream video games weren't really up to the task yet - certainly not like they are today. RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons or board games were good substitutes if you had a group of wiling players, but when that wasn't an option Gamebooks came in handy.

Each book is basically a Choose Your Own Adventure story, usually with a fantasy setting, with a simple character attached that would have some basic stats and equipment. During the adventure, you would engage in combat against a variety of different foe, trying to survive until the end of the story.

One of the most famous series of Gamebooks was Fighting Fantasy which has even seen one book - Warlock of Firetop Mountain - ported to Nintendo DS. It's a relatively rare and collectible game, by the way... just buying the book is much cheaper right now.


Anyway, Gamebooks have seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years. Not only are the classics getting reprinted and made available to a new generation, but the genre as a whole is seeing new (often better) content being created.

Recently I've found it really enjoyable to sit down and go through some of the Fabled Lands series of books. Unlike other stories, this is much more of an "open world", where you can choose to travel across the land and have adventures in distant lands by moving to the edge of the map and then switching to a new book with your current character intact. There are quests and keywords that carry over between books, and all kinds of details you might not find unless you are able to explore outside your immediate surroundings. Unfortunately that series had intended to publish 12 different books... but it came out late in the lifecycle of Gamebooks and only the first 6 were actually written. Not that a long ago, the seventh book became available thanks to KickStarter.

I've also been looking at the latest DestinyQuest book: Raiders of the Dune Sea. This series attracted me because they use a different structure; you are essentially given three sections in the book that must be completed, but within each section you have freedom to explore and make choices that will alter how prepared you are for the challenge before moving to the next section. This gives it much more narrative value than the very open and light Fabled Lands series - although both are enjoyable!


Has anyone else tried reading any Gamebooks, either now or in the past?

11

Nintendo Gaming / PSA: Do you own a physical copy of Persona Q (3DS)?

« on: June 29, 2019, 01:20:57 PM »

So maybe this is common knowledge and I'm the only one who missed the news... but anyone who bought early copies of Persona Q on 3DS should take out their cartridge and see if it still works. For some reason, many copies of the game are no longer functional and just given an error when you try to start playing.

 Purely speculation, but I'm guessing there must be something from a 3DS system update that affects this, because my copy was tested upon arrival and worked fine and then safe stored in my collection until today... and now it can no longer start.

As someone who intentionally buy physical because I often don't play games right away and want them work across different pieces of hardware (we own 4 different 3DS units at home), and paid a premium in this case for those features, this is HUGELY disappointing. It also makes me nervous about other Atlus games - will my (mostly unplayed) copy of Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 suffer the same fate? Should I even bother buying Persona Q2?

I've contacted Atlus customer support to see what they say.

12

General Gaming / Genesis Mini: Anyone else excited?

« on: May 08, 2019, 10:30:32 PM »

Anyone else excited about the upcoming Genesis Mini console?

So I never grew up with a Genesis. Sure, a friend-of-a-friend owned one and I had been suitably impressed by how awesome the games looked on a couple of rare visits where we all played Strider or Golden Axe together... but most of the Genesis library of games were new to me when Wii Virtual Console finally gave me access to some of the hits I had missed. Later on my exposure to Genesys gaming was increased thanks to the PSP version of Sega Genesys Collection.

My favorite Genesis games so far include Monster World IV, Toejam & Earl, Gunstar Heroes, and some of the later Phantasy Star games. Normally, I wouldn't feel a need to buy more Genesis games as I've got a decent selection of classics from the system to play through... but the list of titles announced for Genesis Mini so far already looks awesome, and the emulation is being done by M2 (who have a great reputation for quality). With 40 games packed in, including some of the only Contra and Castlevania games I've never tried, and two controllers to support multiplayer games, I'm already sold on the console.

My fingers are crossed to see MUSHA, Mega Turrican, and Alien Soldier added to the console also... and with 20 games left to announce, those seem totally possible. After all, M2 has previously emulated theoe games for other consoles. (Pro tip: You can see some of the Genesis games they've emulated previously here: https://www.mtwo.co.jp/en/development/retrogame-2/)

Anyway, didn't see any conversation outside of the Talkback thread, and this is one of my most anticipated gaming-related releases coming out this year. My outlook went from skeptical when first announced, to mildly impressed when they reworked the mini console to emphasize quality and get a better development team on-board, to actively looking for more information after seeing the second wave of games (which absolutely kicked the ass of the PS Classic lineup).

13

General Gaming / Capcom arcade stick plug-and-play: what are your thoughts?

« on: April 17, 2019, 11:04:01 AM »

Wow, this looks swaggy.

