Comments 236

Re: Random: Nintendo Nearly Parked Mario Kart: Double Dash's Dual-Driver Hook

NintendoDad

Mario Kart Double Dash is the game that brought my family together as a gaming family! LOL.

The Game Cube was the first console we got as a family. And I made sure to get Double Dash. And . . . I also made sure to get 4 controllers.

But there is a big age gap between my kids . . . so our youngest wasn't able to drive a kart yet . . . but she sure had a lot of fun as a co-driver tossing weapons at foes.

That, I think, is the power of DD. If you have a big age gap in players, it's still possible for a wide range of gamers to play together.

And for some reason, when all the grandkids get together at my parent's place it is Double Dash that they want to play.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th April)

NintendoDad

Well . . . another week of "moving duties", so I don't know how much energy I'll have left over after that. But . . .

. . . planning to keep hacking away at Majora's Mask 3D.

And . . . planning to dive back into Super Mario Odyssey and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. I am so close on finishing those games.

. . . unless the family is up for a game night tonight.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (29th March)

NintendoDad

Last week, I finally finished Ocarina of Time 3D after hacking away at it for years. LOL. So . . . I started both Majora's Mask 3D and A Link Between Worlds to see what I was in the mood for.

Well . . . over the week I decided I was more in the mood for Majora's Mask 3D so that's what I'm playing this weekend.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (22nd March)

NintendoDad

Ok. I finally finished TLoZ Ocarina of Time 3D!.

What an amazing game! Definitely one of my all time favourite games now. I usually don't replay through a game, but this one I would.

As for this weekend, I still got a bit of moving I have to do. But I'll slip in some gaming.

I'm planning to pick back up some games I haven't finished yet (but I'm so close to being done) and see what I'm in the mood for.

Donkey Kong 94 (NSO) — Only 1 level left.
Super Mario Odyssey
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Yoshi Crafted World
Super Mario 3D Land (On my 2DS)
Metroid Zero Mission (GBA on my DSL)

And I'm starting a couple of games . . .

TLoZ Majora's Mask 3D (On my 2DS)
TLoZ A Link Between Worlds (Again, on my 2DS)

Happy Gaming Everyone!

Re: Switch 2 GameCube Controller Rumours Resurface Following New Nintendo Filing

NintendoDad

If this is true, that sounds like a great addition to the controller options!

I don't know if I "like" the GC controller design, or if I've simply gotten used to it. LOL.

We got our GC controllers with our GC. Used them with our Wii and Wii U. And even use them with our Switch with a pair of 8BitDo Gbros adapters. So 'been using them a long time.

https://www.8bitdo.com/gbros/

And more recently I took a broken GC controller I picked up and installed the 8BitDo Mod Kit for Original NGC Controller to add Bluetooth / Switch support to the OG GC controller.

https://shop.8bitdo.com/products/mod-kit-for-original-ngc

When company comes over, the GC controllers are the first to be grabbed.

Re: Poll: What Switch Game Could You Not Live Without?

NintendoDad

For me personally . . . why I like the Switch isn't just because there is one killer game on it. (Although there are a lot of killer games on it.) . . .

. . . but also because it made it so easy to access all sorts of fun co-op games like Pico Park (2), Unspottable, Among Us, Urban Flow, Moving Out, Tools Up!, Untitled Goose Game, Heave Ho, 39 Days to Mars, Unravel Two, Conduct Together!, Overcooked 2, Human: Fall Flat, Snipperclips Plus: Cut it out, together!, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime.

Easy to set-up in couch mode with up to 4 (and sometimes more) players.

So easy to start up, set-up and play.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (8th March)

NintendoDad

I'm still hacking away at OOT for 3DS. I finally caught the big fish I was aiming for, and 100%'d the collectables, and finally started the final dungeon. I've really enjoyed this game. If they were to bring out a remaster of this for Switch 2, I'd probably get it.

But I'm taking a break today to try out Donkey Kong '94!

Happy gaming everyone!

Re: Anniversary: Nintendo Switch Launched On This Day Eight Years Ago

NintendoDad

We've definitely been happy with our Switch.

Lots and lots of co-op games for the family.

Lots of platformers for me to play.

