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TalkBack / Re: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II (Switch) Review

« on: February 07, 2025, 08:29:00 PM »

Thanks for the review. This seems consistent with the general consensus that Daybreak II is somewhat of a dud. I am hoping for a return to form with the next game when it’s localized. I am also hoping for Switch 2 versions of the two Daybreak titles, or at least performance upgrades if playing the originals on a Switch 2. I recently finished Trails of Cold Steel 3, and already own 4 and Reverie, but have actually put off buying Daybreak I in the hopes that there’s a Switch 2 version by the time I reach it in the series.

Falcom went back and released PS5 versions for Cold Steel 3 and 4 recently, so there is some precedent!

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TalkBack / Re: Investigating the Nintendo Switch Sales Bump

« on: February 08, 2022, 06:21:40 PM »

Cool article, thanks for writing! The Switch really is racking up some crazy software numbers.

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TalkBack / Re: Super Rare Games Will Begin Publishing Original Titles

« on: June 11, 2021, 11:15:21 PM »

I buy physical versions whenever possible, but this is just dumb and reeks of trying to cash in on FOMO to drive sales.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 708: Can't Out-Edge Mario

« on: February 07, 2021, 11:18:02 PM »

If you’re looking for a theme for the next Retroactive that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 3DS, how about 3DS launch games? Or if that‘s foo limiting, 3DS games from 2011. It could be fun to look back at that launch window.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 48: Super Mario 64

« on: October 17, 2020, 10:37:09 AM »

I just finished getting all 150 stars in the DS version. Not sure why I felt compelled to do it, but I did. I played the original a ton growing up so I figured I’d give the DS version a whirl. This was on my 3DS, and controlling the game with the circle pad actually wasn’t too bad. I was able to get the hang of it eventually.

The DS version has more content, sure, but I’m not sure it really adds anything to the game other than bloat. The new stars in each world are all pretty forgettable. I guess some of the added levels and bosses are pretty cool. Playing as Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario is cool the first time as a novelty, but the need to switch characters gets old fast. The original is just overall a better and more condensed experience.

One thing that feels lacking in the game is the lack of actual platforming challenges in the game. I guess I have been spoiled by the Galaxy games and Mario Odyssey in that regard. And the worlds in 64 are really quite small compared to what is found in Odyssey and even Sunshine. Super Mario 64 was my first Mario game and it holds a special place in my heart. It was obviously revolutionary for the time and still holds up as a great game. But after this replay I think it does slot in at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of the 3D Mario games, behind Odyssey, the Galaxy games, and yes, even Sunshine.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 47: Crystalis

« on: June 21, 2020, 11:21:59 AM »

Finished the game yesterday. It still amazes me what developers were able to accomplish in later-NES era games despite the limitations of the system. My first introduction to NES games as a kid was through Animal Crossing on the GameCube. These were mostly launch window black box games like Excitebike, Balloon Fight, and Ice Climber. Sure, they could be fun, but I basically wrote off NES games as a 30 minute diversion at best. So when Virtual Console came around, it didn’t seem prudent to spend $5 on an NES game when there were far superior SNES experiences available for just $3 more. Since then I’ve played many more games in the NES library, but the NES online games on Switch have been great for getting me to play NES games that I otherwise never would have given a chance.

Crystalis is one of those, and I’m glad I played it. You can tell it’s a 30 year old game, and I definitely took advantage of the rewind feature, but the combat is pretty engaging. I love how fast your character moves around the world. The music is somewhat hit or miss, there were some songs that I though were really good and others not so much. Nothing as bad as the Legend of Zelda’s grating dungeon theme though. I thought the visuals were great. The lightning bolt effects when you do the fully-charged attack with the lightning sword look cool even today. One thing that got annoying was constantly having to open up the menu to swap swords and equipable items, but that’s just a limitation of the NES having so few buttons. I’m not sure what the status of the IP is after the Game Boy Color port, but maybe we’re due for a remake...?

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive 47: Crystalis

« on: June 07, 2020, 08:55:34 PM »

Good timing boys. I was actually just looking through the NES online catalog and thinking about starting Crystalis. I don’t know much about the game, but I have heard it compared to Legend of Zelda. I also recently finished Startropics which may be in a similar vein and enjoyed it, so here’s hoping Crystalis holds up!

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TalkBack / Re: Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) Hands-on Preview

« on: May 31, 2016, 12:59:30 PM »

It doesn't really seem like this series has progressed any since the original entry 8 years ago... Would love to have good Mario sports games on the Wii U but they really dropped the ball with tennis and I feel like this may be the same.

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TalkBack / Re: Pocket Card Jockey (3DS) Review

« on: May 06, 2016, 03:02:50 AM »

Hooked on this already