Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

My 4 year old nephew just spent the last thirty minutes telling me how the lady sitting next to him on the airplane was really pretty and how he told her she was pretty, and how she told him he was cute, and how he wishes his mom looked like her.

Oh and that mentos make soda go up.

What a deep metaphor for “the world goes around”. Wise 4 year old.

@MarioVillager92 I did watch a few random ones, but a few well known ones. I watched the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen, Bocchi the Rock!, Chainsaw Man, and Wonder Egg Priority. absolutely loved Jujutsu Kaisen, had heard of it for many years and watched it for fun. Chainsaw Man was nice too, but it’s a bit too gory and suggestive, and there was maybe one episode that I didn’t like a lot cuz I found a character there to act really disgusting, so I skipped a few parts of the episode, but I really loved the animation and the opening and ending songs. Wonder Egg Priority was a nice magical girl-esque anime, but it’s writing gets worse nearing the end, so I unfortunately didn’t like it once I finished it, plus it never really wrapped up its story and the way it treated some characters in there was questionable. I was watching Bocchi in May, but I never finished it. I put a few more animes on my watchlist, but I haven’t gotten to watching them. I have heard of My Hero Academia, but I never watched it and have only seen clips of it.

Yeah, MARETU wouldn’t be your thing. His music sounds great but the subject matter is very dark and questionable.

Some people have been chatting more in the game club, but I think some people have already stopped playing the game. I love the writing and characters and the goofiness of it but the gameplay and level design is sort of bad. I don’t remember it being too poor, and it sometimes does feel like the gameplay was an afterthought. There was a remake I bought and finished that is loads better with the gameplay since there is attempts to make it less repetitive and a bit more easy, but I chose to play the original on my Xbox for some reason. I can’t back out now since I am already midway through on my second playthrough. Probably not going to attempt a full third playthrough ever since it’s making me a but frustrated.

Rare Replay was absolutely worth the money for me, but it is a bit disappointing its stuck on Xbox. I would like to see it maybe come to Switch or a future Nintendo console since Microsoft has been saying they are considering making some games of theirs multiplatform (plus four exclusives went multiplatform earlier this year) but I don’t really know how Rare Replay could work on the Switch, since the Xbox games included on there are separate downloads and they take up a bit of space and I don’t know if the Switch could handle that. I have also been more Nintendo than Xbox, I only really wanted an Xbox because of Rare’s games since I played a few on the Switch. So many of the games included on there fit the Nintendo ecosystem way more than Xbox, and I think a lot of Rare fans are Nintendo gamers rather than Xbox gamers.

@Pastellioli I wish Nintendo was more predictable when it comes to NSO drops, then I remember who we're discussing. XD Roadmaps are good, but I do admit it's quite nice to be surprised sometimes too. It's why I'm not the biggest fan of leaks. Personally, I'd like to see more Game Boy titles come to NSO. There are still plenty of great options for both the GB and GBA services that haven't been released yet. Most prominently classic Pokemon titles and some of their excellent spinoffs.

"Don't judge a book (or game) by its cover" is appropriate in this case. We don't truly know something or someone unless we spend time talking with them or researching it. Makes sense that older games might not have ESRB descriptions. It's possible any detailed records they kept at the time either...weren't great, or have been lost to time. Part of the problem though is people don't want to take the time out to do research. I get it, life can be busy, but this is why time management is a thing. I am by no means perfect in this regard, but it really has helped me.

@Sunsy I like going to the theater to watch movies, though it has to be something I really want to see. My local theater has $5 Tuesdays all day, so that makes it easy to duck in after work sometimes. Their morning matinees are $5 too, but those are usually hard for me to pull off since I work during the week. I do like what I've seen of Despicable Me, though the Minions can easily annoy me.

Yep, the chain is called Ramen Danbo. It's Fukuoka-style Tonkotsu Ramen. Technically, that one New York location is in Brooklyn (Though in my mind, they're geographically close enough to be almost the same lol).

