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NWR Forums Discord / Happy MAR10 Day
« on: March 10, 2022, 07:25:26 PM »
I think this is like Mario's Birthday or something. Did anybody get me a present?
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
27
General Gaming / NWR Speedrunners
« on: March 08, 2022, 07:01:56 PM »
A quick search of the forums does not reveal a topic dedicated to speedrunning, unless you count this one. So let's see what people's thoughts, opinions, history, etc. are with speedrunning video games.
If you have any history with speedruns, then share the game, your best time, and any stories.
If you don't speedrun then you could discuss why or maybe even give it a try and report back.
Obviously this is not limited to breaking records, just any playthrough of a game, typically a replayed game, where you tried to go fast.
If you have any history with speedruns, then share the game, your best time, and any stories.
If you don't speedrun then you could discuss why or maybe even give it a try and report back.
Obviously this is not limited to breaking records, just any playthrough of a game, typically a replayed game, where you tried to go fast.
28
Nintendo Gaming / Switch Top Ten
« on: March 02, 2022, 07:27:51 PM »
NWR staff posted their top ten Switch games:
What is your personal Top Ten Switch list?
- Breath of the Wild
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Metroid Dread
- Super Mario 3D World
- Celeste
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Hades
- Steamworld Dig 2
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
What is your personal Top Ten Switch list?
29
General Gaming / How Do You Level Up?
« on: February 20, 2022, 03:12:21 PM »
I am playing through Shin Megami Tensei V right now and decided to put all my spendable points into the Luck category. I just reached 100 in that category so I switched to Agility.
This made me think, how do others usually upgrade their character?
In action/adventure games I usually go for stealth, or whatever is closest to that. I don't play a lot of RPGs so I usually try something different with each one. In Fallout 4 I put most of my points into Intelligence and Perception.
So, how do you level up?
This made me think, how do others usually upgrade their character?
In action/adventure games I usually go for stealth, or whatever is closest to that. I don't play a lot of RPGs so I usually try something different with each one. In Fallout 4 I put most of my points into Intelligence and Perception.
So, how do you level up?
30
General Gaming / Games Beaten, Completed, or Played in 2021
« on: January 03, 2022, 04:00:06 PM »
With 2021 in the rearview it is time to start another year of gaming. What better time than to post your records of games played, beaten, or completed. Personally I like to hear what system the games were played on, how long they took, whether you beat them any% or 100%, and if they were first plays or replays. Of course, feel free to post as little or as much as you want.
31
Nintendo Gaming / Nintendo Switch 2021 Statistics!
« on: December 14, 2021, 02:27:26 PM »
It's that time of year again! When Nintendo starts revealing some of the data they've been secretly compiling about us! Yaaaayyy......
So, what are the statics everyone is getting?
For myself, I
Here was my favorite game of the year:
So, what are the statics everyone is getting?
For myself, I
- Played 35 games
- Played 362 hours
- Most Played games are Astral Chain (43 hours), Ring Fit (41 hours), and No More Heroes 3 (40 hours)
- Most active day was Last Saturday 12/11 where I played for 7 hours
- 322 hours on the TV vs. 39 hours handheld
Here was my favorite game of the year:
32
Nintendo Gaming / Run the Developer 4: Monolith Soft
« on: December 03, 2021, 01:52:05 PM »
Run the Developer - is where we look at a specific game development studio's work and discuss our experiences with their games. In this second installment we turn our gaze to
Monolith Soft - is based out of Japan and best known for the Xenoblade/Xenosaga games. They were formed by ex-Square developers in 1999. They were a third party publisher until 2007 when they were acquired by Nintendo and have since become one of the most prestigious of N's first party studios. Check out their website for more details https://www.monolithsoft.co.jp/.
Games by Monolith Soft
Xenosaga Series
The first game developed by Monolith soft was Xenosaga Episode 1 for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Other games in the series include Xenosaga Freaks (PS2, 2004), Xenosaga Episode II (PS2, 2004), Xenosaga: Pied Piper (Mobile, 2004), and Xenosaga Episode III (PS2, 2006). The first two episodes were combined and released on Nintendo DS but only in Japan.
Baten Kaitos
The first Monolith Soft game to hit a Nintendo system was Baten Kaitos. Both the original Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (2003) and the sequel Origins (2006) were released on Gamecube.
Disaster: Day of Crisis
With Nintendo controlling Monolith Soft, the company released this action-adventure for Wii in 2008. The game was released in Europe and Australia but not North America, due to Reggie's lack of confidence in it.
Project X Zone
This pair of 3DS tactical RPGs by Monolith are successors to Namco x Capcom (PS2, 2005). Project X Zone was released in 2012 and Project X Zone 2 was released in 2015.
Xenoblade Series
The series that most people now associate with Monolith Soft debuted with Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii in 2010-2012. The game is considered one of their best and has since been re-released on 3DS (as a new 3DS exclusive) and Switch (2020). Other games in the series include Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U, 2015) and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch, 2017).
Comments
When will they announce Xenoblade Chronicles 3?
Do you want Monolith Soft to make games outside the Xenoblade series?
Have you played any of the Japan only titles they developed?
Monolith Soft - is based out of Japan and best known for the Xenoblade/Xenosaga games. They were formed by ex-Square developers in 1999. They were a third party publisher until 2007 when they were acquired by Nintendo and have since become one of the most prestigious of N's first party studios. Check out their website for more details https://www.monolithsoft.co.jp/.
Games by Monolith Soft
Xenosaga Series
The first game developed by Monolith soft was Xenosaga Episode 1 for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Other games in the series include Xenosaga Freaks (PS2, 2004), Xenosaga Episode II (PS2, 2004), Xenosaga: Pied Piper (Mobile, 2004), and Xenosaga Episode III (PS2, 2006). The first two episodes were combined and released on Nintendo DS but only in Japan.
Baten Kaitos
The first Monolith Soft game to hit a Nintendo system was Baten Kaitos. Both the original Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (2003) and the sequel Origins (2006) were released on Gamecube.
Disaster: Day of Crisis
With Nintendo controlling Monolith Soft, the company released this action-adventure for Wii in 2008. The game was released in Europe and Australia but not North America, due to Reggie's lack of confidence in it.
Project X Zone
This pair of 3DS tactical RPGs by Monolith are successors to Namco x Capcom (PS2, 2005). Project X Zone was released in 2012 and Project X Zone 2 was released in 2015.
Xenoblade Series
The series that most people now associate with Monolith Soft debuted with Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii in 2010-2012. The game is considered one of their best and has since been re-released on 3DS (as a new 3DS exclusive) and Switch (2020). Other games in the series include Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U, 2015) and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch, 2017).
Comments
When will they announce Xenoblade Chronicles 3?
Do you want Monolith Soft to make games outside the Xenoblade series?
Have you played any of the Japan only titles they developed?
33
Nintendo Gaming / Run[ner] the Developer 3: Choice Provisions
« on: June 24, 2021, 04:09:10 PM »
Run the Developer - is where we look at a specific game development studio's work on Nintendo systems and discuss our experiences with their games. In this second installment we turn our gaze to
Choice Provisions - is based out of California, US and probably known best for the BIT.TRIP series and the Runner games. After the success of Runner2 they absorbed Robotube and started publishing their titles as Minivisions. They have also published games for Neon Diety and Different Cloth and developed a couple of games for non-tendo but we will focus on the games developed by Choice Provisions and available on Nintendo systems in the list below. Check out their website for more details https://totallychoice.com/.
Games by Choice Provisions
BIT.TRIP Series
There are six BIT.TRIP games (Beat, Core, Void, Runner, Fate, and Flux) that were released as WiiWare from 2009-2011. The games feature a retro 8-bit aesthetic with short focused gameplay. The games were repackaged and sold at retail in 2011 for Wii (BIT.TRIP Complete) and 3DS (BIT.TRIP Saga). More recently (2020) the games were made available on the Switch e-Shop
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
When it came time for a follow up to the BIT.TRIP series Choice Provisions chose to make a sequel to RUNNER. The game released on Wii U in 2013 and we critically and commercially successful. The game is expected to be put on the Switch e-Shop in the near future.
Runner3
Released in 2018 as a Switch exclusive, the game received mixed reviews. A patch was later released to address some of the problems reviewers mentioned.
Bubsy: Paws on Fire
The 2019 release from Choice is another auto-runner, this time with the licensed characters of the Bubsy franchise. The game recycled a lot of assets from Runner 3 without letting up on the difficulty.
Comments
What system did you play the Bit.Trip games on?
Do you want more Runner games or something else?
Can they turn things around after Bubsy?
Choice Provisions - is based out of California, US and probably known best for the BIT.TRIP series and the Runner games. After the success of Runner2 they absorbed Robotube and started publishing their titles as Minivisions. They have also published games for Neon Diety and Different Cloth and developed a couple of games for non-tendo but we will focus on the games developed by Choice Provisions and available on Nintendo systems in the list below. Check out their website for more details https://totallychoice.com/.
