JDCII

I’ve actually been playing this again this last weekend. I didn’t realize it was its 30th! I will play more today!

Well golly. I feel like I’ve already given way to much money to the Big N in the last year. Eshop closures and such. Not really in the mood to drop that much more after my FOMO buying on the 3DS and Wii U shops.
…Actually the only special edition console I own is the Year of Luigi 3DS XL…and that came with a game.
All those that get it though, I know you’ll enjoy it. It’s pretty.

I definitely did a little panic buying, and spent way too much money, but I remember the regret from skipping some purchases before the Wii Shop shut down, and I wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
Still bothers me that Nintendo couldn’t be troubled to even discount any games at the end. I’m sure they have their reasons, but I sure appreciate all the other publishers who offered sales over the last year.
Oh well. Glad I picked up about everything I wanted. The Wii U and 3DS will continue to bring warm memories for many more years as far as I am concerned. Can’t help but think of them as the Iwata generation. Good stuff.

Glad they’re paying attention to this game. The new version is serviceable, but it really does need frame rate stabilization. If it’s anything like the iOS version or Steam version of Chrono Trigger, then at least I can feel confident they won’t leave it alone until it’s done well. Chrono Trigger on those platforms went from being basic mess, to becoming quite enjoyable.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this remaster. I balked a bit about the price, but after firing it up, and experiencing the upgrade, I can appreciate the work that went into this remaster. I would pay another $40 for each Prime they choose to remaster. I’m not trying to fanboy or anything, but I really am that impressed…and I’ve played the original too many times to count.

I bought Final Fantasy III (VI) on SNES for $79.99. I just wanted the game - it was worth it. Doesn’t mean I want a price increase, but for myself, I will probably get it day one regardless. I’m a bit nuts for Zelda games…
I am part of the problem…
That said, I do like waiting for inevitable sales in most games…except Nintendo first party. I usually realize I just have to pay the Nintendo tax. Worth it? Depends.

One thing I would have loved in the original Breathe of the Wild would have been the opportunity to rebuild Hyrule Castle town (I’m sure that would have been an incredible amount of coding for the team). That would be a cool feature in any Zelda game, not just the story and adventure, but to be able to make changes to restore the world in defiance of Ganon’s destruction.
Maybe it’s unrealistic, but it would be a great addition in my opinion.

I have definitely enjoyed having a Wii U around. It still gets played at our home. Splatoon 1 is an example of a game still played because it is the only one to support local play with one person on the gamepad and another in the TV. Mario Maker design was also perfect on the gamepad.
Virtual Console was one of my favorite parts of the Wii U. I can’t for the life of me understand why Switch doesn’t offer this feature in addition to their subscription service. I’m one of those that would double-dip. Yes. I have a problem!
Folders were nice as well. Mii-verse was so fun as well.
Switch is great. Wii U was weird, but that was part of its appeal.
I’ve been loading it and the 3DS up with last minute purchases just so I can be sure to keep as much of the library available as possible for future access.

One of my favorite strategy games of all time. I really would pay good money for a new strategy game with SE and Matsuno.

I…really enjoyed Odyssey…
But. Getting moons was too easy. I miss the challenge of Galaxy (1&2) and Previous games. It just didn’t feel very satisfying to obtain moon #472 (or whatever it was…). Especially compared to 120 Stars in the previous games.
Don’t get me wrong, it was an excellent game, just too easy.

Love this game. I am glad they are mostly leaving it alone graphically. I don’t really get the “outrage” over the graphics to be honest. They look nice. I mean I understand the argument of a “cheap filter”, but they still look great.
I have more mixed feelings about the idea of leveling each character individually. It will definitely give the game more variety, but it was nice to sub in a character on the PSP and not have to worry about them being under leveled.
All that said, I am always excited for a Matsuno game. I wish there were more!

Definitely great news to have these game’s coming back. I have loved Konami’s retro collections, but I love even more that these are getting some reworked graphics. I have the originals from PSN, so getting some upgrades will be pretty nice.

