Messages

151

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Discussion: Super Mario RPG

« on: March 01, 2010, 12:02:18 PM »

Just as a bit of a follow up.  I'm one of the few that enjoys Mario RPG more than the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games that followed.  I started a new game in Mario & Luigi to see exactly why I didn't enjoy it.

The main issue I have is the 'Bros.' stuff in the overworld.  Having to constantly switch between Mario & Luigi and turning on and off the special jumps or whatever is tedious, not fun and not Mario-y in my opinion.  I'm sure Luigi fans love it, but it isn't my thing.

Also I don't find the battles as enjoyable.  I do like the first strike aspect and the timing of jumps is still there.  But once again I don't like the 'Bros.' powers.  They're basically QTEs, which I don't particularly hate but I still didn't find fun at all.  I guess I like a bit of action in the battles (i.e. single button presses at the right time), but nothing too complicated. 

152

Podcast Discussion / Re: Game of the Decade -- Vote After Listening to RFN 183!

« on: February 16, 2010, 09:08:03 PM »

Unlike the guys I have no problem dropping a few games from the list.  The easiest being Smash Bros.  I realize that I'm a rare Nintendo fanboy who doesn't like the series, but that's all due to the fact that I really don't play multiplayer at all.  And when I do play with others its with non-gamer friends and family.  I've tried, but Smash Bros. is too chaotic/difficult for them.

Wii Sports is basically the exact opposite.  It's a game I've played a lot multiplayer.  I've also put a lot of time into single player having reached a Pro status on most of the games.  But even with all that time put into it, the game itself isn't beefy enough for me to call it the best of the decade.

Majora's Mask is another game that I don't find too hard to pass over.  The Zelda series has never clicked with me like Mario or Metroid.  Although if Wind Waker was on the list I may have given that more thought since I enjoyed it a lot more than MM.

Resident Evil 4 is the next game I'll knock off.  I love the game.  Being a long time RE fan, I found RE4 to be a great evolution of the series.  It gets a lot of flack for having the same tank controls of the old Resident Evil games, but moving the camera to behind the character really made those controls work.  Even with all that, the game still isn't up there with Mario and Metroid.

Choosing between Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime is my real difficult decision.  Both games are amazing and work on pretty much all levels.  They have top notch graphics, music, level design, etc. 

Metroid has been my favorite game series since Super Metroid and the 8 year wait for Prime was worth it.  I was unsure about the series going 3d and really against it going 1st person, but I was proved completely wrong.  The story being told in an unconventional manner has really made an effect on games today.  Games like Bioshock and even Halo have utilized a similar story setup that's fed in small log based bits. 

Mario maybe hasn't had as much influence on the industry, but the fundamental gameplay is so much fun.  Super Mario Sunshine was a fairly big disappoint for me.  And Galaxy felt more like what I really wanted from a sequel to Mario 64.  My only complaint is that the difficulty curve took way to long to ramp up. 

I could really go with either one but I voted for Metroid Prime since I love the series and I feel like I have less negative things to say about it.

153

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Discussion: Super Mario RPG

« on: February 15, 2010, 03:11:35 PM »

My first RPG was the first Dragon Warrior.  I enjoyed it a lot but never really got into any other RPGs until Super Mario RPG.  It was definitely the inclusion of Mario that peaked my interest and I loved it throughout. 

This was the first Mario game to give the characters any kind of personalities.  The most prominent for me would be Bowser.  I remember it was such a big deal to have Bowser playable, akin to recently with Sonic being playable in Smash Bros.  And Bowser being a hapless bad guy is still prominent today. 

The actions and emotions of the characters were really entertaining back in the day.  And Mario falling on his face and miming is still funny today.  On another note, my friend and I always thought it was weird how your party members literally hang out inside of Mario.  We always said they went into his pocket. 

As far as the technical aspects go, I don't have any problems with the graphics.  I'm playing the game on my SNES hooked up to my plasma.  Still images of the characters are kinda ugly, but the personality Square gave them overcome that aspect.

Like I said before, I really enjoy the battle system.  I love the timing setup and is exactly as I remember.  I like how different weapons actually change the characters attacks in battle.  I'm not a hardcore RPG person, so maybe this is common.  But in the few RPGs I have played, better weapons tend to just up the attack stat. 

I remember the game not being all that difficult other than a few bosses, but I had zero issues this playthrough.  Maybe it's how I leveled my characters?  My final group was Mario, Princess (for healing) and Geno (for attack/defense boost). 

154

TalkBack / Re: Iwata Confirms E3 Plans

« on: February 03, 2010, 11:31:58 PM »

This kind of confirms that Galaxy 2 isn't coming until after E3.

While very likely, it's not 100%.  If I remember correctly New Super Mario Bros. on DS came out a week or so before E3, but it still had a big presence at that E3.

155

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Discussion: Super Mario RPG

« on: January 31, 2010, 03:55:01 PM »

I've never been a big RPG player.  But Super Mario RPG is one of the few I love.  For one, it's Mario.  But mostly it's a very approachable RPG.  The story is simple, but still funny and interesting.  The battle mechanics can also be simple, but the action commands make the game more appealing to a non-RPG person like myself.