Games by Choice Provisions
BIT.TRIP Series
There are six BIT.TRIP games (Beat, Core, Void, Runner, Fate, and Flux) that were released as WiiWare from 2009-2011. The games feature a retro 8-bit aesthetic with short focused gameplay. The games were repackaged and sold at retail in 2011 for Wii (BIT.TRIP Complete) and 3DS (BIT.TRIP Saga). More recently (2020) the games were made available on the Switch e-Shop
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
When it came time for a follow up to the BIT.TRIP series Choice Provisions chose to make a sequel to RUNNER. The game released on Wii U in 2013 and we critically and commercially successful. The game is expected to be put on the Switch e-Shop in the near future.
Runner3
Released in 2018 as a Switch exclusive, the game received mixed reviews. A patch was later released to address some of the problems reviewers mentioned.
Bubsy: Paws on Fire
The 2019 release from Choice is another auto-runner, this time with the licensed characters of the Bubsy franchise. The game recycled a lot of assets from Runner 3 without letting up on the difficulty.
Comments
What system did you play the Bit.Trip games on?
Do you want more Runner games or something else?
Can they turn things around after Bubsy?
34
Nintendo Gaming / Run the Developer 2: PlatinumGames
« on: June 08, 2021, 10:08:49 AM »
Run the Developer - is where we look at a specific game development studio's work on Nintendo systems and discuss our experiences with their games. In this second installment we turn our gaze to
PlatinumGames Inc. - formed from the remains of Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc., Platinum is a Japanese developer known for stylish action games. They have historically partnered with external publishers like Sega and Nintendo but as of 2020 started self-publishing. For more information, check out their website https://www.platinumgames.com/.
Games by Platinum
MadWorld
Platinum's debut was released on Wii in 2009. It is known for its monochromatic art style and hack and slash violence.
Infinite Space
Co-developed with Nude Maker, this 2009 DS RPG featured a sci-fi setting and according to Platinum, stretched the DS hardware to its limit.
Bayonetta
While not initially released on a Nintendo system when it came out in 2009, the start of the Bayonetta series was eventually released on Wii U (2014) and Switch (2018).
The Wonderful 101
The game azeke could not stop gushing about released for Wii U in 2013. It made liberal use of the Gamepad and while it failed commercially had a dedicated following. It was recently re-released on Switch (2020) and other platforms being the first game self-published by Platinum.
Bayonetta 2
As a surprise to many, Nintendo published this M-rated sequel on Wii U in 2014. The game was re-released on Switch in 2018. We now have Bayonetta as a playable character in Smash and patiently await the third installment in the franchise.
Star Fox Zero/Guard
Co-developed with Nintendo EPD, this pair of games was released on Wii U in 2016. Opinions seem to vary widely on these games but Platinum's influence is definitely noticeable.
Astral Chain
The most recent release from Platinum on a Nintendo system is 2019's Astral Chain for Switch. The game was well received and commercially successful. Why aren't you playing it right now?
Comments
So which games have you played? What did you like about them? Are you looking forward to Bayonetta 3? What is the deal with Sol Cresta?
PlatinumGames Inc. - formed from the remains of Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc., Platinum is a Japanese developer known for stylish action games. They have historically partnered with external publishers like Sega and Nintendo but as of 2020 started self-publishing. For more information, check out their website https://www.platinumgames.com/.
Games by Platinum
MadWorld
Platinum's debut was released on Wii in 2009. It is known for its monochromatic art style and hack and slash violence.
Infinite Space
Co-developed with Nude Maker, this 2009 DS RPG featured a sci-fi setting and according to Platinum, stretched the DS hardware to its limit.
Bayonetta
While not initially released on a Nintendo system when it came out in 2009, the start of the Bayonetta series was eventually released on Wii U (2014) and Switch (2018).
The Wonderful 101
The game azeke could not stop gushing about released for Wii U in 2013. It made liberal use of the Gamepad and while it failed commercially had a dedicated following. It was recently re-released on Switch (2020) and other platforms being the first game self-published by Platinum.
Bayonetta 2
As a surprise to many, Nintendo published this M-rated sequel on Wii U in 2014. The game was re-released on Switch in 2018. We now have Bayonetta as a playable character in Smash and patiently await the third installment in the franchise.
Star Fox Zero/Guard
Co-developed with Nintendo EPD, this pair of games was released on Wii U in 2016. Opinions seem to vary widely on these games but Platinum's influence is definitely noticeable.
Astral Chain
The most recent release from Platinum on a Nintendo system is 2019's Astral Chain for Switch. The game was well received and commercially successful. Why aren't you playing it right now?
Comments
So which games have you played? What did you like about them? Are you looking forward to Bayonetta 3? What is the deal with Sol Cresta?
35
Nintendo Gaming / Run the Developer 1: Shin'en Multimedia
« on: May 04, 2021, 07:41:13 PM »
Run the Developer - is where we look at a specific game development studio's work on Nintendo systems and discuss our experiences with their games. But Mr. B, isn't this more shameless mimicry of Khushrenada's posting? Well, perhaps, but perhaps I am just posting this as an homage to the subtle genius of the Run the Series posts. Perhaps Khushrenada has perfected the art of posting and there is no way to innovate without losing quality. Perhaps I am just a dupe account for Khush 
Either way beggars cannot be choosers as we must shovel out more free content to keep those Patron dollars rolling in.
Shin'en Multimedia - the first developer to get the spotlight is Shin'en multimedia. Despite their Japanese sounding name, which translates literally to "abyss" but also means "deep" or "profound", this is a German based studio. In fact, their first game, Kapt'n Blaubar was only released in German speaking countries. Since 2001 they have been releasing a variety of games, mostly on Nintendo handhelds. They are known for pushing the limits on the capabilities of the hardware to produce great looking games.
Games by Shin'en
Iridion
The first worldwide release for Shin'en was Iridion 3D for GBC in 2001. The sequel Iridion II released in 2003 on GBA. These shooters laid the groundwork for the Nano series that would follow.
Nanostray/Nano Assault
Nanostray (2005) and Nanostray 2 (2007) both released for DS. Nano Assault came out in 2011 for 3DS. An updated version Nano Assault EX was released in 2013. It was also ported to Wii U as Nano Assualt Neo 2013. A PS4 release marked the first time Shin'en published on a non-tendo console.
Fun! Fun! Minigolf
Originally appearing as Wiiware in 2008, there is also a sequel Fun! Fun! Minigolf Touch! on 3DS (2012).
Jett Rocket
Speaking of Wiiware to get a 3DS sequel, Jett Rocketed into our hearts in 2010 and came back in 2013 with The Wrath of Taikai.
Art of Balance
The Art of Balance started on Wii (2010) and since been ported to 3DS (2012), Wii U (2014), and Switch (2018).
Fast Racing
Perhaps the most prestigous series by Shin'en are the F-Zero like Fast games. Fast Racing League pushed the Wii to its limits in 2011, with sequels for Wii U in 2015, and Switch in 2017.
The Touryst
Enjoy your vacation in the latest from Shin'en, available on Switch. I really need to pick this one up.
Zenses
There are rainforest and Ocean editions of this DS game from 2008.
Licensed Games
In the early years of Shin'en they developed quite a few licensed games. Mostly licensed characters from cartoon shows like Maya the Bee and Garfield. Are they hidden gems like some of WayForward's licensed games or weaker entries like some of Platinum Games'? I left them out of the poll but sound off in the comments if you have some love for Miss Spider or Strawberry Shortcake.
Either way beggars cannot be choosers as we must shovel out more free content to keep those Patron dollars rolling in.Shin'en Multimedia - the first developer to get the spotlight is Shin'en multimedia. Despite their Japanese sounding name, which translates literally to "abyss" but also means "deep" or "profound", this is a German based studio. In fact, their first game, Kapt'n Blaubar was only released in German speaking countries. Since 2001 they have been releasing a variety of games, mostly on Nintendo handhelds. They are known for pushing the limits on the capabilities of the hardware to produce great looking games.
Games by Shin'en
Iridion
The first worldwide release for Shin'en was Iridion 3D for GBC in 2001. The sequel Iridion II released in 2003 on GBA. These shooters laid the groundwork for the Nano series that would follow.
Nanostray/Nano Assault
Nanostray (2005) and Nanostray 2 (2007) both released for DS. Nano Assault came out in 2011 for 3DS. An updated version Nano Assault EX was released in 2013. It was also ported to Wii U as Nano Assualt Neo 2013. A PS4 release marked the first time Shin'en published on a non-tendo console.
Fun! Fun! Minigolf
Originally appearing as Wiiware in 2008, there is also a sequel Fun! Fun! Minigolf Touch! on 3DS (2012).
Jett Rocket
Speaking of Wiiware to get a 3DS sequel, Jett Rocketed into our hearts in 2010 and came back in 2013 with The Wrath of Taikai.
Art of Balance
The Art of Balance started on Wii (2010) and since been ported to 3DS (2012), Wii U (2014), and Switch (2018).
Fast Racing
Perhaps the most prestigous series by Shin'en are the F-Zero like Fast games. Fast Racing League pushed the Wii to its limits in 2011, with sequels for Wii U in 2015, and Switch in 2017.
