Nintendood

@Handy_Man Yeah, everyone should avoid Waterworld at all costs!

So you actually did get some headaches? Did you make sure it was always adjusted and focused before using it?

I don't see how no one ever got them with mine, and a couple roommates I had would actually play it regularly at night, since the only game console they had of their own was an Atari Jaguar!

@jimi - Like @PlywoodStick explained, the DS was a very different situation. You'd be surprised how many people are negatively affected by making the 3DS region locked. Although I personally do import Japanese games, there's also games released exclusively in NA or Europe that the other region wants to be able to play. I wanted a physical version of Senran Kagura Burst, so I imported it. Not to mention certain less-populated places in the world that sell games and systems from more than one region.

Nintendo made the whole situation much worse by making the even more ridiculous decision to not sell the New 3DS in NA. Well, unless you were willing to wait and actually want the less-popular white model with a few childish-looking faceplates as part of a bundle that has no other options. I never had any interest in that bundle or an XL, for many reasons, so I imported a black JP New 3DS, which I wanted to be able to play NA and EU games on, too. I did what I had to do, but I only blame Nintendo for making it necessary in the first place.

Hopefully, Nintendo realizes how many people have gone through with using exploits simply to play region free. There still would've been exploits, but there'd be far less interest if they hadn't made the stupid decision to region lock their portable systems for the first time!

Adjustment and Focus Steps
When you first turn the power on and see the VIRTUAL BOY logo in the center, you're at the "adjustment screen." While looking at the adjustment screen, turn the (IPD) dial on top until you see a mark in all four corners of the screen. You only need to be able to see them with one of your eyes, so don't worry if they don't appear solid. It's called the IPD dial because it's purpose is to match your Inter Pupil Distance. Everyone has slightly different distances between their eyes, which can have a huge effect on how you see the display. So if, for example, you're an actor or actress who played one of the twins on the show Second Chance, and the other twin was the last person to use the Virtual Boy, it's going to require some MAJOR readjustment.

To adjust the focus, start with the focus slider in the center postition, as marked on the housing. If the image is not sharp and clear, adjust the slider to the left or right until it is.
It's too bad so many people rely on first impressions, since they didn't post any instructions for adjusting and focusing when Virtual Boy units were set up in stores for people to try back then. Therefore, if customers were even aware that it needed to be adjusted, most had no idea that it can only be done correctly right after turning the system on or resetting it.

"the added depth doesn't seem to add much value gameplay-wise.

I think it added more value to the games than the 3DS does, and the 3D effect was more impressive overall, and that's coming from someone who's been a huge fan of the 3DS since the day it was released. Speaking of which, I do have 3D screenshots in the original coloring and resolution on my 3DS for Space Squash, Galactic Pinball, Wario Land and Mario's Tennis, and if the site wants to post them for people who want to view 'em on their 3DS, or if someone knows a free image hosting site that works with those .MPO files, let me know. They're not as good as when you're playin 'em on the real thing, but they'll probably give some of you who never played one a better idea of what it actually looks like, even though they're just screenshots.

One of the best ways the 3D adds to the experience is by using all that depth to clearly differentiate many things that would otherwise not be possible with just one color. I'm sure some of you've played the special stages in Mutant Mudds that are made to look like VB Wario Land. Seems like those were more simplified versions though, seeing how much this screen from Wario Land looks like a crowded mess in 2D.

In 3D on the VB, the pipe on the right is close to you, and the wall that it looks like Wario's blending into here is really a structure standing way in the background that he can jump to from the platform he's standing on in the foreground. There is a wall even further in the distance beyond that.

Here's another one of Wario Land, followed by one from Galactic Pinball...

@mushroomer @FragRed @Handy_Man
You're absolutely right.

@PigmaskColonel
"Virtual Boy Wario Land wasn't just the only good game on the VB."
If you remove the word "just" from that sentence, it'll actually make sense.

@Gauchorino
Well said. Bound High actually did get a limited release a few years ago (not official of course, but using original box inserts and everything), and there was an article on this site about it. I still love playing my Virtual Boy, and I was just explaining yesterday to people on GameFAQs that... well, everything you said, actually. People who have never tried it talk about it as if they know all about it.

Like in this article, the caption says "After about 30 minutes of play time, I'm not experiencing any of the Virtual Boy's trademark motion sickness."

