Comments 218

Re: Talking Point: What Are The Nintendo Switch's Defining Moments (So Far)?

AlexHarford

For me it was the exploration element of Breath of the Wild over the past year and more - after I got stuck in the house longer than lockdown thanks to an injury.

My favourite thing to do in 'real life' is wandering up and down mountains and along coastlines, and being able to do that on BotW when I haven't been able to in real life I think helped my mental health more than I ever thought a game could.

There was a time I wanted to finish the game to play something else, but I've been dragging it out for the past couple of months.

Re: My Nintendo Store Down For Maintenance, Possibly For Weeks (EU)

AlexHarford

I've regularly received timeouts for the UK store over the past few weeks. Usually a refresh or two worked.

I've worked as or with web developers for nearly 15 years, and I haven't heard of a website being down for weeks before! The only thing I can think that would cause such drastic action is a security issue, but weeks still sounds ridiculous for a company of Nintendo's scale. I'm guessing the "will take a few weeks" message might be an error or they're over-estimating by a few weeks...

Re: Movie Review: GoldenEra - A Celebratory Examination Of GoldenEye 007's Creation And Impact

AlexHarford

@Gitface @RadioHedgeFund @Laserbeak1982 It's great to see some love for Perfect Dark. I usually feel like a lone voice when I say I prefer it to GoldenEye.

GoldenEye was brilliant, but Perfect Dark improved on it in every way, with the multiplayer mode especially perfected (no pun intended).

The only thing(s) GoldenEye has over PD for me is the Bond licence and the fact it came first. Even the story and atmosphere were more enjoyable in Perfect Dark. The soundtrack is second only to Ocarina of Time's for the N64. I love the sci-fi setting and inspirations, as well as the humour.

Massive kudos to Rareware for - at the time doing something hardly anyone dared to do - creating an excellent female lead that didn't rely on a massive pair of boobs.

It's interesting reading why others prefer GoldenEye though. All valid comments!

GoldenEye was ahead of its time, but so was Perfect Dark.

GoldenEye: 9/10
Perfect Dark: 10/10 (or close enough)

P.S. Perfect Dark was set next year!

Re: Soapbox: Why Do We Talk About Games By Comparing Them To Other Games?

AlexHarford

I'm a huge music fan and it's probably even 'worse' with music comparisons. But if I see a band compared to one of my favourite bands/musicians (especially if they don't really sound like anyone else I know) - I tend to listen. Seeing SpiritTea compared to Spirited Away in the Google search screenshot above has got me interested in that game.

I'm always wary of comments that say something was definitely influenced by something else (especially in music), as according to reviewers, my band was influenced by bands we'd never listened to. I loved the reviews though, as the comparisons were interesting and flattering!

I think Nintendo Life does a great job of letting me know which games I will and won't like, and all of the reviewers do a good job with the pros and cons (e.g. if a review mentions a lot of backtracking, I'm generally not interested). The only game well reviewed on the site I've disliked (and I actually hated it) is To the Moon.

I love Wrestling Empire, and the 6/10 review here told me enough to know the game was most definitely worth trying. Even though I'm not a huge wrestling fan, I like a good wrestling game.

I haven't actually played Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Dark Souls or Slay The Spire, but I have an idea of what they're all about apart from the latter, so they can be useful comparisons. I haven't seen Chicago either and couldn't have told you it was a musical. I'm a film lover but tend to stray away from musicals.

It totally makes sense to compare things to what's popular, even though it can be annoying. Marketers are probably very happy when a game/album/film gets compared in a positive way to something that's very popular.

Sometimes when the game devs/company themselves do, it can seem a bit disengenuous, but many get it right (CrossCode being a great example).

Re: Exclusive: Zelda-Meets-Stardew In 'Moonstone Island', The Game That Has It All

AlexHarford

It looked interesting, but I'm put off when game levels are randomly generated. I don't have a good experience with that kind of game, and it seems lazy, especially when thinking about the effort put into the world in BotW and other games more closely related to Moonstone Island.

If I wanted to revisit a game - Terranigma or Secret of Mana, for example - it'd partly be the familiarity of the world that would take me back. It would be weird for things to be in a different place. And advertising a random world seems a cheap way to make a game seem replayable.

Re: Playable Build Of Cancelled N64 Game 'SimCopter 64' Discovered

AlexHarford

I think I remember seeing this mentioned in a magazine way back when and being excited, because I enjoyed Operation Gunship (Amstrad CPC version - great graphics for the time) and Urban Strike as a kid. With hindsight, Operation Gunship was a bit weird - from your helicopter you had to BOMB buildings to rescue people from them. 😀

Re: Random: MS Paint Artist Imagines "Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Team" Mashup

AlexHarford

Why are they smiling? Seeing Link in a grave is heartbreaking! I've got one tower to go in BotW and don't want it to end...

Cracking stuff anyway - I've seen a lot of great MS Paint art over the years, so it's good to see people are still using it. Any canvas will do if you've got that talent.

