Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

I've settled on SteamWorld Dig 2 for now. I'm about two hours in so far and really enjoying it. What I love about the game is all here, and I like a lot of the QoL improvements. This is from someone who's played the original on both the 3DS and Wii U. It's telling if I have a game on more than one platform that I may really enjoy it. I had to finally quit at about 12:30 last night. I needed some sleep! XD

@HobbitGamer Added it to my signature. Request away! I don't have Switch Online set up yet and probably won't for at least a couple of months; that'll likely be when my save data increases to the point where I have to back it up. No co-op just yet. Besides, I need to work on my karting skills since I haven't played much of the series before.

@ThanosReXXX Ironically I've had Breath of the Wild since the Switch's launch; I caved for the Special Edition when it was available. If they had offered a Wii U bundle, I would have picked that up instead. I almost ran out of patience and picked up the Wii U version more than once, but I had to keep talking myself out of it. XD In any case playing it right now violates one of my backlog rules: I try not to play more than one game in a franchise at once. I'm currently working on A Link to the Past.

Add that to the fact that I'm about to start DQ VIII, I don't quite wanna get sucked into BotW just yet.... I'll likely pick a Saturday when I don't have anything going on to start that one.

I will get a year-end bonus (it should show up this month), but I think a lot of it will go towards items I feel I need a little more than a Blu-Ray player right now. I'd like to replace an appliance, plus I found out the hard way that I need to better furnish my home office/den area for the days that I work from home. They're few and far between, but attempting to get any work done on just one 14 in. laptop screen and small keyboard in a subpar chair that isn't meant to be sat in for more than a couple of hours really wears on the body after awhile.

Still planning on getting a Blu-Ray machine later this year for now.

@NEStalgia Yep, that was my only problem with my runs with the first SteamWorld Dig. The gameplay is nice, relaxing, and addicting. I kept wanting to play the game, digging ever deeper, and then suddenly....Wait, the game is over?

I've heard Ori is very decent and somewhat brutal. I'm up for a good challenge every now and again, so long as it feels fair.

There were some fireworks in my area around New Years, but thankfully nobody let them off too far past midnight where I'm at. I technically have a rural address, but I'm surrounded by subdivisions and the occasional business. One of my coworkers who lives in the larger town I work in was complaining that someone nearby was letting off fireworks well into the early morning hours though....

@bimmy-lee dude that tree sounds sweet! And no beer for a month?!?!? Good for you, but I don't think I could pull it off. I'm very impressionable and all I have to do is "accidentally" turn on Beer Fest and with each passing minute during the movie, I'd inch 1 step closer to the beer stock. That movie is my drinkin' buddy lol.

I forgot to mention that the amFilm went on just fine and didn't have to blow through the other. This is the first time I've used a screen protector with a Nintendo system; I never really saw the need with my 3/DS devices since the clamshell design offered some protection. Plus, I've been VERY careful with my touch screen use after what my first phat DS went through. XD

@bimmy-lee Thank you! I ordered it the Sunday before Black Friday, when Walmart and other retailers were running some of the pre-BF discounts. I cracked everything open just enough to make sure all the components were present and undamaged but didn't go through a full unboxing. Then I shelved it until after Christmas. I technically set it up a few days ago but hadn't touched it much since; I was waiting for the screen protectors to come in (I'm careful with my electronics, but I'm also a certified klutz) and was also trying to finish out a larger 3DS game.

So I've decided to purchase 1-2 Wii u vc games each month to build up my library. Considering the Wii u eshop maybe has 2 years or so left (?) I'd like to get all the titles I'd want. Especially since vc isn't coming to switch. And I'll probably do 1 system each month to round it off. Started out with superstar saga and dkc2. Next month will be either an n64 or ds game. I'm also trying not to get any game I have on snes mini or nes mini. I should build up a nice vc library in a year and a half. It really thinks switch doesn't have the vc that wii/u And 3ds have. I like that switch has so many options via the app but the fact is I don't own them. So if I don't grab them on Wii u they'll be gone.

Sigh I forgot my best speaker under a pillow in the hotel room. Thankfully we were just 30 minutes away from it, otherwise it would've been a bad oopsie.

Don't be an eel, check everything.

@Ell So, you ALMOST forgot it, you didn't actually arrive home without it. Rather significant difference. And now I've started to think about all the stuff that I've lost/forgotten on holidays over the years...