The Touryst
Enjoy your vacation in the latest from Shin'en, available on Switch. I really need to pick this one up.
Zenses
There are rainforest and Ocean editions of this DS game from 2008.
Licensed Games
In the early years of Shin'en they developed quite a few licensed games. Mostly licensed characters from cartoon shows like Maya the Bee and Garfield. Are they hidden gems like some of WayForward's licensed games or weaker entries like some of Platinum Games'? I left them out of the poll but sound off in the comments if you have some love for Miss Spider or Strawberry Shortcake.
36
Nintendo Gaming / Happy Price Selection: Coming to Switch? When? What Games? How Much?
« on: April 22, 2021, 07:05:18 PM »
1. When will Nintendo release Nintendo Selects versions of Switch games?
Looking back at the past three systems we can see it occurs about 3-5 years after the launch of the console.
- Wii: console launched November 2006, first batch of Nintendo Selects released May 2011 (4.5 years later)
- 3DS: console launched February 2011, first batch of Nintendo Selects released March 2016 (5 years later)
- Wii U: console launched November 2012, first batch of Nintendo Selects released March 2016 (3.5 years later)
- Switch: console launched March 2017 (4 years ago), first batch of Nintendo Selects releases
?
2. How much will Nintendo Switch games cost on Switch?
These games have been at the Happy Price of $20 (USD) on recent systems, but will that remain when we get some Switch Selects?
3. Which games will become Nintendo Switch Selects?
Most importantly of course is the games that will get included in this promotion. The Selects are usually Nintendo published games that are at least a few years old. I thought about putting in lists of the Nintendo Selects titles for the recent systems, but there were just too many. Instead check out the Wikipedia page that appears to have them all listed. Full List of Nintendo Selects Titles. Then vote for which games you think will get included on Switch in the above poll.
For bragging rights you may want to reply with your predictions for the first batch. If there are any games I omitted in the poll, please add them below. All information above is the the US so please share any differences for other regions.
37
Nintendo Gaming / Kickender: A brief history of crowdfunded video games on Nintendo systems
« on: April 15, 2021, 04:32:19 PM »
The Background
Around 2010 the popularity of websites like Kickstarter allowed people to source small contributions from a large number of individuals to fund their video game projects. The projects began with modest amounts and supported indie sized games but have grown to include projects in the millions and large scale development studios. Many of these projects seem to target gaps in the market for abandoned IP or spiritual successors. The quality has been mostly high as many of these projects have received lots of fan support and a development team that believes in the project. Naturally many of these games have come to Nintendo systems and due to the time period it has mostly been Wii U and Switch, with some appearing on both. So, let's take a look at these games and share our experiences with supporting such projects.
The Games
The list of games below has information in the following order:
Game Title (Developer, Campaign End Date-Game Release Date [Elapsed Time in Days], Amount Raised (USD), Platforms, NWR Reviews)
The Highlights
Starting with the NWR review scores we can see that these projects are hit or miss. The best reviewed games in the list are Shovel Knight and Hollow Knight which both received a 10 from NWR. The lowest score is unsurprisingly Mighty No. 9, though Yooka-Laylee was not much better. We are still waiting on that 3DS version Inafune
Turning next to the amount raised by the campaign we see amounts ranging from a low of $2,452 (Thomas Was Alone) to a high of $5,545,991 (Bloodstained). It is worth noting that Iga had the record for the most raised in one of these projects until Shenmue III came along.
Lastly, we consider the time that elapsed between the end of the campaign and the initial release date. The fastest time from date to date was 53 days, which is actually a tie between Thomas Was Alone and Project Giana. The longest span between funding and release was 1560 days (just over 4 years) which occurred with A Hat in Time.
The Comments
Sound off in the forums with your experiences with these games.
Did you support any of these projects?
Were you satisfied with the end product?
What is the future of crowdfunding in video games?
Around 2010 the popularity of websites like Kickstarter allowed people to source small contributions from a large number of individuals to fund their video game projects. The projects began with modest amounts and supported indie sized games but have grown to include projects in the millions and large scale development studios. Many of these projects seem to target gaps in the market for abandoned IP or spiritual successors. The quality has been mostly high as many of these projects have received lots of fan support and a development team that believes in the project. Naturally many of these games have come to Nintendo systems and due to the time period it has mostly been Wii U and Switch, with some appearing on both. So, let's take a look at these games and share our experiences with supporting such projects.
The Games
The list of games below has information in the following order:
Game Title (Developer, Campaign End Date-Game Release Date [Elapsed Time in Days], Amount Raised (USD), Platforms, NWR Reviews)
- Kentucky Route Zero (Jake Elliott, 2/6/11-1/7/13 [701 days], $8,583, Switch 9.5 from NWR
- Thomas Was Alone (Mike Bithell, 5/8/12-6/30/12 [53 days], $2,452, Wii U, Switch
- Project Giana (Black Forest Games, 8/31/12-10/23/12 [53 days], $186,158, Wii U 6.5 from NWR, Switch 6 from NWR
- Mercenary Kings (Tribute Games, 8/31/12-3/25/14 [571 days], $116,064, Switch 9 from NWR
- Freedom Planet (Galaxy Trail, 2/14/13-6/21/14 [492 days], $25,472, Wii U9 from NWR, Switch 9 from NWR
- Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games, 4/13/13-6/26/14 [639 days], $311,502, Wii U 10 from NWR, 3DS, Switch
- A Hat in Time (Gears for Breakfast, 6/28/13-10/5/17 [1560 days], $296,360, Switch 7 from NWR
- Mighty No. 9 (Comcept, 10/1/13-6/21/16 [994 days], $4,031,550, Wii U 5 from NWR
- Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (WayForward, 10/4/13-12/20/16 [1173 days], $947,937, Wii U 9 from NWR, Switch 9 from NWR
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine, 10/12/13-5/31/16 [962 days], Switch 9 from NWR
- Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 11/22/13-2/21/17 [1187 days], $209,375, Switch 9 from NWR
- Tadpole Treble (Matthew Tarranto, 12/7/13-5/6/16 [881 days], $34,250, Wii U 8.5 from NWR, Switch 7 from NWR
- The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (King Art Games, 5/23/14-2/20/15 [273 days], $171,593, Wii U, Switch
- Jotun (William Dube, 8/21/14-9/29/15 [404 days], $64,265, Wii U 8.5 from NWR, Switch 7 from NWR
- Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, 12/19/14-2/24/17 [798 days], $57,138, Switch 10 from NWR
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Koji Igarashi, 6/12/15-6/18/19 [1467 days], $5,545,991, Switch 8 from NWR
- Yooka-Laylee (Playtonic Games, 6/17/15-4/11/17 [664 days], $2,881,700, Switch 6 from NWR
- The Wonderful 101 Remastered (Platinum Games, 3/6/20-5/19/20 [74 days], $2,235,545, Switch 6 from NWR
The Highlights
Starting with the NWR review scores we can see that these projects are hit or miss. The best reviewed games in the list are Shovel Knight and Hollow Knight which both received a 10 from NWR. The lowest score is unsurprisingly Mighty No. 9, though Yooka-Laylee was not much better. We are still waiting on that 3DS version Inafune
Turning next to the amount raised by the campaign we see amounts ranging from a low of $2,452 (Thomas Was Alone) to a high of $5,545,991 (Bloodstained). It is worth noting that Iga had the record for the most raised in one of these projects until Shenmue III came along.
Lastly, we consider the time that elapsed between the end of the campaign and the initial release date. The fastest time from date to date was 53 days, which is actually a tie between Thomas Was Alone and Project Giana. The longest span between funding and release was 1560 days (just over 4 years) which occurred with A Hat in Time.
The Comments
Sound off in the forums with your experiences with these games.
Did you support any of these projects?
Were you satisfied with the end product?
What is the future of crowdfunding in video games?
38
General Gaming / Four on four
« on: April 04, 2021, 06:28:03 PM »
Four on Four is a community event for April.
The basic idea is to complete four games from four different systems in during the month of April. This will encourage us to play more games and games on different systems. Feel free to modify the rules as you see fit. Don't have four systems? Then pick four games from the same system. Don't complete games? Then just pick four games to play and don't worry about finishing them. You can pick them ahead of time or choose them as you beat them. I am going to pick some that I have already started and plan to finish in April
Just post the games you are playing and what system you are playing them on and have fun!
The basic idea is to complete four games from four different systems in during the month of April. This will encourage us to play more games and games on different systems. Feel free to modify the rules as you see fit. Don't have four systems? Then pick four games from the same system. Don't complete games? Then just pick four games to play and don't worry about finishing them. You can pick them ahead of time or choose them as you beat them. I am going to pick some that I have already started and plan to finish in April
Just post the games you are playing and what system you are playing them on and have fun!
