Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@ThanosReXXX To start, hopefully you can find it, and if so enjoy it. It was the highest grossing Japanese film for a reason! It’s just under 100 minutes, excluding credits, so it’s not like a 130 minute Ghibli epic! Thanks for making the exception and if my comments on the movie were anything to go by you’ll love it.

Just like Japanese Animovies I didn’t grow up exposed to traditional eighties and nineties films but I’ve managed to do some catching up while at home. Over the last few months I rewatched from the eighties, The Goonies, and saw Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club for the first time.

I admit it was a little strange to see the same character type, played by Molly Ringwald, in two different films, but she was pretty good in them. The Goonies was a very strange movie for a person who had a very casual relationship with the MCU, because Josh Brolin was in the former, and served as the main villain for the latter over thirty years later.

The 1997-1999 movies were frequent in 2020. I watched Good Will Hunting, As Good As It Gets (heavily relatable for someone who is slightly obsessive compulsive like me), and The Talented Mr Ripley.

All of them have a protagonist who is different in some way. One’s a homophobic sociopath, another has OCD and another is super smart. All of them really touched me, but for the latter, it more freaked me out.

What an odyssey through film I’ve had over the last year. And it continued with Princess Mononoke and Your Name, which stand head and shoulders above most movies I’ve seen.

Today is Chinese New Year, Year of Golden Ox. 🐂
Gong Xi Fa Cai ! 😀
Hopefully Covid19 pandemic will be over and we can live normally again.

Edit:
Oh....
Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart cover looks very good.

@MarioLover92 To be fair, the Bowser's Fury add-on at least doesn't feel like a cash grab or an afterthought from Nintendo like some previous re-releases, so that's definitely an improvement. I enjoyed New Super Mario Bros. U, but if you've played one NSMB game, you've played them all lol. As for Pikmin 3, I played it on the Wii U and liked it overall, but...I do feel the series is overrated. I had some fun with the game, but later on I was just frustrated with it more than anything else. I was disappointed after my indirectly related experience with the PIkmin-themed part of Nintendo Land; I was told it was similar to the actual games.

I don't recall all the new content added to TMS #FE Encore, but I wasn't that desperate for it. XD The only thing I'd almost trade up for is the better processing speed, but that's something I can live with.

@Anti-Matter I did try out the Star Fox Zero demo on Wii U, but the controls put me off pretty quickly. I've never played the full game. I've played the first two games that were on the SNES though.

Also, Happy Chinese New Year!

@Heavyarms55 I was implying difficulty settings that were fair and with some modern touches. I agree; some of the difficulty spikes in the older games were artificial and borderline unfair lol. Glares at Whitney's Miltank To a point, the level jumps aren't too bad, but YES. The Swagger and Confuse Ray spam back then was insane! I'd forgotten about that. Proper level scaling and better AI would suit me.

I love double battles and actually thought it was a neat mechanic when they allowed two seemingly unrelated trainers team up against you in Emerald. They tried expanding the formula further in later games; I actually didn't take to triple battles too well, but I loved rotation battles.

I unfortunately haven't played either Pokemon Colosseum or Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness thanks to a lack of GCN access back in the day. I'd welcome slightly cleaned up ports of both games or, heck, GameCube games on NSO....

@ThanosReXXX Not quite the same story as it only involved one (very long) book, but I had a similar experience with Roots when I was in high school. XD In that case, I DID finish it in time for a book report, but there was a LOT of cramming. If I recall, the version I read was well over 700 pages with relatively small print.

On subs: I've always equated it to practice and adaptation; when I was watching subbed anime, I got better digesting it over time, but the pausing and rewinding was still there. Too, my brain likes trying to take in ALL the detail on screen or a printed page, so much so that someone could've moved on while I'm still trying to absorb all the details about a scene or subject.

Subbed media is indeed not common here, though I have watched movies where they're used (Examples: Dances With Wolves, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto). I fully acknowledge the privilege being a native English speaker has when it comes to a lot of movies, TV shows, and other media. It's usually a choice, not a necessity. I'd definitely be a LOT better with the bits and pieces of other languages I do know if I were thrust into situations where I'd have to use it, deeply uncomfortable though that would be lol.

@Tyranexx NSO GameCube games... oh Tyanexx how you tease me so...

Goodness do I want that so much! That and GBA and N64!