The game selection is pretty sweet, with a couple of interesting exclusives that will definitely help boost interest.
The novelty shape and appearance still looks functional and attractive.
But man oh man, that pricing...

On a per-game basis, pricing doesn't sound that bad - but there is no way I'd buy all of these games, and many are available at inexpensive rates elsewhere. Despite having interest, it's strictly outside of my budget - if I was planning to drop that much money on video games, it would probably be to get an (expandable) home console.

That does bring up an interesting point though: if this was expandable, would it be more attractive?
Maybe... Having the ability to add extra games for $5-15 a pop would be pretty killer. Piracy would be a concern, but frankly, people are going to hack things anyway so I'm not sure it matters.

14

General Chat / "the customer is always right" - who started that BS?

« on: February 22, 2019, 09:42:27 AM »

So after being reminded why I don't like dealing with eBay (at least not as a seller) any longer, it got me thinking: who started that "customer is always right" garbage?

I mean, 99% of the time it's not a bad maxim. Most customers aren't utter asshats who are trying to abuse the transaction process and cause grief for everyone around them... but the fact that the other 1% (probably an overestimation) out there are actively egged on and supported by this policy blows my mind.

The customer isn't always right, and that's ok. You still want their business and should treat them with respect and honesty. But when a customer is an utter asshat who tries to take advantage of every situation possible and treats others like dirt, they deserve to politely and responsibly shut down instead of catered to.

15

Nintendo Gaming / Any good Wii games to play over the holidays?

« on: December 14, 2018, 03:31:04 PM »

With some free time coming up over the holidays, I'm trying to pick a game from my Wii backlog to enjoy. Does anyone have suggestions that would be appropriate for the winter/Christmas season?

Some candidates I'm considering:
* Cursed Mountain - climbing a snowy, ghost-filled mountain sounds fun right?
* Toejam & Earl - I've gotten pretty far in the game, but never completed it; presents and sneaking up on Santa are big parts of the game
* Shaun White Showboarding: World Stage - admittedly, this was higher on my list before spraining my ankle; played with the balance board it's a lot of fun

Anyone else with suggestions that have a wintery/holiday feel, or maybe some kind of Christmas cameo in the game, and are still worth playing?

16

Nintendo Gaming / Netflix stops working on Wii consoles at the end of January, 2019

« on: November 11, 2018, 11:57:19 PM »

Saw a notice today when using my old Wii, that Netflix will stop supporting the system in January 2019. Thought it might be worth sharing.

Not sure if this is common knowledge, or something that people really care about - but I was disappointed. Wii consoles are still super cheap, and work on older (ie: non-HDMI) television sets. Not quite sure what we'll use as a cheap and easy replacement yet.

17

Nintendo Gaming / Zelda Triforce Heroes - Let's play dress-up!

« on: October 05, 2018, 08:21:08 AM »

I just got the game and haven't tried playing yet - but there seems to be enough interest here for some matchmaking.

Starting this thread so that we can see who is interested and figure out when people are available.
(I'm often available after 7pm Eastern during weeknights, starting next week.)

18

Nintendo Gaming / Games removed from Wii U eShop

« on: September 27, 2018, 02:15:52 PM »

So my Wii U wishlist has had The Cave lingering on it for longer than I care to say. The game always intrigued me, but never quite enough to buy at full price so I had been waiting with hopes of a sale. That sale never arrived (as far as I can tell, the game was never marked down, although it's possible that I just missed it when travelling or something) and now the game has been delisted.

Ah, the bright and shiny digital future, where pricing and availability both work in favor of the consumer...  at least that's true some of the time. (Shout out to Atlus for being awesome in supporting their back catalog of games with affordable digital versions!)

Have any other games been delisted without good reason, and is this possibly a sign that Wii U eShop days are numbered?

19

Nintendo Gaming / What are your favorite 3DS hidden gems?

« on: September 25, 2018, 01:50:40 PM »

As I'm working through my library of (retail) 3DS games, I noticed that most of them are mainstream, "big name" titles and that I've got far fewer quirky or original games for this system than I do for DS. Things get slightly better when you look at eShop titles that were downloaded, but it's still pretty heavy on first-party releases.

Can anyone suggest some awesome and unique games, preferable retail, that I should keep my eyes peeled for when trying to "finish up" my collection?

20

General Gaming / Pinball Arcade loses the license for Bally and Williams tables...

« on: May 11, 2018, 08:46:23 AM »

This is a pretty big blow for the Pinball Arcade games, and applies to all versions of the game.
If there are any Bally/Williams tables that you want, best to grab them before June 30th when the license expires.