39
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Final Results & Credits)
« on: March 28, 2021, 01:51:38 PM »Best of the Wii U eShop
Final Results
Round 1 - 822 views, 8 replies
Round 2 - 287 views, 2 replies
Round 3 - 636 views, 4 replies
Round 4 - 378 views, 6 replies
Round 5 - 378 views, 2 replies
Round 6 - 431 views, 1 reply
Round 7 - 242 views, 1 reply
Round 8 - 345 views, 4 replies
Round 9 - 335 views, 2 replies
Bonus Round A - 130 views, 0 replies
Bonus Round B - 265 views, 4 replies
Bonus Round C - 200 views, 2 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 1) - 747 views, 27 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 2) - 319 views, 8 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 3) - 235 views 6 replies
Bonus Round E - 246 views, 8 replies
Bonus Round F - 115 views, 3 replies
Bonus Round G - 129 views, 7 replies
Total - 6240 views, 95 replies!
Leaderboards
PLAYER SCORE
1. DISCORDOSAURUS 2500
2. LORDINSANITY 1600
3. KHUSHRENAD 1200
4. POKéBOWL148 950
5. LOLMONADE 450
6. UNKYBOB 450
7. BSAM 450
8. MOPPEDUP 300
9. IAMSAME 200
10. LORDLOWRANK 200
11. RABICLES 150
Player's Picks
Metroid: Zero Mission
Star Fox 64
Fast Racing Neo
Toki Tori 2+
Dr. Luigi
Pushmo World
Guacamelee!
Affordable Space Adventures
Axiom Verge
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Mega Man Zero
Mr. Bungle's Picks
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Affordable Space Adventures
Pushmo World
Dr. Luigi
Wii U Panorama View
Sportsball
Dual Core
Space Hunter
Scribble
Earthbound Beginnings
Sin & Punishment
Credits
Research & Writing: M.K. Bungle
Based on the Best of the 3DS eShop by: Khushrenada
Moderation: NWR_Insanolord
Game List: Nintendo Game Store
Prices: Price Charting
Metadata: metacritic
Reviews: NintendoWorldReport
Thank You for Playing!
Mr. Bungle has once again put a stop to Nintendo's evil plans.
The future holds the promise of peace for the forums of NWR...
Round 1 - Pre-Virtual Console
Round 2 - The Second Half of 2013
Round 3 - 2014 - Part 1
Round 4 - 2014 - Part 2
Round 5 - 2015 - Part 1
Round 6 - 2015 - Part 2
Round 7 - 2016 - Part 1
Round 8 - 2016 - Part 2
Round 9: 2017 - Present
Bonus Round A: NES VC
Bonus Round B: SNES VC
Bonus Round C: TG-16 VC
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 1
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 2
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 3
Bonus Round E: N64 VC
Bonus Round F: DS VC
Bonus Round G: Wii VC
Final Results & Credits
Round 2 - The Second Half of 2013
Round 3 - 2014 - Part 1
Round 4 - 2014 - Part 2
Round 5 - 2015 - Part 1
Round 6 - 2015 - Part 2
Round 7 - 2016 - Part 1
Round 8 - 2016 - Part 2
Round 9: 2017 - Present
Bonus Round A: NES VC
Bonus Round B: SNES VC
Bonus Round C: TG-16 VC
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 1
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 2
Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 3
Bonus Round E: N64 VC
Bonus Round F: DS VC
Bonus Round G: Wii VC
Final Results & Credits
Final Results
Round 1 - 822 views, 8 replies
Round 2 - 287 views, 2 replies
Round 3 - 636 views, 4 replies
Round 4 - 378 views, 6 replies
Round 5 - 378 views, 2 replies
Round 6 - 431 views, 1 reply
Round 7 - 242 views, 1 reply
Round 8 - 345 views, 4 replies
Round 9 - 335 views, 2 replies
Bonus Round A - 130 views, 0 replies
Bonus Round B - 265 views, 4 replies
Bonus Round C - 200 views, 2 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 1) - 747 views, 27 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 2) - 319 views, 8 replies
Bonus Round D (Part 3) - 235 views 6 replies
Bonus Round E - 246 views, 8 replies
Bonus Round F - 115 views, 3 replies
Bonus Round G - 129 views, 7 replies
Total - 6240 views, 95 replies!
Leaderboards
PLAYER SCORE
1. DISCORDOSAURUS 2500
2. LORDINSANITY 1600
3. KHUSHRENAD 1200
4. POKéBOWL148 950
5. LOLMONADE 450
6. UNKYBOB 450
7. BSAM 450
8. MOPPEDUP 300
9. IAMSAME 200
10. LORDLOWRANK 200
11. RABICLES 150
Player's Picks
Metroid: Zero Mission
Star Fox 64
Fast Racing Neo
Toki Tori 2+
Dr. Luigi
Pushmo World
Guacamelee!
Affordable Space Adventures
Axiom Verge
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Mega Man Zero
Mr. Bungle's Picks
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Affordable Space Adventures
Pushmo World
Dr. Luigi
Wii U Panorama View
Sportsball
Dual Core
Space Hunter
Scribble
Earthbound Beginnings
Sin & Punishment
Credits
Research & Writing: M.K. Bungle
Based on the Best of the 3DS eShop by: Khushrenada
Moderation: NWR_Insanolord
Game List: Nintendo Game Store
Prices: Price Charting
Metadata: metacritic
Reviews: NintendoWorldReport
Thank You for Playing!
Mr. Bungle has once again put a stop to Nintendo's evil plans.
The future holds the promise of peace for the forums of NWR...
40
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round G: Wii VC)
« on: March 21, 2021, 08:24:00 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo Wii Virtual Console
The Wii is Nintendo's best selling home console to date. At about 101 million units sold, it was the predecessor to the Wii U. Since the Wii U is backwards compatible it can natively play Wii discs and so no emulation is needed for these titles. It is worth noting that the Virtual Console branding of these games was only done by Nintendo of America. From January of 2015 to July of 2017, 30 Wii games were made available on the Wii U eShop and all appear to still be there. The games are priced at $19.99 in the US.
The Games
The following 30 titles comprise the Wii VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer, Current disc cost*)
* Loose disc only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
There are actually quite a few of these games that have released on other systems. Jungle Beat and both Pikmin games were originally on GameCube. Donkey Kong Country Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn received 3DS releases. On Switch you can buy Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Galaxy, and Skyward Sword. Rayman Raving Rabbids has a DS version. Xenoblade Chronicles has the honor of being available on four systems: Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and Switch.
There is certainly more of a case to just get a used Wii disc here since Wii U is backwards compatible. However some of these titles exceed the $20 download cost. Most notably, Metroid Prime Trilogy ($91 CIB), Rhythm Heaven Fever ($104 CIB), and Pikmin 2 ($59 CIB).
While most of the list was developed by Nintendo and second party studios, there are some deep cuts from third parties like Lost in Shadow and Trauma Team.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as we post the results and credits for the Best of the Wii U eShop.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo Wii Virtual Console
The Wii is Nintendo's best selling home console to date. At about 101 million units sold, it was the predecessor to the Wii U. Since the Wii U is backwards compatible it can natively play Wii discs and so no emulation is needed for these titles. It is worth noting that the Virtual Console branding of these games was only done by Nintendo of America. From January of 2015 to July of 2017, 30 Wii games were made available on the Wii U eShop and all appear to still be there. The games are priced at $19.99 in the US.
The Games
The following 30 titles comprise the Wii VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer, Current disc cost*)
* Loose disc only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010, Retro Studios, $15)
- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2009, Nintendo, $11)
- Excitebots: Trick Racing (2009, Nintendo, $7)
- Kirby's Epic Yarn (2010, Good Feel, $8)
- Kirby's Return to Dream Land (2011, HAL, $30)
- Lost in Shadow (2011, Hudson, $13)
- Mario Sports Mix (2011, Square Enix, $17)
- Mario Strikers Charged (2007, Next Level, $8)
- Mario Super Sluggers (2008, BNEA, $11)
- Metroid Prime Trilogy (2009, Retro Studios, $65)
- Metroid: Other M (2010, Team NINJA, $6)
- Pandora's Tower (2012, Ganbarion, $39)
- Pikmin (2009, Nintendo, $24)
- Pikmin 2 (2012, Nintendo, $41)
- PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure (2010, Creatures Inc., $19)
- Punch Out!! (2009, Next Level, $15)
- Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006, Ubisoft, $4)
- Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (2007, Capcom, $6)
- Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007, Capcom, $7)
- Rhythm Heaven Fever (2012, TNX/Nintendo, $83)
- Sin & Punishment: Star Successor (2010, Creatures Inc., $15)
- Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Nintendo, $14)
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Nintendo, $23)
- Super Paper Mario (2007, Intelligent Systems, $13)
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011, Nintendo, $25)
- Trauma Team (2010, Atlus, $10)
- Wario Land: Shake It (2008, Good Feel, $10)
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves (2007, Nintendo, $11)
- Xenoblade Chronicles (2011, Monolith Soft, $23)
- Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (2007, Capcom, $9)
The Highlights
There are actually quite a few of these games that have released on other systems. Jungle Beat and both Pikmin games were originally on GameCube. Donkey Kong Country Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn received 3DS releases. On Switch you can buy Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Galaxy, and Skyward Sword. Rayman Raving Rabbids has a DS version. Xenoblade Chronicles has the honor of being available on four systems: Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and Switch.