@Heavyarms55
Um...
Do you still play ACNH ?
Is there any new items added from Pocket Camp ?

@Tyranexx
Aw... Too bad.
I dare myself to play Starfox Zero that i have zero knowledges about them.
Like trial and error, got frustrated for understanding the control scheme and identifying my surroundings.
I thought it will be pretty similar as other shooting games by airship from other games i have experienced such from Ratchet & Clank A Crack in Time / Tools of Destruction PS3.
I was wrong, it was completely different and confusing.
Not to mention i have to find the rings on Starfox Zero to recover the HP.

@Anti-Matter Yes and no, not as far as I have seen. Unless they require me to play Pocket Camp actively. I haven't played that in months. Lol

@Tyranexx Agreed with you on Bowser's Fury - it is already SO much better than adding an easy mode to DKC: Tropical Freeze and bumping the price up by $10. Yeah, the New Super Mario Bros. games kinda blend with each other. They all have the same kind of gameplay, controls, art style, and even music in most cases. It's admittedly been a while since I played Pikmin 3, but it was the first Pikmin game that I finished. I think I understand where you're coming from, as you're given time limits while you explore the levels. I was put off by Pikmin 1 because of how it was set up - I didn't want to get the bad ending, lol.

@TheJGG Ah, some pretty decent classics right there. Now, for a change of pace, all you need to watch is Short Circuit, Mannequin, Big and Uncle Buck, also for some variety from the more serious stuff. Oh, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

And if you like endearing movies about slightly weird or unusual characters, then you'll probably want to watch the simply brilliant Rain Man. I could probably name dozens more movies, flowing over from the eighties and nineties into the naughts, but I'll stop right there.

@Tyranexx Yep, that's exactly what it is, basically: experience, or rather: just getting used to/being bombarded by subs from the tenth year of your life up to now, so I don't skip a beat anymore. Well, at least, with western stuff. As mentioned before, with anime on its original sound track, I too can't keep up with the subs sometimes, and then tend to miss things and have to rewind/re-watch parts.

The movies you mentioned, were the obvious ones, of course. There's no way they could NOT have subbed parts of these, even in English. Long gone are the days of English actors doing "funny" foreign accents, and in are the more realistic native speakers, being subbed. Personally, I very much appreciate those kinds of additions to movies. I've once worked & lived in Germany, and even though the experience was a positive one overall, because the people were very nice (contrary to popular/historical belief), the food was great, and the beer was even better, but movies and TV? Only one thing to say about that:

AB-SO-LUTE-LY f-ing horrible. To this day, I still have nightmares about dubbed episodes of Alf...
I once went to the cinema with my German friends, and let me tell you, it was the longest, most boring experience I've ever had. I don't even remember which movie it was anymore. I also never understood how entire nations around the world could just accept these weird voice actors as being "the voice of", instead of the actual people. Just imagine never knowing the real voices of actors; SO weird...

Does anyone remember watching The Backyardigans as a kid

@PokemonGirl99
When i was kid, Biker Mice from Mars was my childhood 90's cartoon.

It's finally here! Went ahead and got the amiibos, too. I wish they came out on my birthday though.

Edit: Apologies if the lighting's somewhat poor.

Edit 2: Does anybody know CyberWYX from the Nintendo Life boards? I got a friend request.

@Heavyarms55 We can dream, right? I'd also like N64 and GBA support! Thankfully my experience with those platforms isn't quite as lacking. The Wii U VC and 3DS remasters helped with the former, and I did own a GBA but did miss out on quite a few decent games back in the day.

My shiny drought in Pokemon Go finally ended today, but it was a shiny Magikarp of all things lol. I was desperate for one once, but Community Days have a way of dampening that excitement....

@Anti-Matter The two Star Fox SNES games I tried were okay overall, but they definitely haven't aged well; I'm sure they would've left more of an impression on me if I'd played them back in the day (well, the first game, as the second wasn't officially released until the SNES Classic). I'm giving the series one more chance with Star Fox 64 3D on 3DS, but if I end up not caring for that game....I don't think I'll play any other Star Fox entries. Other than Star Fox Adventures, but that's more of an action/adventure game vs. an on-rails shooter.

