BulkSlash

I marginally prefer the Japanese cover. The US one is more interesting and colourful, but Mario just looks weird in that pose and everything has that early noughties CGI look. The sepia tones of the JP version might be less interesting but they do hide the CGI more.

No Area 88 or Willow. 😩 I know there are licence issues with them, but I’d be happy to pay extra for that.

Aside from Eco Warriors it’s a pretty underwhelming list for me, so I’ll probably be giving it a miss.

@nocdaes It'll probably be possible to play using ZR, but I suspect beating Facility under 2:05 and Archives under 1:20 will be a lot harder if you can't strafe run and open doors at the same time.

@Bustacap That's not going to cut it on GoldenEye if you want to be opening doors while strafing and changing weapons.

There’s a Final Fight 2 romhack for the SNES that ups the number of on-screen enemies to 5. I’m not sure if it’s using the SA-1 but that will be the number for this game to beat. I’m hoping the author of that romhack also works on a patch for SNES Final Fight 1.

@Bustacap How do you use the c-buttons then?

Great news if true, it's still an excellent game and puts a lot of modern shooters which just focus on mowing down mindless grunts to shame.

Unless Nintendo have implemented a special control scheme for it in the NSO app (I doubt that considering Kirby released with an obvious game breaking bug) it will really only be playable using the N64 controller. Using the right analogue stick for the c-buttons just doesn't work well, especially so for GoldenEye.

Once again Sega milks the Megadrive ROMs and ignores the Dreamcast and Saturn. ☹️

Are there words any more annoying than “code in box”? 😩

Looks awesome, although it sounds like it’s been in development hell if it was started in 2018 and isn’t out until 2023. Maybe it’s a small team given that they’re going for a retro look. I’ll definitely be watching this one.

@AmplifyMJ I bought the Switch version of RE4, it was a big disappointment that they didn't include gyro aiming so you were right to avoid it. The Wii version is still the best I think, the motion controls are still excellent.

@AmplifyMJ I might end up buying it physically again if they do an updated release with the new Booster tracks on the card. I think Resident Evil 4 is the game I've re-bought the most! 😅

How many copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has everyone else bought? I've personally bought it 7 times now

I’ve been buying all of the Japanese “big” box games for the N64, most of them come with something extra in the box, Mario Kart 64 has a two-tone controller, StarFox has the rumble pak and IIRC Perfect Dark, DK64 and Majora’s Mask all come with the RAM upgrade. They don’t get played either as I just use my EverDrive for the games. 😅

I think I finished the original KOTOR twice, but have started at least a dozen new games that I have never managed to finish on various platforms since. I’ll probably buy this and manage to not finish it too… 🤪

Sounds good to me, I prefer my Metroidvanias like Super Metroid with lots of health power-ups around. When I’m trying to explore and work out where I’m supposed to go next, I don’t want to lose all the areas of the map I’ve explored because I couldn’t find a save room before all my health got whittled away.

Still no Axelay or Actraiser. 🙄

Pretty much all of them, but in particular I’d love Final Fight and Strider to make comebacks.

I noticed the lag the other day. Just trying to scroll through the list of recent releases is way slower and jerkier than it should be. It's likely lazy-loading the list and if you scroll too fast you end up getting stuttering waiting for it to download the next chunk of games. Nintendo could probably fix it by either making the chunks of games bigger or triggering the load of the next block sooner.

I never finished the first two, but I did sort-of finish Luminous Avenger iX 2. That was the first one after Mighty Gunvolt Burst that really grabbed me. Sadly they locked the best ending away behind a Hard mode that changed so much about the game I really didn't feel like taking it on.

Definitely the Japanese version as it’s more in-keeping with the cartoon and is also more nostalgic for me as it’s the same art as they used for the Japanese version of Turtles The Arcade Game.

@ModdedInkling
That’s interesting, maybe I use gyro differently from others? I like to have the right analogue stick on maximum sensitivity (to the point where I can’t really aim accurately with it) and I use it to just point in the general direction of what I’m aiming at and then use gyro to fine tune the aim (I also have gyro on maximum sensitivity but I find it so accurate that it’s never hard to aim with).

IIRC the developers said they prevent up/down on the right stick to avoid players getting confused between the two or something, but I’m so used to it from games like Doom Eternal that I’m always trying to use it in Splatoon even though it does nothing. 😩 Hopefully they will allow its use in the sequel, but they should definitely make it optional so it’s not forced on players who don’t want it.

I guess this is explains why all my progress was gone when I booted up Splatoon 2 the other week for the first time since getting an OLED Switch.

Have they announced yet if you can look up and down on the right analogue stick when using gyro aiming?

I would watch Ugly Sonic, Uglier Crimes.

I might get Cotton and Snow Bros, they both look like they'll be fun.

I hope it's not the same team at Sega who have been looking after the mobile versions. They did a terrible job after they took over from Headcanno;, Sonic 1 was impossible to complete for at least a year as Sonic would warp into the ceiling for the penultimate level cut scene where Robotnik drops him down a pit.

Plus last time I checked the girders in the background in Chemical Zone just pop onto the screen halfway after the new team botched the parallax scrolling for the widescreen update.

Not to mention I paid for those games before they were turned into ad-supported versions as part of Sega Forever. I don't mind them changing the funding method, but at least they could have ensured existing users weren't forced into viewing adverts.

The man has impeccable taste.

