MischiefMaker

Continuing with Civ 6. Well, I say continuing - I restarted after doing a bit of reading on my chosen Civ (Gaul) and realising I hadn’t really taken advantage at all of their unique abilities. Now I’m doing much better.

May also get in a bit of MK 8 if I have time.

I probably will get a carry case before long, but nothing else at first. I quite recently replaced my switch 1 pro controller so will stick with that for now and maybe get a switch 2 one when they release a splatoon or Zelda version or something that catches my eye.

And I think the 256gb storage should see me for a few months at least as I don’t need loads of big games loaded at once, so I may as well wait until the price of those super duper sd cards drops before getting one.

A bit of MK8 here and there, aiming to get 3 stars in every 150cc cup before the next one comes. Might play a bit with daughter as well.

Also started another Civ 6 game (despite saying I’d rest it for at least a few months after my last one a couple of weeks ago). Not going that well, my first game on King difficulty… tempted to restart.

Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice, reckon I must be close to halfway through. Definitely one of those ‘experience’ type games.

Probably a bit more Mario kart 8d too if I get chance. Still feel I have more fun to squeeze out of this one before the new one comes.

@RadioHedgeFund I don’t know the answer, but I read that as a question about whether you can get your pals together to roam the menus in split screen 😁

A weird one. I was left feeling kind of disappointed that there was no major surprises and not much new, and some additions haven’t really convinced me yet. But…

I still overwhelmingly can’t wait to play it! It just looks so inviting and I’m excited to explore the world and the new tracks and mechanics.

So I’d say the direct was a bit meh (we still say meh, right?) but the game looks like it’ll be brilliant.

Started Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice as I wanted something with a bit of meat but not too big. Liking it so far.

Also some Mario kart 8 deluxe - want to try a get 3 stars on all 24 cups in Grand Prix 150cc before the new one. Might even try a bit of 200cc.

And for a bit of handheld filler, working my way through gb Donkey Kong on NSO

No invite as my NSO lapsed for a few weeks last year. I managed to snag one (mk bundle) from Argos tho so all good, although I do like getting stuff direct from nintendo cos of the nice delivery boxes 😁

Will wait for a new sd card until I really need one (will probably only transfer a few switch games) - hopefully will have reduced in price by then.

Also not bothered with pro controller as I recently got a new switch 1 one by mistake (sent my old one off with some joy cons as they all had drift, but they wouldn’t fix the pro one for free as only joy cons are covered under that policy, and for some reason I agreed to pay the fee which was essentially just buying a replacement controller at full price…)

In retrospect I’d have been better saving my cash and getting a switch 2 pro controller! Oh well, I’ll perhaps get a nice themed one later down the line.

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Looks like I have got a confirmation email from Argos, and on my account it on Argos it shows as processing still. So I guess that’s different from your scenario. Glad you got one another route

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Hmm, it still says processing and I haven’t got any email yet. Not confident then…

Thanks for the heads-up

Uk folks, I just snagged one on Argos so take a look if you’re wanting to pre order

Edit, looks like this isn’t news, missed the previous comments

I don’t think Nintendo has any obligation to spend time developing software and give it away for free, so I don’t really get the rage about it. Happy to just ignore it.

But I can’t see who they expect would want to pay for this if the games aren’t the kind of thing you’d want to replay. It just seems a waste of their time. Maybe they’ll end up making it free for NSO subscribers. Not that it would likely tip anyone over the edge into subscribing if they don’t think the other benefits of NSO are enough.

Personally it look like the kind of thing I’d maybe spend an hour on out of curiosity and quite enjoy, but I wouldn’t want to spend more than a couple of quid for that.

Also this weekend and next week: seeing if I can secure a switch 2 pre-order, given I let my NSO subscription lapse for a few weeks last year. And trying to catch up on the NintendoLife articles from last few days!

Still Civ 6 (on laptop).

Was thinking of starting either Xenoblade 3 or Mo Mans Sky after I finish that (although may not be this weekend). But now I’m not sure - may wait and see if they get the switch 2 boost. I’ve still yet to play Mario Wonder, and I’d like to get 3 gold stars in all 150cc on MK8D so I do have other options.