I'm hoping that Switch 2 is also successful and that makes the Big N have to keep the Switch games / eshop and on-line active for a long while. LOL.

ie. Hoping this is only the halfway point for the Switch lifetime.

Re: Opinion: My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need Work

NintendoDad

@GravyThief

RE: Double Dash!!

+1. Have fun.

Definitely do the thing where the person in your kart is trying to make you crash. My kid thought it was hilarious! LOL.

It could also be a way to give the fastest driver a handycap. I used to always win the race, so my wife told my youngest to keep trying to make me crash.

The other thing to try is to hold the controller in wierd ways to make it more difficult to drive.

So whoever is the best racer, make them hold the controller upside down. Or backwards. And then they have to try to figure out how to drive the kart while learning how to use the controller while holding it in a funny way. LOL.

Re: Opinion: My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need Work

NintendoDad

I feel your anguish. LOL.

I went through that with my kids.

But there have been some great examples of games that allowed you to play with younger gamers.

1) Mario Kart Double Dash!! Let you have 2 players per kart. One drives. The other throws items and bumps the kart to the side. So when my youngest was too young to be able to control the kart, she would be my gunner. Eventually she decided that she would be in my kart, but would play for the other team (My wife and older kid) and my youngest would then throw bombs in front of me to try to blow us up, or try to bump us off the course or bridge. LOL.

2) Skylanders Spyros Adventure and Giants. The thing with Skylanders is that you can't fall off the map. So its great for younger gamers that have difficultly moving a character around. And if your kid's character runs out of energy, they just grab another Skylander and swap it in. These were two of the first games we finished together.

3) Kirby's Epic Yarn or Yoshi's Woolly World. I can't remember which one, but it was set up so that as long as Player 1 didn't die, the game would continue on. I'm thinking it was the Yoshi game. When we started to play the game I would be Player 1 and this would keep us progressing through the game. But by the end of the game, my youngest would be Player 1 as she turned out to be a better gamer than me. LOL.

4) Super Mario 3D World . . . if my memory serves me correctly, I think this is similar in that as long as Player 1 doesn't die the game keeps progressing? I can't remember. It's been so long since we played this. 'probably about 9 years since we played the game together. We played the Wii U version. But this might be a way to let your daughter be Prince Peach. If it isn't the same as the above game, then maybe it was that as long as your kid's character made it through the level, you (Player 1) could finish the tasks and then you could move on. And I think Princess Peach had a hover move, so that they had a bit more protection from falling off the map.

EDIT: Oh, yeah . . . and don't forget about the Lego Games. Only 2 players. But great to play with your kid.

Yeah. Now that both my kids are better gamers than me, I don't think about this stuff now-a-days. But back when they were growing up, it was something I would look out for.

Re: Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Seemingly Confirmed In Switch 2 Trailer

NintendoDad

I was thinking that this might make it easier to port over DS / 3DS games over to the Switch, especially for Tabletop and TV Mode.

The mouse could replace the touchscreen functionality (for the bottom screen) when playing in Tabletop / TV Mode?

Then we get DS in NSO?

EDIT: Does this mean we start seeing more of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series?

Re: Reaction: Nintendo Pins Hopes On Familiar Fun With Switch 2

NintendoDad

IMHO I get the sense that Nintendo has just gone and set itself up really well for the future in a holistic way.

The trick for the Big N is not to just sell a lot of consoles (although this does definitely help with the bottom line LOL). The trick is to gain and retain customers / and customer relationships.

For Nintendo, they have a lot of IP that can really bring in gamers when they are young, or that parents will want to get for their kids. So customers get involved with the Nintendo brand when they are young.

But there is other IP / 3rd Party games that the young gamers can move up to down the road on the Switch platform.

And then down the road, those young gamers will become parents and then get to introduce Nintendo games to their kids, etc, etc, etc.

So this Nintendo accounts moving seamlessly from Switch to Switch 2 becomes a big thing for continuity.

Also . . .

The Switch 2 isn't different enough from the Switch 1 as to make the Switch 1 immediately obsolete. So if Nintendo can keep support up for the Switch 1 for a while, then they get to retain the bulk of those gamers.

