Comments 329

Re: Review: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Kirby's First Brush With 3D Is Still A Charmer

BandeeOfTheStars

@Kirby_Girl Absolutely, Adventure and Super Star are essential--both were crucial building blocks in the series and are still fantastic games today. It's just that Shimomura's trilogy tends to be more overlooked--especially Kirby 3, due to its status as an SNES game in 1997/1998, and that game actually wasn't released in Europe at all until the Wii days. It's a little tragic because Kirby 64 has so many throwbacks to that game in particular (Adeleine, Acro, Zero, the Dedede fight, Stone-Cutter animal friend cameos, some remixed music, and a similar general true-ending format (a trend started by Kirby 2)) that would be totally lost on the million+ players who played 64 but missed out on 3.

But...yeah. I don't think there's a Kirby game I wouldn't recommend. (I've played the first 12 mainline entries to 100% and am still working on Forgotten Land. They're all worth playing.)

Re: Review: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Kirby's First Brush With 3D Is Still A Charmer

BandeeOfTheStars

@Clyde_Radcliffe It's not really any shorter than a lot of Kirby games. Much like Kirby 2 and Kirby 3, the game revolves around a key collectible (in this case, it's the three Crystal Shards in every level), and long story short, you haven't truly beaten the game unless you've collected every single one.

As @GamesConvo said, there's also an optional card collection mechanic (you can get a card at the end of each stage), and it functions much like the keychains/stickers/puzzles/figures from the last four main Kirby games. There's also a (brutal) Boss Endurance mode and three multiplayer minigames.

Honestly, it's not all that unlike other Kirby games in its length. It's definitely a memorable experience and totally worth playing. If you haven't played it already, I'd also recommend Kirby 3, which has been on the SNES app for some time already (in fact, I'd say probably play it first--there's a couple significant throwbacks to that game in 64, and it too is a memorable, underrated classic).

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 19th)

BandeeOfTheStars

"What would you all suggest be my first Kirby game other than Forgotten Land?"

@AlanaHagues Kirby nerd here, and glad you asked.

Return to Dream Land's one of the more common suggestions for newcomers; it's a fairly basic adventure, but well-crafted and totally memorable. It's the kind of game that newcomers can really enjoy, and veterans can get a ton of fun out of, too. And if you've got friends to play with, it's got some really fun multiplayer, too!

Amazing Mirror is a fairly unique entry, and maybe not everyone's cup of tea; in fact, when I first played it, even I wasn't its biggest fan. But it grew on me, and while it might not be the best starting point for the series, it's still totally something to try, especially if you enjoy more open-ended exploration games.

If you have Switch Online, then Adventure, Super Star, and Kirby 3 are all fantastic ones to try--I think Super Star especially is a great choice for newcomers. Kirby 64's also a personal favorite of mine, so when that finally gets added to Switch Online, totally play that.

Planet Robobot and Star Allies are also fairly decent starting points, but part of me feels like they can be best appreciated by series veterans. Even still, though, Robobot's armor mechanic is a total blast, and Star Allies' Dream Friends and well-crafted multiplayer puts it as another one of my favorites.

Also, it's not a traditional Kirby game, but totally play Rainbow Curse if you have a Wii U. It's really underrated, imo, and there's a good chance we're not gonna see it on Switch, so I'd say go for it if you can! Of course, though I haven't played its predecessor Canvas Curse, that may be a good alternative if you can't get Rainbow.

Anyway. Hope this helps!

Re: Talking Point: Is "Cheesing" A Legitimate Strategy?

BandeeOfTheStars

You feel free to play games your way, but personally, when I cheese something I feel no accomplishment whatsoever, and I renounce that victory and work until I beat it the "right" way.

The meme tweet is right, really. Hollow victories just feel meaningless, and no better than if you just used a credits warp glitch or used Super Guide on every level.

Re: Among Us Update Adds New Quick Chat Tool - Makes Games "Easier" And "Faster" To Play

BandeeOfTheStars

Yep. This cruddy update. The one that blocks users under 18 from using an essential feature of the game.