Speaking of which - if the new Mario Kart proves to be sufficiently different from 8, I wonder if Nintendo will do a switch 2 upgrade for 8 given that it seems to be an evergreen title of enormous popularity?

Personally I would have liked cheaper but I think it’s reasonable. A lot of comparison to PS5 but the reality is that squeezing that power (not to mention a screen) into something much smaller is more expensive. If it was the same power as PS5 and still the size it is it would cost a fortune in 2025.

A seemingly large portion of switch owners have been saying for years they want the same form but powerful enough to handle modern games - well now we have it. And the price to go with it.

I guess it also helps for me that the switch (oled) was the last console I bought, never had a ps, so the Switch 2 looks like a worthwhile jump to me

£395 in 2025 is the equivalent of £301.03 in 2017 (bank of England inflation calculator) so in ‘real’ terms it’s only a little more than og switch was at launch.

Another comparison… pretty sure my n64 cost me £250 back in 1997 and the games £60 - today that would be £483 for the console and £116 for a game.

I know people will generally compare more to other current console prices but personally I think a hybrid console of this quality at £430 with a AAA game isn’t bad. Cheaper than the cheapest iPhone new.

What they should have done is drop the OST for f-zero Switch as a true surprise ahead of tomorrow. Seems unlikely in reality though that we’d get f zero as a launch game with Mario kart as well.

Also today I took the time to favourite all the game soundtracks that I know so I could shuffle them in the app, but then discovered there’s no option to just shuffle all your favourites. Oh well.

More Civ 6 when I get chance. The addiction is real. Also a little bit of mk8d and donkey kong gameboy on NSO earlier today when I had half an hour to kill.

It’s Levio-SAH

Reaching for the stars as Lady Six Sky of the Mayans in Civ 6. Just entered the medieval era, yay me.

Off to stay with friends so maybe some Mario kart or Mario party this evening.

I put Minecraft. It’s not a game I play much (probably haven’t played in the last year or two) but if I was only allowed one game for the rest of my days then I think something with near limitless possibilities would be one I’d want. As much as I love BOTW and the like, there’s a limit to how much I’d want to play them (even if that limit is several hundred hours!)

@the_beaver Yeah Civ 6. I bought it on switch years and played a few games, each one taking maybe about 10 to 15 hours. I thought about getting the expansions but ended up getting the whole lot on Steam for dirt cheap. There’s just so much there I still haven’t touched I’m not sure I’d ever need to get 7!

It’s really good, just know that going in there’s a lot to get your head around! But you can learn as you go and there’s plenty of online resources.

Civilisation 6, now with added Rise and Fall expansion. Just so addictive. Although I still find it a bit too much to try and understand/remember all the different systems in play so I’ve never tackled anything beyond Prince difficulty yet.

Might play a little of the Mario and DK gb game on NSO if I can tear myself away from Civ 6.

Finished portal 2 this morning, loved it. May play co-op with my son at some point (he’s already played it with friends).

Think I might play Civ 6 next. I picked up the full set of expansions on pc for dirt cheap and haven’t played in a while. Just not sure I’m ready for the addiction to kick in again

Portal 2, just reached what I assume is the second part of the game. Loving it.

I also finished Fairune 2 on 3DS which I enjoyed as a modern retro diversion although did find some puzzles a little obtuse to my modern sensibilities

Been in London for a few days with the family watching the Stranger Things play amongst other things (brilliant). So I cracked out the 3DS and left the Switch at home. Been playing Fairune 2, one of the games I picked up just before the 3DS eshop closed. Enjoying it.

Back home I started Portal 2 before I left so will probably play a bit more of that too.

Finished Disco Elysium last weekend, loved it. Not sure I’d play through again but a great narrative experience.

Been playing a bit of Mario kart 8 trying to get gold and 3 stars on all the 150cc cups, and just started Portal 2 (albeit on my son’s xbox). I loved the first game so not really sure why I haven’t played this one before!

Disco Elysium. I think I’m getting towards the end now. I feel my mind has been irrevocably altered by the experience. That’s probably it for this weekend.

I got Civ 6 on switch and enjoyed it but then got it cheap on pc for the mouse control, higher resolution and better performance (although it still takes ages for AI turns towards the end of a game).