156

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Poll -- Second Chance Edition

« on: January 21, 2010, 05:55:51 PM »

To be fair to Bonk's Revenge, it's supposedly a lot better than the first one (which I disliked).  And the most recent post of 1up's Retronauts Blog they talk about how good Bonk's Revenge was.  If it won, I would definitely download it.

157

TalkBack / Re: Metroid Prime Trilogy No Longer Being Distributed

« on: January 19, 2010, 06:03:12 PM »

From my knowledge, Nintendo discontinues games all the time, especially smaller and niche games. I think this is a big deal because the game is only a few months old and nothing was mentioned about this being available for only a limited time.

Someone correct me on this, but I was under the impression that all game companies discontinue their games if there's no demand for it.

As much as I hate to say it, maybe this is another reason why DLC either in store (via a disc-writer and packaging machine) or at home is a good idea.

Games can still disappear from online stores.  I was listening to a podcast recently that was saying a certain game was no longer able to be downloaded on XBLA because the company that made it no longer exists.  At least physical copies still exist after the fact, even if they are rare. 

Definitely the big reason why Prime Trilogy has been discontinued is the packaging.  Nintendo also probably feels that the people who were going to buy the game have already bought it.  And with a new Metroid coming out this year, they're looking to clear up shelf space.

158

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Poll -- Second Chance Edition

« on: January 18, 2010, 04:59:03 PM »

I'm going with ActRaiser.  I've never played it, but have always heard good things.

I didn't really care for Bonk's Adventure.  Bonk's Revenge is supposed to be better, so I would probably still play it, but I'm not that ecstatic.  I don't really find Comix Zone or StarTropics all that much fun.  Super Mario RPG is a great game, but just a bit more interested in ActRaiser.

159

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #10: Shining Force II Discussion Thread

« on: November 16, 2009, 12:37:21 AM »

It always bugged me in SRPGs and RPGs in general that you end up with a bajillion allies that end up sitting around being useless. Either make more of the battles allow more characters in them or give a way to keep less played characters relevant or just don't give them to us.

Good point vudu about Fire Emblem and the permanent deaths. 

The reason why they have so many characters is for replay value.  This is clear when you take into consideration the parts where you specifically have to choose certain characters over others.  Or the fact that there are secret characters to find.  Sure 'magic user A' may be better than 'magic user B', but you don't know that until you level them up.  Remember this game came out well before gamefaqs.com.  Being a person who has played the game several times, it's interesting having the ability to go with different characters.  The last time I played I choose all the powerhouses.  This time it's more the characters I like. 

But it does bother the OCD in me that wants to level up every character the first time through. 

160

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 169

« on: November 10, 2009, 09:42:16 PM »

The intro was bad ass.  DJ Hero interests me, but I don't really like rap.  Also the price is a big hurdle.  And the fact that I've never gotten into music games.  However, an all techno/pop/rock version would interest me a lot more.

I'm a bit surprised at the people skipping the RetroActive section.  I always listen to those even if it is a game I'm not playing or care for.

161

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #10: Shining Force II Discussion Thread

« on: November 05, 2009, 10:53:56 PM »

Do you get experience for using items? I haven't tried it yet, but it seems possible given how the game rewards everything else.

If I remember correctly, healers get some exp when using healing items.  Other characters just get 1 exp.

162

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #10: Shining Force II Discussion Thread

« on: November 02, 2009, 10:03:08 AM »

The whole thing about characters being left behind is very true.  It's also the case for other SRPGs like Fire Emblem.  Which is why I loved the bonus EXP feature in the GameCube game. 

163

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #10: Shining Force II Discussion Thread

« on: November 01, 2009, 12:02:04 AM »

I can't fault the game for not coming up with something original? 

True, it wasn't exactly a ground breaking game.  But it did take pretty much everything from the first Shining Force and improve upon it.  And since the Fire Emblem series had no presence in the West at that time, it has nothing else to directly compare with.

164

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #10: Shining Force II Discussion Thread

« on: October 31, 2009, 01:01:25 PM »

The game is a very simplified mix of Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy games of the day (I - VI).

Gone are the intricacies of Fire Emblem.  As far as I can there there is no weapon triangle. 

I know it's a small detail.  But the weapon triangle mechanic of the Fire Emblem series came after Shining Force II was released.  So you can't really fault it for that. 

165

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive Poll: Genesis Edition

« on: October 19, 2009, 08:58:46 PM »

I have Comix Zone on one of those Genesis Collections.  I love the idea, but it was way too hard.

166

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 165

« on: October 12, 2009, 01:46:07 PM »

My main issue with the control on Geist was the c-stick aiming wasn't as precise as I would've liked.  It seemed like you needed to push the stick far to get it to move at all.  So it was hard to do incremental movements.

There was something about the aiming in Killer 7 that gave me problems.  But I felt everything else about the game (sound, graphics, characters and story) were fantastic.  Overall I loved the game despite the aiming controls.  But that was a bit of a hurdle for me to overcome. 

