@WiltonRoots I got the same deal a couple of months before Xmas 14. So weird that I got the system when it was already a flop; most systems are hitting their stride a couple of years in. Certainly got my money’s worth; even if you focused exclusively on Nintendo ips and virtual console/eshop it was more than enough to keep you going. However, the third party offerings (bare in mind I have 70+ physical games for the Wii U was terrible compared to Xbox and Playstations offerings in the two generations the Wii U ‘straddled’. Some good ones, but the way they played was no where near as good as on rival systems (Avengers Lego runs poorly for example) which is a shame as first party games from Super Mario 3D World all the way through to Breath of the Wild run great.
I’m sticking to exclusives (Smash), puzzle games (Namco Museum), retro on the go (Mega Drive Collection) or nice little cheap re-releases (Jedi Knight 2, Grim Fandango) on Switch. Anything else is on my Xbox One; either it is significantly cheaper and a much better experience (Doom, Wolfenstein) or effectively free through Game Pass. Switch games are ridiculously expensive.
Nintendo has been a complimentary system arguably since the GameCube era. I know that’s when it became that way for me. I went from N64 only to PS2 (at first just because it was a decently priced DVD player and later really got into the games). I got the cube a year later and only bought the handful of exclusives I wanted to play. I more than got my money’s worth from both systems.
I have a lot of systems and tend to play a bit on each. However, as nice as the switch is it is a glorified handheld (a very good one) but cannot compete with my Xbox one in terms of power and content. I have a huge library of digital games, both from games with gold giving me 4 games a month and backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games. Add to that game pass and it is clear why it is my main console. The ridiculous pricing of switch games means it will end up like my cube; used regularly for the handful of exclusives I get for it (I only have Smash, Mega Drive Collection, Namco arcade double pac and Jedi Knight (nostalgia!) and because I supported the Wii U last gen, a lot of other games I already have for that system so, unless I find them really cheap at some point, I won’t double dip.
You weren't there man .... you don’t know what it was like! Sometimes you’d leave you Mega Drive on for days at a time, didn’t want to have to beat that boss again <shudders>. Sometimes the console would crash, sometimes it wouldn’t. Sometimes you’d hear the dreaded call ‘turn that off and get down for dinner’ or ‘you’ve played enough of that rubbish today’. I can still hear those voices, at night, calling out in my nightmares. The horror ... the horror.... <states off into the distance>
On a serious note, save states, rewinds and save files are the single greatest advantage of playing old games today. I’ve done my time; now my time is precious and save states mean I can enjoy it properly. Not going to be told I’m less of a gamer by someone who wasn’t around for the Console Wars 😁
This decade has started with and ended with Nintendo for me. GameCube was my secondary console to my PS2 from 2003-2009 when I got a Wii in late October. The virtual console (and a raft of affordable games) got me into Nintendo on a big way (I was SEGA at school and only dipped into Nintendo with the N64 and Gameboy line).
At the same time I also got into Xbox this decade two and between them the Wii and Xbox 360 were brilliant for the first half of the decade. Then I got the 2DS in 2014 (I missed out on the DS line completely the previous decade) and it was so good that I eventually went back and built up a decent library of DS games too, as well as a few systems...). Then I got the WII U in late 2014 and I supported it fully, buying as many games as I could but it never really matched the fun of I’d had with the Wii for the previous 5 years (I couldn’t even connect it to the internet to do the infamous day one update. The single lost annoying gaming experience ever!).
I upgraded the 2DS to a 3DS XL (uncomfortable to hold and bad 3D) and then to a New 3DS (big improvement) but honestly wished I had stuck with the 2DS and saved my money. My son now plays the 2DS regularly though, so it’s still in use.
I got the SNES and NES minis which were great, but shied away from the Switch, feeling burnt after the Wii U. Now my main go to system is the Xbox One but I finally have in and snagged a Switch Lite on sale recently and it is a good little system. Glad I didn’t pay out for a full Switch; as a console it pales in performance to the Xbox but as a handheld it is superb!
So my decade has started with Nintendo Wii and ended with Nintendo Switch . Here’s to another decade, hopefully of more highs than lows!
My dad has a more inventive solution back in the 90s. He added a breakaway cable to the tv’s power cable; Sunday night he’d come and unplug it and I wouldn’t get it back until Friday after school. So Monday to Friday my tv, vhs player and Mega Drive all stood set up in my room, but the tv couldn’t be used! 😂
I managed to snag a fair deal on a Switch lite. From Nintendo store I did the Build a bundle option (which allowed me to choose my included game in rather than just those on offer. So got Lite, case, smash bros, 12 months online and a further 10% for registering a catalogue all for £225. Not a bad deal. With the online NES and SNES apps and Tetris 99 I have plenty to keep me going.
Just as an aside, I’m glad I went for the lite not the full switch. As a dedicated handheld it is brilliant; the transition from 3DS to Switch Lite is like VHS to DVD! However, if I had the full Switch I would have been disappointed; it’s underwhelming compared to my XBOX One and very barebones compared to my Wii U. I know that there is motion control etc on the regular switch, but I’ve had my fill of those since the Wii and for multiplayer my Wii U reigns supreme. However, as a handheld it’s fantastic!