There is certainly more of a case to just get a used Wii disc here since Wii U is backwards compatible. However some of these titles exceed the $20 download cost. Most notably, Metroid Prime Trilogy ($91 CIB), Rhythm Heaven Fever ($104 CIB), and Pikmin 2 ($59 CIB).
While most of the list was developed by Nintendo and second party studios, there are some deep cuts from third parties like Lost in Shadow and Trauma Team.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Do you consider these Virtual Console Games?
- Which of these titles will get released on Switch next?
- Will Skyward Sword get de-listed on Wii U once the Switch version comes out?
Next Round
Join me next week as we post the results and credits for the Best of the Wii U eShop.
41
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round F: DS VC)
« on: March 14, 2021, 02:33:56 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo DS Virtual Console
The DS is Nintendo's best selling console to date. At about 154 million units sold, it was the last handheld to be available before smart phones became ubiquitous. The dual screen format was novel yet it made porting the games to other systems a challenge. Of course since Wii U has two screens and one of them is a touch screen, all the pieces were there for putting some great handheld games on your TV.
In April of 2015 those pieces came together and over the next two years a total of 31 games were made available on the Wii U eShop. All 31 titles were published by Nintendo and they are all still available for $9.99 (with the exception of the two "Brain" games which are $6.99). I would like to mention that since the two screens in a Wii U set-up are not connected, it is not exactly a one-to-one mapping from the DS. Nintendo provided a variety of screen settings that you can choose from depending the game and your play style. My personal favorite is to have the top screen of the DS mapped to the TV and the bottom screen of the DS mapped to the Gamepad.
The Games
The following 31 titles comprise the DS VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer, Current cartridge cost*)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
Clearly since all models of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems are backwards compatible with DS, these games can be played there by sourcing the cartridge. However no DS virtual console exists for the 3DS. Personally, I have WarioWare Touched! digitally on my 3DS, but I believe that was a Club Nintendo reward of some sort.
There are only two re-releases that I know of: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team was remade for Switch last year and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first Fire Emblem on the Famicom that was also released last year on Switch.
If you are tracking down the original software then it is worth noting that many of these are quite affordable with the exceptions being Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky ($114 CIB), The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks ($67 CIB), and the aforementioned Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon ($76 CIB).
The closest we get to a third part release is the Square Enix developed Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
Looking at release years the DS was quite prodigious spanning eight years. The bookend releases are typical with Mario kicking off the launch of the system and Kirby closing out the show.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as Wii finish off the Virtual Console for the Wii U e Shop.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo DS Virtual Console
The DS is Nintendo's best selling console to date. At about 154 million units sold, it was the last handheld to be available before smart phones became ubiquitous. The dual screen format was novel yet it made porting the games to other systems a challenge. Of course since Wii U has two screens and one of them is a touch screen, all the pieces were there for putting some great handheld games on your TV.
In April of 2015 those pieces came together and over the next two years a total of 31 games were made available on the Wii U eShop. All 31 titles were published by Nintendo and they are all still available for $9.99 (with the exception of the two "Brain" games which are $6.99). I would like to mention that since the two screens in a Wii U set-up are not connected, it is not exactly a one-to-one mapping from the DS. Nintendo provided a variety of screen settings that you can choose from depending the game and your play style. My personal favorite is to have the top screen of the DS mapped to the TV and the bottom screen of the DS mapped to the Gamepad.
The Games
The following 31 titles comprise the DS VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer, Current cartridge cost*)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Advance Wars: Dual Strike (2005, Intelligent Systems, $20)
- Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005, Nintendo EAD, $13)
- Big Brain Academy (2006, Nintendo, $3)
- Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (2006, Nintendo SPD, $3)
- DK Jungle Climber (2007, Nintendo, $14)
- Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (2009, Intelligent Systems, $36)
- Kirby: Canvas Curse (2005, HAL, $18)
- Kirby: Mass Attack (2011, HAL, $15)
- Kirby: Squeak Squad (2006, HAL, $18)
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005, Alpha Dream, $22)
- Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (2006, Square Enix, $10)
- Mario Kart DS (2005, Nintendo EAD, $10)
- Mario Party DS (2007, Hudson Soft, $11)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (2006, Nintendo Software Technology, $7)
- Metroid Prime Hunters (2006, Nintendo Software Technology, $9)
- New Super Mario Bros. (2006, Nintendo EAD, $11)
- Picross 3D (2010, HAL, $7)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (2006, Chunsoft, $13)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky (2008, Chunsoft, $88)
- Pokémon Ranger (2006, HAL, $21)
- Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (2008, Creatures Inc., $28)
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (2010, Creatures Inc., $25)
- Star Fox Command (2006, Nintendo EAD, $7)
- Style Savvy (2009, Nintendo SPD, $8)
- Super Mario 64 DS (2004, Nintendo EAD, $14)
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007, Nintendo EAD, $16)
- The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009, Nintendo EAD, $45)
- Wario: Master of Disguise (2007, Suzak, $11)
- WarioWare: Touched! (2005, Intelligent Systems, $11)
- Yoshi Touch & Go (2005, Nintendo EAD, $10)
- Yoshi's Island DS (2006, Artoon, $12)
The Highlights
Clearly since all models of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems are backwards compatible with DS, these games can be played there by sourcing the cartridge. However no DS virtual console exists for the 3DS. Personally, I have WarioWare Touched! digitally on my 3DS, but I believe that was a Club Nintendo reward of some sort.
There are only two re-releases that I know of: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team was remade for Switch last year and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first Fire Emblem on the Famicom that was also released last year on Switch.
If you are tracking down the original software then it is worth noting that many of these are quite affordable with the exceptions being Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky ($114 CIB), The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks ($67 CIB), and the aforementioned Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon ($76 CIB).
The closest we get to a third part release is the Square Enix developed Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
Looking at release years the DS was quite prodigious spanning eight years. The bookend releases are typical with Mario kicking off the launch of the system and Kirby closing out the show.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Which screen setup do you prefer when playing DS games on Wii U?
- Do you like touch controls more than motion controls?
- If Pokepal became a NWR Junior Ranger, would that make him a Pokémon Ranger?
Next Round
Join me next week as Wii finish off the Virtual Console for the Wii U e Shop.
42
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round E: N64 VC)
« on: March 07, 2021, 12:39:25 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo 64 Virtual Console
The Nintendo 64 (N64) ushered many players into the world of 3D gameplay and included the release of several timeless classics. The N64 was included on the virtual console for Wii and the full list of games available is very similar to the list below. While the 3DS did not attempt to emulate N64 games several high profile games were re-mastered for play on the handheld. The Wii U eShop has a meager 21 titles typically costing $9.99 (USD) with the whole shebang detailed below.
The Games
The following 21 titles comprise the N64 VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer/Publisher, Current cartridge cost*)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
There are three games that received the 3DS re-master treatment: Star Fox, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. We should also mention the Super Mario 64 which was remade for DS and most recently re-released on Switch as part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars compilation.
If want to compare the Wii VC with the Wii U VC then the following titles are only available on Wii U: Bomberman 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Harvest Moon 64.
Looking at developers we can see a lack of third party support. In addition to the aforementioned Bomberman (Konami) and Harvest Moon (Natsume), the VC also include Ogre Battle 64 (Square Enix). This cult classic is also the most valuable cartridge to obtain these days and trades for $80 loose or $180 CIB.
The last thing to mention is Sin & Punishment. This on-rails shooter was a Japan exclusive at the turn of the century and did not see an official localization until 2007 when it was released on the Wii VC. But you will be paying the localization tax as this is the one title priced at $11.99 ($2 over the standard rate).
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as we Do Service to the last handheld included in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the first few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Nintendo 64 Virtual Console
The Nintendo 64 (N64) ushered many players into the world of 3D gameplay and included the release of several timeless classics. The N64 was included on the virtual console for Wii and the full list of games available is very similar to the list below. While the 3DS did not attempt to emulate N64 games several high profile games were re-mastered for play on the handheld. The Wii U eShop has a meager 21 titles typically costing $9.99 (USD) with the whole shebang detailed below.
The Games
The following 21 titles comprise the N64 VC for Wii U with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, Developer/Publisher, Current cartridge cost*)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- 1080 Snowboarding (1998, Nintendo, $10)
- Bomberman 64 (1997, Konami, $22)
- Donkey Kong 64 (1999, Rare/Nintendo, $28)
- Excitebike 64 (2000, Nintendo, $8)
- F-Zero X (1998, Nintendo, $27)
- Harvest Moon 64 (1999, Natsume, $45)
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000, HAL/Nintendo, $29)
- Mario Golf (1999, Camelot/Nintendo, $27)
- Mario Kart 64 (1997, Nintendo, $34)
- Mario Party 2 (2000, Nintendo, $41)
- Mario Tennis (2000, Camelot/Nintendo, $23)
- Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (2000, Square Enix, $78)
- Paper Mario (2001, Nintendo, $69)
- Pokemon Snap (1999, HAL/Nintendo, $17)
- Sin & Punishment (2007, Treasure/Nintendo, NA)
- Star Fox 64 (1997, Nintendo, $20)
- Super Mario 64 (1996, Nintendo, $31)
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000, Nintendo, $46)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, Nintendo, $31)
- Wave Race 64 (1996, Nintendo, $10)
- Yoshi's Story (1998, Nintendo, $22)
The Highlights
There are three games that received the 3DS re-master treatment: Star Fox, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. We should also mention the Super Mario 64 which was remade for DS and most recently re-released on Switch as part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars compilation.
