Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

(Insert "I'm still around, just busy" meme here)

Seriously though,
I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm okay, and have been doing well over the last few months (I think it's been close to 5 months, IIRC).
I'm sorry if I have made any of you guys concerned or worried about me, because of the fact that I just dropped the face of the Earth, I mean... Nintendo Life. I've just been very busy, and the little time I have had, it's been doing my other hobbies (or when I was in the process of writing responses, I got pulled away to do something else), so I'm sorry for not responding sooner to your all's messages, or even just sending a quick check-in message every once in a while.

I'm not sure when I'll reply to messages sent to me from a few months ago, and I'm not sure if I will reply to all of them. Don't worry, it's not that any of you did anything wrong, I just feel that most of you have probably forgotten the replies you sent me back in October of 2021 (Yikes!). I hope I'm not coming off as rude or mean. I might reply to some of the longer replies, but if anyone wants to specifically respond to their previous responses, please let me know. I'm not sure when I'll reply to any previous messages, I just figured I should do a check-in message, since I have a bit more time, as I will be on Spring Break this upcoming week, so I'll have a bit more time than usual.

I hope that everyone is doing well.

@MarioLover92 Got a taste? Friend came back today as he had no plans, we played them all. Loved them. Though, for some reason, Choco Mountain felt different to me. Not sure why. I do not mean that in a bad way either. Yeah, I'll be surprise to see how it works once they can be played outside the rooms. I oddly remember the DLC option in the original Mario Kart 8 on Wii U now.

Whatever she's watching, we all know one thing, she's gonna go on about it when we boot up Animal Crossing and get that morning announcement.

@MPSSislit Don't worry about it, IRL stuff happens. I'm doing good myself. Friend who moved away came over and we did some gaming. Thought of you recently, been watching the Ninjala anime on YouTube. They been posting episodes every week.

@Sunsy Yeah I loved them too! It's a pretty solid set of courses overall. I was pretty surprised that the cars near the end of Coconut Mall are now stationary instead of moving back and forth, but otherwise, it's the same track we know and love. Yeah, Choco Mountain is a bit different from how it was in Mario Kart 64, there's now a cavern section when you get to the tunnel, and a glider section afterward. I think they changed it like that since there's this massive skip you could do in 64, where right at the beginning, you'd skip like a third of the track with a mushroom boost at just the right angle.

It's actually different in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's online. If you're matched up with at least one player who got the DLC, you'll get a chance to play the DLC tracks. Of course, you'll have a better chance of playing them once you get the DLC for yourself. That's actually cool they did that, so anyone can try them out - when they're lucky of course.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Mario Kart Tour tracks, I love how a couple of them change up the routes! The way that Paris Promenade makes you go backwards on the final lap is really cool, and I love the whole Paris theme too. I actually like the music, it's really pretty!

Yep, that is very true. She's quite the talkative one! lol

Edit: Whoops, I didn't read your later post when I posted, my bad. I tend to just read the posts that mention me. Sorry about that.

@MPSSislit It's all good. I'm not upset at all, I tend to get very busy at times as well. Glad to hear you're doing ok, I'm doing well myself! What kind of other hobbies do you like if you don't mind me asking? Just curious.

Sorry everyone, I’ve been pretty dormant lately. It’s due to a few things. First, saw the Bahrain Grand Prix, and witnessed a new age for Formula One. Fantastic to see live as well as spending time at the track. I think I may have caught something from someone in the crowd, because I’ve had a pretty bad cold the last three or four days. My nose had been blocked and not much is helping…

But yeah, I hope everyone is well, and that everyone’s staying healthy at the moment. We shouldn’t forget we’re still in a pandemic despite news focusing on Ukraine. @Tyranexx I’ll find time as usual to reply properly but I’m sorry about your recent sleep troubles. Best thing I can offer is to take a deep breath and refocus every now and then. It helps.