167

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: October 11, 2009, 09:27:42 PM »

I too just got to the end, though I haven't and probably won't beat the game. The first "final" boss is excellent, requiring all the skills (including strategic possession) that you've learned up to that point.

Hmm... I guess we defeated that boss differently.  I never possessed anything for that fight.  What were you able to possess?  It probably would've made the fight quicker.  Though the way I did it wasn't that difficult.

As far as the true final boss, I had the same exact issues.  But the rage that built up inside of me as I repeatedly died eventually fueled my determination to beat that ****er. 

168

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: October 11, 2009, 02:57:53 PM »

Finally finished Geist.  I have to say it definitely peaks in the middle.  The game already has wonky controls, but then on top of that you have to fight them even more so because of certain enemies introduced later in the game.  And at points during the final boss fight your control is altered as well.  Also you basically don't need to leave your body for the last couple of levels.  Outside the of the fight against the two creatures at once, the end of the game was a bit of a chore. 

Where the game really shines are the possession puzzles or fights that use possession in interesting ways.  The game has so much potential in that aspect.  For instance, I got to like some of the characters I possessed.  It would be really interesting if they expanded on that.

Ultimately despite not really enjoying the shooter parts I feel overall it is a very worthwhile game to play.  It has a lot of very interesting ideas.  The story is pretty good and I liked a lot of the characters.  It's unfortunate there hasn't been a Geist 2 to take the better parts and expand on them further. 

169

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: October 06, 2009, 11:23:12 PM »

Got Geist from Gamefly today.  Initially I wasn't too impressed.  I don't really care for the FPS genre and I've been playing through the Metroid Prime Trilogy, so the game felt very clunky to me.  But once you became a ghost and start doing more of the puzzle stuff I got into it.  That being said, the game kinda reminds me of Mirror's Edge where I really tried to avoid combat when I could.  Maybe the dual analog FPS vets out there don't have the problems I do, but it just doesn't jive with my tastes.  There have been some great parts especially that bit at the beginning where you were being trained in the faux utopian type place.  Definitely looking forward to playing more.

170

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: September 21, 2009, 11:10:53 PM »

Gamefly still rents GameCube games? That's pretty cool. If the service was cheaper then I might subscribe to it, but I'd rather use that money to actually buy games with.

They even still rent GBA games.  I found that using a service like Gamefly saves me money.  I'm the type of person who wants to play every game.  And when it comes to purchases, I still buy the AAA games I know I'm going to enjoy and rent whatever I'm interested in. 

171

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: September 21, 2009, 07:47:15 PM »

LOL, RetroActive is taking over GameFly. Or else they only have a couple of copies.

gojira, it's really quite cheap for a used copy. If you can afford $6 on it, there is still time.

I know, and I'd probably do it if I didn't just buy a 360 and a bunch of games.  Six dollars or whatever isn't much and I could definitely afford it.  It's just that I have way too many games right now that I need to play.  I've even put off my purchase of Muramasa which I planned on getting right away. 

172

Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #9: Geist (Special Edition)

« on: September 21, 2009, 12:00:05 PM »

Did a bunch of other people Gamefly Geist as well?  It's at the top of my queue, and before I had the chance to send back a game, it went from "available" to "long wait" in the last couple of days.  Now I'm not sure if I'll have the chance to play the game any time soon.

173

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 161

« on: September 08, 2009, 07:22:21 PM »

I thought House of the Dead: Overkill was great because it was a target range.  I play with the Nyko Perfect shot and turn the cursor off to replicate the old arcade style that actually required a bit of aim.  I don't think these types of games are much fun if you're just moving a cursor around with the Wii pointer.  Which is why despite my love for the Resident Evil franchise, I only rented Umbrella Chronicles and have only a bit of passing interest in Dead Space: Extraction. 

Overkill is so much better than any of the previous HotD games, but is it worth $50 for the game and $15 for the accessory?  Maybe not, but if you can get the game for cheap I wouldn't pass it up.

And on the motion sickness topic.  I never had any problems until recently.  de Blob was the first that I had problems with.  Since I bought the game without renting it first I tried to play through the pain.  But I am to obsessive not to paint everything in the levels.  So they would last for a very long time.  Deadly Creatures also gave me some issues. 

174

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 20, 2009, 12:05:03 AM »

Wow, I never discovered that--probably because I very rarely visit the Top Secret Area these days. Seems like a horrid tweak that belittles the Star Road levels. You gotta at least work a LITTLE for your special Yoshis!

I also don't like now the GBA version is a bit easier.  In the original version you always go to small Mario when you get damaged.  If you have a cape or fire power in the GBA version you lose it but stay as big Mario.  So if you have cape and have a feather in the item box and you get hit you can use that feather from the item box you automatically get a mushroom in the box.  So by not going to small Mario, you will likely have two extra hits before dying.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 18, 2009, 09:24:13 PM »

For those of you who thought the item collecting for SMW was a bit frustrating, there is a secret area in Donut Land that has unlimited supplies of Cape Feathers, Yoshi, and Fire Flowers. Go there, and the rest of the game is cake.

My sister used to farm that level for extra guys all the time.  It was so annoying.