While I haven't gotten around to playing Zero Mission yet, I did finally beat the original Metroid for the first time earlier this year and, to me, Mother Brain feels like they were almost intentionally designed to completely shatter your patience with the game.
Metroid 1 has its bright spots: the eerie vibes are wonderfully executed for a NES title, (most of) the bosses are pretty enjoyable and the music is fantastic. However, one thing Metroid 1 is particularly good at....is driving you insane. It can be fun for the first hour or so sure, but the more you play, the more its infuriating degree of crypticness on where to go/what to do starts to seep in and, by the halfway mark, you're basically praying for the end to arrive.
Mother Brain's overall 'fight' then feels almost intentionally designed to wither away the little patience you had left for the game. The hefty missile requirement in order to break through both the barriers and Mother Brain's shield, the constantly spawning donut beams that constantly make you whiff your shots and the threat of going all the way back to the beginning if you die make for an experience that isn't necessarily difficult but one that will test your patience to the absolute limit.
here's hoping Zero Mission's version doesn't make me want to rip my hair out XD
Got a couple of titles on the agenda for this weekend myself:
Ace Attorney Dual Destinies: Been making my way through DD for the last week or so and have been having a pretty fun time all things considered. I'd definitely say its one of the weaker entries in the series but a weak AA game is, at worst, still very good. Currently at the start of Case 4 and will hopefully be getting that one out of the way soon enough!
Splatoon 3: While I haven't played too much Splatoon as of late, I always make time to participate in Splatfests and SummerFest especially is no exception. Gonna be repping Team Palace this time around I'm anticipating it'll be a very good time indeed!
Densetsu no Starfy: Started the first Starfy game yesterday the moment I heard it had arrived on NSO and it's been a supremely relaxing experience so far. It's definitely a simple little platformer, but one packed to the absolute BRIM with charm and memorability. Can't wait to (hopefully) finish it off and continue my journey through the series over the next while!
Behold the Kickmen: Euros Finals Day is this weekend so I figured I'd play a footy game to mark the occasion. I didn't want to go with a generic soccer game like FIFA though so I picked up Behold the Kickmen (a small indie title made by someone who has absolutely no clue what football is about) in a recent eShop sale. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from it but it should be a novel little experience all the same.
Overall, it's gonna be a weekend filled with both drama and relaxation in equal measure XD
It feels almost impossible to imagine that a series with the main gameplay premise of 'Kirby but exclusively water levels' could be in any way enjoyable but after playing the first game for just under an hour earlier on....no I absolutely get it, Starfy rules.
The heavier emphasis on explorative platforming compared to Kirby's more action-oriented affairs, the delightful character designs from the charming NPCs to the adorable enemies and, perhaps most surprising of all, the controls feeling extremely fluid and responsive despite being mainly used underwater give it an identity far beyond just being 'like Kirby' and, for a series I had basically no real knowledge of prior to today, I'm very happy that's the case.
I've only played a decent bit of Starfy's first outing but I'm itching to keep going. A great little gem, a great little writeup and I hope Starfy's able to come back into the limelight someday
YEAHHHHHHH I LOVE NSO BRINGING JAPAN-ONLY GAMES OVERSEAS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS IS AWESOME
I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Starfy games myself (with the series being very much likened to Kirby in terms of its vibes and breeziness) so I can't wait to dig my teeth into these; still can't believe they're finally releasing the original GBA trilogy outside of Japan! 🌟
Actually just picked up Behold the Kickmen for finals day myself so that should be a fun and fitting title for the occasion (plus it'll help break up my playthrough of Ace Attorney Dual Destinies so that's always a bonus).
I feel utterly entranced by this. This really does seem like a wholly 1st-Party affair too given the announcement time of 2PM (the time usually reserved for Nintendo-specific games) which just makes me even more intrigued. Nintendo VERY rarely does full-blown horror (with the only examples I can really think of being Eternal Darkness and Fatal Frame) so Emio potentially being a horror-centric new IP has me very excited to learn more.
Bit ironic that the pixel-approximation actually sells the impact of the punch better than the hand-drawn boxart XD
Still going with EU/JP though; while I appreciate what they were going for with early NES boxarts in making them accurate to the game they were for, the hand-drawn version is just more visually appealing (plus its the general image I associate Urban Champion with for good measure).
After taking care of a fair number of titles during the week such as Paper Mario TTYD, Mach Rider and even Sonic Colours, I think it's finally time to continue the Apollo Justice Trilogy with Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. DD tends to be pretty divisive within the general AA fandom from what I've seen so I'm excited to see what exactly about it makes it so polarising XD
Don't live in NA so I won't be taking advantage of these sales myself, but the Ace Attorney Anthology for $45 is a fantastic deal for a bundle which encompasses every mainline AA game thus far. Can't recommend it enough personally for those looking to dive into the series as a whole (especially when Edgeworth's games are on the horizon ^_^)
bro I was perfectly content with Mach Rider being the last game of the drop and then the trailer just kept GOING XD
This has to be one of the largest NSO drops of all-time, right? Sure, its not like any of these are insane titles (though Mach Rider makes me very happy as it's a game I've wanted to play for years now) but just the sheer quantity of them is super cool to see. Definitely going to be hopping on these as soon as I can!
also, as a personal thing, I love how they've finally officially added Golf after taking the Iwata reference involving it out of the Switch OS a couple years back; feels really nice to have, yknow? ❤
I mean its not really like they could regulate the sale of these products if its done via the hosting of a third-party marketplace, no? Online marketplaces here in Ireland get flooded with these kinds of listings all the time so I really don't think its all too serious.