@MarioLover92 I also didn't feel Tropical Freeze was worth picking up again just for an easy mode. As for the NSMB games, I've played both the DS original and the Wii U variant. I haven't played the Wii or 3DS entries at all, though ironically NSMB was a lucky gift mistake as I'd asked for NSMB2. XD In hindsight I'm glad I didn't get 2 since the coin thing seems way too gimmicky.

There were a few things that put me off of Pikmin 3:

• The time limit: I don't mind time limits in games in and of themselves, such as how the mechanic is used in Majora's Mask, but I absolutely hate feeling rushed in gathering games.
• The Pikmin AI: These things...aren't that bright. I'd draw a clear, concise path over a log or something, and if I had enough of them, some of them (the ones who couldn't swim) would fall into the water or into the chasm they were crossing....
• The controls: Less of an issue, but an update to the Wii U version forced the game to start with touch controls. Not a big deal once it allows you to change to a different scheme in the settings, but my first impression of the game was...awkward, to say the least. I'm a leftie, and it was clear they designed the touch control UI with the other ~90% in mind.
• The final boss: While this is a clear evaluation of all the skills and tactics you pick up in the game up to this point, this battle REALLY drags on. I found it to be a frustrating battle of attrition vs. a real challenge.

I'd be willing to try a new Pikmin entry, but I definitely have no interest in picking up the rest of the series for now.

Love the 3D World swag + amiibo!

@ThanosReXXX I appreciate subs in movies like that; it gives a more natural feel to the action in my book. I hold the movies I mentioned in high regard.

So German dubs during your stint in Deutschland sounded pretty off, huh? I've seen a couple of badly done foreign dubs and totally get where you're coming from. On one hand, I understand why it's done, but on the other, as you mentioned, it is SO jarring sometimes....

I'm familiar with Alf as a character, but I've never really watched the show. I'm almost tempted to look up German-speaking Alf now...almost.

As an aside, is German beer all it's cracked up to be? I'm not fond of most things that pass as "beer" here; the only exceptions are a local stout I tried once and Yuengling when I was out in Philly a few years ago. Canned beers are a definite nope. :nauseated_face:

@Tyranexx
I saw the gameplay of Starfox Adventures was much like Ratchet & Clank, more 3D platforming less on rails shooter.
That was something that i can do, i have played quite a lot 3D platformer recently.
I will consider that game from Ebay after my order DDR SuperNOVA PS2 USA (also from Ebay) already arrived.

@MarioLover92 The box art is hot might need to skip out on the digital.

@PokemonGirl99 raisin hand.

@PokemonGirl99 My nephew watched that when he was little. For me, childhood shows were the old Sonic cartoons, Sailor Moon, and the old Pokemon Kanto ones. If anything, I think I'm watching more cartoons being older. Just find them to be a more enjoyable form of entertainment.

More recently, been watching TrollsTopia (I love the movies) and Sofia the First, the latter more since it could eventually be removed from Netflix thanks to Disney+ existing.

@MarioLover92 Have fun. May wait for my birthday to get a copy of the game. For now, I have the game downloaded on my Wii U, so I'll just play that until then. Recently, I started playing Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS, and having a great time with it so far. It's been in my backlog for some time too.

@Tyranexx NSMB on the DS was awesome when I first played it, and I still have a soft spot for it. When it came out, it had been years since we got a new 2D Mario game. Its level design was solid and I even liked the boss battles - they were quite different from the Koopalings in the later games. I've played all the NSMB games and I can definitely tell you that NSMB2 is...not that great. I like the coin idea, but I wish they did more with it. (Like unlocking secret levels, new game plus, new characters, etc.) There are some good levels here and there, and Coin Rush mode is pretty fun in short bursts, but overall it's the weakest Mario platformer. Also, for a game that encourages players to get a million coins, it sure has a lousy "reward" for doing just that. So you're not missing out on much by skipping it.

Thanks! I HAD to get the amiibos, lol. Not only do I love Mario, but I love cats, too. That's just one reason why SM3DW is one of my favorite Mario games.

@Tyranexx Oh, God. Please don't. You'll hate me forever. Forget that I ever mentioned it. I did because it was basically the epitomy of what I had to deal with over there, seeing as the sitcom Alf was very popular back in the day, both in the Netherlands and Germany. There's plenty of other series or movies I could have chosen, but that was the only one that was on almost every day.

