Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@pilot here you go, in honor of your new job:

Definitely Enter the Dragon, @Losermagnet.... I'm sure between us we can come up with plenty more action films, too

@bimmy-lee I like me some Keanu Reeves action every now and then but I’m worried that he’ll end up becoming overcast, or typecast, like a modern Marilyn Monroe. VD Projekt Red hired him consciously to market Cyberpunk 2077 because they knew how marketable and charismatic he was to the public. It’s the equivalent of having a sexy female model standing next to the sports car on television.

@TheJGG - I don’t know too much about Cyberpunk, but I definitely remember seeing his face plastered all over my browser ahead of its release. I sort of assume video game money is as rich as Netflix and Amazon money these days and it’s hard to turn down. He’s definitely had his turn in multiple big action franchises, but his acting career is pretty varied really. I think he’s at a point where he gets to pick and choose. Makes sense that he’d take the cash every once in a while so that he has the freedom to take a small role as the leader of a drug cult in a dystopian, open air cannibal prison. Just my take on it of course. I’m not an expert on Marilyn Monroe by any means, so I’m not sure if she was typecast, or if she was cast because she’s the type. I haven’t seen many of her movies, but it all seems pretty one note.

Does anyone know why Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is out of stock in all of my local stores, as well as a few online retailers? I usually buy my games at Target or Wal-Mart, or sometimes order them online from Best Buy but I can't find it anywhere.

It's being marketed with ads and all, but I can't seem to get my hands on it. It's the same with Monster Hunter: Rise. I was hoping to avoid ordering it from Amazon but it seems that its the only alternative. Was there some sort of limited supply event I wasn't aware of?

@Fujimoto-San Huh...that's strange. Never seen that happen to a single game. I checked Target's site and it says there's only 4 left in my area. I'd keep checking. I'm positive that it'll come back later on down the road, as unlike 3D All-Stars, it's not a limited-time release.

@MarioLover92 It sure is. I'm always checking my local stores, so hopefully they restock soon but I am baffled by it. Guess there's nothing I can do but wait, although I did see my local Wal-Mart with plenty of Super Mario 3D All Stars games so there's that. Thanks!

@Fujimoto-San Yeah, I'd be baffled by that too. I had to wait for the Switch to be back in stock at Best Buy before I got mine - it was one heck of a good day when I finally got mine. Best of luck on getting 3D World!

@MarioLover92 Thanks man! I do hope to get my hands on it soon, so that my brother and I can enjoy our time playing it together before our schedules get busy again. I bet it was quite the exciting time when you got your Switch, I know it was for me. Cheers!

Four pages....That's what I get for dealing with a crazy weekend! XD My mom is retiring next week, so I arranged for us to do a small family thing for her since next weekend is pretty much out of bounds. Ordered her favorite pizza (lovely local place near here, pricey but oh so worth it), my sister made her a cake, and I brought some fudge I'd bought off a fundraiser too. Ever had turtle fudge? It's absolutely sublime!~

@BruceCM With how beautiful the game looks and how fond I am of the team behind the game (Same crew as the Bravely titles, I believe), how couldn't I play Octopath? The only things stopping me are its length and the other games trying to catch my attention lol.

@bimmy-lee I too make good use of the eShop's wish list, but I'm also pretty picky about what ends up on it. I usually don't have to clean house too much, but it's still annoying and baffling when previous eShop iterations removed purchased games automatically. Maybe to placate the two people who complained?

I'd love to adopt from a shelter or rescue when the time is right. Those animals deserve a chance, even if they're no longer "cute" and only a few weeks old lol. A coworker has a dog who was originally a rescue; she's a very friendly Schnoodle and has mellowed out as she's aged (can't remember if she's 9 or 10), but she used to be VERY clingy. She wasn't very destructive thankfully, but she'd watch for him to return out the window and would go absolutely nuts when he returned home. Glad that so many of the shelters are cleared out near your stomping grounds. Fingers crossed the adopters knew what they were getting into and the returns are very few; I've seen a couple stories about it.

Hope things are going well with your new dog in House Bim!

@NintendoByNature Will do! The game arrived yesterday. I have absolutely no idea when I'll fire it up. Pretty sure I'll go with Blue Lions when I do, but I want to (eventually) play through all available paths. It seems I'm a glutton for time sink punishment.

@Tasuki Man, I'm really sorry to read about that. I'm glad that all occupants, human and animal, are safe and accounted for. I hope that you get everything sorted, and that insurance treats you fairly. Dealing with them can be like pulling teeth sometimes, as my dad learned the hard way when he had some equipment burn up.

@MarioLover92 Congrats on almost closing the book on your final semester! Finishing much of anything school-related is an awesome feeling.

