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User Profile
Captain_Balko
Male, Canada
- Joined:
- Tue 15th January, 2013










#1
Captain_Balko commented on Fresh Details On Treasurenauts Have Been Excav...:
This looks pretty neat. The screenshot looks interesting - an Indy clone and a ninja will be two characters. I wonder if each character uses the three weapons differently...
#2
Captain_Balko commented on Talking Point: What Games Are You Playing This...:
Just bought DK Country Returns 3D while on a trip to the cinema with my English class, cannot wait to play that this whole weekend. I missed out on the Wii version because despite wanting it, I always had something to play.
On the Wii U front, I suppose I'll be playing some Injustice online (I'm not very good, but I try my best) and perhaps if that grows tiresome I'll finally get around to finishing New Super Mario Bros. U in preparation for the upcoming Luigi DLC.
#3
Captain_Balko commented on Microsoft: If You're Backwards Compatible, You...:
The statement is more than absurd. 5%? WHAT?
Okay, personally I haven't used the backwards compatibility feature on my Wii U because I've got my Wii still set up (just to a different TV) and feel that I'd like to justify having it still, so when I want to play Wii games I play on my Wii instead of my Wii U. However, I think it is very likely that I am the minority, and that many people put their old systems away (or maybe in some cases trade them in) when getting a new system if backwards compatibility is possible with the new console.
Oh Microsoft... Shooting yourself in the foot must hurt, yes?
#4
Captain_Balko commented on Weirdness: Theories on the Inside of a Poké Ball:
Only the data theory makes sense. When pokemon are captured, they change to one colour and energy is released (hence the sparkle effects) because the pokeball converts them into energy which is inputted as data.This is why all trainers can store pokemon on the PC, and the pokemon can be healed by the machines in the pokecenter (it essentially edits their data so they are healthy again).
#5
Captain_Balko commented on Rewind, EA Is In Fact Developing Games For The...:
Go home, EA, you're drunk.
#6
Captain_Balko commented on Video: Batman: Arkham Origins Official Trailer...:
Did anybody notice that the box with the bomb in it said "Queen Consolidated" on it? Easter egg alert - Queen Consolidated is Oliver Queen's (AKA the Green Arrow) company. Could the Green Arrow show up in this game? I doubt it, but if he does I'd be extremely excited.
#7
Captain_Balko commented on Gunman Clive Developer's Next 3DS Title "Heavi...:
I'm certainly excited, although I worry that it will be difficult to recapture the magic of Gunman Clive - Something about the music, graphics, and game-play simply felt extraordinary. Still, it will probably be a day one buy for me.
#8
Captain_Balko commented on Miiverse: Super Metroid - Too Taxing For Today...:
I suppose it isn't really their fault. We grew up in an era where we were rarely told where to go, just dropped in some fantastical place with an unclear goal. We usually figured out the controls on our own (unless we took the time to read an instruction manual) because most games didn't have a built in tutorial. Going off topic a bit, but I think that the fact that we didn't know what to do forced us to explore much more, and then when we did figure out what to do, we were incredibly excited. Also, the exploring allowed the game to last longer and contributed to that feeling of wonder you got when playing (finding new sections and freaking out, even if it wasn't where you were supposed to go, et cetera).
Well, back to the matter at hand, these kids never had an opportunity to get dropped into a game with little to no knowledge of what to do or how to do it. Tutorials are in abundance, and the game usually gently (or sometimes forcefully) leads you by the hand from area to area, leaving little time to explore before you reach the next place you have to go. I suppose this might be because developers have the technology to add these things into the games (unlike in the 80's and early 90's) and they want to make their experience more enjoyable than frustrating. We have a beef with it because we remember a simpler time, but I'm sure that if we went back in time and offered a full tutorial and hint system to a young version of ourselves, we would snatch it up. We can't blame these kids for not knowing any better. Super Metroid is by no stretch of the imagination an easy game, and we like it better that way. But maybe they don't, and (I'll reiterate) it really isn't their fault that they feel that way. It's simply a matter of circumstances.
My point is, don't hate on them because they don't have as much experience with older games that some of us have. Nobody is to blame, and if anything, they are the victims here, not us.