But the Switch 2 is also a line in the sand, so anyone potential gamer that has been holding out for the Switch 2 can get into the game and get a Switch 2 and join the party.

And for anyone that has had to duct-tape their OG Switch together because they dropped it one too many times, well . . . the Switch 2 is going to be here to help you move on.

LOL. I haven't started drinking today yet. Honest!

Re: Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Seemingly Confirmed In Switch 2 Trailer

NintendoDad

Two ideas . . .

1) This targets PC gamers. Gamers that prefer WASD + Mouse. Like Quake?

2) Maybe this can be setup to play with one hand? So joystick is main stick and mouse movement is 2nd stick?

EDIT: But yes, this would make playing point-and-click games more like how it was in "the-ol-days".

Just some random thoughts . . .

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) - Aping A Retro Classic

NintendoDad

RE: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine way to play the 2010 original, but it’s also lacking any real reason for fans to double-dip beyond waggle-free controls. <snip> Our advice? Grab the superior Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze instead.

IMHO, I think this might be missing a point . . .

I think it is great that Nintendo is bringing old games to the Switch. It means that anyone that doesn't have (and maybe never had) a Wii, Wii U or 3DS can have access to this game.

And if they have already played DKC Tropical Freeze, then they get another chance to explore the DKC universe.

NOTE: Although I agree if this is a double-dip. LOL. I haven't double-dipped most of the games that are repeats from Wii or Wii U games I already have. A big exception being Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Estimated File Size Update

NintendoDad

@Haruki_NLI

RE: But all retail Wii games were never released digitally on Wii so....yeah that won't work. <snip> And they wouldn't base it on save data because that's just exploitable.

+1. Yes. Agreed. If you base it on save data, then I could just borrow someone's cartridge and play the game and then try to get an upgrade discount.

@datamonkey

RE: I don’t know of the technicalities of how they could do it, I was just saying it would be good if they could. <snip>
However I would have thought they could determine a digital purchase easy enough and as switch 2 is backwards compatible it should be easy enough to install the cart as proof of purchase maybe together with the fact the cart would be logged on the system from previous installations on the OG switch through the same account. <snip>

+1. I was just providing an example of where Nintendo did this in the past. The Big N gave me a discount to buy a VC game again for Wii U that I had already purchased on my Wii. I would say that it makes more sense for digital purchases than cartridges because (as I pointed out above) if you try to get cartridges involved . . . then I could just borrow someone's cartridge and toss it in my system and then try to get the upgrade discount, whereas a digital purchase will be recorded on Nintendo's servers as a purchase and it is something that The Big N can look up.

Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Estimated File Size Update

NintendoDad

@Haruki_NLI

RE: @datamonkey How exactly would you verify that someone bought this game on Wii or 3DS to make that work on Switch? Take it in good faith?

Maybe if they bought it digitally?

Nintendo did this for Wii to Wii U. At least for some digital downloads. Not sure which games. But when I got the Wii U . . . since I had bought Super Mario through the Wii Shopping Channel . . . when I fired up the Wii U Shop I could get Super Mario for the Wii U for a discount.

Re: Talking Point: Is The Switch 2 Going To Be Too Big?

NintendoDad

We'll have to see if this is actually the size.

For me . . . if it ends up being this size, I'll wait and see if they release a smaller size Switch 2. Unless they come out with a "killer app" like Mario Kart 9. Then I'll have to see how badly my kids and wife want it. LOL.

But logically . . . if the Big N was going to bring out different size Switch 2's, then the biggest size would be a logical place to start. We've already had the option to get a small and medium sized Switch, so that itch has been scratched. There are probably a lot of Switch users waiting for a larger version, so there would probably be more demand for a bigger Switch 2 right at the start.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (New Year Edition)

NintendoDad

Happy Holidays Everyone!

In preparation for the Switch 2, my youngest and I started going back to unfinished games. This week we finally got to the Final Boss Battle of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Haven't beaten the Final Boss yet, but at least we're close.

Next on our list is Yoshi's Crafted World. We started this long ago, but homework got in the way. LOL.

On my personal list is Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. I'm still stuck on that Zombi level near the end.