Seriously, Innersloth. What are you even accomplishing by putting an age restriction on who can use the chat? It's not like you're preventing 9 year olds from seeing inappropriate stuff, that's the chat censor's job. Why not put the age restriction on that, if anything?

Seriously, you can't ask for proof, you can't call "good game", you can't even use free chat in local and private lobbies! Express chat is great as an option, especially for Switch users, but not as a requirement. I find it outright insulting that it is one.

(EDIT: So I've heard that the age limit has been lowered to 13. Makes a lot more sense due to COPPA guidelines on what children can share, but express chat still needs work if it wants to be a viable alternative to the chat box.)

Re: Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Tops "Best Seller" Chart On Amazon, As Pre-Orders Sell Out

BandeeOfTheStars

@OctoCallie20 The sales thing is almost entirely due to simply being a late life release. It naturally wouldn't have sold much more than Twilight Princess and BotW did on their home platforms (GC and Wii U respectively), and in fact it outsold Majora's Mask on N64. Not sure why people treat 3.67 million as bad sales anyway, it isn't in the slightest.

Sales aren't really a testament to public opinion on quality anyway--Kirby Planet Robobot is one of the worst selling mainline Kirby games despite being considered one of the best, and the ever-so-controversial Paper Mario Sticker Star sold better than the worshipped N64 and GameCube installments.

Re: Rumour: Zelda's 35th Anniversary Will See The Return Of Wind Waker And Twilight Princess

BandeeOfTheStars

@LordTism it doesn't matter of a vocal minority of the fanbase hates the game. It'd still sell regardless since it has "Zelda" in the name.

Besides, isn't this about as much as they normally do for a Zelda anniversary? All we got for Zelda's 30th was Twilight Princess HD, and all we got for the 25th was the original Skyward Sword. They're not doing any more for this anniversary besides Skyward Sword and possibly BotW2, and if they were, they'd have announced their plans already.

Re: Nintendo's Paper Mario Series Is Now 20 Years Old

BandeeOfTheStars

I'm going to be that guy right now.

Yes, 64 and TTYD are fantastic games. Super's got some great moments, too.

...But Sticker Star is criminally underrated. Color Splash, too, and even Origami King seems to get a lot of hate. I feel that all three are every bit as great as the originals and do not deserve the bad rep they have--especially the latter two, which actually improve a lot of the rough edges of Sticker Star that people dislike so much.

Re: Feature: Every 2D Super Mario Game Ranked

BandeeOfTheStars

I personally consider NSMBWii and NSMBU to be the peak of 2D Mario, primarily because the chaotic multiplayer in those games was such a defining part of my childhood. Every game on this list is brilliant, though...and I'd argue that Lost Levels and Mario Run were really done dirty and deserved better. Mario USA never was my cup of tea, but maybe I'd enjoy it more if I gave it a second chance.

Re: Soapbox: Retro Nintendo Games Cost Too Much, But Nostalgia Is Expensive

BandeeOfTheStars

I have a Wii that can play GameCube games, but I was never able to try out those older games and now that I finally can, I have to pay inflated prices for them.

I just want to legally play Mario Party 4-7 and Paper Mario TTYD, is that so hard...?

Just release your games, Nintendo. And by that, I mean "don't you dare launch another N64 VC that's missing Mario Party 1 and 3".

Re: A Journalist Asked Actual Kids What They Thought About The "Kids Play Too Many Video Games" Argument

BandeeOfTheStars

The "gaming bad" argument is irritating and ignorant and needs to stop. It's no worse than any other hobby, but I would guess there's just a natural stigma against stuff that wasn't around when you were a kid. People are just naturally resistant to change.

That said...I'll make a confession here. I probably do play too many video games.

@Rhaoulos It's true, though. After looking at any kind of screen for too long, my eyes start to hurt and I begrudgingly stop to appease them. You kinda have to play for a really long time for that, though.

Re: Reggie Admits Switch Was A "Make Or Break Product" For Nintendo After Poor Performance Of Wii U

BandeeOfTheStars

@Kulhy better question: would the Wii U be more popular had Breath of the Wild released back in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive, as originally planned?