“that hasn’t been a priority for Nintendo”

This could mean Nintendo have a different game they want Tantalus working on. Maybe WW HD (as he doesn’t deny that one) or maybe one of the N64 Zelda games (although that might be less likely with those games on NSO).

Hollywood really sucks at doing Resident Evil.

Looks really interesting although I’m worried it will have the same problems as Paper Mario Sticker Star after watching the gameplay. If you use all your cards up or use the wrong one it looks like you might have to restart the level.

I’d like it to be either Mirror’s Edge or Need for Speed Underground. I’m sure it will be neither though!

I enjoyed Donkey Konga but boy it really hurt my hands slapping those bongos after a while. (I didn’t intend that to sound as rude as it does)

Sold! Give it to me now!

Reggie is talking nonsense. I just did a quick comparison and the buttons on the Micro are bigger than the buttons on the 3DS XL and the Switch joy-cons I have to hand. They’re also flatter which means they don’t become uncomfortable when held down for long periods. The Micro’s d-pad is also the same size as the one on the 3DS.

There was absolutely nothing awkward about playing on the Micro aside from perhaps the screen size. I wish Nintendo would offer joy-cons with bigger buttons instead of sticking with those tiny bumps they currently use.

@Coalescence I bought it for that too. I keep hoping they’ll let us have the original either as an unlockable in this game or just putting it on NSO.

In a way this is a good thing. It means Squeenix can focus on making Final Fantasy games and not be perpetually disappointed when Tomb Raider or Deux Ex doesn’t sell eleventy billion copies.

It sounds a lot like Squeenix are retreating back to their traditional space and are abandoning Western game development altogether.

I’ve still got my Club Nintendo coasters shaped like the bricks in Super Mario Bros. and they get daily usage. They’re brilliant as the raised surface and rubber material means you never get that annoying situation where the coaster sticks to the glass and then clatters noisily to the table.

Maybe the ‘90s Mario movie will end up being better after all!?

@AndyC_MK111 Yeah I love Super Luigi U, I actually just finished replaying it last night! 😅

The Wii U version is better IMHO as it would tell you when you managed a Super Play, for some reason when they took the MiiVerse stuff out of the Switch port they removed that too.

@AndyC_MK111 I gotta say I loved Armoured Edition, I played that so much, especially as it had great off-screen support and gyro aiming. It's definitely the definitive version of Arkham City for me.

I also love Super Luigi U, I think it's massively underrated, but sadly that doesn't count as a launch title! 😅

I never got Nintendo Land as I assumed it would be a few throwaway mini-games, but I've only ever heard great things about it from people who have played it.

I guess probably the GameCube. Regret is relative of course, it was hardly a bad machine but on launch day Luigi's Mansion was no match for Mario 64 and Wave Race Blue Storm wasn't as good as Wave Race 64 so it did feel a bit of a let down compared to the splash the N64 made.

A close second is the Wii U. I had a lot of fun with Arkham City and New Super Mario Bros U was decent but it was a pretty dull launch with no real standouts. The novelty of being able to switch to playing on the controller when the family wanted to watch TV is probably the only thing putting it ahead of the GameCube launch.

Is this a Metroidvania-style or is it linear like the first four games? If it's a Metroidvania I'm a bit concerned there's no mini-map in the corner as I get lost in these games so easily!

I think this is awesome, I always wanted to see what the "missing link" Metroid game on the N64 would have been like. It makes total sense for it to be third person as well, as at that time Miyamoto said he made both Mario 64 and Zelda third person because he felt you bonded more with the character when you see them on-screen.

I’d already bought it. That said, I’m replaying the single player part again as playing Splatoon is one of the weekly missions and I’ve got back into it. 😅

I still can’t stand not being able to use up/down on the right analogue stick when using gyro aiming though. 🙄

Honestly I’d be happier with MS buying Ubi than some equity group. MS would likely want Ubi’s studios in a long term sustainable situation where they can deliver great games to help attract people to the MS platform. It’s not in their interest to drive studios or franchises into the ground for short term share holder gratification.

MS have actually been accused of being too hands off with some of their new studio acquisitions. An equity group would mean a bunch of share holders demanding annual releases of games to make them money with the long term health of the studio, the employees and the quality of the games they make coming a distant second.

@ChromaticDracula Last time I tried it the nub did nothing, but it's been years since I last played it. Maybe I didn't download the patch as it's not automatic on the 3DS.

It's a shame this never got patched to support the New 3DS's analogue nub, as when played with the circle pad this was the best version of the game. The New 3DS could probably have done something for the frame rate too.

It’s quite amusing reading through Cifaldi’s evaluations. The vast majority of games are identical to final retail releases or near identical. There are plenty of fakes discovered in there too. I’d imagine someone submitting their proto cart in the hopes of making big money would have soon had their bubble burst when Cifaldi deems the cart identical to retail or fake. 😂

So while I do abhor WATA, I think Cifaldi is actually providing a useful service in busting the myth that prototype cartridges often have significant differences from the final release. Of all the protos I’ve owned, I’ve only ever seen one with differences from the final release.

I have to admit, setting them both in the same city would be quite cool. I wonder would they both look the same or would the city be cel shaded when playing JSR and "normal" when playing it in Crazy Taxi?

Having games like Outrun and House of the Dead using the same area would be pretty interesting too.

I love JSR and Crazy Taxi, but neither seem particularly suitable to be big budget "Super Games". The trouble with Sega is their arcade heritage doesn't translate well to long form games. They're meant to be quick sugar rush bursts of fun, not something you pad out into something you play for hours.