@MarioVillager92 I hope you're still having a lot of fun with Tears of the Kingdom. No rush, though I want to grab Echoes of Wisdom on release...but I probably won't get to it until the day after (Friday). No clue why Nintendo decided Thursday releases are now in.

Sounds like Knoebels is one of those theme parks where you have to pay for the rides then? Not sure how I feel about that. I suppose it depends on the cost, problem is I really like riding rides repeatedly if possible. Wouldn't be against trying a park like that though; the closest equivalent I've been to is a carnival. The best parks suit all ages. I can do rides that spin...but not with a lot of force. It doesn't scramble my stomach, but the pressure in my brain.

I do recall the Disney platformers being real lookers, so they had the visuals going for them at least lol. If only they came with difficulty levels....With TTYD, I did think about trying for more of the badges, but I was satisfied with what I already had. The recipes seemed like a pain, so I only dealt with those related to Troubles. I did experiment a couple of times though. I never quite got the hang of Super guards sadly.

Super Mario Galaxy is a worthy contender for a top Wii game in my book. I like it more than its successor, and it's hands down my favorite Mario title on the system. That OST was a good find in any case. Breaking Benjamin is an alternative metal band. Some of their most well known songs are Diary of Jane, Breath, and Had Enough. They're also supposed to be touring with Staind and will have a couple other names I admittedly don't know at the concert...if I decide to go.

@Tyranexx
I personally do not like Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 games after i have played them because the games keep resetting my multiple lives accumulation back to 4 or 5 lives everytime i loaded the games.
That makes the games became hard to play as it sucks for unable to keep my accumulation lives to anticipate difficult stages to clear.
I have finished the first game but it wasn't really impressive after some thought.
I still haven't continued the second game as i already felt done with Mario Galaxy games.
I personally prefer Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart PS5 and A Crack in Time PS3 for having great gameplay and storyline that touched my heart than the Super Mario Galaxy games.

Until today, i still have very low hype and interest level with Mario franchise despite i still buy & play certain Mario games.
I didn't really feel the charm from Mario franchise blowing away my mind as my gaming experience have been shaped from a lot of 3rd party games especially from PlayStation games.
In my age almost 40 years, if i write the percentage of my hype level of Mario franchise, it will be around 10 - 20 %.
Well, pretty much i'm already tired with perpetual damsel in distress from Mario games while i have experienced with different scenario and storyline model from 3rd party games that color me intrigued.

Btw, have you tried any random games you have never played before?
Recently i have finished Puss in Boots PS3, first time played Monkey King Hero Is Back PS4, etc.
I have played Princess Peach Showtime as my promise before but it seems i tend to get sleepy whenever i played Princess Peach Showtime.
I don't know, maybe the charm of 2.5 D platform er games that too familiar made me get sleepy.

I’m almost done with my second playthrough of Conker but I sometimes forget how bad the gameplay is at times. I think the writing and characters are good and definitely a huge highlight of the game, but the gameplay is sometimes a hit or miss. They had so many fun ideas in the gameplay but some of those ideas aren’t executed well, and it seems like the gameplay was an afterthought since the game focuses on being more cinematic and its characters. Still love the game, I just think I should have played the remake instead this time.

I have been writing my progress on the Pure Xbox game club, but unfortunately discussion has been very dead there…I think I’ve only been talking with one of the heads of the game club, and some people I talk to that decided to play the game dropped it already since it sadly wasn’t their thing. There are more people apart of the club, but I am assuming most forgot about it, they are busy with other stuff or they are playing Conker but haven’t commented on the forum about it. This discussion thing isn’t as fun as I hoped it would be, but it’s on Pure Xbox, which is one of Hookshot’s least popular sites, and the only time it really gets popular is if there are articles on the future of Xbox and reports on bad news for the Xbox.

Good morning.
Today (4 August) is birthday anniversary of my fictional character from B.S.P.D (Brilliant Star Police Department), Edward George.
He was the main character from my B.S.P.D with other characters Jennifer White, Dr Marc Drummond, Charlie Vaughan and Clark Hugo.
That fictional police department i have created since when i was grade 11 long time ago.