Bowser's reply is very funny though because, behind the scenes, he's either completely fine with it or absolutely incensed with no inbetween XD
2024 so far has very much been like 2023 in the sense that I've mainly used it as a 'retro catch-up' year in terms of the stuff I've played so far. Mega Man 11, Castlevania Bloodlines, Super Metroid; I've played a good handful of older titles over the past six or so months, with no sign of stopping at that.
This favouring of older games extends into my 2024 collection, with the only three I've played so far being Apollo Justice Trilogy, Splatoon 3: Side Order and Paper Mario TTYD . And while I do really enjoy the first two (Apollo Justice especially)....yeah no its TTYD and its not even close. I'm not even finished it yet (currently on Chapter 6) and I already know this is one of my favourite games of all-time. The areas, the characters, the combat, the music and the density of it all; it has everything I enjoy in an RPG and then some and its been well worth the nearly year-long wait it took from reveal-to-release for me to finally be able to play it 🥰
Quite surprised to see it chart at No.1 given the price but hey, despite my gripes with the overall cost-to-content ratio, LM2 is still a great game and I'm happy more people are getting the chance to experience it
None of them look particularly standout but none of them look particularly bad either; I've always really liked the artstyle for the first King of Swing game (especially when you compare it to the woefully dull look of the DS sequel) and all three boxarts show it off in pretty nice ways.
Overall though, I'm gonna go with the Japanese one as its more vibrant in its colour choice, shows off the game's gimmick with the grabbable circles and has some very nice art of DK and Diddy.
It may have taken almost a year of waiting, but I finally started my first ever playthrough of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door a couple days ago and, to put it bluntly, it has been nothing short of absolute perfection so far. Just wrapped up Chapter 3 yesterday (RAWK HAWK MY BELOVED 💛🦅💛) and hope to get both Chapter 4 and 5 done over this weekend as well; I'm utterly obsessed in the best way possible XD
the rollercoaster of emotions I was put through upon seeing this announcement and then seeing what games would actually be featured was one hell of an experience XD
Crankiness aside, I can't really complain too much about this as the June Direct was more or less Capcom's main Summer showcase as is thanks to both MvC and Ace Attorney (would've been nice for them to provide more elaboration on either of those two instead of RE7's random iOS port but I digress). Still probably going to tune in to check out Dead Rising though ^_^
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DKC RETURNS HD IS BIGGER THAN TROPICAL FREEZE 😭
I would've been grabbing both of these physically anyway but this has absolutely cemented that decision. I'm also very curious as to how meaty Brothership may potentially be from a length/content standpoint if its file size is nearly as big as both SMRPG and TTYD combined 🤔
Yeah definitely going with NA/EU this week. While I don't hate what they were going for with the Japanese boxart, it ultimately feels a bit too....generic for my tastes. The NA/EU one on the other hand feels very memorable and shows off the main element of the game (Dark Samus) in a pretty novel way, with both Samus's standing back-to-back against the red vs blue background. I wouldn't call it incredible or anything but its much more visually appealing than the Japanese one if you ask me.
Given how instantly vitriolic certain people have been towards the team who's RUMOURED to be making it, I can't say I really blame Ninty for basically going 'some members from AlphaDream are working on it' and leaving it at that.
Finally got my last set of school exams out of the way this week so I'm officially free to start my gaming schedule up all over again. With that being said however, I'm actually off at an event down the country this weekend so I ironically enough won't have much time for many games XD
Still, I'll probably tackle a couple of smaller, 8-bit titles to ease me into the swing of things again like Mega Man: Dr Wily's Revenge, Blaster Master and maybe even Gato Roboto as well. Overall, a 2D-centric sort of lineup that should be a fun enough time all around
There just seems to be something about shooters on N64 NSO (particularly of the Rare variety) that Nintendo can never get quite right in terms of the emulation which is definitely a big shame. I have full faith they'll end up fixing a lot of these issues soon enough given how high-profile of a release PD is but yeah: not a great look when similar issues also afflicted Goldeneye back at the start of last year.
Also, on a semi-related note, does anyone know how Turok runs on Switch? Haven't had the opportunity to check that one out yet myself and from what I've heard, its a perfectly passable version of the game (still not as good as the separate Switch remaster though).