And yes, German beer is darn good. A lot of countries around my current place of residence have good beer: Germany, Belgium, Denmark and of course the UK.

P.S.

Keep reading, because what comes next might also trigger you into listing it as your next must-watch anime...

@TheJGG Well, you'll be happy to know that I watched "Your Name" this afternoon. I initially intended to watch part of it, and then get on with my day, but once I got into the story, I couldn't stop watching, and after I watched it, I ordered the Blu-ray from my local online web shop, so that oughta tell you enough. Thanks for the recommendation. I can't believe I missed this, especially what with all the accolades this movie has received from various media.

My conclusion is that it's really a must-have for anime lovers. Absolutely amazing art style and coloring. Those backdrops are simply gorgeous, almost every frame is a painting in and of itself.

And what I always appreciate about a lot of the more A-list anime, is that even though they do use 3D computer-aided animation sometimes, the combination always feels natural, and is never jarring. Compare that to a lot of western released material, which just doesn't come close. And there's a lot of stuff that I like to watch, although with Western releases, it's mostly super hero related.

But even in those, the quality is SO much lower, that I always wonder why that is, because it could add so much more to the experience. I suppose Western animators have simply fully embraced computer generated animation instead of traditional 2D, and as such, those kinds of animations do get better each year, but Western 2D animation is hopelessly outdated, especially when compared to the visual mastery of Studio Ghibli.

I watched the original Japanese version, by the way, with English subs. For my first run, I wouldn't want to spoil the experience by immediately going for the dubbed version. I always go for the original first, except with Princess Mononoke, but that was basically out of my control, because the English language version was the only one that was released in cinemas over here.

The movie was longer than you said, though: even without the end credits rolling, it was still well over 100 minutes in total, so either you watched a cut version, or you made a mistake there. But ultimately, I didn't mind. We're in lock down anyways, so it's not like I had anywhere to go, and I'd already done all my grocery shopping yesterday, so I'm good for the weekend and the week to come...

DISCLAIMER: readers other than TheJGG, don't click on the spoilers if you still want to watch this movie

Perhaps I should tag @Heavyarms55 in here to take a peek at the spoilered part of my comment, because as our resident experience expert, where Japanese society is concerned, he might be able to shed some light on my musings.

Anyways, I'll just put up a trailer of "Your Name" for anyone who's interest has been piqued by the mention of this simply wonderful anime movie.

P.S.

The art style and coloring kind of reminded me of another masterpiece that I simply MUST recommend to you. It's called "5 Centimeters Per Second", and it's in a similar vein to "Your Name".
Here's a trailer:

@Anti-Matter Yep, I think Star Fox Adventures will suit my tastes more overall. It originally was a standalone game unrelated to the Star Fox series; its working title was Dinosaur Planet before it was converted to a Star Fox game, with a different playable character. It was a GameCube game, and those usually aren't cheap these days. Plus I don't currently have a means to play GameCube titles.

@MarioLover92 I remember having a REALLY fun time with NSMB. I loved the power-ups, levels, and the tight platforming! Many of the mini-games were fun too. I had played Super Mario 3D Land a year or so before playing it, but having a 2D Mario platformer on the go was a novelty; I missed out on a lot of the handheld Mario games before that point. I didn't touch the Super Mario Land series until it rolled onto the 3DS VC, though I do recall playing one of the Wario Land titles on the bus for some kid one time (don't recall which one it was). I also think I've played some of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, but I don't remember where. I just know I didn't own it lol. The only problem with the mini-games is that some were also used for Super Mario 64 DS (Which I know actually came first, but I played them out of order), and I believe they were one of the reasons why I wore out on the game quickly.

NSMB 2 always felt a bit gimmicky to me; the only reason I asked for it was because I was a poor college student at the time and wanted something new to play without paying for it. XD Sounds like they didn't even use the coin gimmick to its full potential.

Ah, so we have something else in common! I too like felines.

@ThanosReXXX Duly noted on German-speaking Alf. I'll save my eyes and ears.

Excellent beer in your parts, you say? It's possible I just haven't tried the right kind of beer. I've always been more of a wine and fruity drinks type of person. I've tried some of the hard stuff too, but a little of it straight goes a LONG way....Ick.

On Your Name: Wow, definitely an intriguing trailer! Something else I need to pencil in on my lengthy watch list, it seems.