Messages

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2026 - (Splatoon) Raiding the Backlog

« on: August 31, 2026, 08:46:10 PM »

I have another one to add: Down in Bermuda

Picked this up on a sale for like $2 last month! Not bad, not bad…

In case you're unfamiliar, Down in Bermuda is a puzzler/search-and-find style game set in a tropical location with some pretty nice art direction. There is a nostalgic story of trying to help a pilot who crashed on the island long ago get back home. Also, there's magic and some colorful characters, such as a giant sleepy talking turtle, a skull pirate, little aquatic axolotl guys, rock warriors. You help these characters who live on these islands, each of which has its own style and theme.



My take of the game is generally favorable, with some nitpicks. Finding the orbs you need to progress (~20-some orbs each island) can be tedious on handheld as they're small and easy to miss, but at least you can find a map that lists locations if you get stuck. Controls are a little wonky, but I sort of got used to them by the end… which (last critique) came pretty quickly. I think I 100%d the game in about ~10 hours. If I'd paid full price for the game, I might be disappointed, but for $2 it was an enjoyable romp.





That makes… 2 games for me this Backlaugust! yayyyyy I thought I might finish Stray this month, too (that game about a cat in a post-apocalyptic, robot-inhabited future), but I've run out of August.

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2026 - (Splatoon) Raiding the Backlog

« on: August 18, 2026, 01:14:21 PM »

Well now! So much for me being able to take some nights off after work and sleep, since Khush is making a serious push on the leaderboard! 

I have no illusions about making any pushes on the leaderboard, but I did just beat Hollow Knight last night! That makes… (drumroll) 1 game.







This was, as I'm sure many of you know, a really polished experience. I loved the world, the music, the gameplay, the exploration, the challenge. I know there's more I could do, but I'm fine with this ending (for now at least).

It's subtle, but I do think I prefer the movement/play control of Silksong. It feels like Team Cherry worked really hard to build off of Hollow Knight and make every little movement and interaction feel just right; I appreciate that this dev takes their time with their games and doesn't release until it meets some very high expectations. Or maybe it's just their way of making Hornet feel unique from the Knight?

This game got lots of love when it came out and—rightfully so—still does.

Don't know what's next on my backlaugust, but there are lots of options! Maybe Hades 2........ played the heck out of the first one, so at least I'd be going chronologically this time.

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2026 - (Splatoon) Raiding the Backlog

« on: August 10, 2026, 10:29:58 PM »

I'm digging learning about these games everyone is playing, lots of which I haven't heard of before!

Only problem, as a dad to a 6- and 8-year old—time. Where can I get more of this again?

Anyone is welcome to contribute at any time during the month. The main goal here is to get people talking on the forums.

Well, awesome. Sign me up for Hollow Knight! I'll post some gameplay updates later.

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2026 - (Splatoon) Raiding the Backlog

« on: August 10, 2026, 05:11:33 PM »

Hey all, long-time lurker, first-time (in ages) poster. Can I get in on this?

I don't know... Someone being such a big fan of Mop it up seems like a giant red flag.... But I guess if you're also a raging alcoholic that it sort of balances things out.

Sooooo...

  I feel like I came back to the site once after another of my long disappearances and found that had been updated for me. Kind souls out there, I don't deserve them.

P.S. – Nice to see lots of familiar faces still

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General Gaming / Re: Backlaugust 2026 - (Splatoon) Raiding the Backlog

« on: August 10, 2026, 02:46:31 PM »

Hey all, long-time lurker, first-time (in ages) poster. Can I get in on this? I'm making an attempt to complete OG Hollow Knight. I played it long ago but never quite finished it. I'd like to get through all of it including the DLC if possible.

I 100%'d Silksong earlier this year, including steel soul/heart, and had a great time doing it, so feel like it's time to check the original off the list.

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TalkBack / Re: Why You Should Mourn Mario Kart Tour

« on: August 05, 2026, 02:54:49 PM »

"You don't get a second chance to make a first impression" as the saying goes… If MKT had never had gacha, would it have been better received, do you think? Was it a fatal mistake? I admit I never tried it because I was concerned about the gacha element, and never even knew that it had been removed.