I knew it was getting a PS4 physical release myself but had heard nothing on the Switch front so this is absolutely fantastic to see! I probably will end up picking it up on the physical end myself since, as much as I value the convenience of digital, being able to have a Marvel vs Capcom game in my physical Switch collection sounds almost too good to be true. Now I'm just hoping that its a traditional physical release and not some Limited Run BS XD
also, from perusing the official announcement on the Marvel website, it seems like the game will cost about $50 which, given the quantity and quality of what's on offer in it, feels like a bargain to me
I don't think I've felt this specifically catered to in a Direct since the February one we had last year. Seriously dude, we got:
a brand new gorgeous Mario & Luigi game after years of radio silence due to Alpha Dream's demise (THAT COMES OUT TWO DAYS AFTER MY BIRTHDAY AT THAT)
the first original 2D Zelda in over a decade that both continues the visual style/gameplay of Grezzo's Link's Awakening remake while also having Zelda herself as the protagonist
the shadowdrop of both Metroid Zero Mission + Perfect Dark on NSO
DQIII HD-2D looking like pretty much the perfect way to play it for the first time, with the added bonus of DQI/II getting the same treatment next year being an excellent surprise
Metroid Prime 4 not only being....a thing but absolutely blowing me away visually
CAPCOM COLLECTIONS FOR TWO OF THE MOST REQUESTED SET OF GAMES IN THE COMPANY'S LINEUP YES I'M STILL LOSING MY MARBLES OVER THIS HOW IS MVC/AAI2 ON SWITCH A REALITY
This entire Direct was filled with the kind of titles you'd expect a system to have midway through its lifecycle, not literally its FINAL YEAR ON THE MARKET....and honestly? I couldn't be happier.
Easy 9/10, my wallet is going to be in so much pain come Winter XD
My mind is simply refusing to believe this runs on the Switch. Like, I know Retro are gods at making stuff look jaw-droppingly gorgeous regardless of the hardware constraints Nintendo consoles have but like.....dude. DUDE. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE
It's hard to believe an announcement as insane as Zero Mission and Perfect Dark coming to NSO ON THE SAME DAY got lost in the shuffle but man that really was just how this Direct rolled huh XD
I've been clamouring for SO LONG for ZM/PD to get added to NSO so to finally be able to experience them in addition to goddamn FOUR SWORDS AND TUROK feels surreal. Definitely giving these a shake whenever possible!
I've been wanting a new 2D Zelda for so long man and to see one finally get made with both the artstyle of Link's Awakening 2019 AND Zelda as the main character has me over the moon. The gameplay looks like it'll absolutely melt my brain (in a good way) but god I am just so damn happy man.
Never in a MILLION years did I expect M&L to come back after Alphadream's demise but oh my god this looks like a PERFECT revival: unique character designs again, fun gameplay and a gorgeous visual style that perfectly translates the game's artstyle. I'm gonna have a really good birthday bro 😭
First heard about this myself from a channel I'm personally subscribed to called NintenMusic who also got their respective music sheets taken down by Nintendo. An absolutely baffling decision that I could maybe understand if Nintendo themselves offered the means to listen/view their game's songs/soundtracks....but they don't (for who knows what reason 🙃).
@RygelXVIII With all respect, just because someone likes a company's products doesn't mean they're a hypocrite for disagreeing with that same company's decisions. For example, I absolutely adore Capcom and their games with all my heart yet I will always criticise their current monetisation schemes for series like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, etc.. Turning a blind-eye to companies like Nintendo doing stuff like this is only going to send the message that they can continue to get away with it :/
@Krisi In addition to what @Don said in relation to Fire Emblem, NSO has actually had a couple of spread-out releases between what comes out in Japan vs what comes out overseas. A bunch of Famicom/Super Famicom titles immediately come to mind such as Joy Mech Fight and Harvest Moon, but it's also worked the other way around as well (most notably with Goldeneye 007 having an almost year-long gap between it getting released in the West compared to Japan).
I'll still fully acknowledge Mother 3 coming over as incredibly unlikely but hey: with the amount of fanservice Nintendo have been putting out lately with stuff like TTYD's remake, you just never know
@Maubari This reads very menacingly with your current PFP XD
AND THERE IT IS BABY YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH After missing the usual 2PM announcement slot, a part of me was terrified it was going to fall on Thursday (aka the literal single day this week that I'm not free XD) so I'm very happy to see the Tuesday rumour pan out!
Haven't got much in terms of general expectations personally but I did plot out a bingo card for the occasion in advance! very optimistic I know XD
Despite having never played any of their games as of now, I've honestly become quite enamoured with how Yacht Club has grown over the past decade. From launching probably the most well-known gaming Kickstarter campaign in the last 10 years to consistently expanding the universe of their main hero (through free updates at that!), they've really made a great name for themselves. I'm finally going be picking up Shovel Knight Treasure Trove in celebration of the series anniversary and I can't wait for what they have next (especially Mina the Hollower as a huge fan of classic 2D Zelda) ^_^
also @Platinum-Bucket already pointed it out, but the attached poll very much feels like Shovel Knight himself wrote it XD
Given how much Konami loves to recycle their older works, I'd love to see M2 bring over the three ReBirth games they put for WiiWare all those years back (Gradius, Contra and Castlevania: The Adventure to be precise). I remember there were rumours of it around the Switch's initial launch back in 2017 and given how hard they are to actually play nowadays with the Wii Shop Channel's closure, it'd be wonderful to see them revive them for a modern audience.
besides, more people need to listen to Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth's soundtrack because HOLY S*** DUDE
I think Metroid Prime 4 (combined with Breath of the Wild) has taught Nintendo to never announce stuff before they can say FOR DEFINITE that its coming out in the near enough future. Almost every game they've announced since (with some exceptions like Splatoon 3 and Tears of the Kingdom) have released within a year of their initial announcement at the latest and I think the state of MP4 has heavily contributed to that desire for a fast turnaround.