If want to compare the Wii VC with the Wii U VC then the following titles are only available on Wii U: Bomberman 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Harvest Moon 64.
Looking at developers we can see a lack of third party support. In addition to the aforementioned Bomberman (Konami) and Harvest Moon (Natsume), the VC also include Ogre Battle 64 (Square Enix). This cult classic is also the most valuable cartridge to obtain these days and trades for $80 loose or $180 CIB.
The last thing to mention is Sin & Punishment. This on-rails shooter was a Japan exclusive at the turn of the century and did not see an official localization until 2007 when it was released on the Wii VC. But you will be paying the localization tax as this is the one title priced at $11.99 ($2 over the standard rate).
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Which version of Super Mario 64 do you prefer?
- Would you rather have an N64 classic or have N64 games added onto the Switch online service?
- Are you a person of lordly caliber?
Next Round
Join me next week as we Do Service to the last handheld included in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
43
Nintendo Gaming / Mario Golf: Super Rush
« on: March 01, 2021, 05:09:50 PM »
One of the big games announced at the most recent direct that I am excited for is Mario Golf: Super Rush.
According to the game's web page the game is
Hopefully we can discuss the game as it's release nears and maybe even schedule some multiplayer with forum users. Here are some questions to get the discussion going:
According to the game's web page the game is
- scheduled to release June 25, 2021
- is developed by Camelot
- includes the following modes: Standard Golf, Speed Gold, and Story Mode
- supports four player co-op locally and online
- supports motion controls
- includes the following playable characters: Mario, Yoshi, Waluigi, Daisy, Bowser, Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Mii's, Toad, and Wario
Hopefully we can discuss the game as it's release nears and maybe even schedule some multiplayer with forum users. Here are some questions to get the discussion going:
- What is your history with the Mario Gold series?
- What mode are you most interested in playing?
- Are there any playable characters that were not announced that you hope get added to the roster?
44
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 3)
« on: February 28, 2021, 12:47:29 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii; With the 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically.
The Games
In the final third we see the following 21 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
Half of the infamous 3DS ambassador games appear in this final third and include Mario, Zelda, and Metroid as well as two Wario Games.
Original cartridges are back to being expensive in this final set with eight titles costing $20 or more. But the most valuable game is also the one with the funniest name. If you were hoping to pick up Pocky & Rocky with Becky then you will be shelling out over $100. A new copy will even fetch $2000! That Becky is not a cheap date.
Checking in with publishers, we finally see some games from outside Japan with the pair of Rayman releases. Rayman 3 is a 2D game to accompany the 3D versions released on Gamecube and other homeconsoles. Rayman Advance appears to be a port of the original game in the series.
Speaking of games available elsewhere, the list includes Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, which was updated and released (Rescue Team DX) on Switch about one year ago.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week in taking a look at some Ultra games from the big N.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii; With the 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically.
The Games
In the final third we see the following 21 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Metroid Fusion (2002, Nintendo, $30, @)
- Metroid: Zero Mission (2004, Nintendo, $38)
- Mr. Driller 2 (2005, Bandai Namco, $29)
- NAMCO Museum (2001, Bandai Namco, $5)
- Onimusha Tactics (2003, Capcom, $22)
- PAC-MAN Collection (2001, Mass Media Games/Bandai Namco, $5)
- Pocky & Rocky with Becky (2002, Altron/Natsume, $121)
- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (2006, Chunsoft/Nintendo, $15)
- Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (2003, Jupiter/Nintendo, $18)
- Polarium Advance (2006, Nintendo, $5)
- Rayman 3 (2003, Ubisoft, $8)
- Rayman Advance (2001, Ubisoft, $8)
- Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (GBA) (2002, Capcom, $37)
- Super Mario Advance (2001, Nintendo, $10)
- Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (2002, Nintendo, $12)
- Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (2002, Nintendo, $14, @)
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2003, Nintendo, $14)
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival (2001, Capcom, $18)
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2005, Capcom/Nintendo, $18, @)
- Wario Land 4 (2004, Nintendo, $20, @)
- WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgame$ (2003, Nintendo, $30, @)
The Highlights
Half of the infamous 3DS ambassador games appear in this final third and include Mario, Zelda, and Metroid as well as two Wario Games.
Original cartridges are back to being expensive in this final set with eight titles costing $20 or more. But the most valuable game is also the one with the funniest name. If you were hoping to pick up Pocky & Rocky with Becky then you will be shelling out over $100. A new copy will even fetch $2000! That Becky is not a cheap date.
Checking in with publishers, we finally see some games from outside Japan with the pair of Rayman releases. Rayman 3 is a 2D game to accompany the 3D versions released on Gamecube and other homeconsoles. Rayman Advance appears to be a port of the original game in the series.
Speaking of games available elsewhere, the list includes Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, which was updated and released (Rescue Team DX) on Switch about one year ago.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Have you played Polarium?
- What is your favorite Zelda game developed for a handheld?
- What else has Jupiter developed besides Picross and Pokemon Pinball?
- Are there any GBA games not on Wii U VC that you want to mention?
Next Round
Join me next week in taking a look at some Ultra games from the big N.
45
Nintendo Gaming / Splatoon 3: Enter the Splatlands
« on: February 23, 2021, 02:10:45 PM »
Splatoon 3 is planned for a 2022 release on Switch [WUT!]
. According to the official site the third entry in the series will have players:
- Discover the Splatlands, a new sun-soaked region with trendsetting inhabitants
- Experiment with new styles for Inklings and Octolings
- 4v4 Turf Wars* are back, with new stages, new maneuvers, and new weapons
What is your history with the Splatoon series?
What are your current stats?
What changes do you hope to see with the new game?
Should this type of game just have one iteration per console?
46
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 2)
« on: February 21, 2021, 07:34:08 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii; With the 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically.
In this second third we see the following 23 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
There are only two Ambassador games this week - Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
The loose carts are a little more affordable in this lot but they are all still above the Wii U eShop costs. Collectors should be on the lookout for the first game in the Mega Man Battle Network series as it currently sells for around $60!
Mega Man was very prolific on the GBA with 12 games released in six years. While the four Mega Man Zero titles are available in a DS collection and the more recent Mega Man Zero Legacy Collection, the Battle Network games were not released as a collection, yet. It is also worth noting that in 2002 we see the Inti Creates team start making Mega Man Games for Capcom.
The only other re-releases that I am aware of is Konami Karzy Racers getting ported to phones and the 3DS remake of Superstar Saga. While the GBA original represents Alpha Dream in their prime, the 3DS re-release signaled the beginning of their end.
As we have seen before, there can be games getting their first North American release in the Virtual Console. For the Game Boy Advance, that honor goes to Kuru Kuru Kururin. This Nintendo Published puzzler was released on the GBA everywhere but America and gained a bit of a cult following at NWR. In 2016, the Wii U VC release made the game officially available in the US, but did it live up to its legendary reputation? (Link to NWR article)
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as we wrap up the GBA VC in our unabridged survey of the Wii U Virtual Console.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii; With the 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically.
In this second third we see the following 23 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Konami Krazy Racers (2001, Konami, $8.5)
- Kuru Kuru Kururin (2016, Eighting/Nintendo, N/A)
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003, Alpha Dream/Nintendo, $17)
- Mario Golf: Advance Tour (2004, Camelot/Nintendo, $19)
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001, Nintendo, $11, @)
- Mario Party Advance (2005, Nintendo, $10)
- Mario Pinball Land (2004, Nintendo, $11)
- Mario Tennis: Power Tour (2005, Camelot/Nintendo, $17)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004, Nintendo, $13, @)
- Medabots: Metabee/Rokusho (2002, Natsume, $50/$38)
- Medabots AX: Metabee/Rokusho (2002, Natsume, $9/$9)
- Mega Man & Bass (2003, Capcom, $19)
- Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge (2004, Inti Creates/Capcom, $18)
- Mega Man Battle Network (2001, Capcom, $57)
- Mega Man Battle Network 2 (2002, Capcom, $45)
- Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue/White (2003, Capcom, $23/$23)
- Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon/Red Sun (2004, Capcom, $20/$22)
- Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel/Team Protoman (2005, Capcom, $19/$25)
- Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar/Cybeast Gregar (2006, Capcom, $44/$37)
- Mega Man Zero (2002, Inti Creates/Capcom, $29)
- Mega Man Zero 2 (2003, Inti Creates/Capcom, $16)
- Mega Man Zero 3 (2004, Inti Creates/Capcom, $15)
- Mega Man Zero 4 (2005, Inti Creates/Capcom, $19)
The Highlights
There are only two Ambassador games this week - Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
The loose carts are a little more affordable in this lot but they are all still above the Wii U eShop costs. Collectors should be on the lookout for the first game in the Mega Man Battle Network series as it currently sells for around $60!