The Legend of Zelda NES was my first Zelda game I tried (pretty sure…I was pretty young). The first one I beat was Link’s Awakening though. I’ve since beat them all (mainline) except Tri-Force Heroes. I’ll get that one too I hope…eventually.
Xenoblade 3 still beckons.

Great game. It looks pretty impressive! Dirge of Cerberus would be a great remake as well - especially if it received this level of care. Fine tune the shooting, camera, and environments, and it would be alright. I’ve been through it a couple of times, and honestly have enjoyed it. The criticisms against it are valid, but I also think it’s a bit “popular” to criticize it.
Definitely excited for Crisis Core though. Wouldn’t mind the leveling system receiving a tune up though…

I’ve been playing the Xbox version and my son’s been playing the Switch. The frame rate is definitely a bit janky, but honestly it’s not a deal breaker for someone like me who was used to the original being all over the place. Would I like a better frame rate? Yes. Was it still worth it to get? For me, yep. Maybe not others though. Hopefully a patch or two will smooth it out.

I’ve played both games multiple times. Played them both when they released. Love them both, but I do favor Chrono Cross. Even though I treat it as one of the alternative timelines to Trigger.
45 characters is a lot, but after several play throughs, part of the fun is having different characters in different scenes. New Game plus helps a lot with that.
Trigger really is amazing. Cross just hits me more emotionally…
Classic games both of them.

I think they should just reopen the shop…there’s still some games I “need” to get. 😉

@EarthboundBenjy Yeah. It’s pretty terrible! I am just messing around with it. There’s an awkward sort of charm with it.
I have gone through the GBA version a couple tines. It was excellent! I also played quite a bit of the original iPhone port, though the new Pixel Remaster is so much better. But yeah, the PS1 version isn’t great. For some reason I am enjoying it, probably because I am just taking it for what it is, and not trying to rush it.
Thanks for sharing your experience with it.

I’m late to this conversation. Today I’ve been playing some Symphony of the Night on my Vita TV. I am really enjoying it. Some day I’ll beat it.
Earlier in the week, I beat Demon’s Crest on SNES. Awesome game. Definitely an underrated gem. Dabbled in some Mario RPG (SNES) and Final Fantasy V (PS1). Finished off Tales of Arise last week. I haven’t even started Spider-Man: Miles Morales yet, but I spend so much time retro gaming and messing with old tech such as CRTs, that it’s hard to hit the backlog…which is ridiculous. Though one of the things I love about retro gaming in my 40s is that there is always something to play.

@JasmineDragon Get better! Covid isn’t great. Getting motivated to do anything but eat and sleep is pretty rough while it’s going through you. Good luck.

Everything. They should port everything.
Starting with Little Nemo: The Dream Master.
…or maybe something a bit less obscure.
Great game though.

@MarinoKadame I don't know if it's better or just different. I loved both games for their experiences. Love the dungeons in SS, but was so grateful for the freedom given to explore and roam in BOTW.
...now...
If we could somehow combine the two...

Love this Lego build! Brings back good memories. First time I playted it was with Twilight Princess and Wii Sports. There were some great games I really enjoyed. Not too many really deep experiences, but thankfully Xenoblade, Skyward Sword, the Galaxy games, and a few others made it a system worth owning. I will be honest, PS3 was my go to during that time.
Still love having my Virtual Console games hooked up and available. Definitely the best Virtual Console for SNES games.

@SilentHunter382 I would love it if we were given the options to have the extra content from later issues of the games. Even if they added it later as DLC...
I enjoyed dabbling with the extras in I, IV, and VI. It was something to do when you had finished the big bad and needed something for an over leveled party to do...