I am personally very confident MP4 is going to come out at the end of this year (so much so that I'm going to be playing through the Prime trilogy for the very first time beforehand XD) and I'm also very confident its going to knock it out of the park in terms of its quality, but MP4 will forever remain as one of the most perfect examples of why announcing games before you know they'll be coming out soon enough is a bad idea.
@russell-marlow For as much as I dislike animated/CG trailers which barely show what the game is actually going to be like (and Tenjutsu definitely doesn't get a pass in that department, despite how much I love it), you can at the very least intuit that Tenjutsu is going to be a beatemup from its opening.
That one game at SGF with the over-the-top, action-packed anime trailer that was then revealed to be a slow-paced, tactical RTS though?
Dead Cells is one of my favourite indie games of all-time so seeing a beatemup (+ town management?) roguelike by one of the main designers behind it (aka one of the main people who made DC's gameplay feel as good as it is) feels almost tailor-made to my current interests and I am ECSTATIC. Easily the best title from Devolver's recent presentation and I can't wait to eventually play it 🥰
I'm going into this Direct with a very open mindset so I really don't have any real hopes/expectations whatsoever besides maybe a new Ace Attorney game (its gotta happen at some point please Capcom).
Other than that though, it feels like the first time in a long time where we have absolutely no clue what's coming up and honestly?
@Lofoten Considering the fact that I've also got Pocket Card Jockey in the pipeline for this year, I fear that the clutches of the gambling addict mindset may soon take hold XD
I'm extremely tempted to pick up Balatro personally; I've never played a lick of poker in my life (which is probably for the best incidentally XD) but I'm a huge fan of roguelikes and seeing the acclaim people have for it online is really pushing me to give it a go ^_^
Great article! It definitely does look like a very high-quality remaster overall, though I still feel put off by that damn pricetag (seriously: if they priced this like they did for Metroid Prime or Pikmin 1+2, I'd be recommending it in a heartbeat). Regardless, it'll be fun to give a personal 3DS favourite of mine a revisit at some point down the line with much better visuals and controls!
Although, whilst I'm here, there's one thing I must ask above all else: how often is gameplay interrupted by E.Gadd? Because that was easily the biggest issue with the original game and I haven't seen anything to suggest its been improved in the remaster which....concerns me XD
Among Us and Nintendo have had a surprisingly buddy-buddy reltationship with each other over the past while (with the most recent AU update actually being the penultimate announcement of the last general Direct if I'm not mistaken) so this trailer being for the June Direct would make a ton of sense in my eyes. As for the date this is alluding towards then, June 18th is probably the best day I could ask for honestly as its during a week-long lull in summer exams (meaning I'd actually be able to catch it live XD). Looks like I better start getting on with my bingo sheet!
Sad to see the Twitter integration go as someone who frequently used it, but I can't say I blame them given how royally Elon has f***ed up the website. I'll probably just make a Facebook account to transfer stuff over now as I'll have to make one to properly use the online marketplace over the summer but yeah: sad to see it pan out like this.
I've been intentionally holding off from as much gaming as possible for the past couple months as I make my way through my summer exams, but this is finally going to be the sale where I just go absolutely WILD with my purchases.
I've been planning it out for a good bit too; I'm going to be picking up:
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection
Castlevania Advance Collection
Behold the Kickmen
Eastward
....and probably many more I'm currently forgetting XD
Far better than I was expecting for the first 70-75% of its runtime before kinda careening off the edge of a cliff in the latter quarter. Still, there were a ton of really cool announcements (with Power Rangers and SF6/Garou 2 being my personal highlights), there was a shockingly low amount of waffling from Geoff and co and that indie fund that Innersloth has set up thanks to the money they've accumulated from Among Us is one of the best things I've seen from the industry in a long time.
Overall pretty solid though by no means perfect, 8/10.
Comments 3,256
Re: Soapbox: Metroid’s Mother Brain And The Rewind Dilemma
While I haven't gotten around to playing Zero Mission yet, I did finally beat the original Metroid for the first time earlier this year and, to me, Mother Brain feels like they were almost intentionally designed to completely shatter your patience with the game.
Metroid 1 has its bright spots: the eerie vibes are wonderfully executed for a NES title, (most of) the bosses are pretty enjoyable and the music is fantastic. However, one thing Metroid 1 is particularly good at....is driving you insane. It can be fun for the first hour or so sure, but the more you play, the more its infuriating degree of crypticness on where to go/what to do starts to seep in and, by the halfway mark, you're basically praying for the end to arrive.