@Pastellioli That's cool, I don't think I've seen those four shows you mentioned though. Been watching One Piece recently, you've probably heard of that show... it's the anime version. I'm done with the first three seasons. It's quite a bit better than I thought actually, I remember it came out on Fox Box back in about 2004, but at the time I thought it looked a bit silly and I wasn't too interested in its whole pirate theme, lol. I was huge into Sonic at the time (and by extension, Sonic X since it was on the same channel). I heard the 4Kids version of One Piece got a bit censored when it aired on Fox Box too, the dub I'm seeing on Netflix does have some violent parts and has a different voice acting cast.

Ah... gotcha. Its gameplay and level design aren't super great, huh? Kinda disappointing to hear since I like Rare's other stuff like Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie. What are your thoughts on Kameo: Elements of Power? It's a game I've been mildly curious about since it came out on the 360 so many years ago, but just didn't have it.

Yeah, I'd love to have Rare Replay on a Nintendo console at least... and yeah I'm told that it can't really happen since some of those games are straight-up 360 games, and it requires the Xbox One/Series X|S to be into a "360 mode" of sorts. Something that the Switch doesn't have obviously.

@Tyranexx Yep I'm having fun with it. It's a good game to kick back and relax with before going to bed, lol. Looks like I finally found a side quest for the bubbul gems... really glad I can work towards that now. Yeah I'm not sure either. Been used to having new Nintendo games coming out on Fridays, lol.

Actually in Knoebels, you'd buy ride tickets before going to the rides themselves. Then you'd spend said tickets once you're through the lines. Each ride asks for a different amount of tickets. I like riding rides more than once too, if I really like them. I agree, the best parks suit all ages. Ah OK, gotcha... that tilt-a-whirl definitely spun with a lot of force. It felt like I was about to be tossed off the ride, lol... plus I had to close my eyes shut right when it spun like 5,000 miles per hour. OK, I'm exaggerating about the specific speed, but it sure as heck felt like it, lol. The teacup ride was so much better. It did spin, but not nearly as much. The teacups mainly slid around real fast... I laughed throughout that entire ride because I enjoyed myself that much!

Difficulty levels definitely would've came in handy. Especially since a lot of children like Disney cartoons and movies. Gotcha, I tried out any badges I thought I'd like, but did have to unequip the ones I didn't like or weren't good at. I was also happy with whatever I had.

The first Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite Mario game on the Wii as well, I also like it more than its sequel (which is also fantastic). That's cool, thanks for telling me about them. Maybe I'll give them a listen sometime.

@MarioVillager92 Conker’s gameplay is a bit hit or miss. It’s good at times, but sometimes isn’t great. The gameplay and objectives shifting depending on the levels and situation is interesting and definitely something I don’t see a lot in most platformer games, but it is sometimes executed a bit poorly, mostly on the original. The remake had better controls and it’s why I prefer it over the original. My main issue sort of comes with the gunplay, and how sometimes when you use guns or projectiles, there isn’t a reticle to aim. There are parts where you use turrets, which do have reticles, but the aiming is still off and I have to shoot aimlessly in order to get all the enemies. The gunplay in the chapter I’m currently on is better, albeit a bit slow. The camera isn’t super awful, but it refuses to move at times and it makes it hard to see.

A lot of the levels are fine, pretty nice, but there was this one prehistoric level in it that I think is maybe the game’s worst level with its tasks and objectives. There is this racing minigame that is thrown in near the end of the level and that one is so annoying. It surprisingly wasn’t as bad as I remember it being, but it just seems so random and it’s where I died the most in the level, and I just think that Banjo does it’s racing minigames way better than whatever it is Conker did. There is also a horror-themed level set at a haunted mansion, and that one is a bit too repetitive with how big the area is and how you need to go to this big door back and forth with keys. The level I am on is cool but it’s so difficult. I’m almost done with it, but it’s so hard to beat at times. The prehistoric level is maybe the one level I have the most gripes with, most of the game’s levels are fine, but it’s a rare case where the writing, characters, and charm outdo the actual gameplay itself. The original version of the game is super frustrating at times, I got upset at it way more than Banjo. The remake does fix a lot of issues the original has, and it’s why I always went with that one rather than the original. I think Banjo does its gameplay better than Conker.

