Messages

1276

General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: December 12, 2016, 09:20:16 PM »

Yes indeed, big fan of board games.

Sadly, I have no decent way to play Steam games.  When I'm ready for a new video gaming "system", it will most likely be something that can play low end games... Humble Bundle has already helped me to build up a significant library of Steam games that I'd like to play eventually, at this point I'm just missing the hardware.


That said, I much prefer playing face-to-face with some friends, food, and drinks in the same room anyway. So physical board games are a pretty sweet deal for me.

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General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: December 12, 2016, 02:12:27 PM »

Christmas is the time for board games!  Picked up several games on sale:
* Merchants of Venus 2nd Edition (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/131646),
* Samarkand: Routes to Riches (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66214),
* Steam Map Expansion #1 (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/93544)
* Wyatt Earp (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/878)


The last one is a gift for my wife, but the others are selfish buys. Looking forward to playing at least a couple of these games over the next couple of weeks.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Not a hater but... (future prediction)

« on: December 09, 2016, 08:21:29 AM »

... The future of mobile gaming IS mobile phones. If Nintendo wanted to do well in the mobile market they should release a bluetooth controller for $20 that holds the phone and distribute games that way. Yes they have to give a slice of the profits to Apple/Android but at least there's profits to share. This will not be a widely used portable gaming console, so what does that leave? An underpowered home console with added manufacturing costs and weak third party support. Wake up people! The breadcrumbs are so close together on this one, how can you not see the way this is going to go?

Yes and no.


Gaming on mobile phones is still a very different landscape than dedicated gaming consoles.  The hardware is more expensive, offers less predictable performance for developers, and remains less kid-friendly.  The games have a huge, but mostly disengaged, potential audience who have been trained to pay extremely low prices for games - if they pay at all.  Your argument that Nintendo needs to move in that direction might be true, but the argument that they need to make the move now is (in my opinion) premature.


Nintendo is still sitting in a different niche, and I think they are comfortable with that choice at the moment - although there does seem to be shift coming in their approach.  It's hard to say how long they'll stay true to older ideas instead of looking to make a big switch in their business approach.  But for the short-term, dedicated gaming still makes sense: it's viable in the marketplace, and it's what their company has been built to do.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: I boxed up my Wii U today...

« on: December 08, 2016, 11:18:44 AM »

Once I buy Switch, my Wii U is probably going to get unplugged by default. I only have three HDMI ports on my TV. My PS3 is my Blu Ray player and I have a Google Chromecast. I'll keep Wii U in my TV stand though.

This I understand - but nobody has a Swtich yet, and nobody is getting one for at least a few months, right?
To each their own though. If you have multiple gaming systems still in use maybe it's just a case of "now's as good a time as any"...

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: I boxed up my Wii U today...

« on: December 08, 2016, 07:27:45 AM »

I don't understand the original post.


Some people (like me) have a backlog, some don't - but that's not the only reason to keep your system attached. I have several old consoles attached to TVs, and don't see that changing because the games for those old consoles are just as much fun today as they were when first released.


As long as we (me, my family, and my friends) enjoy going back and playing those games, why would we just pack up a console and put it away without a replacement already in hand?  Even if we have a new console, unless it still plays the old games that we love it's more of an addition than a replacement.


So what you are really saying is that Wii U had no games you enjoyed enough to keep playing, and that you've already exhausted the library?  If so, then you have much more free time and/or very different taste in games than I do.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 07, 2016, 08:42:12 AM »

"Cheat" isn't the right word in this case. I much prefer "collaborative puzzle solving".

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Anyone Worried About Dealing With a Short Switch Battery Life?

« on: December 05, 2016, 07:50:33 AM »

Couldn't you buy a bigger capacity battery from Nintendo for the Wii U Gamepad in Japan? I totally would have done that if I had been given the chance here in the states. If the battery IS replaceable then I'd hope Nintendo sells a more expensive higher-capacity replacement I can switch in.
...