Mother Brain's overall 'fight' then feels almost intentionally designed to wither away the little patience you had left for the game. The hefty missile requirement in order to break through both the barriers and Mother Brain's shield, the constantly spawning donut beams that constantly make you whiff your shots and the threat of going all the way back to the beginning if you die make for an experience that isn't necessarily difficult but one that will test your patience to the absolute limit.
here's hoping Zero Mission's version doesn't make me want to rip my hair out XD
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (13th July)
Got a couple of titles on the agenda for this weekend myself:
Overall, it's gonna be a weekend filled with both drama and relaxation in equal measure XD
Re: Feature: Legendary Starfy 101 - A Brief History Of TOSE's Adorable Platforming Star
It feels almost impossible to imagine that a series with the main gameplay premise of 'Kirby but exclusively water levels' could be in any way enjoyable but after playing the first game for just under an hour earlier on....no I absolutely get it, Starfy rules.
The heavier emphasis on explorative platforming compared to Kirby's more action-oriented affairs, the delightful character designs from the charming NPCs to the adorable enemies and, perhaps most surprising of all, the controls feeling extremely fluid and responsive despite being mainly used underwater give it an identity far beyond just being 'like Kirby' and, for a series I had basically no real knowledge of prior to today, I'm very happy that's the case.
I've only played a decent bit of Starfy's first outing but I'm itching to keep going. A great little gem, a great little writeup and I hope Starfy's able to come back into the limelight someday
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Three More Titles
YEAHHHHHHH I LOVE NSO BRINGING JAPAN-ONLY GAMES OVERSEAS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS IS AWESOME
I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Starfy games myself (with the series being very much likened to Kirby in terms of its vibes and breeziness) so I can't wait to dig my teeth into these; still can't believe they're finally releasing the original GBA trilogy outside of Japan! 🌟
Re: Best Nintendo Switch Football Games
Actually just picked up Behold the Kickmen for finals day myself so that should be a fun and fitting title for the occasion (plus it'll help break up my playthrough of Ace Attorney Dual Destinies so that's always a bonus).
Re: Nintendo Reveals Ominous 'Emio' Teaser, And It's Baffling Fans
I feel utterly entranced by this. This really does seem like a wholly 1st-Party affair too given the announcement time of 2PM (the time usually reserved for Nintendo-specific games) which just makes me even more intrigued. Nintendo VERY rarely does full-blown horror (with the only examples I can really think of being Eternal Darkness and Fatal Frame) so Emio potentially being a horror-centric new IP has me very excited to learn more.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel - Urban Champion
Bit ironic that the pixel-approximation actually sells the impact of the punch better than the hand-drawn boxart XD
Still going with EU/JP though; while I appreciate what they were going for with early NES boxarts in making them accurate to the game they were for, the hand-drawn version is just more visually appealing (plus its the general image I associate Urban Champion with for good measure).
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th July)
After taking care of a fair number of titles during the week such as Paper Mario TTYD, Mach Rider and even Sonic Colours, I think it's finally time to continue the Apollo Justice Trilogy with Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. DD tends to be pretty divisive within the general AA fandom from what I've seen so I'm excited to see what exactly about it makes it so polarising XD
Re: Random: Finished With Your Old GameCube? Why Not Turn It Into A Cereal Bowl?
this is somehow not the wildest console-turned-food-holster story I've seen today
Re: Every Game In The Switch eShop 'Recollection Collection' Sale (North America)
Don't live in NA so I won't be taking advantage of these sales myself, but the Ace Attorney Anthology for $45 is a fantastic deal for a bundle which encompasses every mainline AA game thus far. Can't recommend it enough personally for those looking to dive into the series as a whole (especially when Edgeworth's games are on the horizon ^_^)
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's NES Library With Seven More Games
bro I was perfectly content with Mach Rider being the last game of the drop and then the trailer just kept GOING XD
This has to be one of the largest NSO drops of all-time, right? Sure, its not like any of these are insane titles (though Mach Rider makes me very happy as it's a game I've wanted to play for years now) but just the sheer quantity of them is super cool to see. Definitely going to be hopping on these as soon as I can!
also, as a personal thing, I love how they've finally officially added Golf after taking the Iwata reference involving it out of the Switch OS a couple years back; feels really nice to have, yknow? ❤
Re: Random: Nintendo ROM Hacks At Walmart Catch Doug Bowser's Attention
I mean its not really like they could regulate the sale of these products if its done via the hosting of a third-party marketplace, no? Online marketplaces here in Ireland get flooded with these kinds of listings all the time so I really don't think its all too serious.
Bowser's reply is very funny though because, behind the scenes, he's either completely fine with it or absolutely incensed with no inbetween XD
Re: Poll: What's Your Switch Game Of The Year Of 2024 So Far?
2024 so far has very much been like 2023 in the sense that I've mainly used it as a 'retro catch-up' year in terms of the stuff I've played so far. Mega Man 11, Castlevania Bloodlines, Super Metroid; I've played a good handful of older titles over the past six or so months, with no sign of stopping at that.
This favouring of older games extends into my 2024 collection, with the only three I've played so far being Apollo Justice Trilogy, Splatoon 3: Side Order and Paper Mario TTYD . And while I do really enjoy the first two (Apollo Justice especially)....yeah no its TTYD and its not even close. I'm not even finished it yet (currently on Chapter 6) and I already know this is one of my favourite games of all-time. The areas, the characters, the combat, the music and the density of it all; it has everything I enjoy in an RPG and then some and its been well worth the nearly year-long wait it took from reveal-to-release for me to finally be able to play it 🥰
Re: UK Charts: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Scares Off The Competition
Quite surprised to see it chart at No.1 given the price but hey, despite my gripes with the overall cost-to-content ratio, LM2 is still a great game and I'm happy more people are getting the chance to experience it
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - DK: King Of Swing
None of them look particularly standout but none of them look particularly bad either; I've always really liked the artstyle for the first King of Swing game (especially when you compare it to the woefully dull look of the DS sequel) and all three boxarts show it off in pretty nice ways.