I like the look of Coronation Street Fighter despite not being a fan of the soap.

Re: Feature: 11 Switch Games To Play During Mental Health Awareness Month

AlexHarford

I feel like I have to warn people whenever I see "To the Moon" recommended because it wasted my time, which I don't appreciate at all. A terrible game, and from any highly-rated game I don't like, To the Moon's rating is the one that baffles me by far the most.

It's nice to start with (apart from the two lead character's annoying bickering), but if you don't like it after 90 minutes, it doesn't get better.

Re: Nintendo Of America Named In Workers' Rights Complaint

AlexHarford

Slightly related, but the UK distribution for Nintendo is (or was) absolutely shocking, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's partly because of bad working conditions. I had issues with Nintendo UK's tech team too. I gave up trying to complain to Nintendo in the UK. An absolute disgrace. I may have said at some point that Nintendo Japan would probably be ashamed of them and I thought about writing to Japan.

So many companies in the UK have absolutely disgraceful working conditions - it's an epidemic. So while some companies will be called out for it, many will still be getting away with treating their staff badly. There is also a bad customer service epidemic here, and I think when employers care about their employees, customer service is also likely to be better.

Although individual companies and people should be put to task where necessary, bad working practices are what society has encouraged.

Hopefully bad employers being highlighted will encourage more people to group together and speak out, and for more companies to reform.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Reigns Supreme At The Science Museum's 'Power UP' Exhibition

AlexHarford

Interesting observation on Mario Bros and the Goomba. I wonder if that will change children's brains compared to older generations of gamers? Giving up at the first hurdle isn't great when success is generally learned from failure. Also being given everything on a plate (in terms of tutorials - I don't know how Fortnite works) shapes that mindset, especially at younger ages. Or maybe it was just the old graphics!

I dislike the tutorials on many modern games and think Nintendo still do game openings the best. Breath of the Wild and Metroid Dread were a joy from the start, and the tutorial element didn't feel like it got in the way of the gameplay.

Though I still prefer a printed manual any day.

Re: Soapbox: The Video Game Camaraderie On r/place Is A Lesson About Community

AlexHarford

A friend studied social media reactions around the time the Women's Tennis Association and the media were being horrible to Naomi Osaka surrounding her decision to pull out of a tennis tournament due to her mental health.

The positive reactions and support on social media towards Naomi Osaka far outweighed the negative reactions and comments. I can't remember the exact figure, but well over 90% were positive.

And I hadn't heard of /r/place before. Thanks for writing about it!

Re: Talking Point: 3DS Is 11 Years Old, And Our Eyes Still Feel Strange

AlexHarford

I've never been able to see 3D due to a slight misalignment of my pupils (thanks to a bad bout of chickenpox when I was a baby). I hoped I might be able to see 3DS 3D, but if I turn 3D up, I just see flickering! I had to get my bro' to check the console to make sure it wasn't faulty.

I can't remember the name, but there's a highly-rated platformer I tried on 3DS, and I thought it was awful - maybe the 3D was part of what made it good?

I'm yet to play Kid Icarus so hope that doesn't rely on the 3D.

Re: Yes, Folders Are Now On Switch, Here Are Some Quick Tips

AlexHarford

Hooray! My first folder...um group...will be for local multiplayer to save endless scrolling whenever we're looking for something quick to play. And another for demos. That's basically all I've ever wanted, but I'm sure I'll find more uses.

Hopefully there's a setting to show games not assigned to any folder so they don't get lost forever...

Re: Talking Point: How's Your Switch Holding Up After 5 Years?

AlexHarford

The joy-cons have never worked properly despite being returned to Nintendo (one of them actually came back with an extra fault), but Nintendo's UK customer service is appalling, so I haven't had the motivation to get them fixed properly.

I've had my Switch for under two years after it was delivered 3-4 months late (again, largely thanks to Nintendo UK's appalling customer service, which I think was The Hut Group in this case).

Otherwise, the console is working fine, though it rarely travels around or is played undocked.

Re: Talking Point: How Long Does Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Take To Beat, Really?

AlexHarford

I'm 110 hours in, and I've only completed one divine beast. I'm enjoying wandering and often explore off-map without unlocking the towers when they're right there. I'm at the stage now where I'll start ticking off more divine beasts though - the second will be done shortly. Thanks for the Tarrey Town reminder too - when I came across that part, it brought back memories of Terranigma, my favourite all-time game. So I want to finish that side-quest.

As to when a game's beaten, I'd probably say the main quest. I don't care about collecting everything, although I'm finding the collectable side of things more interesting in BotW than I did on Mario Odyssey.

Re: Datamine Reveals What Nintendo Might Add To Switch Sports In The Future

AlexHarford

@SilverM I buy physical so prefer to buy a properly finished game rather than having to download later. "Free DLC" is just an excuse to release an unfinished game. I haven't bought Mario Golf: Super Rush for this reason, but I probably will buy Switch Sports anyway. :-/

I still play my original SNES and N64 30 and 25 years later - is that going to be possible in 10 years with the Switch? I'll lose the extra download content if/when my Switch fails.