#9
Captain_Balko commented on Animal Crossing Co-Director Thinks Tom Nook Is...:
I don't understand how people DISLIKE Tom Nook. I never found him to be annoying about the loan. When I first got Animal Crossing as a child, I assumed if you didn't pay the loan fast enough he'd take your house. Ergo, I spent almost all of my bells paying for the loan instead of needed furniture and tools, until I realized that you have unlimited time to pay. I always found him as a necessary part of town - the only member that would never leave me no matter what other than the Sable Sisters. I took comfort in him, and was quick to buy everything in his shop every day (if I could afford to) in order for him to upgrade his shop. All in all, he's my favourite character in Animal Crossing. My most hated is that snake Lyle... grrr, that guy really grinds my gears.
#10
Captain_Balko commented on Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure ...:
Extremely excited for this, I love Scribblenauts and DC so this is a must buy.
#11
Captain_Balko commented on Nintendo Wins Appeals Court Ruling In Wii Pate...:
Glad things turned out in Nintendo's favour.
#12
Captain_Balko commented on Peter Molyneux: If I were Nintendo, I'd Put Ma...:
The ipad is NOT a good substitute for home console gaming (or even dedicated handhelds, for that matter). First of all, there are an abundance of games on the iOS shop, yes, but a vast majority of them (I'd say 97% or so) are pure garbage. Just terrible games that revolve around micro-transactions and push ads in my face every two seconds. They generally have terrible controls (some games have decent controls, but the iPad HAS NO BUTTONS which completely ruins tons of otherwise mediocre games), average graphics, and little to no inspiration. Most of them are just desperate cash grabs. Sure, there are those diamonds in the rough, but when the rough is this bad, the diamonds aren't worth going for. The second Nintendo stops making consoles is the second I stop gaming entirely.
#13
Captain_Balko commented on GungHo Online Entertainment's Market Cap Surpa...:
@NintendoPro64 Ah, I understand now. Thank you for taking the time to explain it, it cleared up a lot of confusion for me.
#14
Captain_Balko commented on Squids Wrapping Its Tentacles Around The 3DS a...:
Looks pretty neat. I'll certainly keep an eye on it, although for some reason I suspect that the RPG elements won't be as deep as I'd like them to.
#15
Captain_Balko commented on GungHo Online Entertainment's Market Cap Surpa...:
I'm still a little bit confused on the whole "market cap" thing. I mean, this company can't be actually worth one one-hundredth of what Nintendo is worth... so what does "market cap" entail?
#16
Captain_Balko commented on Talking Point: The Increasing Relevance of Kic...:
@SCAR392 the aim of the projects isn't only to publish on Wii U - usually, the idea is they need money to publish simply on PC. The Wii U publishing is a reward for going above and beyond the money needed. It's simply an incentive to get Wii U owners to back their projects. The money sometimes also goes to actually making the game and paying the salary of the people working on it (depending on the project, of course).
#17
Captain_Balko commented on SEGA Planning Seven Releases for Wii U in the ...:
Awesome. It's nice to hear that some Sega games will be released on Wii U. I suppose Sonic is to be expected... I'm probably the minority here, but I'd like them to reboot Super Monkey Ball. I LOVED 1 and 2, and yes, the other ones sucked, but if they could produce an all new Monkey Ball that has the magic of the first two, I'd be incredibly excited... Unless, of course, it sucked, in which case I'd likely cry myself to sleep every night for a week (not really, but I'd be a bit disappointed).
#18
Captain_Balko commented on Weirdness: Just How Much Cash Do You Need To B...:
@DarkCoolEdge Surprisingly, although Canada uses the metric system, when we refer to homes we still usually use square feet. I suppose it's the American influence.
#19
Captain_Balko commented on Tomodachi Collection: New Life Features Same-S...:
Good for Nintendo. It was very mature of them to include this option (unless it was a glitch, in which case they should release a patch that makes it NOT a glitch and a part of the actual game - along with two female relationships) and I'm genuinely impressed. Bravo, Nintendo. Promoting equality always has positive outcomes.
#20
Captain_Balko commented on Rest Easy, Injustice: Gods Among Us DLC Will B...:
SWEET! guitar solo
I am very happy now. But I hope by summer they mean late June, because I've got other games to play in July (Game and Wario, and Pikmin 3) and will likely stop playing Injustice.
#21
Captain_Balko commented on CNN Money: Nintendo Is "Tone Deaf" To Industry...:
@SuperKMx The innovation isn't in the touchscreen. The innovation is the idea that you get a console game experience on the TV with a second screen in the form of a tablet that happens to be touchscreen. The idea behind Kinect has been used numerous times in the past, most notably in the PS Eye and, earlier, in Webcam based flash games. It's not a new idea at all, which makes it less innovative than Nintendo's idea of taking multiple established technologies and fusing them together in order to make something fresh and unprecedented.