Overall though, I'm gonna go with the Japanese one as its more vibrant in its colour choice, shows off the game's gimmick with the grabbable circles and has some very nice art of DK and Diddy.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (29th June)
It may have taken almost a year of waiting, but I finally started my first ever playthrough of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door a couple days ago and, to put it bluntly, it has been nothing short of absolute perfection so far. Just wrapped up Chapter 3 yesterday (RAWK HAWK MY BELOVED 💛🦅💛) and hope to get both Chapter 4 and 5 done over this weekend as well; I'm utterly obsessed in the best way possible XD
Re: Capcom Announces Summer Showcase 2024, Airing Next Week
the rollercoaster of emotions I was put through upon seeing this announcement and then seeing what games would actually be featured was one hell of an experience XD
Crankiness aside, I can't really complain too much about this as the June Direct was more or less Capcom's main Summer showcase as is thanks to both MvC and Ace Attorney (would've been nice for them to provide more elaboration on either of those two instead of RE7's random iOS port but I digress). Still probably going to tune in to check out Dead Rising though ^_^
Re: Estimated File Sizes For Donkey Kong Country Returns HD And Mario & Luigi: Brothership Revealed
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DKC RETURNS HD IS BIGGER THAN TROPICAL FREEZE 😭
I would've been grabbing both of these physically anyway but this has absolutely cemented that decision. I'm also very curious as to how meaty Brothership may potentially be from a length/content standpoint if its file size is nearly as big as both SMRPG and TTYD combined 🤔
Re: Leaker 'Pyoro' Locks Account After Claiming Their Source Works For Nintendo
the poetic irony of a leaker unwittingly leaking their source feels so amazingly cathartic to me
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Duel: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Yeah definitely going with NA/EU this week. While I don't hate what they were going for with the Japanese boxart, it ultimately feels a bit too....generic for my tastes. The NA/EU one on the other hand feels very memorable and shows off the main element of the game (Dark Samus) in a pretty novel way, with both Samus's standing back-to-back against the red vs blue background. I wouldn't call it incredible or anything but its much more visually appealing than the Japanese one if you ask me.
@Daniel36 @Yosher The duality of man.
Re: Some Of The "Original Developers" Are Working On Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Given how instantly vitriolic certain people have been towards the team who's RUMOURED to be making it, I can't say I really blame Ninty for basically going 'some members from AlphaDream are working on it' and leaving it at that.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (22nd June)
Finally got my last set of school exams out of the way this week so I'm officially free to start my gaming schedule up all over again. With that being said however, I'm actually off at an event down the country this weekend so I ironically enough won't have much time for many games XD
Still, I'll probably tackle a couple of smaller, 8-bit titles to ease me into the swing of things again like Mega Man: Dr Wily's Revenge, Blaster Master and maybe even Gato Roboto as well. Overall, a 2D-centric sort of lineup that should be a fun enough time all around
Re: Switch Online's Latest N64 Release 'Perfect Dark' Appears To Have Some Emulation Issues
There just seems to be something about shooters on N64 NSO (particularly of the Rare variety) that Nintendo can never get quite right in terms of the emulation which is definitely a big shame. I have full faith they'll end up fixing a lot of these issues soon enough given how high-profile of a release PD is but yeah: not a great look when similar issues also afflicted Goldeneye back at the start of last year.
Also, on a semi-related note, does anyone know how Turok runs on Switch? Haven't had the opportunity to check that one out yet myself and from what I've heard, its a perfectly passable version of the game (still not as good as the separate Switch remaster though).
Re: Yes, The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Is Getting A Physical Release
I knew it was getting a PS4 physical release myself but had heard nothing on the Switch front so this is absolutely fantastic to see! I probably will end up picking it up on the physical end myself since, as much as I value the convenience of digital, being able to have a Marvel vs Capcom game in my physical Switch collection sounds almost too good to be true. Now I'm just hoping that its a traditional physical release and not some Limited Run BS XD
also, from perusing the official announcement on the Marvel website, it seems like the game will cost about $50 which, given the quantity and quality of what's on offer in it, feels like a bargain to me
Re: Reaction: A Direct That Delivered, And Shows That Switch Still Has Plenty Of Pep
I don't think I've felt this specifically catered to in a Direct since the February one we had last year. Seriously dude, we got:
This entire Direct was filled with the kind of titles you'd expect a system to have midway through its lifecycle, not literally its FINAL YEAR ON THE MARKET....and honestly? I couldn't be happier.
Easy 9/10, my wallet is going to be in so much pain come Winter XD
Re: Disney Illusion Island Scores Free 'Mystery in Monoth' Update On Switch Today
Mickey Mouse is my favourite Ace Attorney character.