With Kameo, I thought that was a pretty nice game. Decent, and not bad like everyone else says it is. I really liked the shapeshifting concepts, the locations in the game were really bright and colorful, and there was this cool thing that happens, where if you keep up this combo when attacking enemies, it fills up this meter that slows down time and lets you attack the slowed down enemies. That part was so fun, and there was this boulder creature I’d use a ton to build up the meter by spinning around and around and hitting hordes of enemies. It was so fun. The characters aren’t deep or anything and the plot is super simple, but I didn’t mind those and I remember it being pretty fun when I played it last year. It’s an action-adventure game with a bit of some open-world elements since you can walk around the place, and the fighting gameplay reminded me a bit of beat em’ up games.

@Tyranexx Ooh, leaks, I used to follow those a ton but I don’t anymore since I sort of started to realize how awful leakers act and how they only leak stuff for attention and internet clout, plus they can ruin surprises. There were these two well-known leakers I did somewhat keep up with, I think their names were Midori and Pyoro, and they got into these individual fiascos back in June during the “not E3” gaming season. I recall the former got exposed as being another leaker pretending to be someone else and turning out to have gotten their sources off of other people and the latter ended up getting a ton of info on the June Direct wrong for the first time, threw what basically was a tantrum online about not being wrong, and went dark when I believe his source got exposed. It was after those two went that I stopped following leaks. With how frequently they have been adding new content on NSO, I’m going to assume the next N64 drop is next month. Pretty excited to see what the next N64 title is.

I think seeing some of the content is pretty easy just by seeing an ESRB description or article on a modern game, but it would be harder for an older game like Conker and parents might need to research more on it, like maybe watching videos for a specific game or seeing another site like Common Sense Media to check the severity of adult content on the game. The content in Conker is most certainly not for younger audiences, but some of the content might be judged differently by modern standards, some might think that some content is not as severe nowadays but some might think differently.

This year Outright Games is ROCK! 😊
They provided more and more kids franchise games on multi consoles.
Patrick Starfish in Open World style on PS5 ??
OMG...! 😊

@Pastellioli I’m not far into Conker but plan to drop it soon because of being busy with life and other games.

I’m having a lot of fun with gears, and would like to finish 1 to set up my playthrough for 2 if my vote wins.

I also trying to continue my gta iv replay and finish some stuff I’m emulating on pcsx2 on my steam deck. Will probably try to get back to FFX at some point.

Generally IRL I’ve been doing both pretty good and pretty awful. Mentally I’m alright, feeling happier than I have all year. Physically thought I’m at my lowest, having this extremely nasty back spasm that’s making it really hard to sleep. I’m taking some medication, mainly mascadol , but if it gets serious I’ll go see a doctor. I’m really not feeling well at all.

@Yousef- it’s fine if you do drop Conker. I mean in the game club it isn’t an obligation to complete it and you can play other games in between it. I did it cuz I really wanted to.

Ooh, that sounds awful and very concerning…I have some back pain at times, usually from the way I sleep, but back spasm? That sounds really awful. I’m hoping it goes away fast.