Re: Feature: From Chrono Trigger To Super Mario RPG, The Varied Influences Of Sea Of Stars

AlexHarford

I still haven't got around to playing CrossCode, so that's next on my list RPG-wise, but Sea of Stars does look like a game I'd like to buy despite it being turn-based.

I haven't played Chrono Trigger either (missing out on it due to living in Europe originally) after finally buying it for DS after buying a 3DS a couple of years ago.

I'd like to play Cosmic Star Heroine too, which in its marketing mentioned it avoids wasting anyone's time - something I appreciate these days.

Maybe not a coincidence all those games begin with a C?

Re: Feature: 29 Best 3DS eShop Games You Should Get Before They're Gone Forever

AlexHarford

VVVVVV is no longer available on 3DS (I'm in the UK), but it's available for Wii U (coincidentally, I only just bought a Wii U this week).

Not on the list, I recommend:

Nano Assault EX - a very good shoot 'em up with stunning graphics (Nintendo Life rated 9/10)

The Art of Balance TOUCH (there's a version on Switch, but I like it on 3DS better, Nintendo Life rated 8/10)

Looksley's Line Up / Tales in a Box: Hidden shapes in perspective! - I haven't played it much, but it's use of the camera is interesting (Nintendo Life rated 6/10 due to a few issues with camera usage)

Re: Best Retro Nintendo Switch Games - Modern Games With Old-School Style

AlexHarford

Downwell (would've been one of the best ever Spectrum games if it was released back then, and awesome on the big screen if you can rotate your screen 90°) and Full Metal Furies (like a cross between Secret of Mana and Contra III, with added mindbending puzzles) are my favourite retro games on the Switch. Neither are the easiest of games but always seem fair.

A great list already anyhow, including new stuff for me to check out. And the games I mentioned were recommended by Nintendo Life on other lists.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Biggest Gaming Regrets

AlexHarford

@gcunit My review is here if seeing why I didn't like it helps you decide whether to play it or not: https://www.igdb.com/games/to-the-moon/reviews/c--2

I've never been so baffled about such overwhelmingly positive reviews for something. I don't like leaving negative reviews, but given games are usually a big time commitment these days, I think it's important to highlight when a game feels like a waste of time.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Biggest Gaming Regrets

AlexHarford

When did Ghost Trick become so expensive? I bought a mint copy for about £30 just over a year ago.

I don't have many regrets in general in life but wish I'd bought Samus Returns before Dread was announced and prices went through the roof. I also wish I'd bought Metroid Trilogy. I wasn't a fan of Super Metroid so was waiting for Samus Returns for under £20. That'll never happen now. I've since played Dread and think it's great.

I prefer focussing on the positives like buying Terranigma for £7 from a friend. I wonder if he remembers and regrets selling that?

Actual gaming-wise, my time feels more precious these days compared to when I was a kid, and I do regret sticking with To the Moon all the way to the end. Such a boring waste of time, and the only Nintendo Life review I've dramatically disagreed with.

Re: Review: Banjo-Kazooie - Peerless Platforming Perfection, And Now Available On Switch

AlexHarford

@Ratmasterd21 I didn't like Banjo or DK64. They bored me and felt like a chore after Mario 64 and the DKC series on the SNES. I'm amazed at the 10/10 score after all these years.

I was NES first of all too, but I do think the N64 was a great console with lots of great games. I just wasn't a fan of the Rareware platformers on N64 - most of their other releases were excellent. Space Station Silicon Valley and Mystical Ninja were my favourite 3D platformers that weren't Mario 64.

Re: Talking Point: How Does Microsoft's Purchase Of Activision Blizzard Impact Nintendo?

AlexHarford

I feel like Disney could be ruining film and TV.

The monopoly gives fewer independent filmmakers a chance (e.g. 75% of the highest-grossing films of all time are Disney owned), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in danger of being over-saturated if it isn't already (I care for far less of their films than I used to and only have interest in two of the TV series).

There doesn't seem to be much creativity at Disney - their creativity gets worse the bigger they get - and the success of their empire is leading to copycats rather than creativity, and creativity is what keeps entertainment interesting.

Disney has pulled many films from circulation (like Alien) so cinemas can't show them, and Disney films accounted for 40% of the US box office in 2019 (I bet that's grown). For their big films, they demand high box office percentages from cinemas so cinemas make less money, and force cinemas into showing smaller films that may not make money back - meaning less independent cinema gets shown.

I hope the same monopoly and lack of creativity doesn't happen with Microsoft, although I feel like Nintendo will be around doing their own thing for years to come.

The world really needs to move away from growth as a measure of success. Money money money at all costs.

In some ways, Nintendo feels more important than ever.