Re: Gallery: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Looking Absolutely Stunning On Switch
My mind is simply refusing to believe this runs on the Switch. Like, I know Retro are gods at making stuff look jaw-droppingly gorgeous regardless of the hardware constraints Nintendo consoles have but like.....dude.
DUDE.
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE
Re: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Will Get Super On Switch This Year
'ITS MAHVEL BAYBEE!!!'
'OH HE'S SO PRINGLES, WHERE YO CURLEH MUSTACHE AT'
'YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO DO A [REDACTED] INFINITE!?'
WE ARE LEVELS OF BACK PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT UNATTAINABLE OH MY GOD
Re: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Completes Series In The West This November
I AM GOING F***ING FERAL RIGHT NOW
Re: Nintendo Switch Online Gets Four New Additions Today, Including Zelda, Metroid, And Perfect Dark
It's hard to believe an announcement as insane as Zero Mission and Perfect Dark coming to NSO ON THE SAME DAY got lost in the shuffle but man that really was just how this Direct rolled huh XD
I've been clamouring for SO LONG for ZM/PD to get added to NSO so to finally be able to experience them in addition to goddamn FOUR SWORDS AND TUROK feels surreal. Definitely giving these a shake whenever possible!
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Confirmed, Launching 2025
no words, just....wow
Re: New 2D Adventure 'The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom' Announced For This September
GREZZO YOU ABDSOLUTE MADLADS
I've been wanting a new 2D Zelda for so long man and to see one finally get made with both the artstyle of Link's Awakening 2019 AND Zelda as the main character has me over the moon. The gameplay looks like it'll absolutely melt my brain (in a good way) but god I am just so damn happy man.
Re: We're Getting A Brand New 'Mario & Luigi' RPG This November
TWO DAYS AFTER MY BIRTHDAY WHAT WHAT WHAT
Never in a MILLION years did I expect M&L to come back after Alphadream's demise but oh my god this looks like a PERFECT revival: unique character designs again, fun gameplay and a gorgeous visual style that perfectly translates the game's artstyle. I'm gonna have a really good birthday bro 😭
Re: Random: Welp, Now Nintendo's Going After Sheet Music
First heard about this myself from a channel I'm personally subscribed to called NintenMusic who also got their respective music sheets taken down by Nintendo. An absolutely baffling decision that I could maybe understand if Nintendo themselves offered the means to listen/view their game's songs/soundtracks....but they don't (for who knows what reason 🙃).
@RygelXVIII With all respect, just because someone likes a company's products doesn't mean they're a hypocrite for disagreeing with that same company's decisions. For example, I absolutely adore Capcom and their games with all my heart yet I will always criticise their current monetisation schemes for series like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, etc.. Turning a blind-eye to companies like Nintendo doing stuff like this is only going to send the message that they can continue to get away with it :/
Re: Nintendo Direct June 2024: Time, Where To Watch, What To Expect
@Krisi In addition to what @Don said in relation to Fire Emblem, NSO has actually had a couple of spread-out releases between what comes out in Japan vs what comes out overseas. A bunch of Famicom/Super Famicom titles immediately come to mind such as Joy Mech Fight and Harvest Moon, but it's also worked the other way around as well (most notably with Goldeneye 007 having an almost year-long gap between it getting released in the West compared to Japan).
I'll still fully acknowledge Mother 3 coming over as incredibly unlikely but hey: with the amount of fanservice Nintendo have been putting out lately with stuff like TTYD's remake, you just never know
@Maubari This reads very menacingly with your current PFP XD
Re: Nintendo Direct June 2024: Time, Where To Watch, What To Expect
AND THERE IT IS BABY YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
After missing the usual 2PM announcement slot, a part of me was terrified it was going to fall on Thursday (aka the literal single day this week that I'm not free XD) so I'm very happy to see the Tuesday rumour pan out!
Haven't got much in terms of general expectations personally but I did plot out a bingo card for the occasion in advance!
very optimistic I know XD
Re: Random: 350 Switch Carts Smuggled In Passenger's Bra Seized By Chinese Customs
yknow when I logged on this morning to keep abreast of the news, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind
Re: A Brand New Mainline Shovel Knight Game Is Now In Development
Despite having never played any of their games as of now, I've honestly become quite enamoured with how Yacht Club has grown over the past decade. From launching probably the most well-known gaming Kickstarter campaign in the last 10 years to consistently expanding the universe of their main hero (through free updates at that!), they've really made a great name for themselves. I'm finally going be picking up Shovel Knight Treasure Trove in celebration of the series anniversary and I can't wait for what they have next (especially Mina the Hollower as a huge fan of classic 2D Zelda) ^_^
also @Platinum-Bucket already pointed it out, but the attached poll very much feels like Shovel Knight himself wrote it XD
Re: Developer M2 Wants To Bring More Games To The Switch
Given how much Konami loves to recycle their older works, I'd love to see M2 bring over the three ReBirth games they put for WiiWare all those years back (Gradius, Contra and Castlevania: The Adventure to be precise). I remember there were rumours of it around the Switch's initial launch back in 2017 and given how hard they are to actually play nowadays with the Wii Shop Channel's closure, it'd be wonderful to see them revive them for a modern audience.
besides, more people need to listen to Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth's soundtrack because HOLY S*** DUDE
Re: Random: It's Now Been Seven Years Since Metroid Prime 4 Was Announced
I think Metroid Prime 4 (combined with Breath of the Wild) has taught Nintendo to never announce stuff before they can say FOR DEFINITE that its coming out in the near enough future. Almost every game they've announced since (with some exceptions like Splatoon 3 and Tears of the Kingdom) have released within a year of their initial announcement at the latest and I think the state of MP4 has heavily contributed to that desire for a fast turnaround.
