Topic: What does this community mean to you?

@Late
Were you around during the tail end of the 2000's when NL was once VC-Reviews, or during 2010-2013? I think Waltz bounced in 2013-ish. There was another guy, who almost came across as his minion, Aka, Aviator(I think?) who tried to immitate or follow in his footsteps. I remember Waltz even hired the guy to work for his website way back when.

And ya, there seems to be a lot of silly pointless bickering over small trivial things on this site these days more so than ever even with the obvious mega reduction in forum traffic. I notice some people will shut down any form of critism, even when critism is desserved or valid because they feel like it's haulting their NintenHype train. They'll undermine what you say, sweep it under the rug, and follow it up with a response that sums up to "I don't care, it's good enough" It's pretty wild. The Afterlife(if there is one) doesn't give souveniers for toxic positivity and fanboyism. lol There's also a lot of talk about 'download file sizes' and console/game sales which I've got zero interest in. The forums on this site used to be a gold mine in the late 2000's/early 2010's. But now due to the rise and insane popularity of YT compared to what it once was in it's infant stage/beginnings, followed up with the new generations of youngsters checking in(which is to be expected) the forums here feel 10x less active and nich.

Hardly anybody on here can relate to the 8-16 bit generations, because they weren't there. Most people on here are probably in their 20's and early 30's, which again is only natural and to be expected. Which means they most likely started gaming in the late 90's or early to mid 2000's.

I thought so too lol.

@NeonPizza I made my account in 2010 but had already lurked for a year or two at that point. Aviator is a name I recognize. I don't think LordJumpMad and jump are the same person. Looking at their profiles, they live in a different country and have a different 3DS friend code.

I'm in my early 30's now. I grew up with PC but over half of the games I played were not for a PC. I was playing NES games on Windows 95 before I knew what a gaming console or emulator even was. I grew up playing NES, SNES, GB/C/A and Mega Drive games but don't have any nostalgia for the consoles themselves. I had Game Boys and eventually a GameCube every year on my Christmas list but didn't get any of them. My first console was a Wii I bought with my own money, soon followed by a DS Lite. There was a time when I acquired retro consoles and games but since I grew up playing everything on one machine with varying image quality and controls, I tend to just use NSO or get a modern port/collection whenever possible.

I don’t think LordJumpMad ever actually changed his username.

@Tasuki if I remember correctly, you got your threads about emulation shut down before they relaxed their rules on it. When was the last time they actually enforced that rule on you? (Honest question, I’m not trying to be snippy or anything)

@kkslider5552000
I remember you popping in during the mid 2010's was it? You tend to praise the Wii(And for good reason, i love it too. Wink*) and defend it's motion controls against the MC Naysayers whenever it's brought up in a conversation. Heh. I'm the same way, when they're implented well(Metroid Prime 3, Wario Land Shake it, Elebits, just to name a few).

Me, Tasuki, KKSlider, Skywake & Nate. That's 5. Now where's Corbie!?

@Eel If I remember correctly LJM did change his name a couple of times but I think it was to be humorous. He would change it to General Jump Mad or King Jump Mad lol.

It was awhile ago when I got a talking too, in fact it was TBD that sent me the emails but I am not stupid you tell me to stop or I will be banned, and I am going to stop. But thats what I am talking about I get threats like that but others are able to do it all willy nilly. Its not that I am mad maybe a little irritated about it but I get it as I said big dogs want their user numbers so banning people or even telling them that they could be is a no no. I mean come one if I get banned from a website would I honestly tell my friends about it? No. If the mods did warn people that would cause them to get upset tell their friends oh dont go to NL they dont allow free speech I cant talk about modding and such and as result those people wont sign up which in the end means less traffic to the site and less revenue. Its like I said the bigger you get the harder you fall.

@Tasuki
Right on about the forum activity. I had a hard time keeping up with it back in the late 2000's up until 2013-ish, now posts on average sweep in every 3-7 hours. Feels like it's not even 25% as active compared to how it all used to be. Makes sense though due to the rise of YouTube which covers everything and everything. Forums are nowhere near as big as they once were, and never will be.

And for whatever reason now, when i get a reply to one of my comments it doesn't even show up on my Account avy. weird.

@CaleBoi25
To each their own. I'm terrible when it comes to using Touch pad keys, on a small smart phone screen that i continously have to hold up. It just feels ancient, cumbersome, frustrating and a massive step back compared to using a laptop, all for the sake of being compact and portible. I find it impossible to want to engage with others unless I'm punching in a couple of sentences.

Using the Internet, like for online shopping on a Quest 3 is next level, minus the 500g headset nesting on your head. 3 Floating size adjustable MR Screens, in either your living space or custom virtual world, spacial audio for YouTube video/music etc, with either hand based motion controls or Q3 motion controllers. It's pretty surreal, but not ideal for typing long comments unless you're using a keyboard.