#22
Captain_Balko commented on CNN Money: Nintendo Is "Tone Deaf" To Industry...:
@Sony_70 I wholeheartedly disagree. Never before the Wii U has the idea been set into motion to use a touch screen tablet to control a console game on a TV and on a Tablet screen. There had been variations (a DS had two screens, there was the Wii's crappy U Draw tablet, et cetera) but nothing that actually compared to the Wii U (the DS is a handheld on a small screen, the U Draw tablet had no second screen at all). Quite simply, the Wii U is a spectacular example of Nintendo innovation.
And then we've got the Kinect. Innovative? It basically copied the PS Eye Toy. It was simply Microsoft's answer to the growing need for motion controls (and I suppose I'd take it over the PS Move, but the Wii is still the original and by that standard the most innovative). You can't claim that using a camera to film movements and transferring these movements into a game is innovative. Heck, early webcam technology attempted to do the same thing. There are FLASH GAMES that did the same thing way before the Kinect came out...
It's barely even debatable. Using the actual definition of "innovation", one can conclude that the Wii U is more innovative than the Kinect.
#23
Captain_Balko commented on Ubisoft Shanghai is Developing The Wii U Versi...:
It looks pretty neat. I'll certainly keep an eye on it. Although I can't say I understand why Ubisoft Toronto is doing ALL versions except for Wii U, but I'm sure they have their reasons.
#24
Captain_Balko commented on Wolfenstein: The New Order Can be Added to the...:
Looks kind of neat, I'll keep an eye on it.
#25
Captain_Balko commented on Pachter: Nintendo Made The Right Decision In S...:
Hey, Pachter actually said something GOOD about Nintendo! Granted, it was preceded by some of his typical drivel, but all in all, it's a good day.
#26
Captain_Balko commented on Wii U Owners Shunned Again As Warner Refuses T...:
Well, it's their loss. I payed for my game, yes, and am enjoying it greatly. I would (as of now) buy DLC in a heartbeat. However, when I get new games on Wii U (Game and Wario, Pikmin 3) I won't be playing too much Injustice, and therefore won't bother downloading DLC. By taking so long with the DLC, they just lost a lot of money from me, and probably other like-minded consumers.
#27
Captain_Balko commented on Mega Man FPS "Polarized Opinions" Within Capco...:
The game really looked neat, I probably would have bought it just to try it out. I wonder if Capcom will ever, one day in the future, go back to the idea of a Megaman FPS...
#28
Captain_Balko commented on Talking Point: The Wii U Virtual Console Has S...:
I generally agree with everything said here. I still do not understand, however, why Nintendo would release GBA games on the Wii U instead of the 3DS. I mean, why not release Gamecube games instead? GBA games seem a proper fit for a handheld like the 3DS, as their graphics will be less stretched and they were usually meant to be a handheld experience, not a console one.
#29
Captain_Balko commented on Violent Video Games Blamed for Knife Attack in...:
Sounds to me like the kid was a bad seed and that video games are a minuscule factor, if any. And the games aren't to blame if they were a contributing factor - the parents are.
#30
Captain_Balko commented on Review: Mario's Super Picross (Wii U eShop / S...:
@Whirlpool It's on Wii U in Europe. That's what the review is for.
If this ever did come to North America, although I enjoy picross, I would be a bit annoyed at the fact that the Japanese isn't translated. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't complain. It's a miracle that this game came overseas at all.
#31
Captain_Balko commented on Watch_Dogs Enables Players To Connect To The G...:
That certainly sounds interesting. Although I hope that you wouldn't have to pay for the smartphone app.
#32
Captain_Balko commented on Feature: Animal Crossing: New Leaf Has Atrocio...:
I probably would not have bought the game if it didn't include puns. To me, puns are an integral part of the Animal Crossing series. Without them, the game is just no pun.
#33
Captain_Balko commented on Review: Super Mario World (Wii U eShop / Super...:
Super Mario World is simply one of the greatest platformers ever made. As a child, it was my favourite Mario game, and it's certainly still near the top today.
#34
Captain_Balko commented on Multiplayer Sandbox Title, Rawbots, Coming to ...:
This honestly looks fantastic, and exactly my cup of tea. I hope that this comes to Wii U - it would be an instant purchase for me.
#35
Captain_Balko commented on Activision Reveals Call Of Duty: Ghosts, Doesn...:
Wow. I couldn't care less.