@nessisonett
Just to respond to your earlier points:
"1. These are the same graphics as the PSP versions."
These are NOT the same graphics as the PSP versions. They actually look pretty close to the PS1 versions though (Origins at least). The official website makes that pretty clear. It sounds like they are updated from the original source (of course they will be similar to any of the remakes/reissues because the games are meant to be the same source. From the Website:
"With the release of the FINAL FANTASY pixel remaster series, Kazuko Shibuya once again enters the fray as the lead pixel artist, helping to update and upgrade the very pixel characters that she first helped pioneer nearly 35 years ago, allowing you to experience the original essence of the game as though you were playing it for the first time in 1987."
"Not only that, but the pixel remaster series will allow you to play the first six mainline FINAL FANTASY titles in widescreen and on the go with a consistent pixel style, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful worlds that have come to define generations of gaming in HD and without compromising graphical quality."
"2. The 3D remakes mess up a whole lot of mechanics and a lot of people prefer the 2D look."
This is an opinion, but I mostly agree. I quite enjoyed the mechanics of the 3D remakes and played them both a couple of times. The ATB issues of the GBA were not present (to my memory) in the DS Remake/Steam/Phone versions. I will say that the 3D versions of III and IV are BRUTAL. I began IV on the SNES - which I found out later was the easy version. I completed the PS1 version recently, and I found that it was a tougher experience. Especially Zeromus at the end. I had to power level, which I don't normally have to do when playing that game. I hope they keep the original difficulty though. I love getting my behind handed to me. Motivation.
Anyway - the 3D remakes are even more difficult than the original - at least that seems to be the case for me.
As far as aesthetics go, I do prefer the pixel versions just like you say most people do. The 3D art is fine...but definitely not as great (in my opinion).
"3. The PS1 versions have dreadful load times. The GBA versions have gimped soundtracks due to the worse sound chip."
I definitely agree with these points. Though the Origins versions on PS1 don't have terrible load times. In fact, I consider the origins versions to be the most "pure" versions excepting the originals. Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI however do struggle loading up battle screens on PS1. Load times are ridiculous!
The music on the GBA IS definitely not the greatest either. It's listenable, but listening to them next to each other will help one realize how much the GBA struggled with sound.
All of this being said, I am pretty excited for these remasters. I am hoping the music lives up to the original. I know Uematsu is involved, so mostly I am excited...but then I think about how Square-Enix ruined Secret of Mana's music in their 3D remake, and I just hope it all works out.
Oh...and I demand that these come to consoles! Is that enough demand?

I get the criticisms leveled at this game…
But I really enjoyed it. That last fight against Demise had me off my behind waving the Wii remote like a fool. For all it’s problems, I still feel like I am doing the fighting with this game. Great immersion that way.
I also love all the variety and depth with all the characters. The gratitude crystals quest can get pretty deep. Great game in my book.

I actually play the Wii U all the time still. It and the PS3 are the best place to have digital retro collections. Actually picked up Mighty Final Fight for $5 the other day after Nintendo Life’s NES video. I love playing original consoles, but sometimes that’s too expensive. Wii U did so many things right. Unfortunately, marketing what it was was not one of those things. Shame because it’s a great system.

We’ll be picking it up at our home. That said…it would have been nice to see lighting/textures spruced up a little. 60fps (it seems) looks really great though. After running through the HD remasters(?) of Twilight Princess and Windwaker in the last couple years, having lighting and textures reworked helped those games feel like somewhat newer experiences.
Still. I love the ambiance in this game. Yes it’s very linear, but it’s still a lot of fun. Looking forward to it!

Man. I’m interested in PS5, but I can wait for a while. Switch is awesome. Honestly, having all my old consoles set up and easily accessible...I find that I spend quite a bit of time on them all. Even after all these years. Because when a system has good evergreen games. It’s worth playing forever.

@Savino I was thinking the same thing about R-Type. Sounds awesome (even though I’m a bit terrible at shmups), but the price is going to have to come down first.

@Mips I chased CRT for a while as well...after a bit, I couldn’t stand the geometry problems - especially on a flat tube. Shortly after ditching my last CRT, I stumbled across a Sharp 4:3 LCD that had all the legacy inputs and displayed at 480p. I do love the vibrancy in a CRT, but it was such a rabbit hole.
...not saying I’ll never go back, but I would have to be sure about the geometry.

Great write up Kate. I have enjoyed your in-depth ponderings and the connection they have to games. My kids had Animal Crossing to enjoy during those long days at home while I taught school through a computer camera, and my wife did her best to give dance lessons in an iPad. Glad we’re (hopefully!) through the worst of it all. Fingers crossed!