Completed this first on Xbox 360 (looks damn good for a 360 game) and have double dipped with a cheap second hand copy on Xbox One. Alien is one of my favourite films and the shear level of detail they put into the game to make it match the universe of the original film is amazing. However, it is a very difficult game, even on the normal difficulty level. I have heard some people criticising it for being too scary and the frustration of constantly being on your toes. To them I would like to say one thing:
It is a survival horror game in the Alien universe. What did you expect!
I remember renting this game as a teenager to play with my mates during our weekly goldeneye/perfect Dark/ Mario Kart 64 sessions. They didn’t really like it but I enjoyed what I played over the 3 days I had it. A few years later I got Melee on the GameCube and it still gets played regularly.
Fast forward 10 years and this was one of the first games I downloaded on the Wii Shop Channel. So glad I did, since it never appeared on the Wii U eshop!
Interestingly enough I only just booted up Smash Wii U for the first time two days ago (despite owning it for years). Very positive first impressions, much nicer to control than Brawl. Time will tell if it tops Melee though.
I think that there needs to be a distinction drawn between what we mean by ‘failure’. From an objective point of view the Wii U can’t be seen as anything other than a failure: sales, install base and amount of content were poor compare to other systems made by Nintendo and its competitors. Any arguments against that just are not supported by the evidence at hand.
However, in an entirely subjective sense it it could be seen as successful. 10 million odd people bought it and (presumably) got some enjoyment out of it. It housed some cracking games and has a fantastic backwards compatibility/ virtual console feature. Taken on its own merits it is a good system (but not without faults, such as over reliance on the gamepad, slow OS, control issues for some games etc).
There are many things which can be seen as a ‘failure’ if we simply look at the financial side or uptake, but in truth they are perfectly good and enjoyed by a community. We probably can all think of a film, book, tv show or game that failed to reach a wide audience but they are still good. For example, the TV show Firefly was a flop when aired but achieved cult status (as it is a great show). Yes, objectively a failure at the time, but a wonderful failure. In my opinion the Wii U falls into the same category.
Any comment that I make here will probably be anecdotal at best (‘I’ve been playing since I was a kid and I’m ok etc etc’) and my knowledge of psychology is limited at best but here’s my take: it all comes down to the individual. Many of us here of a certain age can legally indulge in a range of activities which require us to decide when ‘enough is enough’.
Many of us here can have the odd drink, maybe even several, on a regular basis and never, ever get close to a habit, never mind a dependency or addiction. The same with cigarettes or the odd flutter on the horses. We have developed over time an ‘off switch’, dictated by a range of factors, be they financial, logical or behavioural.
There will be people here who posses a fear of something taking over their lives and so will take ever step to avoid contact with it in the first place. They know the risks or what they are like and so steer clear so as to avoid future issues. Some will simply not care about something like gaming, it holds no interest whatsoever.
Then there are people (and we all know at least one) who just can’t handle it. They always have one drink too many, smoke too much or can’t have fun if they are not spending money. They can’t slow down or won’t listen to sense, even when an ‘I told you so’ seems inevitable. Sometimes we watch them self destruct and there is nothing we can do.
This last group is who this is targeted at. When you go to the doctor and they ask ‘how many units of alcohol do you drink a week’ you are not shipped off to rehab for having a pint on the way home from work a couple of times a week. That’s fine, there’s a habit but it is a modest, moderate one.
Many of us here will have sunk countless hours into games over the years (I know I have) and for us it is a hobby like any other. Just like other hobbies it has to be put aside when life demands attention in other areas. In fact, if all our consoles stopped working tomorrow we’d be sad but life would go on. We are not addicted, we’ve just carved out a little spot in our busy lives for some harmless self indulgence. No one is in trouble for pulling the odd late nighter to complete Mario 64!
Understand this, however, some people have no ‘off switch’ and when that person is young how are they supposed to know better? It would be nonsense for me to say ‘well, I didn’t have problem at 13, so what’s the issue?’ No, because at 13 there was no always on internet, no costs, barring those of a face to face financial transaction in a physical shop, multiplayer was a real social interaction that ended when your mates had to go home and single player was limited to when the TV was free before Eastenders was on or til (in my case) the plug was taken off of the small tv in my bedroom. There was no such thing as free to play or micro transactions to get new skins (I still can’t believe people pay good money for those but the problem depends on whose money you are using).
I’m a dad, my kids know I love video games and I make no secrets about it, my room is full of consoles, games and accessories. I won’t discourage them from gaming but I will strictly control what they can play, when they can play and where they can play. Not all parents can or will do this and that is the main problem (the kids are not buying themselves PS4s and mobile phones). Parents need to be in control and control what their kids play. If worst comes to worst, lock the infernal machines behind a closed door or sell them!
....but not the ‘Cube; GameCube addiction’s a complete myth....
This was my second GameCube game back in the day and I’d followed the series since Dark Forces on the PC. I used to play with mouse and keyboard and had no problem with controls on the GameCube pad. In fact I’d say it was more fun.
No problems with the early shooting sections, you just have to strafe a lot and use corners as cover. If you go in guns blazing like in modern shooters you’re in for a world of hurt.