I more or less liked all the games on Wii Sports; heck, that's the only golf game I've ever actively enjoyed! Though half the time my siblings and I would just make up stories about the Mii characters playing and make them play hilariously badly half the time. We did try with our actual characters. XD

I never had access to a TG-16, but I did have a couple of sets of cousins who had a NES with Super Mario Bros. Loved that game, even if I never did beat it at the time. At least one of them had the dual cartridge that also shipped with Duck Hunt. I still have a vendetta against that dog lol. I also had a babysitter with a Sega Genesis. Think I might've mentioned what I used to play on it before, so I'll spare you. The SNES belonged to yet another set of cousins; I used to have fairly regular access to it when my aunt would babysit me after school before my parents declared I was old enough to be home alone and supervise my siblings lol.

@Tyranexx nice! Don't remember if I told you but I also went blue lions. I read it's the easier path which is great if you're not a veteran of the series. Theyre more brute force with a few nobles. So far I love the characters, but i was really close to going with the golden deer too. I really liked their leader prior to making the decision. Its an amazing game so far.

@TheJGG I do take the occasional sabbatical. I have been laying off the forums a bit lately but have been browsing them as my schedule allows. It's very likely that I'll take another one this fall when my scare farm starts operating again, if the state and local health department allow it, that is. The only attractions that I know of that could operate last year were the outdoor attractions. Plus, there's the added craziness of my sister's impending wedding later this year; preparations aside, her bridal shower will likely fall around then. All that said, thanks for the compliment!

Still working on the occasional video game song arrangement? I've gathered from previous exchanges, before I saw any mention of arrangement work, that music in games is very important to you. It is to me as well, though I daresay you have a better ear for some of it than I do.

Nintendo likewise has shaped a lot of my childhood. Much of my early exposure to games was through them, mainly through platformers, along with Maxis and Broderbund Software (Edutainment and simulation games). Heck, my love of games is why I got into programming because I wanted to create my own. That was before I found out I liked the business aspects as well. Plus, I'm better at back-end coding versus animation and modeling. XD I couldn't create a game on my own without using pre-made assets or buying and importing them.

There are many games I wish I could experience again for the very first time. Some recent examples I've played would be: Breath of the Wild for the sense of sheer discovery and awe, Final Fantasy VI for similar reasons, likewise many of the other Zelda games, Xenoblade Chronicles (also for the same reasons), and Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective to re-experience the puzzle solutions and crazy yet awesome plot. One of the many reasons why I wish brain bleach existed lol. As for the Korok seeds, I think I ended somewhere in the 450s....I'll likely dig up a few more in passing when I inevitably grab the DLC, but I won't go out of my way for them.

Truth be told, that bad headache was during my original one through OoT 3D. When I played it again 3ish years ago, I played through the Master Quest portion. I really liked the remixed dungeons in that, it actually made the Forest Temple more bearable in a way. Though that track still isn't my favorite. I think it's the psychedelic whooping I'm not too fond of. I used to get a ton of headaches and still deal with them on occasion, but they aren't nearly as frequent as they used to be. I think a lot of it had to do with eye strain and dehydration back then, which I'm better at dealing with now.

Overall, barring the bad memories from the Forest Temple track (and I don't necessarily dislike it, it just isn't my favorite), I too love the vast majority of the dungeon themes in Ocarina of Time. The themes in the adult portion of the game are a collective step up from the others in my book though. Thankfully, the Islamic chanting version of the Fire Temple is online, so I haven't missed out on that version. That one has more of a...holistic vibe, whereas the revised theme is definitely creepier. Both are very good, but they definitely change the area's mood. They absolutely nailed it with the Spirit Temple theme; I think the reason I like the first 30 or so seconds of the song the best is because it sounds like a grand procession entering the (very well done) temple entrance, complete with instruments announcing their presence. Heck, I love the entire desert/Gerudo areas of the game and especially the Gerudo Valley tune! As for the Shadow Temple, it is suitably terrifying. Another place where they nailed the atmosphere to a T. Same with Bottom of the Well. That was freaky enough, particularly with the story behind it (I'm assuming you've seen the theory about Bongo Bongo?), but it was just a prelude of what was to come.

Uncontrollable vs. Yoshi's Woolly World....Definitely an interesting mashup. Somehow it all works! Someone in the comments on that video put it nicely; it's like listening to a post-credits beach scene with this remix playing.

On BotW's timeline placement: I've heard the converging timelines theory, though it's been some time since I've dug into the details. It might be time for me to unearth that information again. I wasn't aware of the Hyrule Warriors theory, however; I'm assuming this refers to the original game? I haven't played AoC yet. I always thought that the original game, while fun, was considered non-canon. Though knowing Nintendo, I could see them run off with that theory....