@Tyranexx Maybe you should dedicate part of that bonus towards a bribe for your parents, so you can reclaim your own Wii from them, so we can get to work on that particular chapter...

Nah, you just do you. The best decisions made are always the voluntary and logical ones, not the influenced and/or uncertain ones. And obviously, I was just pulling your leg about the LG BP250 Blu-Ray and media player. Or was I?

Concerning Zelda BOTW: I don't know if I ever told you this before, but besides solving a couple of shrines, all I did in that entire day that I got lost in the game, was collecting items and food, making dishes, catching horses and fishing. And I did some mountain climbing tests, just to see how far I could get without falling, but that's basically it. Oh, and I shot and/or exploded some Bokoblins.

Other than that, I never actually started the game's actual story line. I was just really surprised by how fun all this tinkering and exploring was, and that is why I completely lost track of time.

Yeah the topic on speakers turned up and I had the moment of realization right then.

I got lucky this time. I'd hate to lose my wonderboom on the same week I got it!

@Eel Haha, yeah, I can imagine. Me and the old man actually had something happen during the first Christmas day that was the exact opposite: I went to his house the day before, because we were invited to my sister's house the next day. So, when that day arrived, we packed our stuff, the gifts, got into the car and drove of. I don't know exactly what I said anymore, but I made a comment about a person we drove past, and it contained the word "bag". My dad hit the brakes and said "damn, forgot my bag", so we had to turn back and get it. It was his own bag, containing his papers/ID and medicines, so not one to forget...

Luckily, we only just exited the village he lives in, so we were 5 minutes out, not 30.

About to make some meatballs for the late Christmas party I'm heading to this evening. The White Elephant gift is ready. The party's for my Haunt family, so it's partially Halloween-themed. This should be my last holiday gathering until the Easter season.

@NintendoByNature I still need to grab a handful of Wii U VC games at some point as well. I'm fairly satisfied with my current library, but some of the titles I'd like to still pick up include the original Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time (skipping the other two as I have the 3DS remakes), and give the original Advance Wars a spin. Plus you've also reminded me that I need to grab the other two Donkey Kong Country games by Rare; I've only played the original in that trilogy.

@ThanosReXXX Yes, I do still need to reclaim that Wii! I'll resume negotiations soon. Holiday shenanigans kicked that out of my head. I don't think the poor thing has been used in several months. I'll still also grab that Blu-Ray player, it's just not a huge priority right now. I can generally tell when someone is pulling my leg these days.

Your first day in BotW echoes what I've heard from other parties; it's so, SO easy to get sucked into the game doing everything! I'll make the story a priority, but I also do plan to take my time with it and see what all the world has to offer.

Exploding Bokoblins in any Zelda game is also a wonderful plus. ^_^

I finally snagged a copy of Witcher 3!! I’ll play it in awhile after I put up new house decor. Got a lot of nautical themed wall pictures and such for the living room and kitchen, so that’s neat.

Also decided to just order a reman starter motor and solenoid; my solenoid casing had a stripped bolt and I’m not dealing with it. Pretty good deal, only $40 more bucks after I returned the rebuild kit.

@Tyranexx I had quite a few I'm eyeing. Original paper mario, partners in time, Yoshis story, castlevania Dracula X to name a few. Ill prob grab all the Mario advance games, all the dkc games ( only dkc1 left to buy), new super Mario bros, and the Kirby games. There's actually quite a bit i still want. Might even need to grab a bigger usb thumb drive. The wii u could be the last chance at all these classics so I really want to take advantage. I might even grab fire emblem or golden Sun, 2 franchises I've never played.

@hobbitgamer noiceeeee... its pretty addictive so good luck playing anything else lol

@NintendoByNature Your reasoning to pick
up those VC games is similar to mine. While I don't think Nintendo is going to shut down the Wii U eShop within the next couple of months, I also don't think it'll be open as long as the Wii Shop Channel was. I'm also giving it about two years. I THINK my remaining disk space will hold out, but we'll see. XD

Both classic GBA Fire Emblem titles on the eShop are great. There was actually a third GBA game, Binding Blade (and the first to release), but that didn't make it out of Japan. Fire Emblem for GBA (known as Blazing Sword/Blade is related to that missing title but can definitely be played without it. Sacred Stones has a standalone story.