I enjoy it but don’t have time to play for hundreds of hours so I have plenty more life in civ vi to last me years. Especially as I just picked up the full content anthology version for dirt cheap on cd keys. One day I’ll get round to playing the various expansions, assuming I can get my head round them! I already have to pretty much re learn the base game every time I play as it’s so complex with all the different systems in play.

So yeah, maybe civ 7 in the future but I’m fine for now.

Still trying to ignore my Horrific Neck Tie in Disco Elysium. I got distracted trying to help set up a club night but it’s back to the murder investigation now. I’m hoping I might be able to wrap up it up this weekend but let’s see.

Other than that I might dabble in some NSO retro games perhaps, not sure.

Disco Elysium. Never played a game that crashes so much, but really getting drawn into it’s messed up world and characters.

Played some Mario kart 8 with the kids for the first time in a while - man am I rusty!

Also some NSO megadrive castlevania which is hard but fun.

I’ve started playing Disco Elysium which I bought a while back. Very different to pretty much anything I’ve played before. Very strong on the world building and general degeneracy, liking it. I feel like I need to try and play it frequently until it’s done so I don’t forget the characters and story. Shame it keeps crashing though, very frustrating.

Other than that I might play a bit of NSO megadrive - sonic 2 and castlevania

Picked up Celeste again, wow am I bad at this game. I can only play in short bursts but it is satisfying (and frustrating) and I love the music. Also playing both sonic 2 and castlevania on megadrive (switch online) - not sure if I’ll play either to completion but having fun.

Might also dabble in some other retro games, or start a bigger backlog game, we’ll see.

@NintendoWife No, I’m afraid not. There’s full borders with static artwork or zoomed in, which still keeps those same borders at the sides of the screen. I kind of got used to them but they are still annoying.

Finished trials of mana snes version on the collection of mana. I have mixed feelings on it really, got a bit fed up of grinding to beat enemies that could one shot my team but loved the artwork etc. I think it shows that I perhaps wouldn’t have loved replaying Secret of Mana so much without the nostalgia I have for that game. But overall I’m glad I played it.

Trying to decide what next - playing lots of solo board games in the mean time. Might try and make better use of my NSO subscription and play a few retro games on there before I start another ‘big’ game.

Sadly back to work on Monday after more than 2 weeks off so free time will be back to normal levels. Oh well!

Trials of Mana from Collection of Mana still. Finding it a bit grindy for my liking now, but I must be in the last quarter of the game now so I’m determined to see it through to the end. Normally I’m not one for playing a game while doing something else like watching tv but this is one instance where being able to play handheld and just grind some levels with only a bit of attention works well. Although generally I prefer to stay away from games that you can play on auto pilot for something a bit more involved.

Also trying to avoid the sales. Would love to clear the backlog a bit!

Still trials of mana on the mana collection. At a point now where I have to go around basically just fighting bosses and each one seems to take ages, so I’m a little fatigued. I would like to see it through though.

If I do finish it I might play some retro games on the NSO rather than start a new game, at least until the Xmas festivities are done.

Seiken Densetsu 2 in the mana collection still. Think I’m about half way.

Although spending more time playing solo on a new card game I got called Imperium Classics. It’s basically Civ in deckbuilder form, including the steep learning curve. Hopefully will get easier, spent the first couple of games looking at the manual and bgg forums than my cards! Seems fun though.

Collection of Mana - Seiken Densetsu 2. Just reached the point where I could change classes which has made it a bit more interesting. Although, as I grumbled about here last weekend, it’s a bit irritating to have to wade through old gamefaq files to try and figure what the different classes do etc.

In sort-of-related-to-video-games news, also planning to sort through my board games and choose some to sell. Need to make some space and I also need to be more realistic about which games will probably never get played!

Continuing Secret of Mana 2 aka Seiken Densetsu 3 in the Mana collection. I feel like games like this take an adjustment period, like training your brain to adjust to the 90’s again. 2 or 3 hours in I was starting to wonder if I could be bothered to play as it’s a fairly slow pace and the menus are a pain to navigate, but now I’m fully on board, really appreciating the music and art style. I do wish they would have included translated manual scans or at least some basic guidance though - trawling through old gamefaqs just to try and understand what stats to level etc is a pain. Same for NSO really - wish they would include scans of the original manuals - games in those days were designed to be played with the manuals to provide background and help so releasing them without means we miss out on part of the experience.