@TheJGG Just watched the race. Yeah, pretty crazy with how the redbull cars performed(or didn't).

@TheJGG Were you at the actual track? Where did you sit?

Friend leaving for home tomorrow, so some more gaming today. Chocobo GP, the bought game itself, is fun. Friend and I did some split screen races. Also, my favorite highlight, playing Sonic Advance 3 in multi-pak battle mode. Never had a chance to play it, really fun team races across the game's levels.

Honestly, I wish Switch Online's classic library would get GBA games with their multiplayer intact. Makes me wonder how they would incorporate the modes that are single-pak.

@MarioLover92 Yeah, I was surprised the cars didn't have Miis in them or did anything. I think you're right, the tunnel felt bigger. I think the track is a little bit different too, had to look up a map of Choco Mountain on N64, thank you Mario wiki, it's based off the Tour layout. Going by the display map of course, I haven't played Tour.

Personally, my friend and I loved the new ninja themed map. Really was a fun to race on it.

Oh, that's cool. I may get to play these tracks more before I get the DLC since I do play Mario Kart 8 online.

Yeah, the two Tour tracks were fun. I also like how they look, I even caught a Yoshi (seeing the Yoshi and Toads in Shroom Ridge cheering was a nice touch) on the side of the road in Tokyo Blur.

Also, found my Isabelle plushie.

Those darn TV habits... on second thought, Isabelle has taste, lol. (note her hair, those are the bells I was talking about, they're jingle bells)

@Sunsy
Did you play Chocobo GP with cartridge?
Are the basic unlockable stuffs already inside the game without have to pay more money?

@Anti-Matter I live in the US, and Chocobo GP is only a download here AFAIK, both lite and retail versions (albeit, it's a digital purchase too). My friend unlocked tracks from just playing the story mode, he didn't pay for anything beyond the digital version itself. Lite and retail are the same game, the lite version just has a lot of limits.

It seems the microtransactions and pass are mainly for the 64 player "Chocobo GP mode," which is the main appeal of the lite version.

My friend has the full game, I have lite, so I'm only able to join his local wireless game. The full game has split screen.

@Sunsy
So, I need one more clarification before I made my final decision about Chocobo GP.
Is the full / retail version have normal way to unlock characters and other stuffs without have to pay more money to unlock them ?
And what is the purpose for the micro transactions on retail / full version ?
Because even if the retail version still have to pay a lot of money to unlock every single characters, it looks like a legit scam product.

@Anti-Matter The only thing I know is my friend unlocked tracks from simply playing the story mode of the game, that's it. I can't speak beyond that since I just played split screen mode with him, and played the local wireless mode in the lite version. The full game has more characters to play as, played as Camilla today.

Money, why else? Crash Team Racing did something similar, though more shady as they added them months after the game launched IIRC. They're understandable in F2P games (game's free, but buying something supports the developers), however, a retail game is already paid for when bought.

I plan to get the game, but I'll wait for a discount or something. I like the racing, and when we found out the full game has split screen (under "Custom Race," it's not in the multiplayer menu), I hooked up my dock to the living room TV, my friend placed his Switch in and we played.

@Sunsy I wanna let you know that the new MK8D tracks are playable online now. You may have to give the game some time while you're playing online, but as long as you're matched up with someone who owns the booster course pass, they'll eventually come!

Yeah, pretty odd that the Miis don't appear in the MK8D version. Not too sure why. Ninja Hideaway is a great track for sure, and it's quite challenging. Love the music and Japanese theme for it.

That's a nice Isabelle plush you have, I see the bells too. You're getting her to watch Trolls, I see! I wonder if she's into Disney films as well - she probably is!

OH NO!

Fire Emblem Heroes must be laughing nervously right now

@MarioLover92 Oh cool, that's good to know.

Yeah, Ninja Hideaway was just a fun track. My friend and I both loved how it looked and to race on it. Also, for some reason, my friend and I thought the tracks looked better than the footage shown in the Direct. We're both happy Coconut Mall is back, that was one of our favorite tracks.