The only other re-releases that I am aware of is Konami Karzy Racers getting ported to phones and the 3DS remake of Superstar Saga. While the GBA original represents Alpha Dream in their prime, the 3DS re-release signaled the beginning of their end.
As we have seen before, there can be games getting their first North American release in the Virtual Console. For the Game Boy Advance, that honor goes to Kuru Kuru Kururin. This Nintendo Published puzzler was released on the GBA everywhere but America and gained a bit of a cult following at NWR. In 2016, the Wii U VC release made the game officially available in the US, but did it live up to its legendary reputation? (Link to NWR article)
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Which GBA games would you want included if Nintendo released a GBA classic?
- Will Capcom release a Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection?
- Does the new Mario Golf game for Switch make you nostalgic for Mario Golf: Advance Tour?
- Were Natsume and Capcom successful with their attempts to pull off a Pokemon style dual version release?
Next Round
Join me next week as we wrap up the GBA VC in our unabridged survey of the Wii U Virtual Console.
47
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round D: GBA VC - Part 1)
« on: February 14, 2021, 02:21:10 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii and with 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically. I mean, what better way to increase views and comments on this fledgling series of posts than to stretch it out even more
.
In this first third we see the following 24 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
There are three Ambassador games in this first third. The Nintendo developed F-Zero game, Fire Emblem (AKA Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade), and the good GBA Kirby game.
As you can see, the cost of loose carts varies quite a bit but most are more than the $7 US cost of the eShop download. The most valuable title in this lot is Car Battler Joe, which goes for about $240 new!
It is also worth noting that Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is the only game from Square Enix on the GBA VC.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as we tackle the second third of the GBA VC in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Game Boy Advance Virtual Console
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) sold about 81.5 million units and had quite a few exclusive games from well known franchises. However there have not been many attempts to re-release those games. There was no GBA virtual console for Wii and with 3DS it was limited to the ten titles included with the Ambassador Program (Link to NWR article). There are a few games that managed to get re-released on other systems, but by and large most seem locked on either the original hardware or the Wii U eShop. The Wii U eShop has 74 titles ranging in cost from $6.99 to $7.99 (USD) and we will deal with them in three parts, sorted alphabetically. I mean, what better way to increase views and comments on this fledgling series of posts than to stretch it out even more
.In this first third we see the following 24 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, developer/publisher, current cartridge cost*, @ indicates part of the 3DS Ambassador Program)
* Loose cartridge only, USD, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Advance Wars (2001, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, $35)
- Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (2003, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, $25)
- Car Battler Joe (2002, Ancient/Natsume, $94)
- Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003, Konami, $82)
- Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001, Konami, $18)
- Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002, Konami, $55)
- Contra Advance (2002, Konami, $28)
- DK: King of Swing (2005, Nintendo, $9)
- Drill Dozer (2006, Game Freak/Nintendo, $66)
- F-Zero: GP Legend (2004, Suzak/Nintendo, $17)
- F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (2001, Nintendo, $17, @)
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (2003, Square Enix, $17.5)
- Final Fight One (2001, Capcom, $21)
- Fire Emblem (2003, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, $48)
- Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (2005, Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, $34, @)
- Game & Watch Gallery 4 (2002, Nintendo, $12)
- Golden Sun (2001, Camelot/Nintendo, $22)
- Golden Sun: The Lost Age (2003, Camelot/Nintendo, $23)
- Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (2003, Natsume, $21)
- Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town (2005, Natsume, $16)
- Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004, HAL Laboratory/Nintendo, $28, @)
- Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002, HAL Laboratory/Nintendo, $21)
- Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (2001, Bandai Namco, $27)
- Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament (2005, Bandai Namco, $33)
The Highlights
There are three Ambassador games in this first third. The Nintendo developed F-Zero game, Fire Emblem (AKA Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade), and the good GBA Kirby game.
As you can see, the cost of loose carts varies quite a bit but most are more than the $7 US cost of the eShop download. The most valuable title in this lot is Car Battler Joe, which goes for about $240 new!
It is also worth noting that Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is the only game from Square Enix on the GBA VC.
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The price information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Were you in the 3DS Ambassador program?
- Will Konami release another Castlevania collection including these GBA titles?
- Should Camelot make another Golden Sun game?
- Is there a lazier sequel title than Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town?
Next Round
Join me next week as we tackle the second third of the GBA VC in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
48
Nintendo Gaming / Special Edition Switch Consoles
« on: February 13, 2021, 01:32:42 PM »
With the recent release of the Super Mario Red & Blue special edition switch it is time to weigh in on your favorite cosmetic alteration of the Nintendo Switch. I left out the special editions that just had different colored joy-con. Here are some pictures of each:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Monster Hunter Rise
Mario Red & Blue
Pokemon Let's Go
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Diablo 3 Eternal
Dragon Quest XI
Fortnite
Monster Hunter XX
Pokemon Sword & Shield
Weigh in the comments.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Monster Hunter Rise
Mario Red & Blue
Pokemon Let's Go
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Diablo 3 Eternal
Dragon Quest XI
Fortnite
Monster Hunter XX
Pokemon Sword & Shield
Weigh in the comments.
- Did you pick up one of these? Which one?
- Is there another franchise that you would want a special edition released for?
- What is your favorite special edition console of all time?
- Did I leave any special edition Switches off this list?
49
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round C: TG-16 VC)
« on: February 07, 2021, 02:37:17 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The TurboGrafx-16
Released in 1989 in North America, the TurboGrafx-16 (TG-16) ushered in the 4th generation of home consoles. While it never took off in the U.S., it did quite well in Japan where it was known as the PC Engine. The console used HuCard cartridges initially and later had add-on and native compatibility with CD based games (TubroGrafx-CD/CD-ROM2. By 1994 the console was discontinued and the failure of the successor, the PC Engine SuperGrafx, led to the manufacturer (NEC Home Electronics) getting out of the console making business.
The TurboGrafx-16 Virtual Console
In 2006, Nintendo started adding TG-16 games to the Wii Virtual Console (Link to NWR article). It was not until 2016, when most of the same titles came over to Wii U (Link to NWR article). The games were priced at $5.99/$7.99 in the U.S. by 2018 40 titles had been made available. Of those, 29 are still on the Wii U eShop for purchase.
Other Availability
The 3DS eShop had four TG-16 titles at one point: R-Type, Gradius, Alien Crush, and China Warrior, but all appear to be delisted (note: you can still get the NES version of Gradius). More recently, Konami - who now owns Hudson Soft and much of the TG-16 back catalog - threw their hat in the mini-console ring and released the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. This plug and play console includes 57 games, about 20 of which are also on the Wii U VC (See full list). The overlap is well documented by Discord.RSS in the following thread (Link to NWR forum topic).
Unlike the Sony and Sega mini-consoles, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini did not stick around long enough to get a price drop and is only available from re-sellers for about $150. Finally, if you still have an active PS3 or Vita, some titles were released in the Playstation Store, though most were Japan only (See full list). Of those released in North America, World Sports Competition is the only one not also found on the TG-16 mini.
Since there are only 29 titles we will run the gamut with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, current US card or disc cost*, NWR review, Availability)
* Loose HuCard or CD only, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
While most of the games listed are $5.99 U.S., there are two premium titles: Bomberman Panic Bomber and Lords of Thunder that go for $7.99. Ostensibly, this is because they were CD-Rom games. Both are available on the TG-16 Mini but Lords of Thunder is the only one to get a review by NWR.
With limited success in North America it is not too surprising to see the appreciated values on the original HuCards. Many of these titles are over $100 just for the loose card, with the most valuable being Bonk 3. The third Bonk game was actually released for both TurboGrafx-16 and TurboGrafx-CD and will run you $304 or $325 respectively.
If we filter out just the Wii U VC exclusives that were recommended by NWR we get Mr. Bungle's Final Four:
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
Next Round
Join me next week as we Advance to the first hand-held console in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The TurboGrafx-16
Released in 1989 in North America, the TurboGrafx-16 (TG-16) ushered in the 4th generation of home consoles. While it never took off in the U.S., it did quite well in Japan where it was known as the PC Engine. The console used HuCard cartridges initially and later had add-on and native compatibility with CD based games (TubroGrafx-CD/CD-ROM2. By 1994 the console was discontinued and the failure of the successor, the PC Engine SuperGrafx, led to the manufacturer (NEC Home Electronics) getting out of the console making business.
The TurboGrafx-16 Virtual Console
In 2006, Nintendo started adding TG-16 games to the Wii Virtual Console (Link to NWR article). It was not until 2016, when most of the same titles came over to Wii U (Link to NWR article). The games were priced at $5.99/$7.99 in the U.S. by 2018 40 titles had been made available. Of those, 29 are still on the Wii U eShop for purchase.