I haven’t played Gears of War ever, I might get that $1.00 Game Pass Ultimate deal for 14 days. I haven’t gotten it yet and I’m trying to see which games they will play next that might interest me. The new tiers they got for Game Pass don’t seem appealing and the price hikes look awful. Luckily I didn’t have to subscribe to Game Pass for Conker since I already owned it without Game Pass, though maybe I should have played the remake instead this time…

I don’t have any other games I’m playing right now besides that Hatsune Miku rhythm game on my phone. Pretty fun, but I am unsure what game I’m going to play on my Xbox next. Maybe I could see if I could do a full playthrough of the Conker remake, or try to see if there is some other games I can try to complete on Rare Replay. I have a good amount of achievements and stamps on there, but I wanna see if I could possibly get to 100 achievements on there. It’s mostly a ton of the older games and N64 games that I might need to complete to get more achievements, but if I am being honest I’m not really interested in completing Jet Force Gemini cuz the controls are just so bad, and Blast Corps really ticks me off in the later half. The ZX Spectrum games are maybe the worst Rare Replay has to offer, but I did complete a few. I’m just still waiting for more people to talk about their thoughts on Conker in the thread, but I don’t think a lot of people participated this time sadly, so discussion hasn’t been as big as I hoped it would be. It’s only @Balta666 that has been having discussions with me, but I did have fun writing that extremely lengthy deep dive talking about my pros and cons with Conker. We did just start, so maybe I need to wait a bit for more people to finish it. Some people in the club seemed busy too. I did also say to someone else in this thread that I at one point did intend to emulate some of Rare’s Game Boy Color and Advance games, so I might do that. There is one more Conker game I haven’t played, and it’s called Conker’s Pocket Tales, which came before the games went in a more adult direction and showed what tone the games were supposed to have. There was also Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge that I might play too. I’ll probably start playing Pocket Tales today, since I’m still obsessed with Conker at the moment lol.

I have been doing fine too, but I sometimes do get back pains and my neck can be too tight and sore. I’d always sleep on my stomach for years but it really misaligned my spine and it sometimes aches at random times.

@Pastellioli yeah it’s taking a while to go away and frankly it’s coming at the worst possible time where I already can’t really engage with leasure life stuff because new attendance laws in kuwait are being enforced which will naturally lead to a lot of stressful paperwork and poor communication, my two worst enemies.

@Pastellioli yeah it’s taking a while to go away and frankly it’s coming at the worst possible time where I already can’t really engage with leasure life stuff because new attendance laws in kuwait are being enforced which will naturally lead to a lot of stressful paperwork and poor communication, my two worst enemies.

@Yousef- Sorry…I also hate bad communication too. I don’t know if you are referring to online or virtual ones, but I really hate having bad communication and not being able to clarify things and giving people the wrong ideas and impressions. I get pretty annoyed when I don’t have time to do leisure activities, especially after long days. I’ve been wanting to draw, but it’s too time consuming and I can’t really engage in bigger and more detailed artwork without having to stay up late and making a huge mess, so I always just game since it’s fast and efficient. I just think I’m maybe starting to fall a bit out of love for art, since I’m doing it way less and I’m finding myself using electronics more, but I need to stop using my electronics so much and go back to drawing and not using screens so much. I had planned to have an art filled break, but my schedule isn’t giving me enough time to do it. I’m hoping I can draw something tomorrow though, even if it’s small. Have you still been enjoying playing games alongside Gears of War? I think games cheer me up a ton when I’m angry or need an escape from something unpleasant.

@Pastellioli online? No no no, I meant work stuff, basically irl. I apologize for the confusion! My comments were purely were relayed and have nothing to do with anything online.

Yes games are fun. When I find the time for them.

@Yousef- oh, in real life. I suck at interacting in real life but I’m getting better at it. I was secluded a bit and rarely went out since everyone was told to stay inside their houses at all times a few years ago, and just thought that I didn’t need friends and only just my items to keep me happy, but now I regret it and I really want some people to talk to. I think I have succeeded in getting some online friends like you, but I also want some in real life friends to go alongside that. I think it would be nice if I had friends in both areas.

Love games a ton. The charming ones are the types that make me the most happy and forget a lot of stuff. It’s probably why I love Rare’s games a ton.

@Pastellioli hmmmm I’ll try to share with you my favorite games I played in 2024. I got the idea when I saw the thread. I got off work early to go lay down and have my back heal. So I’ll have extra time. Might as well list some recs. I’ll try to be detailed.