For many Nintendo fans, a quality lineup of first-party games is enough, and the Wii U undoubtedly had that. But for more casual fans who previously owned a Wii, or for the PlayStation and Xbox crowds, it needs a clear, innovative selling point to make up for its lack of processing power. Wii U had one, and it had so much potential, but it's also something that Nintendo's advertising crucially failed to convey. That's probably the biggest reason that the Switch is successful whereas the Wii U wasn't.

Two mainline Mario games, a new Mario Kart, a Mario level creator, and a Smash Bros game failed to sell Wii Us. I doubt Zelda would have changed much.

Re: Video: 13 Great Wii U Games Still Not on Switch

BandeeOfTheStars

Color Splash, Rainbow Curse, and Woolly World are all amazing games and I was glad to see them here. None of them are ever going to happen though--Color Splash and Woolly World already have full-on sequels on Switch (the latter also has a 3DS port already), while Rainbow Curse didn't sell particularly well and would be tricky to get working in docked mode (but Captain Toad's on Switch, so anything's possible!).

I was also glad to see Nintendo Land and would also have put Mario Party 10 on there for the same reasons. But let's face it, unless you were to hook two Switches together, both games are fundamentally not possible on Switch.

Re: Switch Ranked Greatest Handheld Of All Time By UK Newspaper The Guardian

BandeeOfTheStars

...Yeah, the 3DS was robbed.

The Switch is absolutely great and deserves a high ranking, but...the 3DS is really something you just don't get tired of, and its library is incredibly vast and varied. And considering how great the DS library was as well, and the fact that any 3DS or 2DS model can play all DS games too, I can't say there's much of a contest. And who could forget the 3D visuals? Perhaps it did eventually become little more than a novelty, but it's always fascinating to turn up that slider and be mindblown.

So yeah. Everyone should have a 3DS and everyone who doesn't is missing out.

(And to respond to the above comment that says people saying 3DS haven't played it in a while, I use my 3DS just as often if not more than my Switch.)

Re: Super Mario 3D World Teaser Webpage Tells Fans To "Stay Tuned" For More Details About Bowser's Fury

BandeeOfTheStars

My Wii U copy broke a couple years back, a shame since it really is a masterpiece. It may not have the grandeur of Galaxy or Odyssey, but this game was Wii U at its best (or at least until BOTW). Glad it's reaching a wider audience.

I do plan to buy the game again, though I want to know more about Bowser's Fury and if it justifies the extra price. It sure does look exciting!

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas Special)

BandeeOfTheStars

@damien33ad I suppose I get that, they're definitely not for everyone. I'd at least recommend looking into Color Splash though, since much like Origami King, the game outside the combat is pretty impressive (and although I like the combat, I also know I'm in the minority). A lot of people dismiss it as simply more Sticker Star, when it's so much more than that. I suppose it's all down to personal taste, though.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas Special)

BandeeOfTheStars

@damien33ad I actually find the combat really interesting, and some of the puzzles are genuinely challenging. I've cleared two streamers so far and am really enjoying the game--it seems to have everything that made Color Splash so great and mixed it with some elements from original-style Paper Mario.

And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Color Splash and would probably recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Origami King. I enjoyed Sticker Star too, though I will admit it's not quite as colorful as its successors, and some of the puzzles take a little more than brains....

Re: Random: Smash Bros. Fans React To Geno's Return As A Mii Fighter Costume

BandeeOfTheStars

I like to view Mii Costumes not as disconfirmation, but as an honorable mention. It's a way to sort-of play as characters that couldn't get in as fighters. I understand the disappointment knowing that your favorite character almost certainly wasn't picked for FP2 in light of this, but without the Mii Costume, all he'd have is a Spirit Battle.

And as a diehard Bandana Dee fan, I'd call you lucky to even have that.

Re: Bowser Explains Why Mario's Games Will Be Removed On 31st March 2021

BandeeOfTheStars

Delisting the digital version is dumb. Not like this isn't normal though, Nintendo's anniversary releases have always been limited, looking at the Metroid Prime Trilogy, Kirby's Dream Collection, and Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition.

3D All-Stars won't be going away, though. Mario All-Stars Wii was initially limited before getting a full release on Nintendo Selects. This collection has sold twice as well.