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TalkBack / Re: Tears Of The Kingdom Sells 10m In Opening Weekend

« on: May 17, 2023, 08:31:37 PM »

Good news! Would've been one higher, except I couldn't find a physical copy anywhere. Don't know the last time that happened for a flagship title… Kind of annoying, but also kind of cool?

Related: Will there be a review here? I just did a quick search but didn't turn one up yet.

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General Chat / Re: The FaceBall 2000 megafailure of the year megathread:

« on: October 27, 2022, 01:22:21 PM »

Nooooooooooo

I was out of the country at a conference. How'd the event go???

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General Chat / Re: The FaceBall 2000 megafailure of the year megathread:

« on: September 04, 2022, 07:21:11 PM »

ummmmm.... who wants to go to Portland with me?

Not me… because I already live here. If you come to town let me know!

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TalkBack / Re: Splatoon 3 Themed Hardware Announced; Decorated Switch OLED, Pro Controller, Case

« on: September 04, 2022, 07:08:57 PM »

I love Splatoon, so this is tempting. Im still using a launch day Switch. I kind of want it more for the collection than anything.

I'd been rocking my launch day switch as well. A few reasons I actually picked this up when I found it in-stock at a local store last week:

• The better battery life
• The improved screen
• The kicker: while visiting my nephews, one of them dropped my switch and cracked the case and part of one of the controllers. It still works, but I'm relegating it to docked mode from now on.

So far, I'm loving it. I play mostly in handheld mode, so the better battery and screen are major perks. And the design is neat (the glossy/matte illustrations even seem to have the benefit of making the joycons feel a little grippier). All in all, I guess I'm glad my nephews are rambunctious little balls of energy?  

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General Chat / Re: The FaceBall 2000 megafailure of the year megathread:

« on: April 06, 2022, 07:41:42 PM »

Well, this is a blast from the past. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, UB <3

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TalkBack / Re: Triangle Strategy (Switch) Review

« on: April 06, 2022, 12:36:56 PM »

Picked up the (original?) demo last year and got all antsy for the release. I like so much about this game—the tough choices and branching paths, tactical gameplay, musical score... So much potential. I picked it up soon after release.

But man, I'd really hoped the voice acting from the demo was like, take 1 or something and would be improved in the final game. Apparently not. Whoever voice directed this one... well, they were seemingly after, what, clarity? enunciation? slow talking? stilted, monotonal delivery? above all other considerations? It's so cringey to me that it legit takes away from the game experience. Benedict is the prime offender, but it affects so many of the TS voice actors (which is what makes me think it was the direction). For a minute I was like, maybe they used AI voices to save money?? But no, they are real people.

Maybe this is a me thing. I haven't gotten much past the demo (hashtag dad problems), so maybe they get into their grooves later in the game. I just want a little fire out of them, a little emotion. Tempo changes, vocal range, emotion.

Is the Japanese or any other language voice direction/acting any better? Has anyone tried?

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TalkBack / Re: The House In Fata Morgana (Switch) Review

« on: June 20, 2021, 03:31:03 PM »

I bought this game on the flurry of 10s I’ve seen in reviews all over the place (including right here) and… I feel like I’ve been led astray somewhat.

Sure the game’s story as a whole is gripping and satisfyingly twisty-turny and the art direction and music are usually beautiful (though with vocals surprisingly—and clearly unintentionally—out-of-tune at times)… but in no way can I grade this game as a 10. While the plot/story is compelling, the writing is unnecessarily long-winded; there are whole scenes replayed/re-used with the tiniest alterations to lengthen the gameplay duration, there is hardly any interaction for literally hours at a time, and the console interface is clunkily designed with no explanation of how anything works even just as a slide prior to beginning the game. As the 4th (?) rehash of this game, these lingering flaws are simply inexcusable.