Official announcement:
https://www.facebook.com/pinballarcade/posts/1791386990882353


List of games being removed:
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2018/05/08/pinball-arcade-loses-all-bally-and-williams-tables.aspx


I'm pretty bummed out about this and hadn't heard until just today - people probably talked about it and I just missed the article. Anyway, as a big pinball fan I generally enjoy recreations of real tables more than all digital ones (although both are good). There are about a half dozen tables on the list that I don't own yet but am keen to play... guess it's time to make some tough financial choices.


 

21

General Gaming / Merry Christmas to All - 2017

« on: December 25, 2017, 05:31:30 PM »

Another year passing by, as we can all tell by the aging NWR crew becoming increasingly bitter and sarcastic.
(Just kidding. James sounds the same as ever, unchanged by age.)
 


Time to count our blessings, as gamers and casual forum acquaintances.


First thing I'm thankful for: NWR continuing to provide a great Nintendo-based site, through thick or thin. During the GameCube and Wii U years, you were here for us. Now that Nintendo is hot news again with Switch, here's looking for a fantastic 2018.


Second thing:  Lots of Turkey and NBA action on Christmas. This has nothing to do with the site, or with gaming... but I'm still thankful.


Third thing: Another year of RFN podcast. Helping me shovel snow and not get bored while doing dishes for... what are we know?  Is it more than a decade?  However long it's been, I still look forward to each new episode.


Fourth thing: Lots of games. More than I can shake a stick at. I've almost stopped buying due to backlog, but they are still getting released at record rates. Craziness!

22

General Gaming / Your favorite game(s) from Wii U eShop?

« on: October 10, 2017, 03:25:42 PM »

Hey everyone!


Switch is a hit and Wii U is almost ready for retrospectives and I need your help.
Although it feels like I've got most games from the Wii U eShop that would interest me, I am always curious about possible indie or lesser known gems that could be overlooked.


What was your favorite game (maybe with runners-up) from the Wii U eShop?
Were there any games that really surprised you, or caught you your attention unexpectedly?
Did anything disappoint, or fail to live up to the hype - either review scores or your own expectations?


Looking primarily for games that didn't have a significant retail release, or are more obscure than the usual Breath of the Wild.

23

Nintendo Gaming / Wii Shop Channel shutting down - first real death of digital content?

« on: September 29, 2017, 08:50:03 AM »

Saw an article on NintendoLife talking about how the Wii Shop Channel is being prepped for shut down, and it got me thinking: I've still got lots of WiiWare and Virtual Console games left to play, but it sounds like those will be inaccessible before long. I mean, as long as you've got them saved on a working console you are ok, but there will be no way to re-download them once the servers are shut off.


Is this the first time we've seen a death of significant amounts of digital content?
Are there any games from the Wii Shop Channel you missed out, but still want to try?
How come Nintendo never packaged all the Art Style games onto a physical collection, similar to the Bit.Trip series?




There were a lot of digital games I purchased and enjoyed, and some of those games aren't available elsewhere to my knowledge. That makes me sad. It also makes me happy to have a shelf filled with physical games that are easily transferred and will be continually accessible (as long as the discs themselves don't deteriorate).

24

General Gaming / vita memory cards?

« on: August 30, 2017, 12:47:13 AM »

So frustrated tonight. I've been on a big digital pinball kick, and always use my PSTV to get a quick fix before bed... but today an odd error message showed up, and then the system reset and displayed an error when starting. It seems the memory card has gone completely corrupt - which essentially renders the system unplayable.

Tried all the online tips and tricks I could find after various reformat attempts. Nothing seems able to bring this back from the dead. What's even worse: I've got a sweet little shelf filled with Vita games that I was looking forward to playing, and now can't.


Whose idea was it to create these stupid proprietary memory cards? So expensive, hard to find, and (seemingly) low quality to boot since I've never seen an SD card just stop responding like this.

Part of this post is cathartic venting, but the other half is to see if anyone knows a good way to find a deal on Vita memory cards. I can only dream about a micro SD adapter, right?

25

Nintendo Gaming / connecting GBA Micro to GameCube?

« on: August 25, 2017, 02:06:48 PM »

Nintendo never made a real cable to do this... but it was possible to splice up your own custom cable with a bit of know-how and some ingenuity.


I have two such GBA Micro-to-GameCube cables that are in great condition, but no longer in use.

If you would like one sent to you for free, post here and use private message to send me your mailing address. Priority goes to people who are active on the forums and/or that I recognize who you are.


The number of people who own/enjoy GBA Micro consoles and still have any interest in using the GameCube link feature seems obscenely small by now. Figured this would be the best place to find a fan who might enjoy them.


Cheers,