Messages

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

« on: Yesterday at 02:46:48 PM »

   I have one more to add the list, that is to say cross off my backlog. I rolled credits on Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope on Switch yesterday. I actually jumped on the first game day 1 and paid full price. Though I enjoyed it, I felt some buyer's remorse when Ubisoft dropped the price to about $20 USD later that same year. Since then I have always waited for a price drop on Ubisoft games. I picked up Sparks of Hope about a year after release for a mere $15. Other folks might have done the same considering the notable under performance.
   I remember reading the NWR review and being skeptical of the grid system being eschewed for free movement. The reviewer was happy with the change and I just didn't buy it. Well I totally agree and just like the reviewer cannot imagine going back to the grid now. I wonder if Fire Emblem will ever make this change?
   Most aspects of the game are improved from what I can tell and the game has been slowly creeping into my favorites of the year list. There is a lot more to do in the over world with some really fun side quests, mini-games, and environmental puzzles. The big dramatic boss fights don't quite hit the highs of the first game but the tactics are fine tuned and the challenge was just right.
   I have enjoyed it so much that I was compelled to get 100% completion and spent about 25 hours working on the first three areas. As the month neared the end I started to make a bee line for the end of the story and was able to finish in time for BacklAugust. I am currently at 8!% completion overall and spent about 34 hours on the game. I plan to continue playing until I have done everything. Not sure about the DLC though. Has anyone played that? Is it worth it?
I was hoping to wrap up The Witcher 3 but made the mistake of starting up the Blood and Wine DLC got more than I bargained for.

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

« on: Yesterday at 02:33:53 PM »

For some reason I was under the impression that it was a tower defense game

The first game in the SteamWorld series is a tower defense game named, you guessed it, SteamWorld Tower Defense. The game was released in 2010 as part of the DSi eShop, though later available on 3DS eShop by backwards compatibility, where is looms in my backlog.

Starting to lose hope for a Super Rare release of the Build game as Heist 2 is already out 

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

« on: August 27, 2024, 01:19:57 PM »

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

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

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

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

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

Cool to see someone else was in the Olympics spirit. Truth be told I had no way to watch the games. I think next go around I will just subscribe to Peacock (the streaming service that primarily shows the Olympics in the US) for the month.

That single player mode does sound interesting, having more of a story than the previous games I have played. I remember seeing some footage of a pixel art mode where the characters where all SNES/Mega Drive sprites. Did you come across that?

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NWR Feedback / Re: Connection Problems

« on: August 25, 2024, 01:00:21 PM »

I was also getting that warning.

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

« on: August 25, 2024, 12:59:21 PM »

I was able to get the "Bad End" in Bubble Bobble which I was playing on the NES Classic Edition. I had not played this game before and it is indeed a very playable NES game. The graphics are simple but decent for the NES. The game consists of one screen rooms where you need to defeat all the enemies, typically but spitting a bubble onto them and then popping it. There are 99 of these rooms in the main game and the first 50 or so are pretty easy. They do get more difficult and I found the challenge enjoyable. You get three lives, but you have unlimited continues and you can restart at each room so it is very doable to beat this game without save states or cheats. There are a variety of enemies and power ups to keep things interesting including an umbrella that has you skips over about five stages.
If you are playing solo as I was then after stage 99 you have a cool final boss fight and get the bad ending. If you have two players you can find a secret exit in stage 99 and get about 20 more levels and then fight the boss and get the good ending. I have a save at stage 99 in case I get the opportunity to have someone help with that coop only part of the game.
I just looked and it does not appear that Bubble Bobble is included on the list of NSO NES games. However, you can but the arcade game, which is probably much better, as an Arcade Archives release.

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

« on: August 21, 2024, 10:44:48 AM »

With all the excitement of the 2024 Olympic games in Paris I decided to finally get around to playing Mario and Sonic at Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Wii U. This is the second Mario and Sonic Olympics game on Wii U, following the Sochi 2014 game. There is also a 3DS version of the Rio game but I have not played or bought that.

