Now featuring more 2D platformers than ever before!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/32034
It's always a good week when we can rope in TYP for an episode, and he's a great choice for this one because we've got a RetroActive discussion of a series he adores. But first, James has early impressions of the New Super Mario Bros. 2 downloadable level packs. Plus: a troll gets trolled by the infamous Dark Souls! TYP is next with a Mario Party 4 (what?) and a few thoughts on Kirby's Nightmare in Dream Land, that other really good GBA title in the series. Jonny sums up his mixed emotions from playing Rayman Origins lately and wonders just how much the upcoming Wii U sequel will improve the template. Finally, Guillaume revisits a genre-bending childhood favorite in Quarth, from the 3DS Virtual Console, and doesn't get far at all into Final Fantasy V from the PSN Store.
Next up is the latest RetroActive discussion, and this one is really fun. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is a strange game with a shockingly steep learning curve, yet those who decipher it come away impressed and, perhaps, with a new respect for the entire franchise. If you hear this segment and decide to play it for yourself, the RetroActive forum thread is still open and contains a wealth of useful tips. Thanks so much for playing along and contributing your own thoughts on this wacky game!
We'll get back into Listener Mail next week, so be sure to send in your questions for the crew! Also, we're excited to announce that the NWR Live Telethon for Child's Play will return for its third year on Saturday, November 10. Mark your calendar now and stay tuned for more details and your chance to donate early for this awesome event!
Awesome, someone on the show finally gave Dark Souls a shot!
James, if you aren't completely opposed to the idea I would recommend checking out a wiki for the game just to learn the basics of the game's systems, it will make the initial learning curve much more manageable since the game isn't great about telling you how some of the systems work. Regarding the bloodstain mechanic, there is only one bloodstain that can be recovered at any given time --- the one from your previous death. If you die again on your way back to it a new bloodstain will appear at that location with the number of souls you had upon dying. All of the souls stored in the previous bloodstain will be lost forever.
I must admit, I'm a little surprised that you talked so much about the game "trolling" you, to me the difficulty is very similar to something like the original Legend of Zelda. In that game there are countless areas you can access from the very beginning that will completely destroy you in no time but you quickly learn to avoid those areas and come back to them at a later point. That is the same mindset you need for Dark Souls. It seems like you figured that out already but I'm surprised you saw it as the game trolling, I actually appreciate that sort of throwback in game design because it respects the intelligence of the player instead of constantly spoon-feeding everything to you.
Jonny, you should totally try this game out sometime! The game has such an unfair reputation, don't let that put you off from it, if you're willing to tackle the initial learning curve you will eventually find a gaming experience that is more rewarding than just about any you've ever had (at least, that was the case for me). I know what it feels like to have real world responsibilities and limited free time but this game really isn't as harsh as something like a rougelike.
Anyway, great show and I hope to hear more wonderful stories of James tackling the many challenges of Dark Souls in the near future.
Also, if you're buying a GBA game on ebay, caveat emptor. ebay is very well known for selling fake chinese knock-offs of gba games that don't always work well, if at all. Make sure you see the actual card theyre selling you and not a stock image. If they do show the actual card, compare it to other pictures on google and make sure it looks authentic. Faded colors, logos in the wrong place, etc are all good indicators of a fake copy.
Awesome, someone on the show finally gave Dark Souls a shot!
James, if you aren't completely opposed to the idea I would recommend checking out a wiki for the game just to learn the basics of the game's systems, it will make the initial learning curve much more manageable since the game isn't great about telling you how some of the systems work. Regarding the bloodstain mechanic, there is only one bloodstain that can be recovered at any given time --- the one from your previous death. If you die again on your way back to it a new bloodstain will appear at that location with the number of souls you had upon dying. All of the souls stored in the previous bloodstain will be lost forever.
I must admit, I'm a little surprised that you talked so much about the game "trolling" you, to me the difficulty is very similar to something like the original Legend of Zelda. In that game there are countless areas you can access from the very beginning that will completely destroy you in no time but you quickly learn to avoid those areas and come back to them at a later point. That is the same mindset you need for Dark Souls. It seems like you figured that out already but I'm surprised you saw it as the game trolling, I actually appreciate that sort of throwback in game design because it respects the intelligence of the player instead of constantly spoon-feeding everything to you.
Jonny, you should totally try this game out sometime! The game has such an unfair reputation, don't let that put you off from it, if you're willing to tackle the initial learning curve you will eventually find a gaming experience that is more rewarding than just about any you've ever had (at least, that was the case for me). I know what it feels like to have real world responsibilities and limited free time but this game really isn't as harsh as something like a rougelike.
Anyway, great show and I hope to hear more wonderful stories of James tackling the many challenges of Dark Souls in the near future.
Couldn't agree more! I'm so happy they're trying it. The game is insanely rewarding and great, and is basically the closest thing to a modern symphony of the night/Super metroid we have. Big open world full of shortcuts and hidden passages with extremely rewarding gameplay. The difficulty rumors and high learning curve turn people away, but once you figure the basics out, you'll feel like a kid again.
Da Jarvis, there are definitely some folks who prefer Demon's Souls to Dark Souls but overall I'd say most people who are into one love them both and as far as favorites go it's probably split down the middle. I love Demon's Souls as well but I think Dark Souls made some great improvements in terms of the systems in the game (particularly the bonfire, magic, and healing systems) and I also love the fact that the entire world is connected and open (as opposed to Demon's Souls which was split into a series of disjointed levels connected by a hub world). You should definitely give it a shot sometime!
I see. Reading about the whole open ended part of the game actually makes me a little more interested then I was before. Quick question though: As someone who has never played both, would you recommend I play Demon Soul's first or would it be ok to just go straight to Dark Souls?
As soon as James mentioned Dark Souls on the show, I knew it would dominate the Talkback thread. As with World of Warcraft, I probably would like it... but I can't justify the time/sanity cost with so many other games to play. I'm the guy who spent much of his 70+ hours in Xenoblade thinking about how many other games could be used for New Business with that time.
Indeed, 65 hours is a hell of a long time. It's for that reason that I'm going to be avoiding longer games if I can, for a while at least. The amount of time I put into Xenoblade and Monster Hunter Tri is kind of gross.