Speaking of NSO I have reactivated as cdkeys as a decent offer on the family pass with expansion. Loving the music player, and will have to make sure I play some more of the games to make the most of it!

An old school square Enix classic for me! By which I mean Seiken Densetsu 2 from the Collection of Mana. I remembering starting to play this on an emulator probably 25 years ago but not getting too far. Quite liking it so far but doesn’t have the same nostalgia connection for me as the first 2 games so will see how it goes,

Playing some smaller backlog games. Just finished Gris which I loved for a small one time ‘experience’ (and will probably get the soundtrack on Bandcamp).

Now I’ve started What Remains of Edith Finch. A very intriguing game, enjoying the mystery of it.

Not sure if I’ll finish that this weekend. Not decided what to play after it yet.

I have yet to restart my NSO subscription but probably will (waiting to see any Black Friday deal) - this music service isn’t enough in its own to warrant the sub but certainly sweetens the deal and I’m looking forward to trying it.

I agree that Nintendo aren’t going to dump it all at once. Given that the NSO subscription is going to continue with the next console and perhaps forevermore, Nintendo are going to want to keep releasing music here on a semi-regular basis for years to come to keep people coming back to it and keep it fresh and relevant. Hopefully weekly rather than the stuttering schedule of the games.

Would be nice if they could also do some deals for music from other games on their systems that aren’t published by Nintendo but I guess that won’t happen for money and brand reasons.

Well I’ve just finished Tears of the Kingdom after 175 hours spread over about a year. I was ready to finish, but what a game! What? No, I’m not crying - you're crying.

Think i might play Edith Finch next and some more Celeste, not sure really. My NSO subscription lapsed but I’m tempted to get it again and play some retro games as well as get the music player. Might wait and see if there’s any Black Friday sale at the the end of the month first though.

Tears of the Kingdom. Just mopping a few last quests before I head towards what I assume is the end. There’s plenty more I could do but after about a year of playing on and off and about 170 hours in total I’m ready to move on. After all I still have some big games in the Switch backlog and with the next console somewhere on the horizon I need to get a wriggle on!

Tears of the Kingdom - think I’ve done all the main quests before the last bit now but doing some of the other smaller quests before I push on as I probably won’t come back to it after I beat it. No idea if I’ll carry on exploring and questing for a few more days or a few more weeks.

Away for a short break with the family for a few days so may play something else while we’re away. Maybe Oxenfree 2 on iPad? I think it’s available on Netflix and probably can play fine with touchscreen.

Finally completed Pikmin 4! The last section was a bit of a slog but I have loved this game. Very rare for me to 100% anything nowadays but it really charmed me. 48 hours over about 10 weeks.

So I’m picking up Tears Of The Kingdom again. Hoping to beat it by Xmas - have done probably 75% of what I want to do in the game previously.

Also Balatro on iPad. It’s very addictive but I don’t find it quite as engaging after a while, not sure how to describe it. But will definitely continue to do runs

Still playing Pikmin 4 despite thinking I was almost done weeks ago.

But the thing that’s taking over my life is Balatro, now it’s available on iOS. I had 2 free months of Apple Arcade so I activated that so I can play it in my phone and iPad. It’s so horrendously addictive, I have to forceably stop myself from playing. Yet to beat a run but have been close.

@SuperRetroArt I mean, no-ones looking over my shoulder when I’m playing doom and thinking ‘what a dude’, so no it doesn’t bother me playing Nintendo games as an adult. Having said that I wouldn’t have wanted to play xenoblade chronicles 2 in public, that would have been embarrassing with some of the scenes in that!

Pikmin 4. Thought I’d be done by now but loads to do in this game. What an absolute treat it’s been! A bit of Slay the Spire too.

I will play the new Zelda game one day I’m sure. My son will probs end up getting it for Xmas (as he did Pikmin 4 IIRC).

Edit also played a bit of Goroga on my iPad. Had it for ages and started it once but didn’t get too far. Lovely little game if a little obtuse at times.