You can buy that extended battery in North America also - but only direct from Nintendo.
https://store.nintendo.com/ng3/browse/productDetailColorSizePicker.jsp?productId=prod150204

To tie this into the question, I considered buying the extended Wii U battery to get better playtime, but have found that I never needed it - as long as the Wii U game pad is plugged in when not getting used it's always lasted longer than I have available for gaming. That made it hard to justify the battery when I could spend roughly the same amount of money to get a new game instead.

If I were to get a Switch (unlikely at the moment, but I've said that before and still bought in) then my expectation is that 3-5 hours of life outside the console will be sufficient for me.  Getting more time would be nice, but not necessary... and I suspect that turning off features I don't use and turning the screen brightness/volume down a bit will let me reach that goal?

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 05, 2016, 07:43:08 AM »

...
Make notes, it's much easier than clunky in-game recorder.

Agreed, although wish I came to that conclusion sooner when I was playing.


Despite some issues with the decidedly old-school and sometimes obtuse design, La-Mulana remains one of my favorite WiiWare games because it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do, and kept me busy exploring the in-game world for quite a few hours, always trying to solve that next puzzle and progress a little bit further.  (For reference, my other favorites include Fluidity, World of Goo, the Bit.Trip series, and Lost Winds games. Good company, even if La-Mulana clearly isn't at the top of that list.)


Isn't La-Mulana 2 supposed to be out soon? Or maybe it already is? I remember it had a KickStarter a couple of years back, and the game must be getting close.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 9 - Wii are the Champion

« on: December 04, 2016, 04:18:04 PM »

I actually just got Warioware DIY for the DS yesterday. I found it brand new at EB for $4. I had never played it before, so it was an offer I couldn't refuse.
I have only spent a few minutes with it so far. Any suggestions?

Skyward Sword is what Im currently playing. Im up to the Cistern. I never got this far when I played it at launch. I cant say I like it that much, TP on the Gamecube/Wii U is better. But Im determined to finish it this time.

I really like WarioWare DIY - it's fun to create your own mini-games, even though it's got some clearly definite limitations. Definitely go through the tutorials and you'll find a lot of neat little tricks. There are also plenty of YouTube videos showing off cool levels and even some extra fan-made tutorials.


Now that online is disabled, some content is no longer accessible which is a shame. There used to be a bunch of downloadable games you could get that were made by notable developers, and it was neat to see what they had created.  There are a bunch of unlockable trophies in game that would open up some bonus content; I'm not sure if you can still get them without online connectivity?


Honestly, the biggest suggestions I would give are:
1.  see if you can grab a second copy at $4, because I know there are trophies for sharing content and you can do local swapping (assuming you have a friend or extra DS unit available) to unlock them; if you aren't kind of OCD like me about unlocking stuff, this might not matter to you
2.  after creating a few mini-games of your own, if you enjoy it then grab the WiiWare version so that you can transfer your games and play on the big screen; totally worthwhile if you want to share your creations with friends

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 04, 2016, 04:05:56 PM »

La-Mulana (PC):
...

Although I've only played the WiiWare version, I hold the game in high regard (despite some real love/hate over the obtuse puzzles).   I liked the way you could explore and try to learn from the environment in many different areas, how the game layered puzzle on top of puzzle, and how delightful it was to uncover secrets one by one until you had mastered a whole section of the world.  I even kind of enjoyed the decidedly old-school controls that work pretty well once you master them.


But the obtuse design doesn't get better with time - in fact it sometimes gets worse. After uncovering the truth about Eden, I had absolutely no idea how to progress further in that world... and to this day still haven't figured that secret (or many others) out.


I did hear from a friend that there is no "solution" though, and that's it's essentially totally random if you want to progress. I'm not entirely sure that's true, because this game hides many solutions to puzzles in places you wouldn't think to look (background artwork, clues given in entirely other parts of the game world, etc).  Moral of the story?  Don't be afraid to use an online guide if you want to progress deep in to the game.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 02, 2016, 12:06:24 PM »

I honestly bought it fully content with the idea that I'd just try it out for the weekend and return it to the store, but it's simply awesome.