Other Availability
The 3DS eShop had four TG-16 titles at one point: R-Type, Gradius, Alien Crush, and China Warrior, but all appear to be delisted (note: you can still get the NES version of Gradius). More recently, Konami - who now owns Hudson Soft and much of the TG-16 back catalog - threw their hat in the mini-console ring and released the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. This plug and play console includes 57 games, about 20 of which are also on the Wii U VC (See full list). The overlap is well documented by Discord.RSS in the following thread (Link to NWR forum topic).
Unlike the Sony and Sega mini-consoles, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini did not stick around long enough to get a price drop and is only available from re-sellers for about $150. Finally, if you still have an active PS3 or Vita, some titles were released in the Playstation Store, though most were Japan only (See full list). Of those released in North America, World Sports Competition is the only one not also found on the TG-16 mini.
Since there are only 29 titles we will run the gamut with information in the following order
Game Title (Release year, current US card or disc cost*, NWR review, Availability)
* Loose HuCard or CD only, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Air Zonk (1992, $124, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Alien Crush (1989, $31, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Battle Lode Runner (1993, Japan only, Recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Blazing Lazers (1989, $48, Not recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Bomberman '93 (1993, $121, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Bomberman '94 (1993, Japan only, One of Neal's Konami Picks TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Bomberman Panic Bomber (1994, Japan Only)
- Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure (1993, $304, Recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Bonk's Adventure (1990, $47, 8 from NWR, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Bonk's Revenge (1991, $48, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Break in (1989, Japan only, Wii U only)
- Detana Twin Bee (1992, Japan only, Recommended by NWR, Switch Arcade Archives)
- Devil's Crush (1990, $89, Recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Digital Champ Battle Boxing (1989, Japan only, Not recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Double Dungeons (1990, $24, Not recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Dungeon Explorer (1989, $24, TG-16 Mini, PS Strore)
- Final Soldier (1991, Japan only, Wii U only)
- Gradius (1991, Japan only, Wii U only)
- Lords of Thunder (1993, $131, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Motoroader (1989, $15, TG-16 Mini)
- Necromancer (1988, Japan only, TG-16 Mini)
- Neutopia (1990, $75, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Neutopia II (1992, $176, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- New Adventure Island (1992, $103, Recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Power Golf (1989, $10, Not recommended by NWR, TG-16 Mini)
- Shockman (1992, $103, Recommended by NWR, Wii U only)
- Soldier Blade (1992, $232, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- Victory Run (1989, $13, TG-16 Mini, PS Store)
- World Sports Competition (1992, $131, Not recommended by NWR, PS Store)
The Highlights
While most of the games listed are $5.99 U.S., there are two premium titles: Bomberman Panic Bomber and Lords of Thunder that go for $7.99. Ostensibly, this is because they were CD-Rom games. Both are available on the TG-16 Mini but Lords of Thunder is the only one to get a review by NWR.
With limited success in North America it is not too surprising to see the appreciated values on the original HuCards. Many of these titles are over $100 just for the loose card, with the most valuable being Bonk 3. The third Bonk game was actually released for both TurboGrafx-16 and TurboGrafx-CD and will run you $304 or $325 respectively.
If we filter out just the Wii U VC exclusives that were recommended by NWR we get Mr. Bungle's Final Four:
Battle Lode Runner
Bonk 3
Devil's Crush
Shockman
Comments
I welcome any corrections to the information I found when compiling the list. The information here is for the US so let me know about differences in other regions. Not sure what to comment, consider questions like:
- Did you own a TurboGrafx-16 in the 1990's
- Did you pick up the TurboGrafx-16 mini?
- Why did the TurboGrafx-16 fail in North America?
Next Round
Join me next week as we Advance to the first hand-held console in our exhaustive review of the Wii U Virtual Console.
50
Nintendo Gaming / Best of the Wii U eShop (Bonus Round B: SNES VC)
« on: January 31, 2021, 03:21:47 PM »
Background
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Games: Bonus Round B - SNES VC
Much like the games available with the Switch's online membership and the mini-console releases, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was next in line after the NES. F-zero was the sole title to debut with the initial eight games in April 2013 Link to NWR article. After several years of additional offerings, the 16-bit library extended to 51 different games, all of which are still available. (See full list) The titles are all priced at $7.99, or $1.50 if you had already purchased the same title on Wii using the same account.
In addition to Wii virtual console, SNES games have been available in a number of mediums. Most notably, the aforementioned Switch online membership includes access to 38 NES titles covering about half the eShop offerings (See full list). There was also the SNES Classic Edition, which included 20 games (See full list), but currently sells for about $200 on the secondhand market. The 3DS eShop also boasts a decent virtual console that includes 28 SNES games, however they are only available for the New 3DS and 2DS systems. Since the clock is ticking on that eShop as well, here is a short list of games not found in the other places mentioned: Final Fight, Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3, and The Legend of the Mystical Ninja. Finally, some third parties have taken it upon themselves to release collections that include some of these classics.
Focusing just on titles not found elsewhere we are left with lean list of 12 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (developer, US release year, cartridge cost*, NWR review)
* Loose cartridge only, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
The Highlights
Many of these games cost more to buy as loose carts. The most valuable being Metal Marines which sells for over $100 CIB and was given a thumbs up by NWR's Steven Rodriguez when it came to Wii VC.
Harvest Moon was a late SNES game (1997!) and the only one in this list to get a full review from NWR. According to Andrew Brown, the game is still fun if you have nostalgia for the series.
If you missed out on the SNES classic, then we should also mention Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This is not available on the 3DS VC or Switch online service currently and with the licensing involved may not be. This fan-favorite was given a recommendation by NWR when it came to Wii VC.
Please comment with your thoughts on the SNES VC and join me next week for a look at some games with great Grafx from the one third party console to grace the Wii U VC.
The Wii U eShop will only be open for a limited time so it is worth looking at the games there while there is still time to buy them. In the past few months we looked at all the available eShop games, but we omitted the Virtual Console releases, until now! Nintendo introduced the Virtual Console (VC) with Wii as a way to sell games from previous systems a la carte. That same service continued with Wii U and 3DS before being replaced with a Netflix style service bundled with the Nintendo Switch's Online membership.
The Games: Bonus Round B - SNES VC
Much like the games available with the Switch's online membership and the mini-console releases, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was next in line after the NES. F-zero was the sole title to debut with the initial eight games in April 2013 Link to NWR article. After several years of additional offerings, the 16-bit library extended to 51 different games, all of which are still available. (See full list) The titles are all priced at $7.99, or $1.50 if you had already purchased the same title on Wii using the same account.
In addition to Wii virtual console, SNES games have been available in a number of mediums. Most notably, the aforementioned Switch online membership includes access to 38 NES titles covering about half the eShop offerings (See full list). There was also the SNES Classic Edition, which included 20 games (See full list), but currently sells for about $200 on the secondhand market. The 3DS eShop also boasts a decent virtual console that includes 28 SNES games, however they are only available for the New 3DS and 2DS systems. Since the clock is ticking on that eShop as well, here is a short list of games not found in the other places mentioned: Final Fight, Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3, and The Legend of the Mystical Ninja. Finally, some third parties have taken it upon themselves to release collections that include some of these classics.
- Mega Man Legacy Collection 2: includes Mega Man 7
- Mega Man X Legacy Collection: includes Mega Man X - X3
- Castlevania Anniversary Collection: includes Super Castlevania IV
- Contra Anniversary Collection: includes Contra III The Alien Wars
- Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection: includes Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, and Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
Focusing just on titles not found elsewhere we are left with lean list of 12 titles with information in the following order
Game Title (developer, US release year, cartridge cost*, NWR review)
* Loose cartridge only, source: https://www.pricecharting.com/
- Axelay (Konami, 1992, $40, NWR recommended)
- Cybernator (Konami, 1993, $25, NWR recommended)
- Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Grey Wolf (Koei, 1993, $21)
- Harvest Moon (Amccus, 1997, $30, 7 from NWR)
- Metal Marines (Namco, 1993, $75, NWR recommended)
- Nobunaga's Ambition (Koei, 1993, $19)
- Pac-Attack (Namco, 1993, $9, NWR recommended)
- Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (Namco, 1994, $6)
- Rival Turf (Jaleco, 1992, $11)
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (Koei, 1995, $20, NWR recommended)
- Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (Koei, 1994, $46)
- Vegas Stakes (HAL Laboratory, 1993, $3, NWR Not recommended)
The Highlights
Many of these games cost more to buy as loose carts. The most valuable being Metal Marines which sells for over $100 CIB and was given a thumbs up by NWR's Steven Rodriguez when it came to Wii VC.
Harvest Moon was a late SNES game (1997!
) and the only one in this list to get a full review from NWR. According to Andrew Brown, the game is still fun if you have nostalgia for the series.If you missed out on the SNES classic, then we should also mention Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This is not available on the 3DS VC or Switch online service currently and with the licensing involved may not be. This fan-favorite was given a recommendation by NWR when it came to Wii VC.
Please comment with your thoughts on the SNES VC and join me next week for a look at some games with great Grafx from the one third party console to grace the Wii U VC.
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