#36
Captain_Balko commented on Nyan Cat, Keyboard Cat Meme Creators Suing Ove...:
@SuperKMx That's an amazing idea. You could make billions!
#37
Captain_Balko commented on Smartphones And Tablets To Be "Primary Screen ...:
People like us are looking at this, thinking this will never happen. We don't really play much on tablets or smartphones because we like our handheld devices and consoles. Unfortunately, kids these days are constantly playing on phones and tablets. The only way to combat this growing epidemic is by pushing 3DS and Wii U on kids and taking away their tablets, so they develop a love for what I consider to be true gaming. Trust me. If you have children, keep the tablet out of reach, and hand them a real gaming device instead. Future generations will thank you.
#38
Captain_Balko commented on Rumour: GTA V Has Been Tested On Wii U Dev Kit...:
I can only emit a single sound after hearing this news.
"meh".
I'm sorry, but the allure of GTA has never really shown itself to me. Sure, I will play for a while at a friend's house, but I can't play longer than forty minutes at a time. It's just boring to me. You shoot people. You steal cars. You kill cops. You get shot or arrested. Repeat. And yes, I know that the majority of the game revolves around missions, but frankly, I couldn't care less about the missions of a GTA game. They seem like a snore-fest.
#39
Captain_Balko commented on Nintendo Issues Statement on Wii U Hacking Att...:
I hope people that pirate games realise that they are preventing profits from reaching the developers. Well, then again, the same goes for buying used games.
#40
Captain_Balko commented on Review: Ice Climber (Wii U eShop / NES):
I got it from the ambassador program for 3DS, and the review is spot on. Perhaps Nintendo could try their luck at another Ice Climbers game, since it's hard to justify the inclusion of the Ice Climbers in the Smash Bros. series when they've only had a single game to their name.
#41
Captain_Balko commented on Game & Wario to Retail at $39.99 in the U.S.:
Wow! This price is... E-E-E-EXCELLENT!
#42
Captain_Balko commented on Shigesato Itoi Says Mother 4 Would Be "Impossi...:
I think that at the very least, a 3D or HD remake is in order. I mean, characters from the Mother series ARE in Smash Bros., which means a lot of people know about them. Most other IPs included in Smash Bros. continue to have games (I suppose the only notable exception is Ice Climbers, who were obscure enough in the first place, but now that they are established Smash Bros. lore, they can't simply be removed). I mean, gosh, even Pit got his own game a while after his appearance in Brawl. Game and Watch is getting to be part of the Wario Ware series in Game and Wario. Although, from what I've heard and seen, the Mother games are simply fantastic, I doubt that Ness and Lucas can justifiably be used in future installments of Smash Bros. (say, eight years from now) without a single remake or new game to their name since the 90's, except for the fact that they were used in past Smash Bros. games.
#43
Captain_Balko commented on Review: Injustice: Gods Among Us (Wii U):
@MrGawain My NA version says the same thing about DLC. I'm not sure what's going on here, as I'd likely drop quite a bit of money on DLC for this game on Wii U, and am confused as to whether we are actually getting DLC or not.
Also, like @HawkeyeWii, no, @BlackSpy, I don't know what your mean.
#44
Captain_Balko commented on Weirdness: Try to Run as Fast as Sonic, For Re...:
@TheRavingTimes It's just an arcade game in a Japanese amusement park - the target audience isn't hardcore gamers, just random people going to an amusement park that would like to try out the game.
#45
Captain_Balko commented on The Wonderful 101 Is Focused On "Fun" And Not ...:
Honestly, I don't have unlimited funds to buy video games. I'm in school still, and I have to pay for my university next year, and I really don't make all that much money from my part time job. If I'm buying a game, I need it to last at least 15 hours. I mean, 3DS games are one thing, but a 60$ Wii U game has to be worth my money. Otherwise, I'll buy a game that's not as fun but lasts longer, simply because if I run out of games and don't have the money to pay for any more, I am screwed.
#46
Captain_Balko commented on Rumour: Dragon Quest Monsters 2 Remake Tradema...:
AWESOME! DQM:2 Cobi's Journey was my first Dragon Quest game. As a young child, I could never figure it out, but a few years later went back to it and had the time of my life. I'm now a huge fan of the DQ series, and this game is to thank. If they brought this to NA, I would cry tears of joy...
#47
Captain_Balko commented on Satoru Iwata Outlines Retail Download Strategi...:
As long as they never pair NFC with Smash Bros, I'm fine.