Huh?! That's never happened to me or any of my friends even once, and at least 50 different people have played for over twenty minutes on mine. I had a lot of parties with way too many people at my first apartment and it was always being used by someone. On occasion, I didn't realize they'd been drinking until we couldn't get it focused (because of alcohol's effect on vision), and so they had to give up before they got started, but there was never a single complaint about headaches or motion sickness.

If that happens to someone that owns one, either there's something wrong with it, they're not adjusting it correctly, or it's some other rare situation. I've never seen it happen, but Iess than half as many people have tried my 3DS, and three of them complained about their eyes or head hurting! Part of the problem is that way too many people rely on what other people say who never actually owned one in the first place. Speaking of which...

"the guy who has come up with this approach even claims that it avoids the headache problem that the original Virtual Boy hardware was infamous for."

Wow, so he's had the same amount of success with avoiding headaches as everyone who's tried my actual Virtual Boy!

"There's also something to be said for playing the games in grayscale instead of the headache-inducing red."

Yeah. "Ugh! That looks terrible!" The display was red on black, yes, but there was nothing headache-inducing about it. I've literally played Galactic Pinball for 12 hours straight before, other than a couple two-minute bathroom breaks. That was after turning off the Auto Pause function, of course, which pauses every 20 minutes to remind you to take a break.

For extended play sessions, if your head isn't too small, I recommend detaching the VB from the stand, laying on your back and just setting it on your face - the soft edges should keep it in place until you lift your head. I actually am bothered by bright lighting and flourescent bulbs, so I've never had any on in my apartments - maybe that has something to do with the lack of glare in the lenses.

Still, the soft goggle-shaped black trim that extends and presses to the sides of your head is supposed to black out everything outside of the display so there's nothing in your peripheral vision (or room for light to get in and cause glare). Anyway, the red on black looks so much better than anything in black and white ever could.

NOTE: I will make another post, starting with the instructions for adjustment and focus, in case anyone that has a VB doesn't know the right way to do it.

I was already getting a physical copy of the soundtrack, which is one of the reasons that I donated over $75 to the project. I actually thought it included a physical copy of the game too...

@dereq Yeah, even though I don't really know anything about the sports, I think I'd enjoy Mario Cricket or Mario Rugby!

I just noticed the last sentence of this review before the conclusion mentions Nintendo's infamous "polish" and says how much it improves the presentation. How is it infamous, rather than famous?

@AyeHaley Nope, definitely not exclusive to Japan. I still have mine (in the US). I had no idea it was never released in the UK. So I was confused by how he said "individuals of the importing nature" - and also how he said it was wildly unpopular. I knew it wasn't a big hit, but it wasn't like the Virtual Boy or anything (which I also still have, and love to play).

The video is also posted on this site (and YouTube), separately from this article as "The Super Mario Game You Never Played - Super Mario..." and the title gets cut off there because it's so long. Since I saw that before this article, I was expecting to see a video with something I actually hadn't played - like Super Mario's Wacky Worlds for Sony's Philips CD-i. An excellent game that was never finished, but another great Mario game (despite what some people say), Hotel Mario, was released for that system in 1994.

@dereq That was my point. There's reviewers on this site from the US too, they should've let one of them do this game.

@PlywoodStick "What amazes me is how many people enjoy watching other people play sports! ...They're not learning anything new from just watching, and they own the equipment they need to play, so there's no excuse! I would never stoop so low as to watch someone else play sports!""

You think that sound silly?! It makes perfect sense to me, and describes exactly how I feel about watching sports. Granted, I might feel differently if I had a family member or very close friend on a team, but I don't. I wouldn't use the words "stoop so low" because I'm not actually trying to insult people that do it, though. I do enjoy playing certain sports - but watching them, especially on TV (rather than in person), has always seemed like a huge waste of time to me. Not to mention, really boring.

@GenoBeatsMallow
That seems so weird to me, since most of my enjoyment from video games comes from discovering secrets and developing techniques on my own, along with the feeling of accomplishment that comes with making progress. Sure, I may consult guides or check out cheats, but I'd much rather read about it and experience it for the first time while I'm doing it.

Watching someone else do something and merely copying what they do, would take all the fun and feeling of accomplishment out of it - making it feel more like a chore to me. I can't even begin to undertand people that you say enjoy it when they're not even learning from it. The only way doing that for more than a minute or two would ever make sense to me, is if it was a game that I'll never be able to get my hands on.

That works out well for me, because Rock is the only one I purchased previously. I was hoping Retrobits would go on sale, but now I'll just get this instead!

