Hi,
Are there any plans thus far to incorporate an optional alternate look to VCReviews here, to mirror the original look (like as a toggle)? I recall having asked in the past, but I am not sure if anything came of it, and so am curious again now.

Also, what happened to the Virtual Console Earthbound page? Was it removed because of the unofficial chances of it being released?

Ps: I also faintly remember asking about ads before as well, but has the situation changed: can the advertisements be toned down on the site?

A. I don't think there are any plans for the site in the near future. There were a lot of features promised a year or two ago but we haven't gotten any of them yet.

B. I think there were some legal issues with a VC release of Earthbound. NL probably took it down because people kept assuming that it'd be released just because the page existed. I kinda the ESRB may have taken down the rating too, but don't quote me on that.

C. The ads need to be toned down? Do you mean there are too many or are you seeing objectionable content? In both categories they're not even close to being as bad as IGN.

Isn't this the truth.

The ads pretty much bring in the only revenue that runs the site though, so they aren't going anywhere.

However, is a kind of option to switch between this site’s style/look a feasible proposal (I hope it is)?
Do the “main guys” at VCReviews know about such feedback?

Also, it is true then that EarthBound WAS officially rated (kind of like being announced) for the VirtualConsole?

I didn’t mean to seem like I come down on the website too hard about ads. I was just wondering about the topic, especially since some advertisements let unwanted sound through.

You could email the "main guys" through the contact link at the top of the page, and make sure they know.

Though if personal experience is any indication, you'll be lucky if they read it and you won't receive any type of response. I'm still waiting on them to fix their horrible contradictions in their "community guidelines".

Apparently they aren't strict on swearing but calling someone a badas$ (I added the dollar sign, nobody knows what I'm talking about now, right?) in a positive manner is blatant profanity and must be deleted.

I can't get them to fix their own stupid mistake, good luck asking them to do anything that actually takes work.

_{To the mod(s) that contemplate(s) deleting this, the above message was intended in the nicest way possible. Thank you for understanding.
Edit: And yes, bbcode would be awesome.. lol}

When simple features like a forum search or stickies can't be implemented, then no, I'd say it's impossible.
_{edit: lol and BBcode too.}

And yep, EB was officially rated by the ESRB.

To address the original questions:

Are there any plans thus far to incorporate an optional alternate look to VCReviews here, to mirror the original look (like as a toggle)?

We're keeping the Nintendo Life design going forward. We did a VC-Reviews reskin on 1st April 2010 but we have no plans to bring it back.

Also, what happened to the Virtual Console Earthbound page? Was it removed because of the unofficial chances of it being released?

Yep, we took it down as it seems unlikely to come to VC now. If that changes we will, of course, bring it back and share the good news.

I also faintly remember asking about ads before as well, but has the situation changed: can the advertisements be toned down on the site?

I'm not quite sure what you mean here, but as previously stated, we rely on these advertisements to keep the site going: it costs a large amount of money to host Nintendo Life so we do need the adverts. If ever you see a particular advert you think crosses a boundary, please Contact Us with details and we'll look at it.

When I contacted VCReviews a few years ago (I think), they replied and seemed really nice. I wrote here because I thought the moderators/administrators/'main guys' would see, read it, and maybe help here. I think I shall see about getting in contact over the summer.

Concerning the VC look, I did not mean that the site’s appearance should be changed; I meant that the ability (perhaps for members) to change the style to the original would be cool - I still hope that it can be implemented. When I think if it, a 'skin' is likely the more accurate term for the idea.

Also, the main problem with the advertisements was that unwanted sound sometimes comes through, and some have contents fairly removed from the site’s focus.

And just curious, was Earthbound’s official Rating removed as well? Thanks all.

@VirtualConsoleGuest: James Newton is a moderator/administrator/'main guy'

@VirtualConsoleGuest:
You can get in touch with the 'main guys' via the Contact Form at any time. Daz, Damo, and Ant are all still around, they just don't put in as much face-time as they used to. :3

That said, your idea to allow users to choose their own skin for the site has been noted, but please understand that Ant is a very, very busy man, and he's got things that rank quite a bit higher on the to-do list than prettying the place up. Again, you're welcome to take your request straight to the 'head guys' if you don't want to believe James when he says that there are no current plans to implement this feature.

As for the advertisements, if you're having problems with any of them (they make loud noises, they roll down on mouse hover to obstruct too much of the site, you feel the advertisements themselves are inappropriate for NL, etc. and so forth), the best thing you can do is take a screenshot of the ad and again, use the Contact Form to forward it on to the admins. NL doesn't pick and choose which ads go on the site, and depending on where in the world you are you are likely seeing different ads than everyone else. That screenshot allows Ant to get in touch with NL's ad providers and show them exactly which ad needs to be pulled for whatever reason.

Finally, regarding Earthbound's ESRB rating, if i'm reading this correctly, it doesn't seem to have been removed (yet?). :3

That is interesting; EarthBound is one sneaky game.
Shouldn't it still be listed here, since it is still up in the air?

About the 'skin' feature, I suppose I was just looking for a positive reaction - I'm glad it’s been noted. I appreciate James Newton's input, so it's not like I don’t want to believe him. In addition, thank you for the reference to the Contact (come to think of it, it may have been Darren or Damo whom I may have gotten in touch with in the past); as I had mentioned, I’ll certainly look into that over the summer.