What games/demos were you playing?


Had a chance to play with PSVR for a while, and didn't really care for it.  (Despite my negativity earlier, I was really surprised at what a letdown it was. I had fully expected that trying it would convince me PSVR was awesome.)


Is there such a thing as Virtual Uncanny Valley? Graphics aren't good enough to convince me anything is real, and gameplay also rung hollow most of the time. Many of the games tried to be immersive, but had such strong limitations on how and what you could interact with in-game that they lost much of the value. The Kitchen demo wowed my cousin, but left me extremely underwhelmed, as it was hardly more than a cut scene where your head controlled the camera.


I didn't love the sense of isolation you get when playing with a pretty massive headset on, and that put a real damper on any same room multiplayer. The most fun we had was probably Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes... but VR was very clearly a gimmick there.


I don't know. Maybe I'm biased because VS is way outside of my price range, but head-based motion controls to manage a camera just isn't something I'm looking for. It's also very rare that I want to completely isolate myself in a virtual world the way VR demands. Guess I'm getting old.

1287

TalkBack / Re: Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (3DS) Review

« on: November 30, 2016, 12:01:46 PM »

"While I never made too many levels to begin with, having the possibility missing is something that can't be denied."


See, this is what's actually selling me on the game.  I get the complaint, that the sharing/rating/commenting  features aren't as good... but all of those features had problems in the Wii U version too, and since they are features I won't use in a significant way the offline and packed-in features of the 3DS release sound way more valuable to me.


I might share levels with local friends, but it's more likely that it'll just be me and my kids playing and creating.  In this case, having the portable 3DS version seems like the better choice...

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: NES Classic and Nintendo's futility trying to meet demand.

« on: November 29, 2016, 07:55:53 PM »

I don't believe that it's impossible. They could have taken pre-orders to gauge interest levels and secure sales. They could have looked at what other Nintendo items were being made available over the holidays and realized there was a huge gap.


The internet does create noise that can be hard to parse, for sure... but that's hardly an excuse for the horrible short stocking that Nintendo has become known for.

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TalkBack / Re: The Nintendo Black Friday 2016 Survival Guide

« on: November 29, 2016, 07:44:01 PM »

...
Not for some fans. Metroid Dread > Federation Force. Star Fox 2 > Star Fox Zero. DK Bongo Blast > Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. Paper Mario: Sticker Star pre-Miyamoto table flip > Paper Mario: Sticker Star actually released product. Project H.A.M.M.E.R. > Any Nintendo IP Sequel game.

The evidence is clear. Non-existent games are better and more fun.

Shades of: "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever"?

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General Gaming / Re: What is the last game you beat? Thoughts/impressions?

« on: November 29, 2016, 12:18:59 PM »

Okay this ain't even a review, just gonna vent. Rayman for PS1, let's go. ...

Fully agree.
I remember playing through this game on GBA at launch. Want to know how to make a bad platformer even worse? Stick it on a tiny, poorly lit screen and downgrade the (originally, pretty decent) music.


That said, I'm glad the series didn't die out after that first bad entry. Rayman Origins is pretty awesome.

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TalkBack / Re: Playing with Power: NES Classic Book Review

« on: November 28, 2016, 06:00:48 PM »

Great idea, poor execution... what a shame!

1292

General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?

« on: November 28, 2016, 07:37:39 AM »

Ordered three new Wii Motion+ remotes because a few of the ones we've got now are showing moderate wear due to heavy use from the kids.  The special "themed" remotes were on sale at Amazon.ca, so I grabbed the Mario, Luigi, and Peach versions for about $27 CAD each.


Sold a couple of old GBA games and PSP movies to cover the cost. Surprised at the demand for Doom on GBA - I know it's not a super common game, but got a lot of responses after posting it online.