Thanks. Them TV watching habits, lol. Felt like doing that, had TrollsTopia on for a bit last night. Isabelle does seem like the type who would watch Disney movies.

@Fizza Shut downs like this is exactly why I'm not big on mobile games. Lost my favorite mobile game last May, and another one earlier in the year.

C'mon DreamWorks, license Trolls to Outright Games or something, I miss Trolls Pop. If Smurfs and My Little Pony can get a console and PC game, I don't see why Trolls can't. I'd say Smurfs Mission Vileaf is one of my favorite games of last year.

I've been very busy, so apologies on the late responses.

@tekoii Time does fly. It seems to fly by faster and faster each year! I'm told by some of my older coworkers that it doesn't get any better lol. I'll be more than occupied until XC3, particularly in regards to picking up the rest of the 3DS and Wii U digital titles that I want while trying to stick to my gaming budget. Especially Kirby; I'm a newer series fan and have only played Kirby Superstar and Kirby's Adventure so far. I'll be playing catch-up on some of the series highlights before I pick up Kirby and the Forgotten Land, though rest assured I will grab the latter!

@BruceCM Perhaps! XC3 will be a good candidate, though it's far from the only one lol.

@Sunsy Same here in regards to Emerald. I can relate on the dead copy of Gold; my copy of Crystal failed a few years ago. It can still be played, but it can't hold a save at all.

@MarioLover92 I can't speak for newer VAs for Ash, but I'm quite certain his original VA was female. I had to look up her name, it's Veronica Taylor. As for the NSMB series, I very nearly picked up NSMB Wii at one point but opted out when I saw some footage. I consider NSMB U a slight improvement, though some of that is likely play bias lol. I'd much rather revisit some of the more classic games you mentioned.

@MPSSislit No need to apologize; I'm sure everyone who frequents this thread completely understands. IRL can hit like a train, sometimes without warning. It's completely understandable to put other priorities above internet waffling.

@TheJGG No rush; I completely understand. I have been sleeping better overall, though I'm still not entirely sure what triggered my insomnia to begin with. Sounds like that Formula One event was quite an experience!

Perhaps we can help you pick between whichever candidates for the winter game, @Tyranexx .... But no rush to decide yet!

@Sunsy Yeah I agree, I think they look quite a bit better than the direct footage. I was surprised to see how much detail they put into Choco Mountain, for example. Coconut Mall's one of my favorite tracks too - looking forward to seeing more.

@Tyranexx I agree, I think NSMBU's a bit better overall. It controls the best and I like how all the worlds are interconnected, like in Super Mario World. However the penguin suit is rather rare IIRC, you'd get it in Superstar Road, which is the last world in the game after beating Bowser. I loved the penguin suit in NSMBW. Not only does Mario look adorable as a penguin, but he also swims better and isn't affected by slippery surfaces. He can throw iceballs too.

@BruceCM Definitely no rush; there's plenty of time before winter sets in! We're just now getting into spring here.

@MarioLover92 The controls in NSMBU are indeed quite concise. I may also be biased since I enjoy the acorn power-up. XD I've heard about the penguin suit, but I'm not sure how I'd like that concept in execution. For Mario penguins, I think I'll stick with the inhabitants of Cool, Cool Mountain.

I remember playing a Phineas and Ferb DS game when I was a kid and I still stand by the fact it was one of the best 2D platformers I've ever played. It's like Klonoa in the sense that it's more 2.5D, with winding platforming segments, constantly changing powerups and expertly done puzzles. There was also a Candace meter where, if you got hit too many times, you would be sent to a minigame and, if Candace caught you before the time was up, you game over'd right there and then which I thought was awesome. I wish I could remember the name of it because god I'd love to watch playthroughs of it on Youtube. If there was ever a licensed game that I adored, it was that one.