I keep wondering, am I missing something? So many reviewers have given this title a perfect score… what am I not seeing? Maybe this visual novel style of game just isn’t for me? Could it be that, after garnering a high/perfect metacritic score, are reviewers simply reticent to step out of line to ruin it?

To me, it’s an 8.5: good, but far, far from perfect.

I’m curious about others’ takes on this “game.” Anybody care to enlighten me? 

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TalkBack / Re: Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Switch) Review

« on: October 30, 2020, 03:04:04 PM »

Man, I can't wait for this. Never had a Wii U, so this is my chance. My copy is *checks tracking* not getting here till next week. Bleh.

Right there with you on the missed opportunity with online play... would've been a great way to get someone who already bought/played the game once to pick it up again. Was really hoping for online coop play, especially with it being full-price, but it IS Nintendo.

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TalkBack / Re: Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo Now Available

« on: October 14, 2020, 06:26:29 PM »

Missed out on Pikmin 3 originally, so I can't flippin' wait. Played through the demo twice so far, and three days in the game world just isn't enough. Can't wait to play through the whole game later this month. <3

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TalkBack / Re: Pikmin 3 To Receive Deluxe Version With New Content October 30

« on: August 05, 2020, 10:07:22 PM »

I’m one of those people who didn’t have a Wii U so missed out on Pikmin 3. I’m honestly really excited about this! And you know, I’m gonna think on the positive side here: maybe they’re rereleasing it so that anyone who hasn’t played a Pikmin game before will get to know this charming series and be amped for Pikmin 4 later?

Edit: $60 is steep though... :\

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General Gaming / Re: Board Game Discussion!

« on: March 09, 2020, 03:46:55 PM »

 That is great you're letting your kiddos figure things out on their own instead of showing them how to win. And I love that your daughter went and planned out her farm in minecraft! That's some dedication there, and shows the power of games for learning. My little one is two, but is already showing some interest. He calls my game, "Hunky," which is just <3, and wants to play with the pieces. I'll take it. Speaking of...

By the way, I'll also put in a plug for the game being designed by NWR forum member decoyman. Play as animals competing to gather resources in preparation for the winter, and see who is best prepared to make it through to spring. Cute, and sounds like a fun theme. Not sure why he's not pushing it more, but I don't mind throwing it in everyone's face multiple times... hahaha.

More info here: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=60088.0

Thanks for that, ejamer. I long ago lost my "forum regular" status, so I hesitate to just come in here and spam you all with a tangentially-related passion project. But I have to say, it's nice to see some familiar names still. ^_^ Yes, I am developing a board game, and its main theme is friendship. It's admittedly sort of an unusual theme for a competitive board game, but the design space is fun and not often used: interact with others in friendly—even sometimes board state-improving ways—to earn bonus points. This makes it a good game for families or anyone new to games (I think a little Nintendo rubbed off on me). I've been developing/polishing it for four years, so I was pretty excited to launch the campaign. Would love to have anyone interested check it out! http://bit.ly/hunkerkickstarter

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General Chat / Re: I'm making a game!

« on: March 04, 2020, 08:24:28 PM »

You should have let us know earlier to help get early pledges.

Egad, I know. I don't want to look at that kicktraq thing, it only makes me stressed out!

I do have some ideas to boost the numbers before the end. Hunker was named a Showcase Game at Emerald City Comic Con in a week and a half. 90,000 people attend this con, so I was hoping for a big boost there... but now it may be canceled due to the Coronavirus. :\ I'm also formulating a new Kickstarter-exclusive character, which I'm really excited about... but again, I should've had that from the beginning. Ah, well. If I need to relaunch down the road, I will.

Anyway, thanks for checking it out!

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General Chat / Re: I'm making a game!

« on: March 04, 2020, 05:20:33 PM »

Hey all, I wanted to let you know that Hunker has launched on Kickstarter. I hope you'll check it out if you like forest critters or pretty art or boardgames or FRIENDSHIP or all those things mashed up into One Neat Thing. We just passed $10,000 pledged, which is really exciting! But… board games are real expensive to produce and ship around the world, so still have a ways to go. At least we've still got almost three weeks to get there.