I'm guessing Meta's Quest Air which is slated for 2027 will offer the same thing, but better thanks to the 110g weight(Tethered Puck housing computer power & battery), visor/glasses design, higher resolution etc. I just need a dedicated MR Keyboard & Mouse if I decide to use that as my main when it comes to the forums, online shopping & YouTube. But because I don't I usually just bust out my Lenova Laptop(16" Screen)

@NeonPizza Yeah definitely a decline in activity. I remember you couldnt step away for an hour and you would miss an entire conversation. Now you can go 8+ hours and it will still be the same replays from 8 hours ago.

As for the notifications I think its a bug I didnt get notices either from the last 3.

@Tasuki
Not only that, but we were mostly talking to people our age, older and slightly younger. It was the perfect time since we were in our mid to late 20's or early 30's. I was about 24 when i first signed up to VC-Reviews in 2008(I think), and 26-27 when NL, imo, truly peaked during 2010 - 2013. The level of excitement in the air surrounding the launch of the 3DS(for ex) was something else. I truly believed that it's Stereoscopic 3D effect would catch on, and we'd get it in future TV's. But alas.

I've been itching to rebuy one(I had two launch 'Aqua Blue' models, but i also want the JPN 'new' 3DS), but i know good and well that it's all over. The magic is gone, you can't recapture or recreate how it all once was when it was in the now, hot off the shelves like it was back in Q1 2011. I'm so indescisive when it comes to rebuying older consoles/handhelds and games. Nostalgia, as they say is one heck of a drug. But sometimes it's better to just look back fondly with a big smile on your face. Just like i will 10 years from now with my Nintendo Switch 1 memories. Super Mario Odyssey's Lake Side Kingdom being one of the most memorable and magical.

Besides, the Swapnote App is gone forever, the 3D Art/animations & messages that i shared between a handful of NL users at that time are gone, the eShop is gone, my entier digital library full of 3DS VC GameBoy games are history etc, all because i sold off my original 3DS, while completely forgetting my original account.

@NeonPizza There was that brief period leading up to and right after Switch 2 where it was pretty busy here, but back to normal now. It's so much harder to have actual conversations or get actual information in like YouTube comments or twitter or whatever so it's a little sad forums have gotten so unpopular. Although I'm half convinced if this website had an automated 'log in via google/apple' button rather than having to manually make an account via an email address, more people would make accounts; having to make 500 separate manually input accounts has gotten less popular.

@FishyS
Actual conversations, especially through YouTube feel more scarce and rare most of the time. They typically dissolve into one and dones that don't generally last, because you know good and well that most people are cusually dropping comments from their smart phones, which is by far one of the worst ways to engage with people online....While simultaneously multi-tasking and doom scrolling YouTube Shorts & TiqTok videos. Attention spans are basically fried from social media doom scrolling, aka > Tiqtok brain rot, and so fourth. It's the age of dopamine sensory overloads!

And NL really needs to get rid of the thumbs up Icon on their main articles. Because all it's doing is creating a top comment popularity contest rather than pushing for actual conversations which is what really matters. Same thing applies to YT.

Back in the late 2000's, it wasn't quite like that. Heck, I remember joing my first forum ever back in the very early 2000's, which was purely dedicated to all things Dragon Ball Z. It was all about conversations, creating and sharing art, our ideas and just our experiences and fandom within the series. Back when the internet was still in it's infant stage.

I don't mess with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram either. Only YouTube & NL, with a tiny hint of TimeExtension. I only use my phone for taking calls and the odd text, or for it's camera and that's that. I'm oldschool. There's too many distractions these days in regards to technology with an over abundence/saturation of easily accessible media through Streaming, YouTube & the Internet, for better or worse.

@NeonPizza Besides the price for a used 3DS is insane right now. I want to get one so bad so I can finish up a few games, the main one being A Link Between Worlds. But yeah without the eShop active and a handful of other features its just not worth the money now.

Speaking of features, I loved Street Pass it surprises that they didnt bring that feature to Switch. I remember in the Summer of 2013 going to the San Francisco bay area and just nabbing street passes. Then a few years later taking it to the Portland Retro Gaming Con and checking every so often for passes. I even manged to get a few Youtubers at the time. It was so awesome. The 3DS was the last really innovate console by Nintendo. I mean the Switch with its hybrid form is innovated but 3DS had way more innovation.

@Tasuki
Yup! StereoScopic 3D was revolutionary in handheld form imo, with the likes of PilotWings Resort, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Resident Evil Revelations first person mode, it was put to good use in Super Mario 3D Land, StarFox 64 3D, Kid Icarus: uprising, 3D NES & Genesis Classics, or even the 3D depth layered Original GameBoy/GBC screen boarders that were optional for eshop Handheld virtual console titles. Swapnote was INcredible and allowed users to get really creative when sharing art and messages. It was the first time i ever drew and wrote anything in S3D(Or multi-depth/3 layered) while also being able to record voice Audio & music which played along with your message/art which would slowly come together/unfold whenever somebody opened it or you rewatched it yourself. it was something else that's for sure.

And of course it's Mixed Reality Mode & AR Cards. Innovation was plentyfull in spades, and like you said it was the last Nintendo Console/handheld to offer that. It was comfortable too, had a D-pad, and no akwardly placed Right stick to get in the way of B,A,X,Y which both the NS1 & NS2 are guilty of in handheld mode...