There is a lot to enjoy with this Olympic themed mini-game compilation. The game is beautiful in terms of graphics, both character designs and Rio backgrounds, and the music. There are lots of collectibles (awards, tips, flags, and stamps) that are fun to collect, though there are some gotcha systems in play. I also found the slow unlocking of characters and modes to be rewarding for single player play. There are some options for 2-4 player couch co-op but I have not touched them. The hub for the game is the famous Copacabana beach in Rio and you get to run around and talk to other Mii's, who give you the aforementioned flags and tips. They also give you a fun fact about the country when you get a flag. I actually had a lot of fun collecting flags and learning about countries around the world. The mini-games themselves are pretty solid with nice short lengths and tight controls. My favorite events were probably 4x100m Relay and BMX. There are even some Duel events that take football, rugby, and volleyball and make them less realistic and more like arcade game sports.

When you first start you just play single events using the Mario and Sonic characters until you get five medals and can unlock the tournament mode, which appears to be the main part of the game. However, in the tournament mode you only play as Mii's, so for most of this game I wasn't playing with any of the Mario and Sonic characters   Another strange design choice is the control options. As far as I can tell you have to play this game with the Gamepad for player 1 and then Wiimotes for additional players. But, the controls used for the games are only simple button presses, so none of the gamepad's features (e.g., touch screen) are used. I thought the Sochi game had some nice gamepad use and was looking forward to more of that so that was a little disappointing. 

Once you get enough medals in the tournaments you unlock the Hero's Showdown mode where you can go back to using the Mario and Sonic characters in a tournament style series of randomly chosen events. This was pretty fun and once I beat that and had gold medals in each tournament for Level 1 I considered the game beat (for now). There is still plenty to do, mostly repeating everything at a higher difficulty level, but that will probably happen in 2028 when the games come to LA. Who knows, I might even pick up the 2020 Tokyo game by then  .

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

« on: August 21, 2024, 10:22:24 AM »

And then at the end of last week, I had an 11 year old cat die, which really made me depressed.  So yeah, this has not been a good month for me.

I am sorry to hear about your cat. I have lost quite a few in my time and it is never easy.

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

« on: August 15, 2024, 04:04:05 PM »

Glad to see this is still happening. Thanks Khushrenada for starting the topic. I am working on about five games right now so hopefully I will have something to contribute soon.

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TalkBack / Re: SteamWorld Heist II (Switch) Review

« on: August 01, 2024, 11:25:19 AM »

I am still waiting on the physical version of SteamWorld Build to be announced.

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TalkBack / Re: Splatoon 3 Announces Apparent Final Splatfest, New Amiibo Sets

« on: July 20, 2024, 12:35:41 PM »

Not sure if I will pick up these variant amiibo as I have the original sets of all the idol groups. Still what a way to go out. I am thinking team present  . I suppose this also starts the countdown for Splatoon 4?!

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TalkBack / Re: New Famicom Detective Club Announced, Mystery of Emio The Smiling Man Launching August 29

« on: July 17, 2024, 10:46:30 AM »

I was one of the folks that thought this was a fatal frame game. Still, glad to see Nintendo publishing an M rated game and getting a cartridge release it even better.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Design Your Perfect Nintendo Console - Features and Games

« on: July 11, 2024, 11:30:27 AM »

Also, I just remembered - cartridges, CDs, or no physical media at all? What does the perfect Nintendo system have?