Agreed on the inconsistency of what Zelda fans want out of the series. Personally, I enjoy both The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in their own ways, though I've only played the HD version of the former with its QoL improvements. I loved picking up the first Clawshot in TP and was thrilled when I learned there were two of them! Double the fun and action, though City In The Sky is probably one of my least favorite dungeons. Visually, it's great, but it's very easy to get lost in it. At least Abgarok is a cool boss!

With what I experienced in the demo - though they did say it would be difficult - I really do hope Project Triangle Strategy employs multiple difficulty modes. I'm not sure I'd skate through on the easiest setting, but maybe the next one up? I've been trying to control my influx of video games for a little while now. I've had...limited success, shall we say. It helps that I stick to a budget. The main problem is I'm still picking up the occasional 3/DS game, but I've almost grabbed everything I want by this point. Well, anything that's still a sane price.

@NintendoByNature Nice! Glad it seems to be as advertised! I'm still half-debating about going down the Black Eagles route, but I might save that for my second play through. I have a few Fire Emblem completions under my belt now, but I wouldn't quite call myself a series veteran. XD I'm definitely not one of the masochistic hardcore fans that plays everything on Lunatic mode on up. I like to enjoy my games with some amount of challenge. I avoid aneurysms if possible.

Well, so, I just saw this. Not my video, someone elses. Pasting below.

NASA launched a rocket experiment studying plasma & energy traveling in magnetic fields, upper atmosphere.... something... The rocket experiment was called KiNet-X. They deployed barium vapor clouds to excite the atmosphere and create small aurora clouds. It was cloudy af here. There was no reason to expect to see anything. I grudgingly walked to the window, expecting nothing, but saw the white V shaped cloud of the second stage, which is cool to see. It's ghostly to see in person. Afterward a small round aurora green cloud lingered for 5+ minutes.

I tell ya. It's a pain in the ass trying to watch a launch, because they rarely launch as scheduled. This one was canceled 5 nights in a row because it was too windy high up (for the experient), or it was too cloudy to observe. But every once in a while, it's cool to see something fly to space, if conditions permit it.

@Tyranexx got it. The black eagles are mostly mages/nobles. I've read that's the more difficult of the 3. Golden deer are mostly archers. I've got a few characters leveled up pretty well that they're nearly 10 levels over the recommended but some are 3-4 levels under. Either way it all works out. And I chose casual/normal myself. Normal difficulty and casual is for non-permadeath, which it's up to you. But im not good enough for that.

@NintendoByNature Ah, good to know. So there are different base class types for each path. Didn't know that. For some reason I had assumed they'd be mostly balanced no matter which path you pick. I'll probably go Normal/Casual for my first run as well. I've played a couple FE games where Casual wasn't an option; MAAAAAN was that stressful lol. I finally gave up a perfect Shadow Dragon run (DS release) around Chapter 19. Heck, I get stressed enough losing characters for a battle! XD I do think Phoenix Mode was a bit overkill in the Fates games though, so I'm glad they took that back out.

You'll definitely want to play all 3 paths for that one, @Tyranexx.... Definitely looking forward to Project Triangle Strategy, too

@Fujimoto-San Cheers to you as well! Have fun with it once you get it. It's one of my favorite Mario games and I highly recommend it.

@Tyranexx Thank you! Really happy it's all over. I'm hoping to learn game design soon next, that's pretty much at higher-end universities than the ones in my area.

Oh that sounds pretty funny with how you all made your Miis, lol. I remember when my bro has made some...interesting Miis as well. (Not in a bad way, of course.) One of which being his OC back when he was at his Naruto phase, lol. I do like Wii Sports golf quite a bit, though I never was too great at it. The other golf game I've played and liked was Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour on the GameCube.

Yeah, I pretty much grew up with Nintendo consoles throughout the 90s, though I definitely had exposure to the Genesis. I briefly played the Dreamcast at a kiosk in Sears way back then too. Fun fact: this was the first Sega console I had hands-on time with! We didn't have the NES in our household, but my grandmother had one in her house. She had a ton of games for it, and surely enough, the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt combo cart was one of them. Before I had the PS2, I played one at a cousin's house as well. Another fun fact: Grand Theft Auto III was the first PS2 game I ever played, surprisingly enough! I think it was because it was in the console already, lol. The only thing I did in GTA, however, was running around the city, though my mom caught me red-handed regardless. XD Thankfully there was another game I could play, which was the Jak and Daxter demo disc.

New Profile Pic! I've been watching Re:Zero and I'm really loving it so far!!!

@MarioLover92 Ha ha! Thanks, I'm sure I will. I've been meaning to play this game since it debuted on the Wii U, so when it was announced for Switch I was pretty excited. Despite having to wait a while, I'm sure that it'll eventually be restocked and in no time I'll be playing it on my Switch besides my brother.