Switch 1(I don't own NS2 yet), was imo, the most underwhelming Nintendo console unboxing ever.
It stripped away the 3DS's S3D, MR, DualScreens, emphasis on stylus controls for just a regular HD LCD display, with awful Joy-con controllers...We were basically forced to shell out another $100+ for a Pro Controller

I figure, why would i settle for a terrible looking tiny 6"-something LCD display when i can play the exact same game on a 55" or 65" OLED TV?...NS1 doesn't do anything to spererate or distinguish itself compared to playing the same game on a TV, other than being able to play it portable which just isn't really exciting to me. Handy for others that love to switch between their TV and then playing it on Handheld. But i don't like to game when I'm out and about, it's too distracting. Maybe if I'm stuck on an air plane.lol

Heck, I dont' even like half of NS1's exclusives from the big N, but overall as it's own self contained system(Without mixing in PS5)it has one of the best libraries of any Nintendo Console, and the Pro Controller is really nice. Plus HD Rumble is solid when it's properly utlized. Even though the Pro controller suffers with the odd misregister, it's D-pad feels above and beyond greater than the DualSense's. And I still can't stand NS1's 6-Axis Gyro pointer aiming, which is abysmal compared to the WIi remote(Plus Senosr bar) for both Wii & Wii U. it's funny. The NS1 felt so uninspired, corporate and soulless when it was first unveiled, compared to the Wii U before it purely based on functionality, ergonomics and features. I remember so many long time fellow NL-ifers being put off by it. But it slowly built up a great arsenal of games overtime, and excells when you're playing it with a Pro Controller on a good TV, imo.

But back to the 3DS. It offered innovations/or features that simply werent possible on a TV. The same exact thing applies to the DSLite, because of it's introduction to Dual Screens, blowable/Audio based Mic & Stylus-centric/Touch controls which were all revolutionary back in 2006. Couldn't believe what i was playing and seeing with Nintendog's for the first time, or even some of NSMBros DS's touch-screen based mini games. Remember, this was before touch based Smart phones came out too. Yup, The DSLite, Wii + VC & first 2 years of the 3DS were such a great time for me personally. Knowing that 'that' magic and time is gone for good breaks my heart, but not quite on the level of experiencing the 8-16 bit generations during the late 80's & early to mid 90's.

@Hapless Yeah but thankfully there's a handful of systems that you can play OoT on. From the original on 64, to the Gamecube, to Wii, Wii U heck I believe you can even do that thing that if it mentioned will get you a talking too from the mod team, and it will run pretty good.

Theres still a bunch of game trapped on the 3DS that Nintendo has refused to port, the top two being Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D Land. Yeah they ported 3D World but that game just doesnt match up to 3D Land for alot of the reasons NeonPizza mentioned above.

Speaking of @NeonPizza Yeah I never use my Switch in handheld mode to play games. I use it in handheld mode to browse the eShop mainly. As it is I can only play ir as a handheld for a few minutes before my hands cramp its just not as form fitting as a 3DS. Then you have the crappy joycons that feel like if you put any pressure on them they will snap like Macho Man into a Slim Jim. If I do play it off TV, I just use the stand and place it on a table and use a pro controller with its dpad but thats rare. If my TV that the Switch is hooked up to is occupied I just go to the other room and play something on the Xbox or go to my PC.

I also have never been a big handheld gamer even with the original Gameboy. That was reserved for long car trips or Grandma's house. Heck I didnt even get into handheld gaming till the DS line. Man playing Castlevanis Dawn of Sorrow on that for the first time!!!!

I mean, that is true enough. That would've been probably around peak backlash to Nintendo controller gimmicks. And I was right. Even games that had (mildly) flawed motion controls like Zack and Wiki were often novel enough to justify existing. Weirdly I was more against Excite Truck than any other ones (outside of the times Sega obviously just put out a broken product like Samba De Amigo), I didn't get the appeal of racing like that and could not get into it until the Wii Wheel came out (genuinely bewildered why anyone disliked the Wii Wheel by comparison).

Though in hindsight part of my defense of the Wii is also that motion controls in a lot of the better games I played were either one sometimes smaller aspect of play control or were entirely optional. I do like Wii as more of a "can do anything" Nintendo console, with its Gamecube support and Virtual Console, than as an entirely motion control based system, which had enough genuine high points and improvements (Goldeneye Wii's entire existence is justified by how smooth it is to control with motion controls online) but did often rely on being a novelty and had the pros and cons you'd expect of that as well. There shouldn't have been more motion controls, but there rarely should've been less. (unless you're deeply concerned about mediocre to bad games sometimes being more competent in exactly one area, for some reason)

Honestly in hindsight, much of my opinions could often be summed up "this wasn't that big a deal, the internet is just hyperbolic and cringe".

@NeonPizza I only use my phone for commenting here or having conversations in discord etc. For me it is no different than PC, just more convenient; I was multitasking just as much when I used to use PCs for forums. I am slaved enough to a keyboard at work, I would rather not be stapled to a desk for my leisure time.