I am personally very confident MP4 is going to come out at the end of this year (so much so that I'm going to be playing through the Prime trilogy for the very first time beforehand XD) and I'm also very confident its going to knock it out of the park in terms of its quality, but MP4 will forever remain as one of the most perfect examples of why announcing games before you know they'll be coming out soon enough is a bad idea.
anyways can't wait for Metroid Prime 5 in 2035 XD
Re: Dead Cells Designer Reveals Beat 'Em Up 'Tenjutsu', And We Really Hope It Comes To Switch
@russell-marlow For as much as I dislike animated/CG trailers which barely show what the game is actually going to be like (and Tenjutsu definitely doesn't get a pass in that department, despite how much I love it), you can at the very least intuit that Tenjutsu is going to be a beatemup from its opening.
That one game at SGF with the over-the-top, action-packed anime trailer that was then revealed to be a slow-paced, tactical RTS though?
Re: Dead Cells Designer Reveals Beat 'Em Up 'Tenjutsu', And We Really Hope It Comes To Switch
Dead Cells is one of my favourite indie games of all-time so seeing a beatemup (+ town management?) roguelike by one of the main designers behind it (aka one of the main people who made DC's gameplay feel as good as it is) feels almost tailor-made to my current interests and I am ECSTATIC. Easily the best title from Devolver's recent presentation and I can't wait to eventually play it 🥰
Re: Talking Point: What We Expect From The Upcoming June Nintendo Direct
I'm going into this Direct with a very open mindset so I really don't have any real hopes/expectations whatsoever besides maybe a new Ace Attorney game (its gotta happen at some point please Capcom).
Other than that though, it feels like the first time in a long time where we have absolutely no clue what's coming up and honestly?
That's pretty damn exciting.
Re: 109 Switch Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's Summer Sale (Europe)
@Lofoten Considering the fact that I've also got Pocket Card Jockey in the pipeline for this year, I fear that the clutches of the gambling addict mindset may soon take hold XD
Re: 109 Switch Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's Summer Sale (Europe)
I'm extremely tempted to pick up Balatro personally; I've never played a lick of poker in my life (which is probably for the best incidentally XD) but I'm a huge fan of roguelikes and seeing the acclaim people have for it online is really pushing me to give it a go ^_^
Re: Hands On: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Delivers More Than Just A Hi-Def Upgrade
Great article! It definitely does look like a very high-quality remaster overall, though I still feel put off by that damn pricetag (seriously: if they priced this like they did for Metroid Prime or Pikmin 1+2, I'd be recommending it in a heartbeat). Regardless, it'll be fun to give a personal 3DS favourite of mine a revisit at some point down the line with much better visuals and controls!
Although, whilst I'm here, there's one thing I must ask above all else: how often is gameplay interrupted by E.Gadd? Because that was easily the biggest issue with the original game and I haven't seen anything to suggest its been improved in the remaster which....concerns me XD
Re: 'Among Us' Switch Update Is Supposedly Releasing On 18th June
Among Us and Nintendo have had a surprisingly buddy-buddy reltationship with each other over the past while (with the most recent AU update actually being the penultimate announcement of the last general Direct if I'm not mistaken) so this trailer being for the June Direct would make a ton of sense in my eyes. As for the date this is alluding towards then, June 18th is probably the best day I could ask for honestly as its during a week-long lull in summer exams (meaning I'd actually be able to catch it live XD). Looks like I better start getting on with my bingo sheet!
Re: Nintendo Switch System Update 18.1.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Sad to see the Twitter integration go as someone who frequently used it, but I can't say I blame them given how royally Elon has f***ed up the website. I'll probably just make a Facebook account to transfer stuff over now as I'll have to make one to properly use the online marketplace over the summer but yeah: sad to see it pan out like this.
Re: Nintendo's eShop Summer Sale Knocks Up To 75% Off Select Switch Titles (Europe)
I've been intentionally holding off from as much gaming as possible for the past couple months as I make my way through my summer exams, but this is finally going to be the sale where I just go absolutely WILD with my purchases.
I've been planning it out for a good bit too; I'm going to be picking up:
....and probably many more I'm currently forgetting XD
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate The Summer Game Fest 2024 Opening Showcase?
Far better than I was expecting for the first 70-75% of its runtime before kinda careening off the edge of a cliff in the latter quarter. Still, there were a ton of really cool announcements (with Power Rangers and SF6/Garou 2 being my personal highlights), there was a shockingly low amount of waffling from Geoff and co and that indie fund that Innersloth has set up thanks to the money they've accumulated from Among Us is one of the best things I've seen from the industry in a long time.
Overall pretty solid though by no means perfect, 8/10.