As for the puzzling aspect, the game actually sends that up on the first mission as a series staple. Kyle says something along the lines of ‘a locked door? Let me guess, the switch is a several levels above me. Why do they keep designing places like this?!?’
Comments about the value of the pound and the change in inflation are totally valid, so I accept that. However, in terms marketing and how the price of it ‘sounds’ £200 is still strange to me. On the one hand it suggests that the lite is not ‘cheap’ technology and the price suggests a premium device. However, on the other hand, it is still pricing it above the ‘toy’ bracket. I don’t know how others feel about it but £200 for a device for my kids is too much and my eldest is definitely in the age bracket that the Lite appeals to. However, given that kids these days all seem to have smart phones anyway, perhaps my view is a little off 🙂
I still feel that with only a £79 price difference you are loosing a lot of the Switch’s most important features for not a huge difference in price. As others have said, if it still could connect to a TV then the price would make more sense, but the removal of the very thing that makes it so unique is too much to ask. Compare that to the 2DS (£79) to the new 2DS XL (£139.99). Now, there’s nothing wrong with the base 2DS (I love it) but you do get a decent upgrade to the XL which justifies such a difference in price (it’s practically half the price of the XL model for the original). The Switch Lite is a similar situation, offering the same basic abilities of the base Switch, but with many of the things that are special about it as a system removed (I suppose 2DS vs new 3DS XL might have been a better example).
I don’t want anyone to feel I don’t like the idea of the Lite but it is still an expensive bit of kit which pales into comparison to the original machine. At a lower price point it would make more sense to lose so much of the originals appeal.
But to paraphrase a much wiser man than I: ‘well, like, that’s just your opinion, man’
I can’t make my mind up about the Switch in general. I’ve owned every system except the SNES and the Switch but I find that I have little to no enthusiasm for it. My main issue with it is not a criticism at all, it’s just that I have the Wii U and a lot of games for it, so many of the switch titles are just slightly enhanced versions (albeit portable).
However, even at £200 that is a lot of money for a portable device that could potentially get broken and the cost of the games is high as well. For £200 I got an Xbox One with 2 controllers and 3 games last year, which is a much more powerful system with a wealth of titles and good value in terms of sales and gamepass.
The Switch Lite, while I don’t doubt it being a good bit of kit, sacrifices a lot compared to the base model for not a massive difference in price. £200 is hardly money I would spend either on a whim for myself or for my kids. Compare that to Nintendo’s history of handhelds and the brilliant value they have given (£90 for the OG Gameboy with Tetris back in the day or the DS Lite for £100 a decade ago). If I was new to gaming the £79 2DS is what would grab me as a ‘oh, go on then!’ bit of self indulgence. The Switch Lite is too pricy for that and as a second system (why wouldn’t I buy a PS4 for a similar price?)
Don’t get me wrong, I love Nintendo but £150 for the lite, considering what they are positioning it as and considering that it is a major step back from the original model, is far more sensible (cost of parts non with standing).
On the other hand, I got the 2DS first then upgraded to a new 3DS model for all the bells and whistles and honestly wish I hadn’t bothered, so perhaps the Lite is sufficient (if only as a 3DS replacement for pure handheld).
If i do ever ‘switch’ I’ve got a funny feeling it'll either be at the end if it’s life or as a gift. Currently it is just too expensive as either a second system or a handheld (when I was a PS2 player I bought the GameCube as a second system for £70. At that price you’d be daft not to!)
As nice as the New 3DS is it’s a pity they didn’t sort out the problem with the edges of the bottom screen marking the top screen. Having to keep a piece of cloth in the machine in order to protect it is a pain. This wasn’t an issue on the DS Lite/DSI.
Tag I actually prefer the regular 2DS, the slate shape reminds me of the old Gameboy.
.... and I actually like the Wii Mini! Plug in and play. Old school and great for a spare room. With the loss of the shop and online play it really doesn’t matter (except for GameCube backwards compatibility).
I bought the cube second hand in 2003 for £70. Imagine trying to get a mint condition, second hand console a year after its release these days. Total bargain!
It played second fiddle to my PS2 (which actually sold itself to me as a cheap DVD player in 2002, the games came second). Yep, that’s right, it was better value in those days to get a games console that also played DVDs than just a player (when you can get a DVD player for what, £15, these days?
Only ever got about 10 games during its lifetime but there were all corkers: Windwaker was a Disneyfied follow up to the N64 classics, Jedi Outcast was a blazing rush through the dark side, whilst Rogue Leader let me live out my Tie Fighting, trench running childhood fantasies. Smash Bros. was a Easter egged clash of Nintendo nostalgia as much as Sonic Mega Collection was for the 90s SEGA fanboy in me. Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero offered creeps and surprises, whilst Metroid Prime introduces me to a series for the first time in an amazingly immersive way. Finally, playing Double Dash with my childhood best mates whilst trying to recover from a pre-new year’s hangover of epic proportions helped us relive those long gone teenage nights of local multiplayer on the N64.
My collection has grown considerably since I returned to the system a few years ago and many new memories have been added since. Long live the purple lunchbox!
BTW if you are an Xbox One/360 owner you can download the SOR collection on Xbox live. It has all three games including the Japanese Bare Knuckle 3. Much fairer than the rock hard western release.