#48
Captain_Balko commented on Review: Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper (3DS ...:
@Tsuchiya Actually, recent evidence has come to light that Jack the Ripper was likely a German sailor. So perhaps we will one day know who he is.
#49
Captain_Balko commented on Feature: Nintendo Life's Staff Favourites - Su...:
@CanisWolfred Wow. Yeah, man, Super Mario World is OBVIOUSLY one of the hardest games of all time. That's why six year old me could beat it without too much trouble, my four year old cousin does pretty well at it, and people who RARELY PLAY VIDEO GAMES (I have assorted cousins who almost never play games, along with a few friends) that figured out what to do in a few minutes. Yeah, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some opinions make sense and others clearly do not. "Beaten into the ground a zillion times"... and what are you talking about? Super Mario World... Man. It's such a simplistic, easy game. I honestly feel sorry for you if you had even a bit of trouble with it.
So, we're all idiots because we like great first party games made by Nintendo. But you, oh, you're the coolest kid in school because you play imported RPGs on your SNES. Dude, 7 out of 10 of your top ten SNES games were RPGs (and one of the three that weren't had many RPG elements). Yeah, everything else is too "mainstream", right? You sound like a pretentious hipster, which I'm guessing you just might be. Nobody likes hipsters. Stop being a hipster.
Oh, and by the way, YOUR BROTHER SUCKS AT MARIO KART. That's the only logical explanation, other than that you are some sort of Mario Kart genius (which I doubt after hearing about your apparent prowess in SMW). Sure, he learned the tricks of the courses, but clearly, he doesn't know how to drift. I do, and I beat my brother LITERALLY EVERY MATCH. Every. Single. One. And he's not bad. I'm just better. I have more "skill", not more luck. I already stated that I win in online matches 80% of the time. If you knew anything about probability, if I'm facing eight other people, chances are I'd only win 12.5 percent of the time if everything is "random". 80 is a big departure from 12.5 percent. Opinions are one thing, but facts are another, and the fact is, although there is an element of luck in Mario Kart, the game relies far more on skill. Both @ACK and I have demonstrated this.
I tried to play nice, but I really don't like the fact that you think you can call people "idiot masses". That's insulting, and frankly, absurd. Classical music has been kept alive all of this time because people recognized how exceptional it was. The same goes for classic movies, and, you guessed it, classic video games. But you're too cool for classics, we all get it.
#50
Captain_Balko commented on Feature: Nintendo Life's Staff Favourites - Su...:
@CanisWolfred I don't think that you're judging some of these games fairly. It was the nineties, lots of RPGs still hold up by today's standards, but it's tough for platformers and racing games to do so.
First of all Super Mario World. I literally don't know anybody who struggled through the first six levels, that includes my four year old cousin and a young six year old me (not to offend, I just don't understand where you're coming from). I found the controls to be as good as any other Mario game. And it introduced so much into the Mario series - tons of neat World-Map changing secrets, ghost houses, cage climbing, and (I saved best for last) YOSHI! For me, it's up there with Mario Galaxy and Mario 64 as the best Mario games. Also the music is really catchy.
Also, this was the SNES, obviously Star Fox wasn't as good as it was on the Nintendo 64, but it STARTED THE SERIES. Yeah, the graphics aren't too pretty by today's standard, but they were PHENOMINAL back then, and I'd say that Star Fox is worth playing for the Nostalgia alone. You couldn't exactly call it a "bad game".
Honestly though, the comment I understand the least is your one about Super Mario Kart. You basically damned the entire series. This is, to me, unfathomable. It basically invented the Kart genre, which, I'm guessing, you dislike because it isn't as focused on the racing itself as, say, F-Zero. On a personal basis, I'd take Mario Kart over F-Zero any day. Don't get me wrong, I love F-Zero, and think that it's a fantastic series, but Mario Kart has more charm, is a less stressful experience, and honestly, I'm far better at it than F-Zero. And Mario Kart isn't only about the items - there is still a lot of strategy involved. The drift - boost gameplay can be learned quickly, but it takes a LONG time to master it. The person with the best items doesn't always win, contrary to popular belief. If you are truly good at Mario Kart, items rarely play a large factor in the end. I win 80% of the time when I play MK7 online. With my friends, that moves up to 90% of the time. Obviously, skill IS a MAJOR factor. And no, I don't use cheap tricks like Snaking, I just know when to boost, how to avoid items, and am good at drifting. Honestly, Mario Kart is my favourite racing series, and, from my (biased) perspective, I can't see what isn't to like.