And to BeautifulShy, ejamer, ShyGuy, and DrewMG and NWR_Neal (who happened to back already!)... thanks for the support. ^_^

As soon as this thing calms down a bit, I hope to be able to powerup the ol' switch and actually play some games with you all. (My Smash skills are rusting from disuse... so sad!)

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Run The Series 8: Professor Layton

« on: October 29, 2019, 06:20:32 PM »

That is master-level collection dedication there, UncleBob. *golfclap*

I love all Layton games I've played, even the weird Bros one that I completely finished, tyvm. Never got to play the other spin-offs, though I did pick up Millionaire's Conspiracy for my niece (maybe I should try to borrow it from her )...

But how did I not know there was a movie?!?! =o

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TalkBack / Re: Secret of Mana Collection Finally Coming West; Out Later Today

« on: August 30, 2019, 07:08:12 PM »

Now that it's out, has anyone picked up the physical? That's what I was waiting for, though I haven't pulled the trigger just yet. I do worry it's going to be one of those low-print-run games that's hard to find later, so I better do that sooner than later.

Gimme that sweet, sweet soundtrack. Almost wanna play it for that reason alone... <3

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General Chat / Re: I'm making a game!

« on: August 30, 2019, 06:53:40 PM »

Holy cow! That's a game!

Haha, thanks, ShyGuy. It definitely aspires to gamedom!

True story: my wife fell asleep when she played it on its inaugural run. No one has fallen asleep while playing in at least the last 6 months, sooo… progress!

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General Chat / Re: I'm making a game!

« on: August 25, 2019, 07:56:15 PM »

Brrr... The theme leaves me cold!  (Or maybe the game looks fine and I was just desperate for a pun.)
I saw hint of a KickStarter in early 2020?  Is that still the plan?
Look forward to hearing more!

Ha! Hi, ejamer, I was hoping you'd stop by.

Yes, that's the plan, early 2020. Probably plan to wrap up before end of February, as my wife is expecting in March or April and then things will get really crazy.

Here's an image of a mid-game state that shows most of the components in the game: custom meeples, bags, tokens, dice, snow tiles, hex-grid region boards, and cards...

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General Chat / Re: I'm making a game!

« on: August 25, 2019, 02:40:59 PM »

Thanks, BeautifulShy. I didn't get into modern board games until I graduated college and my life started settling down a bit (relatively—now I have a toddler, ha...). And now years after that, here I am designing my own. :3

Really, this is sort of an ode to Nintendo's influence on my game design philosophy. I took inspiration from a lot of Nintendo games, in that I want even the little things you do in the game to just be fun/satisfying in addition to the broader game as a whole being fun. These little things shouldn't just be a means to an end. Sure, Mario doing his triple jump can get you to new places, but it's also just plain fun and satisfying to pull off. Riding Epona through Hyrule field full-speed can get you places faster, but it's awesome on its own. In PoP:SoT I still remember the thrill of wall-running for the first time. I want the game to get out of your way and just let you have fun in its world. Nintendo is, in my mind, the master of that in video games (h/t Miyamoto).

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General Chat / I'm making a game!

« on: August 24, 2019, 06:26:20 PM »

Well, a board game. Still, wheee!! I've been working on it for like 3 and a half years, and it's getting pretty close to done.

Hello, my old friends. Please check out my game, Hunker. Here's a teaser trailer, even.

I actually had a little moment of inspiration when I was working on my target audience for marketing purposes… Hunker is a pretty family-friendly, in fact the animals are all friends who actually get points for helping each other out in the game. And when it comes to gameplay, I tried to make it play fast and free, in fact I had Prince of Persia: Sands of Time in my mind for how I wanted it to play (just as the board game equivalent). As I was thinking about my audience, I realized that… it's Nintendo people. People who like Mario and Animal Crossing and Kirby and Pikmin, and… well, those are my people. You're my people. <3 So I figured I'd come here and show you all what I'm working on. 

Any other game designers (aspiring or otherwise!) around here? If so, what are you working on?