I love these games! I think I played SOR on 1992 for the first time. Two player co-op, throwing each other at the enemies and arguing when to use the cop back up bazooka!
Then SOR2 landed in 1993 and shortly afterwards I got a Mega Drive of my own. I used to complete it regularly with my sister (as she loved playing as Blaze. This World of Illusion with Mickey and Donald and Sonic 2 were the ultimate coop games.
Then I didn’t touch my Mega Drive for years, as I went through PC, N64, PS2 and GameCube. It was when I hit a Wii and SOR2 was one of my first downloads on virtual console (along with Super Mario 3 and Mario 64) that I remembered how awesome it is. Now I can even play it in 3D on my 3DS or HD on my Xbox. The game is still as fresh and fun as ever!
This is a great game. I recently played through the original on the Disney Saturday Afternoon Collection on Xbox one with my young son (who enjoys watching the original cartoon) so the fact that all the original voice actors returned to voice their characters in this remake is a real treat for fans young and old.
I actually completed this on 360/Xbox one backwards compatibility, as the Wii U version went a bit weird; the sound went funny and just held one note continuously. Has to turn it off and lost the progress I made, so swapped to the Xbox one to finish it.
Btw I also recently tracked down the original game...on Game Boy!
I only got into the DS in 2016! For a long time I stuck with GBA (not that in played hand held very often) until I got a 2DS in 2013. However, I never bought any DS games until I saw a like new condition black DS lite in a charity shop, complete in box with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I think the system had been turned on once! For £30 it seemed like a good deal as an update for GBA games and a nice donation to charity.
What a great system! I can’t believe I let it pass me by. The use of the dual screen and touch screen (which I thought was a gimmick back in 2004 on the ugly original ‘phat’ model) is used in a superb way at times (and this was years before touch screen smart phones became the norm). Much better use than anything I’ve since seen on the 3DS (and I like that system).
Since then I’ve built a small library of about 20 games and have also got a black DSi, but the lite is probably my favourite handheld, along with the GBC and 2DS/New 3DS.
I’ll give the show a go (not like it’s costing me any extra seeing I’m already on Netflix anyway). I like the books, enjoyed the second game and have yet to start my copy of the goty edition on Xbox one (but I’ve heard nothing but praise).
I don’t care what colour or ethnicity the actors are in the series, good actors are good actors. People moaning about that seem to focus on the female cast members (what a surprise!) and ignore that Geralt, who is Slavic, possibly Polish (sto lat!) is being played by an Englishman...
I have a launch era GameCube and a year ago managed to pick up the official RGB cable at a retro game event in Leeds for £2! It was in a random box of cables and I couldn't believe that they charged me so little (I expected them to track me down later and admit it was a mistake, as the go for £30+ online.)
The difference in picture is like night and day! I use it on a 32" LCD screen and the picture is very good (I used to run them through my Wii with component cable on a 40" Sony Bravia and the picture was excellent, but the missus is always watching TV on that so my consoles are relegated to my study!)
A lot of games play full screen and I can access 60hz mode for them as well. For PAL territories that is the best you are going to get from the original system. Component will do nothing to a PAL GameCube as Nintendo disabled the better picture on all PAL games, so eve through the Wii with component you are still not getting the same picture as the NTSC/ Japanese releases. If you can get hold of the official RGB scart lead though the picture is excellent for what it is. It also looks quite nice on a little 14" CRT TV I keep around for Master System/ Mega Drive retro goodness.
Comments 380
Re: New ESRB Rating Suggests The Wii U Isn't Done With New Games Just Yet
@WiltonRoots I got the same deal a couple of months before Xmas 14. So weird that I got the system when it was already a flop; most systems are hitting their stride a couple of years in. Certainly got my money’s worth; even if you focused exclusively on Nintendo ips and virtual console/eshop it was more than enough to keep you going. However, the third party offerings (bare in mind I have 70+ physical games for the Wii U was terrible compared to Xbox and Playstations offerings in the two generations the Wii U ‘straddled’. Some good ones, but the way they played was no where near as good as on rival systems (Avengers Lego runs poorly for example) which is a shame as first party games from Super Mario 3D World all the way through to Breath of the Wild run great.
Re: Talking Point: How Often Do You Make The 'Switch Sacrifice'?
I’m sticking to exclusives (Smash), puzzle games (Namco Museum), retro on the go (Mega Drive Collection) or nice little cheap re-releases (Jedi Knight 2, Grim Fandango) on Switch. Anything else is on my Xbox One; either it is significantly cheaper and a much better experience (Doom, Wolfenstein) or effectively free through Game Pass. Switch games are ridiculously expensive.
Re: More Than 40% Of Switch Owners In The US Have Another Video Game System
Nintendo has been a complimentary system arguably since the GameCube era. I know that’s when it became that way for me. I went from N64 only to PS2 (at first just because it was a decently priced DVD player and later really got into the games). I got the cube a year later and only bought the handful of exclusives I wanted to play. I more than got my money’s worth from both systems.