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TalkBack / Re: The Nintendo Black Friday 2016 Survival Guide

« on: November 28, 2016, 07:36:47 AM »

For Canadians, there is a pretty good price on Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE from Amazon.ca today - it's down to $35 CAD which is the lowest price I've seen (in this country) by a large margin.  If you don't have it already and like RPGs, it's definitely worth trying.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - November 24, 2016

« on: November 24, 2016, 03:15:55 PM »

Interesting to note that (in North America?) Majora's Mask on Wii U doesn't offer any discount for people who own the Wii Virtual Console equivalent.  This is the first time I remember seeing a title on both that didn't give a nice discount... and while not a big deal because I could just use the Wii Virtual Console anyway it is kind of disappointing.

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TalkBack / Re: The Nintendo Black Friday 2016 Survival Guide

« on: November 23, 2016, 09:34:37 PM »

A couple of the digital sales look appealing also; Mega Man Legends (3DS) in particular.

Only Capcom would pretend to cancel Mega Man Legends 3 and then stealth release it 5 years later when everyone forgot about it.

Legends, Legacy. All the same to me.


(Not really. I'd argue that Legacy is a much better game, since I love old-school NES action games.)

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TalkBack / Re: The Nintendo Black Friday 2016 Survival Guide

« on: November 23, 2016, 06:54:33 PM »

I'm disappointed, I wish Nintendo would follow the lead of the physical retailers on their eshop sales. I had about $150 put aside for discounted games but now I'm not going to spend any of it. I'm questioning my commitment to only buying digital games given the Amazon/Bestbuy/Target sales, but I really like the idea of having everything in one place.

I'm can't imagine doing that, because I'm way too cheap.  Buying physical goods is almost always cheaper (although it doesn't seem like that should be the case) and allows me to trade or sell anytime later.  I understand the convenience aspect, but can't get past how lousy the value is...

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TalkBack / Re: The Nintendo Black Friday 2016 Survival Guide

« on: November 23, 2016, 02:22:02 PM »

Great White North edition is, predictably, underwhelming... but the $99 US New 3DS console is still exciting news.
A couple of the digital sales look appealing also; Mega Man Legends (3DS) in particular.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Switch Rumors and Speculation Thread (Mighty Switch Force Edition)

« on: November 22, 2016, 01:17:25 PM »

Ports aren't a problem unless that's all that gets offered.  It's not that different from offering backwards compatibility... just a more limited (and more expensive) form.


The key for me is what else gets offered.  At this point there hasn't been many compelling reasons for Wii U owners to rush out and buy.  Maybe next year we'll learn more.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Official Switch Game Announcements

« on: November 22, 2016, 12:58:13 PM »

Funny how much attention LEGO City Undercover has gotten recently, right? 


I'm kind of torn on this one in a way.  Genuinely felt the game was one of the Wii U's best exclusives... of course, very few third party exclusives stay that way, and it never did quite seem to get the broad audience it deserved. Gamepad stuff wasn't ever (I think) necessary so shouldn't be that hard to fix, but it was a bonus and I'll kind of miss it.  Here's hoping for shorter load times!

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: November 22, 2016, 09:09:27 AM »

Started playing Vagrant Story (PS One Classics, via PSP) and am enjoying the game in the very early stages. Don't really know what I'm doing and might read the manual to help figure things out.  Haven't really gotten into weapon customization yet, although have heard that's a big part of the game. Did start trying to combo attacks though, which is kind of fun.


Seems prime for a remake - although maybe being widely available through PSN makes that unnecessary.

Moved to Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (Wii U). This isn't a series I'm usually big on, but I can't deny the quality after playing through the first world of stages.

Even if you're not into it, it's worth sticking it through to the end if for no other reason than the music. There's some incredible stuff later in the game!

Music is very good... but I still really dislike the game (after getting mid-way through the 3rd world).  Too often if feels like level design is simple but I'm spending time fighting controls instead of trying to beat the stage. That's frustrating.


Are 10-second loading times normal to enter or exit a stage, or are they a result of having the game on my hard drive instead of directly on the Wii U?