On another note, I finally installed Linux Mint Cinnamon on a laptop that can't go to Windows 11. I installed Steam for Linux on it and started playing Axiom Verge and Hollow Knight. I think I can use Linux for my work-for-work stuff as well so I might forego Windows 11 and see how far I get with Linux. 'save my money for a Switch 2 instead.

Re: Round Up: No One Does Switch Commercials Like Nintendo Australia

NintendoDad

I loved these commercials. IMHO really well done.

Of course, I loved the 1st Switch commercial.

And some might look at these and think they are a bit corny . . . but they hit a chord with me.

Before we had kids, we'd go over to my wife's brother's place and I'd watch him play Donkey Kong 64 or Super Mario 64 with his kid on their N64. As I watched them I thought, yeah . . . I could do that when I have kids.

And that's what we did. When our kids were young we got a Game Cube and played Mario Kart and Super Smash, a bit of The Incredibles 2 and Sunshine.

We got the Wii and we played some more. Anyone remember Pooyoos?

And then the Wii U and played even more. We still fire up our Wii U to play Nintendo Land.

Now, one of my kids has graduated college and the other is in their senior years of high school.

And after all these years we still get together to play games . . . on our Switch.

Re: Mailbox: The Death Of GameCube, Mario Party Matchmaking, Tariffs - Nintendo Life Letters

NintendoDad

RE: "museum-bound"

There is 1 game preventing me from packing away our Wii U.

Nintendo Land.

My family still gets a kick out of playing it.

I sure hope Switch 2 has some sort of ability to bring Nintendo Land back.

As for our Game Cube . . . because the Wii was able to play Game Cube games, we basically stopped using it.

I keep it plugged in in my workshop, attached to a 14" Tube TV.

Yeah . . . if I'm in my workshop and get bored I'll fire it up. But it's plugged in mainly to keep the RTC battery from going dead.

Re: Talking Point: With 'Switch 2' Coming, Will Switch Get A Price Cut?

NintendoDad

Perhaps the Switch 2 comes in more expensive than the Switch OLED. The price increase is justified by the increase in power. But this can be the price increase for Nintendo to keep up with inflation, without increasing the price of an existing SKU.

The Switch OG, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite all remain at the same price. They, by default, become the cheaper option. And with all the games available for the Switch, they still represent great value and lots of playability still left in them.

Now, here's the monkey wrench.

If Nintendo still needs to sell more Switch's to beat PS2's Life Time Sales . . . then Nintendo can bring out a Nintendo Switch Mini. A cut down version of the Switch at a cheaper price.

The Nintendo Switch Mini could be without a screen, and perhaps without a big battery. So it wouldn't be portable. Only enough battery power to run the RTC and store settings. Only meant to be played on a TV. And no rails to attach Joy Cons to. You play with a wireless controller.

This could be a way to beat the PS2 LTSs, and if new users pick them up, it could be a way to sell more games while everyone waits for the Switch 2 library to slowly grow.

EDIT: Oh, yeah. Just a thought. The Nintendo Switch Mini could be brought out shaped like a mini NES. (Like the NES Classic Edition.) That could be pretty cool. LOL.

Re: Review: NYXI Warrior Bluetooth Controller - A Great GameCube Pad For Switch, With The One Big Quirk

NintendoDad

IMHO this looks pretty good.

I find the "A" button on the Joy Cons too small. Playing Mario Kart with the "A" button smashed down with my thumb makes my thumb hurt after a while. That's what's nice about the Game Cube button layout. A big thumb-friendly "A" button. LOL.

So I've been using an old PDP Wired Fight Pad hooked up to an 8BitDo GBros adapter. But the PDP controller, although it has ZL, -, +, home, etc . . . doesn't have clicky sticks.

Recently I got the 8BitDo NGC modkit to convert on old broken Game Cube Controller I had to Switch / wireless compatible. It has clicky sticks, but missing ZL and -. (Home is obtained by pressing Start and down on the dpad at the same time.) Even with the missing buttons, I know the next time the gang comes over, everyone is going to be grabbing for this controller.

But this NYXI Warrior controller looks like it checks all the boxes. It's Switch compatible, wireless, has all the buttons and it looks like a more thumb-friendly dpad! And it has the big thumb-friendly "A" button.