I have a lot of systems and tend to play a bit on each. However, as nice as the switch is it is a glorified handheld (a very good one) but cannot compete with my Xbox one in terms of power and content. I have a huge library of digital games, both from games with gold giving me 4 games a month and backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games. Add to that game pass and it is clear why it is my main console. The ridiculous pricing of switch games means it will end up like my cube; used regularly for the handful of exclusives I get for it (I only have Smash, Mega Drive Collection, Namco arcade double pac and Jedi Knight (nostalgia!) and because I supported the Wii U last gen, a lot of other games I already have for that system so, unless I find them really cheap at some point, I won’t double dip.
Re: Best Of 2019: In Praise Of Save States, Rewinds And Walkthroughs
You weren't there man .... you don’t know what it was like! Sometimes you’d leave you Mega Drive on for days at a time, didn’t want to have to beat that boss again <shudders>. Sometimes the console would crash, sometimes it wouldn’t. Sometimes you’d hear the dreaded call ‘turn that off and get down for dinner’ or ‘you’ve played enough of that rubbish today’. I can still hear those voices, at night, calling out in my nightmares. The horror ... the horror.... <states off into the distance>
On a serious note, save states, rewinds and save files are the single greatest advantage of playing old games today. I’ve done my time; now my time is precious and save states mean I can enjoy it properly. Not going to be told I’m less of a gamer by someone who wasn’t around for the Console Wars 😁
On
Re: Feature: 2010-2019 - Nintendo's Decade In Review
This decade has started with and ended with Nintendo for me. GameCube was my secondary console to my PS2 from 2003-2009 when I got a Wii in late October. The virtual console (and a raft of affordable games) got me into Nintendo on a big way (I was SEGA at school and only dipped into Nintendo with the N64 and Gameboy line).
At the same time I also got into Xbox this decade two and between them the Wii and Xbox 360 were brilliant for the first half of the decade. Then I got the 2DS in 2014 (I missed out on the DS line completely the previous decade) and it was so good that I eventually went back and built up a decent library of DS games too, as well as a few systems...). Then I got the WII U in late 2014 and I supported it fully, buying as many games as I could but it never really matched the fun of I’d had with the Wii for the previous 5 years (I couldn’t even connect it to the internet to do the infamous day one update. The single lost annoying gaming experience ever!).
I upgraded the 2DS to a 3DS XL (uncomfortable to hold and bad 3D) and then to a New 3DS (big improvement) but honestly wished I had stuck with the 2DS and saved my money. My son now plays the 2DS regularly though, so it’s still in use.
I got the SNES and NES minis which were great, but shied away from the Switch, feeling burnt after the Wii U. Now my main go to system is the Xbox One but I finally have in and snagged a Switch Lite on sale recently and it is a good little system. Glad I didn’t pay out for a full Switch; as a console it pales in performance to the Xbox but as a handheld it is superb!
So my decade has started with Nintendo Wii and ended with Nintendo Switch . Here’s to another decade, hopefully of more highs than lows!
Re: Random: Remembering When One Company Ruined Christmas For Some NES Owners
My dad has a more inventive solution back in the 90s. He added a breakaway cable to the tv’s power cable; Sunday night he’d come and unplug it and I wouldn’t get it back until Friday after school. So Monday to Friday my tv, vhs player and Mega Drive all stood set up in my room, but the tv couldn’t be used! 😂
Re: Talking Point: What Did You Pick Up On Black Friday And Cyber Monday?
Switch Lite + Super Smash Bros. Ultimate + a case + 12 Months online + 10% off for £225 from Nintendo Store.
Re: Deals: This Is The Cheapest Nintendo Switch In The UK Right Now
I managed to snag a fair deal on a Switch lite. From Nintendo store I did the Build a bundle option (which allowed me to choose my included game in rather than just those on offer. So got Lite, case, smash bros, 12 months online and a further 10% for registering a catalogue all for £225. Not a bad deal. With the online NES and SNES apps and Tetris 99 I have plenty to keep me going.
Just as an aside, I’m glad I went for the lite not the full switch. As a dedicated handheld it is brilliant; the transition from 3DS to Switch Lite is like VHS to DVD! However, if I had the full Switch I would have been disappointed; it’s underwhelming compared to my XBOX One and very barebones compared to my Wii U. I know that there is motion control etc on the regular switch, but I’ve had my fill of those since the Wii and for multiplayer my Wii U reigns supreme. However, as a handheld it’s fantastic!
Re: Review: Alien: Isolation - One Of The Greatest Horror Games Of All Time Comes To Switch
Completed this first on Xbox 360 (looks damn good for a 360 game) and have double dipped with a cheap second hand copy on Xbox One. Alien is one of my favourite films and the shear level of detail they put into the game to make it match the universe of the original film is amazing. However, it is a very difficult game, even on the normal difficulty level. I have heard some people criticising it for being too scary and the frustration of constantly being on your toes. To them I would like to say one thing:
It is a survival horror game in the Alien universe. What did you expect!
Re: Deals: This Is The Cheapest Nintendo Switch In The UK Right Now
I rang around all the Asda’s in my hometown (Leeds) on Friday and non had any in stock!