I still cling to physical media though I realize I am in the minority. I heard that with Switch, about half of software sales are still physical so I assume we will have physical media for the next console at least. In terms of the format, whatever will last the longest  The whole scare of 3DS carts going bad after a long period of not being used was worrying. Of course discs also have their deficiencies.
One other thing I thought of is the wired ethernet port. This is probably my favorite upgrade on the OLED switch model so I am really hoping the launch version of the next console has this.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Design Your Perfect Nintendo Console - Features and Games

« on: July 11, 2024, 08:24:58 AM »

I have to agree with you there. I am a big fan of stereoscopic 3D so any incorporation of that would great. With the lack of 3D monitors at home now (I still have 2 but most folks don't have one) that gets tricky. I am also a big fan of VR and would love anything related to that. While I like motion controls, I think what I really like is unconventional control methods. I like any cool peripheral or neat controller including the joy-cons, but also the Gamepad, DK Bongos, etc.
Portability is not really a selling point for me as I do almost all my gaming at home in front of the TV.
I think a better system for joining folks in games would be nice. What Splatoon has is nice, but it would be cool to have that at the system level along with a messaging system so I could just message someone and ask them to join a game from outside a game. Finally, I think Discord integration would be cool as Sony and Microsoft do that and it seems to work well.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Will Nintendo Finally Drop the Switch Price?

« on: July 10, 2024, 11:21:38 AM »

Yeah, what do folks think the new console will be priced at? I am leaning more towards $400 US.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Will Nintendo Finally Drop the Switch Price?

« on: July 04, 2024, 08:05:41 AM »

There could be a price drop when the new console is released in an effort to clear out stock and encourage folks to buy the new system. On the other hand, with switch 2 being more powerful and expensive, they might keep the old system in production for a year or two as a cheaper option, in that case they would still want to sell them at a profit.
I think the historic price drops coincided with parts and production becoming cheaper, but with scarcity and inflation, I don't know if the production costs of switch every did drop, hence the lack of a price cut.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Switch Online NES Library Adds Six Games, One Tire Fire

« on: July 04, 2024, 08:01:36 AM »

Some great additions here. I have not played The Mystery of Atlantis so looking forward to trying that out.

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TalkBack / Re: Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch eShop) Review

« on: July 03, 2024, 10:30:59 AM »

I plan to get the Limited Run version of this when it comes out. That will be the 22nd Anniversary Edition

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TalkBack / Re: Pair Of Capcom Collections Take Prosecution For A Ride This Year

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:51:20 AM »

For a minute I was thinking this would have the X-Men arcade game from 1992, but that was Konami and not Capcom.

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TalkBack / Re: Super Mario Party Jamboree To Kick Off October 17

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:49:18 AM »

I am pretty excited for this. I really liked Super Mario Party and skipped the one after that so I am ready for a new game in the series.

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TalkBack / Re: We're Not Getting a 2024 Switch Price Cut Are We?

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:47:34 AM »

Having already bought all three switch hardware versions, I am disinterested in a price cut personally. I would like to see the Nintendo Selects idea of discounted games brought out this year though. Make $20 (or  $30) versions of all those great first and second party switch games from the first 5 years!

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TalkBack / Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns Again In HD Remake January 2025

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:44:15 AM »

I really love this game but already have two versions of it. With nothing really new added, I don't think I will triple dip...unless I see it for under $20.

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TalkBack / Re: Metroid Prime 4 To Go Beyond In 2025

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:43:29 AM »

This has to be a dual release on Switch and successor right?

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TalkBack / Re: The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Launching September 26 With Playable Zelda

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:42:46 AM »

Glad to see them reusing the art style from the Links Awakening remake. Also, with playable Zelda, this is a day 1 buy for me.

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TalkBack / Re: New Mario & Luigi Game Launching November 7

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:41:33 AM »

It could be developed by Intelligent Systems, but also could be some third party like Paon (who co-developed Dream Team). Any other ideas? This continues the trend of not announcing devs that happened with Princess Peach and another game I can't remember.

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TalkBack / Re: Atari 50 Expanding In Fall WIth 39 New Games

« on: June 25, 2024, 11:37:32 AM »

The previous update was not significant to get me to dive back in, but this one clearly is. Kudos for Atari for putting more into this collection.