Both Golden Sun games are great (though I'd argue they aren't top-tier) RPGs. Play the first one before picking up the second; The Lost Age is a direct sequel. In fact, both were supposed to be one huge game, but cartridge limitations at the time required it to become two games. I've had a lot of fun with both.

@Tyranexx yep my concern is that It maybe has 2 years left, if That. The last thing I'd want to do is have to drop $100 at one time before the eshop closes on the games I don't want to miss out on. With that said, 1-2 per month aught to make it easier.

And good to know regarding FE and GS

@Eel made the kids Salisbury steak tonight since you reminded me how easy of a dinner it is to make 😂

@ThanosReXXX - I feel like a wrestler changing his gimmick as I know I’ve done my part to be known as “beer lovin guy”, but it’s only for 30 reflective days to re evaluate how it fits in my life. Post college, I was never really a weeknight drinker, but it’s become that way since our second child. Probably a bit unnecessary. I don’t feel it’s an addiction so much as a routine, so time to disrupt the routine.

@NintendoByNature - Oh man, Beer Fest is a blast from the past! I used to love that movie, and you’re totally right; it takes at least a six pack to get through it because you just want to join in with them.

@Tyranexx - I may have been able to stash a Switch away from November to Christmas, but no way I could resist gifting it to myself Christmas morning, if only for the nostalgia of opening a Nintendo console on Christmas morning.

@Eel - I love my Wonder Boom! It has such great sound for its little size, and a charge lasts forever. I’d definitely turn around to get it if I left it behind.

@Tyranexx Oh, trust me, the first thing you'll do, whether you want to or not, is explore. It's just what the game entices you to do, with all its "you can go anywhere and do anything from scratch" shenanigans...

The thing that so struck me is that it's a Zelda game, and it caught me not with that, but with doing the mundanest of things (well, horse catching aside, maybe), that wouldn't even be out of place in a simple game like Animal Crossing, but the big difference is that this is what Animal Crossing is all about, whereas Zelda is obviously not. And yet, it works, and it teases you, pulls you in, and you just do it.

Later on, I obviously did get into the story, but even in that, I still got side tracked a lot, but bottom line is that I didn't even mind, because all of it was enjoyable. Some things more than others, and adapting to environments can be annoying sometimes, especially if you don't have the right items in your inventory, in which case you simply need to get the hell out of there, but all in all, I really, REALLY enjoyed the time I had with it. And all of that reminds me that I really should pick up where I left some time in the near future, before I actually forget where it exactly was that I last left...

@bimmy-lee 6er at least 😂. I cracked open my first of the night. First I've had of this guy. Dos Equis Mexican pale ale

@bimmy-lee Ha, I know that feeling, from my boiler room days, when I was but a wee salesman...
Beers every night, under the guise of supposedly having to celebrate something, whether that be a a sale or another thing that could potentially be labeled as a "success".

But I tip my hat to you and your wife, if you manage to stick with it for a month, since if you're used to it, that might not be as easy as you might be thinking right now. So, good luck, and I'm curious to find out how you've experienced it all at the end of it, so be sure to give us an update around that time.

Um...
I want to ask the difference between these games.

I heard the Valencia Circuit edition (with Yellow strip) basically a code to redeem. Is that true ?
Since i don't play PS3 Online, should i pick the Standard edition without Valencia Circuit DLC ?
Btw, by default it has only 11 countries, right ?

@NintendoByNature - Sixer minimum. I forgot to mention earlier that the Sierra Nevada tree is pretty cool, it’s just very large. It broke down into a nice stack of cardboard though. I admired it many times through the holiday season, and it felt like life was throwing me a bone when I walked in and they were taking it down. I would have been an idiot to not take it.

@ThanosReXXX - Haha, “I cold called a potential client today, and they didn’t blow me off! I might get a meeting next week, this calls for a beer, let’s gooooo!” I’ll definitely let you know how the abstaining goes. I’m kind of looking forward to it, just to mix it up a bit. My wife has done it before, and only drinks on weekends, so she’ll be fine. She’s off three Fridays a month, so Thursday does count as an extra weekend night most of the time.

@bimmy-lee Ah, so the missus is already on board with the ThanosReXXX weekend-only drinking program.
Good for her. Once you're settled in as well, we can finally talk about that future trip to Amsterdam and only visiting bars on Saturdays...