Re: Anniversary: Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 64 Is Now 20 Years Old In Europe
@sadist I feel even older; I was 17 when SSB came out on the N64 😐
Re: Anniversary: Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 64 Is Now 20 Years Old In Europe
I remember renting this game as a teenager to play with my mates during our weekly goldeneye/perfect Dark/ Mario Kart 64 sessions. They didn’t really like it but I enjoyed what I played over the 3 days I had it. A few years later I got Melee on the GameCube and it still gets played regularly.
Fast forward 10 years and this was one of the first games I downloaded on the Wii Shop Channel. So glad I did, since it never appeared on the Wii U eshop!
Interestingly enough I only just booted up Smash Wii U for the first time two days ago (despite owning it for years). Very positive first impressions, much nicer to control than Brawl. Time will tell if it tops Melee though.
Re: Reggie Calls Wii U A "Failure Forward" Because It Led To Switch
I think that there needs to be a distinction drawn between what we mean by ‘failure’. From an objective point of view the Wii U can’t be seen as anything other than a failure: sales, install base and amount of content were poor compare to other systems made by Nintendo and its competitors. Any arguments against that just are not supported by the evidence at hand.
However, in an entirely subjective sense it it could be seen as successful. 10 million odd people bought it and (presumably) got some enjoyment out of it. It housed some cracking games and has a fantastic backwards compatibility/ virtual console feature. Taken on its own merits it is a good system (but not without faults, such as over reliance on the gamepad, slow OS, control issues for some games etc).
There are many things which can be seen as a ‘failure’ if we simply look at the financial side or uptake, but in truth they are perfectly good and enjoyed by a community. We probably can all think of a film, book, tv show or game that failed to reach a wide audience but they are still good. For example, the TV show Firefly was a flop when aired but achieved cult status (as it is a great show). Yes, objectively a failure at the time, but a wonderful failure. In my opinion the Wii U falls into the same category.
Re: UK Doctors Can Now Refer Young Patients To Be Treated For Video Game Addiction
Any comment that I make here will probably be anecdotal at best (‘I’ve been playing since I was a kid and I’m ok etc etc’) and my knowledge of psychology is limited at best but here’s my take: it all comes down to the individual. Many of us here of a certain age can legally indulge in a range of activities which require us to decide when ‘enough is enough’.
Many of us here can have the odd drink, maybe even several, on a regular basis and never, ever get close to a habit, never mind a dependency or addiction. The same with cigarettes or the odd flutter on the horses. We have developed over time an ‘off switch’, dictated by a range of factors, be they financial, logical or behavioural.
There will be people here who posses a fear of something taking over their lives and so will take ever step to avoid contact with it in the first place. They know the risks or what they are like and so steer clear so as to avoid future issues. Some will simply not care about something like gaming, it holds no interest whatsoever.
Then there are people (and we all know at least one) who just can’t handle it. They always have one drink too many, smoke too much or can’t have fun if they are not spending money. They can’t slow down or won’t listen to sense, even when an ‘I told you so’ seems inevitable. Sometimes we watch them self destruct and there is nothing we can do.
This last group is who this is targeted at. When you go to the doctor and they ask ‘how many units of alcohol do you drink a week’ you are not shipped off to rehab for having a pint on the way home from work a couple of times a week. That’s fine, there’s a habit but it is a modest, moderate one.
Many of us here will have sunk countless hours into games over the years (I know I have) and for us it is a hobby like any other. Just like other hobbies it has to be put aside when life demands attention in other areas. In fact, if all our consoles stopped working tomorrow we’d be sad but life would go on. We are not addicted, we’ve just carved out a little spot in our busy lives for some harmless self indulgence. No one is in trouble for pulling the odd late nighter to complete Mario 64!
Understand this, however, some people have no ‘off switch’ and when that person is young how are they supposed to know better? It would be nonsense for me to say ‘well, I didn’t have problem at 13, so what’s the issue?’ No, because at 13 there was no always on internet, no costs, barring those of a face to face financial transaction in a physical shop, multiplayer was a real social interaction that ended when your mates had to go home and single player was limited to when the TV was free before Eastenders was on or til (in my case) the plug was taken off of the small tv in my bedroom. There was no such thing as free to play or micro transactions to get new skins (I still can’t believe people pay good money for those but the problem depends on whose money you are using).
I’m a dad, my kids know I love video games and I make no secrets about it, my room is full of consoles, games and accessories. I won’t discourage them from gaming but I will strictly control what they can play, when they can play and where they can play. Not all parents can or will do this and that is the main problem (the kids are not buying themselves PS4s and mobile phones). Parents need to be in control and control what their kids play. If worst comes to worst, lock the infernal machines behind a closed door or sell them!
....but not the ‘Cube; GameCube addiction’s a complete myth....
...honest....
Re: Review: Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast - Amazing Lightsaber Combat Ruined By A Terrible First Act
This was my second GameCube game back in the day and I’d followed the series since Dark Forces on the PC. I used to play with mouse and keyboard and had no problem with controls on the GameCube pad. In fact I’d say it was more fun.
No problems with the early shooting sections, you just have to strafe a lot and use corners as cover. If you go in guns blazing like in modern shooters you’re in for a world of hurt.
As for the puzzling aspect, the game actually sends that up on the first mission as a series staple. Kyle says something along the lines of ‘a locked door? Let me guess, the switch is a several levels above me. Why do they keep designing places like this?!?’
