Comments 531

Re: Review: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment (Switch 2) - A Stunning Slice Of Musou, Worthy Of The Zelda Canon

BrianJL

I like the Warriors games, but never finished Age of Calamity. I went back to it, but, I don't know, that game just isn't as good as the original Hyrule Warriors - I think because of the smaller and less distinct cast. This looks similar - outside of Link, I wouldn't use these guys. Honestly, the BOTW/TOTK aesthetic is a little bland. Don't get me wrong, they can be fun games, but I kind of miss classic Zelda. If I ever finish teh last one (and TOTK for that matter), then maybe I'd jump into this.

Re: Talking Point: How Do You Play NES Games These Days?

BrianJL

I have several options - my original NES is still ready-to-play, and I have an NES Classic (hacked of course), but I probably mostly play on NSO these days, just because it's convenient. I will break out some carts sometimes though, especially for games that need my beloved NES MAX!

Re: Do Bananza And Odyssey Share The Same Pauline? Donkey Kong Dev Won't Confirm Anything

BrianJL

I like continuity as much as the next guy, but I don't think it's super-important for Mario/DK universe games. There are all kinds of crazy nonsense in those, like the Baby characters as some have pointed out. There just isn't really a timeline - it's just whatever. I do think that more serious games can benefit from deep lore and tight continuity, but not everything needs it.

Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Checking Out Switch Online's Virtual Boy Service?

BrianJL

I think the cardboard model is a pretty good way to go. At 25 bucks, it's reasonable and will allow you to experience these games. The full model is way too expensive, especially without a replica controller. There are some fun games here though, especially Wario Land, so for anyone interested the cardboard version is probably worth it,

Re: Where To Pre-Order Metroid Prime 4: Beyond For Nintendo Switch 1 + 2, Plus New Metroid amiibo

BrianJL

40 bucks for the cycle?! Man, with the price of amiibos skyrocketing - and I understand at least part of the reason for that in the US anyway - they could at least make sure that the in-game unlockables are well worth it. They can provide that without worrying about the manufacturing/importing factors. The DK Bananza amiibo was nice looking, but the in-game rewards were paltry. Give them functionality that is at least semi-worthwhile! I'm a sucker for Metroid merch too, but, at those prices I just don't think I can do it.

Re: Opinion: Metroid Prime 4 Reminds Me Of Gears 5, And It's Making Me Nervous

BrianJL

@roy130390 Yup - fans get mad about any little change, or even radically altered spin-offs. I can't understand though why they just want the exact same thing over and over. Fed Force wasn't even a bad game if you played it multiplayer (an Issue I had becuase no one would play it with me). You didn't have to buy it or anything. I remember all the hate Prime 3 got too, and, honestly, it's the best of the Trilogy to me! Maybe I'm crazy though. Anyway, while I can agree that everything going "open world" can be a bit frustrating, I am at least going to wait and see what is delivered here. I have a feeling it's going to be good no matter what they do.

Re: Best Super Mario Games Of All Time

BrianJL

There are so many good ones, but for me, it will alwasy be SMB3 that is the top. It was a mind-blowing expansion of the concept and the pinnacle of what a platformer could be on the NES. Obviously, World, 64, and Galaxy are also just super great and are all at the top for me. I also love 3D world and Bowser's Fury - the latter really needs to be the blueprint for the next fully 3D Mario game.

Re: ICYMI: If You Want To Play Virtual Boy Classics, You'll Need To Buy One Of Nintendo's Accessories

BrianJL

As someone who's played most of them, there are definitely some good ones in the bunch: VB Wario Land is fantastic, and I would ssay that Galactic Pinball, Mario Clash, and Mario's Tennis are pretty solid. You can definitely have some fun with Red Alarm, 3-D Tetris, and Teleroboxer. I have limited experience with Jack Bros. but it is good, and related to Shin Megami Tensei for thos who dig SMT.

Anyway, if you want to check them out, I'd recommend just getting the cardboard version. It's not so expensive and would actually probably be a better way to play.

Re: Virtual Boy Is Being Added To Nintendo Switch Online

BrianJL

@YANDMAN The VB hardware is actually pretty nice too, from an internals standpoint - particularly the audio was very good and it had a full 32 bit processor. It just had to be so bulky, and positioning it as a portable when it really wasn't made it less appealing. There are a couple of really great games on it that show the potential though. It was never going to work with that form-factor/price point though.

Re: Fans Reckon Nintendo Has "Killed" Mario Kart World With Its Latest Update

BrianJL

@Scollurio I've never understood the Mario Kart players who want to treat it like Forza anyway. It's not a racing sim. It's the same for "competitive" Smash. If you turn off all items and hazards, and all the quirky, random things that make the game the game, what are you even playing? There are a ton of other games that offer that, so why not play those?

Re: Fans Reckon Nintendo Has "Killed" Mario Kart World With Its Latest Update

BrianJL

Personally, I like the intermission races - they are what make MKW different. Different is good! If this was just the same, traditional Mario Kart again, what would be the point. MK8 Deluxe was already like the ultimate traditional version, so doing something different is necessary. It shouldn't surprise me though that fans just want the same thing again. How dare they change anything? This is like when Double Dash came out - some people struggled to embrace it, though it is beloved today.

Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Final Tech Specs Have Been Confirmed

BrianJL

Sure, specs aren't everything and a game doesn't need the latest specs to be great, but it's still interesting to know about them and to get an idea of how these specs can be used by the games I want to play. There's no harm in a little "on-paper" comparison. It's not going to affect my decision to get one either way.

Re: Where To Pre-Order Nintendo Switch 2

BrianJL

@Burning_Spear I use CapOne and had a similar issue. The thing is, I did approve it right away, but it never actually hit anyway. I think Target's servers were sending what looked like suspicious activity. Anyway, I was in queue for Walmart the whole time and eventually that did go through - it took almost an hour though!

Re: Opinion: The Switch 2 Is A Powerhouse For The Price

BrianJL

@Xbox_Dashboard Nobody's saying that it's top-of-the-line tech, only that the performance looks good for the price. The cutting edge stuff would cost way more. Honestly, I think expectations were that this would be less powerful than it seems to be, so it is nice to see that it's better than that.

Re: "We MUST Resist Buying These Game-Key Releases", Says GamesMaster Host

BrianJL

@MasterGraveheart But I get why they've done this. It's so that you can't load the game to one unit, then pass the Key to another person to load on their unit, then you both have working copies of the game. Originally I had assumed these were like code-in-box, purly digital games, but the fact they are not tied to a unit or account required them to be present to play. This isn't to say that I love the idea, but it's actually better than just purely digital from that standpoint.