Re: Wall Street Journal Report Says Nintendo Tried To "Aggressively" Cut Costs Of The Switch Lite
@barefootbowser yeah, that was another thought I had. However, that really means that it is not a direct replacement to the 3DS.
Btw did you mean iPod shuffle (lack of screen etc)?
Re: Wall Street Journal Report Says Nintendo Tried To "Aggressively" Cut Costs Of The Switch Lite
Comments about the value of the pound and the change in inflation are totally valid, so I accept that. However, in terms marketing and how the price of it ‘sounds’ £200 is still strange to me. On the one hand it suggests that the lite is not ‘cheap’ technology and the price suggests a premium device. However, on the other hand, it is still pricing it above the ‘toy’ bracket. I don’t know how others feel about it but £200 for a device for my kids is too much and my eldest is definitely in the age bracket that the Lite appeals to. However, given that kids these days all seem to have smart phones anyway, perhaps my view is a little off 🙂
I still feel that with only a £79 price difference you are loosing a lot of the Switch’s most important features for not a huge difference in price. As others have said, if it still could connect to a TV then the price would make more sense, but the removal of the very thing that makes it so unique is too much to ask. Compare that to the 2DS (£79) to the new 2DS XL (£139.99). Now, there’s nothing wrong with the base 2DS (I love it) but you do get a decent upgrade to the XL which justifies such a difference in price (it’s practically half the price of the XL model for the original). The Switch Lite is a similar situation, offering the same basic abilities of the base Switch, but with many of the things that are special about it as a system removed (I suppose 2DS vs new 3DS XL might have been a better example).
I don’t want anyone to feel I don’t like the idea of the Lite but it is still an expensive bit of kit which pales into comparison to the original machine. At a lower price point it would make more sense to lose so much of the originals appeal.
But to paraphrase a much wiser man than I: ‘well, like, that’s just your opinion, man’
Re: Wall Street Journal Report Says Nintendo Tried To "Aggressively" Cut Costs Of The Switch Lite
I can’t make my mind up about the Switch in general. I’ve owned every system except the SNES and the Switch but I find that I have little to no enthusiasm for it. My main issue with it is not a criticism at all, it’s just that I have the Wii U and a lot of games for it, so many of the switch titles are just slightly enhanced versions (albeit portable).
However, even at £200 that is a lot of money for a portable device that could potentially get broken and the cost of the games is high as well. For £200 I got an Xbox One with 2 controllers and 3 games last year, which is a much more powerful system with a wealth of titles and good value in terms of sales and gamepass.
The Switch Lite, while I don’t doubt it being a good bit of kit, sacrifices a lot compared to the base model for not a massive difference in price. £200 is hardly money I would spend either on a whim for myself or for my kids. Compare that to Nintendo’s history of handhelds and the brilliant value they have given (£90 for the OG Gameboy with Tetris back in the day or the DS Lite for £100 a decade ago). If I was new to gaming the £79 2DS is what would grab me as a ‘oh, go on then!’ bit of self indulgence. The Switch Lite is too pricy for that and as a second system (why wouldn’t I buy a PS4 for a similar price?)
Don’t get me wrong, I love Nintendo but £150 for the lite, considering what they are positioning it as and considering that it is a major step back from the original model, is far more sensible (cost of parts non with standing).
On the other hand, I got the 2DS first then upgraded to a new 3DS model for all the bells and whistles and honestly wish I hadn’t bothered, so perhaps the Lite is sufficient (if only as a 3DS replacement for pure handheld).
If i do ever ‘switch’ I’ve got a funny feeling it'll either be at the end if it’s life or as a gift. Currently it is just too expensive as either a second system or a handheld (when I was a PS2 player I bought the GameCube as a second system for £70. At that price you’d be daft not to!)
Re: Feature: Nintendo Hardware Refreshes Through The Ages
As nice as the New 3DS is it’s a pity they didn’t sort out the problem with the edges of the bottom screen marking the top screen. Having to keep a piece of cloth in the machine in order to protect it is a pain. This wasn’t an issue on the DS Lite/DSI.
Tag I actually prefer the regular 2DS, the slate shape reminds me of the old Gameboy.
.... and I actually like the Wii Mini! Plug in and play. Old school and great for a spare room. With the loss of the shop and online play it really doesn’t matter (except for GameCube backwards compatibility).
Re: Hardware Classics: Nintendo GameCube
I bought the cube second hand in 2003 for £70. Imagine trying to get a mint condition, second hand console a year after its release these days. Total bargain!
It played second fiddle to my PS2 (which actually sold itself to me as a cheap DVD player in 2002, the games came second). Yep, that’s right, it was better value in those days to get a games console that also played DVDs than just a player (when you can get a DVD player for what, £15, these days?
Only ever got about 10 games during its lifetime but there were all corkers: Windwaker was a Disneyfied follow up to the N64 classics, Jedi Outcast was a blazing rush through the dark side, whilst Rogue Leader let me live out my Tie Fighting, trench running childhood fantasies. Smash Bros. was a Easter egged clash of Nintendo nostalgia as much as Sonic Mega Collection was for the 90s SEGA fanboy in me. Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero offered creeps and surprises, whilst Metroid Prime introduces me to a series for the first time in an amazingly immersive way. Finally, playing Double Dash with my childhood best mates whilst trying to recover from a pre-new year’s hangover of epic proportions helped us relive those long gone teenage nights of local multiplayer on the N64.
My collection has grown considerably since I returned to the system a few years ago and many new memories have been added since. Long live the purple lunchbox!
Re: Poll: Vote For Your Favourite GameCube Games
I started to rank them but realised there’s just too many! Nostalgia is making me hand out 10a like sweets.
Re: Random: We've Now Seen Wario Topless, And We Have All Kinds Of Questions
Ah Wario, king of the dad-bod! Finally some true representation of real men. Stuff the six-pack; it’s all about the Family Value Pack!
Re: Feature: The History Of Streets Of Rage
BTW if you are an Xbox One/360 owner you can download the SOR collection on Xbox live. It has all three games including the Japanese Bare Knuckle 3. Much fairer than the rock hard western release.
Re: Feature: The History Of Streets Of Rage
I love these games! I think I played SOR on 1992 for the first time. Two player co-op, throwing each other at the enemies and arguing when to use the cop back up bazooka!
Then SOR2 landed in 1993 and shortly afterwards I got a Mega Drive of my own. I used to complete it regularly with my sister (as she loved playing as Blaze. This World of Illusion with Mickey and Donald and Sonic 2 were the ultimate coop games.
Then I didn’t touch my Mega Drive for years, as I went through PC, N64, PS2 and GameCube. It was when I hit a Wii and SOR2 was one of my first downloads on virtual console (along with Super Mario 3 and Mario 64) that I remembered how awesome it is. Now I can even play it in 3D on my 3DS or HD on my Xbox. The game is still as fresh and fun as ever!
Re: DuckTales: Remastered Is Leaving The Wii U eShop On 9th August
This is a great game. I recently played through the original on the Disney Saturday Afternoon Collection on Xbox one with my young son (who enjoys watching the original cartoon) so the fact that all the original voice actors returned to voice their characters in this remake is a real treat for fans young and old.
I actually completed this on 360/Xbox one backwards compatibility, as the Wii U version went a bit weird; the sound went funny and just held one note continuously. Has to turn it off and lost the progress I made, so swapped to the Xbox one to finish it.
Btw I also recently tracked down the original game...on Game Boy!
Re: Poll: Vote For Your Favourite Nintendo DS Games
I only got into the DS in 2016! For a long time I stuck with GBA (not that in played hand held very often) until I got a 2DS in 2013. However, I never bought any DS games until I saw a like new condition black DS lite in a charity shop, complete in box with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I think the system had been turned on once! For £30 it seemed like a good deal as an update for GBA games and a nice donation to charity.
What a great system! I can’t believe I let it pass me by. The use of the dual screen and touch screen (which I thought was a gimmick back in 2004 on the ugly original ‘phat’ model) is used in a superb way at times (and this was years before touch screen smart phones became the norm). Much better use than anything I’ve since seen on the 3DS (and I like that system).
Since then I’ve built a small library of about 20 games and have also got a black DSi, but the lite is probably my favourite handheld, along with the GBC and 2DS/New 3DS.
Re: Don't Expect Netflix's Witcher Show To Copy The Video Games
I’ll give the show a go (not like it’s costing me any extra seeing I’m already on Netflix anyway). I like the books, enjoyed the second game and have yet to start my copy of the goty edition on Xbox one (but I’ve heard nothing but praise).
I don’t care what colour or ethnicity the actors are in the series, good actors are good actors. People moaning about that seem to focus on the female cast members (what a surprise!) and ignore that Geralt, who is Slavic, possibly Polish (sto lat!) is being played by an Englishman...
Re: Don't Expect Netflix's Witcher Show To Copy The Video Games
I knew Getalt shouldn’t have spared that troll during Witcher 2; now it’s got a Nintendolife account 😁
Re: Be Quick And Snag A SNES Classic, Nintendo Official UK Store's Pre-Order Is Live
Got one! I think they sold out the same minute I got mine. Email at 3.30pm, sold out by 3.38pm. A new record?
Re: Hardware Review: We Look at a Definitive GameCube HDMI Mod
I have a launch era GameCube and a year ago managed to pick up the official RGB cable at a retro game event in Leeds for £2! It was in a random box of cables and I couldn't believe that they charged me so little (I expected them to track me down later and admit it was a mistake, as the go for £30+ online.)
The difference in picture is like night and day! I use it on a 32" LCD screen and the picture is very good (I used to run them through my Wii with component cable on a 40" Sony Bravia and the picture was excellent, but the missus is always watching TV on that so my consoles are relegated to my study!)
A lot of games play full screen and I can access 60hz mode for them as well. For PAL territories that is the best you are going to get from the original system. Component will do nothing to a PAL GameCube as Nintendo disabled the better picture on all PAL games, so eve through the Wii with component you are still not getting the same picture as the NTSC/ Japanese releases. If you can get hold of the official RGB scart lead though the picture is excellent for what it is. It also looks quite nice on a little 14" CRT TV I keep around for Master System/ Mega Drive retro goodness.