What amazes me is how many people actually enjoy watching videos of other people playing video games! I understand 30 to 90-second previews of a game, but anything else - I avoid at all costs. To me that feels like when we used to have to sit through the other player's turn on the original Super Mario Bros.

@Spin That's cool. I thought it sounded like those were the only ones you knew of, since you said "a few."

@Socar Nearly every time? That's just not true.
@Spin There's been more than a few good licensed games by WayForward. Besides the ones you mentioned, there was Wendy: Every Witch Way (from Casper) on GBC, Justice League Heroes: The Flash and The Scorpion King on GBA, and more recently, Where the Wild Things Are, Thor, and Aliens: Infestation on the DS.
There's even games based on licenses that I had no interest in at all, that I bought just because they were made by WayForward, and I liked them enough to recommend to any gamer - Tak: The Great Juju Challenge (GBA), Galactic Taz Ball (DS), and Happy Feet Two (3DS). That last one's probably good on DS too, but the 3D effect was very well done on the 3DS.
There's definitely more that are good, but this post is long enough already. Just like the rest of us, they have the most fun with their original properties, like Shantae, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check out some licensed ones that help keep the company going...

@dronesplitter Thanks for the comment, I was almost considering getting it on sale. I still have Alien Hominid for GameCube that I haven't played yet, and Metal Slug Anthology, so I have no need for a much lower-quality one like this.

Another thing that really bothers me, whenever I see it, is horrible use of the bottom screen. Do they really only use it for that overworld map screen at ALL TIMES? What a waste...

I still have all three SNES cartridges - great games.

I was hoping for better, considering that Kemco made Grinsia, which I thought was great after they patched the bugs. Although, according to this page, Kemco only published this one...

@Windy I remember you commenting on the Grinsia review, so how does this game compare to that one? (It seems the crashing was fixed, in case you didn't play it after the final update)

@ThomasBW84
Crunchyroll was very deceptive in their advertising/description of this deal. They have "+ FREE DLC" in big letters, but that's just a trick. They gave no downoad codes or anything mentioning the DLC in the package or any of the emails they sent. Like every other time I've gotten a game that included DLC, I expected a card or slip inside with a download code on it.

It turns out, everyone who bought the game fairly early had access to the DLC of 5 quests for free from Atlus - but only for a limited time (still free now in Europe I believe, because of the delayed release). Since I had no reason to think Crunchyroll would purposely deceive people like that, I never thought to check on it until I finally had more time time to play the game just recently. That's when I realized there was no code(s) inside, and when I checked the prices it showed they would cost me $8.50 total.

So, not only was I fooled into believing that they were providing the DLC as part of the bundle, but now I don't get it at all. If they hadn't done this, I would've checked on the prices for the DLC much sooner - and would've realized it was FREE! They literally caused me to miss out on a deal that was available to everyone who got the game...

I plan to contact them and request compensation, but I doubt they'll be willing or able to affect credit on an eShop account, so I don't know what good it'll do.

I can understand wanting to know ahead of time if they're going to require a lot of screaming or shouting, but I think it's silly that he said "maybe someone has a moral objection to the content of a game, and they'd like to know what it is before they commit to it." If you're only a voice actor, you should be able to take any part. It's not like they have to do anything on camera. Unless it's something extreme.

This was released in Japan in July of last year. They've also got a demo available, so I gave it a shot. The original title is Gacha Racing, which I think comes from their name for the capsule machine. After you open a few capsules in the beginning, it asks if you're happy with the parts and says that if you're not, you can "retry the Gacha."

There's absolutely no 3D, which I always find disappointing. They could at least add a second layer of depth to the menus... I can understand if they thought it would be distracting during races, since you're always quickly glancing at the top screen to see what's coming. That wouldn't be nearly as distracting to me, though, as the fact that they don't compensate at all for the space in-between the screens! It gives the road a jagged look, and cars that could fit in the space between the screens are shown on both at once. I find it pretty disorienting, and the kind of rookie mistake I'd expect from a first time developer (but not Arc System Works).

Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth was the first video game I ever bought imported. I was super nervous about it because I was just a little kid at the time, and I never knew anyone else who had done it before. Importing games wasn't nearly as common back then, and there was almost no information on the reliability of the online stores that offered them. I had to save up money for six months because it was $70, plus $30 for an N64 passport adapter and some more for shipping.

Luckily, it all worked out and I loved the game enough to feel like it was all worth it in the end. It was like no game I'd ever played before, and felt very ahead of its time. The fact that it was only released in Japan, yet all the voice work was in English blew my mind. Not to mention, it had the coolest box art I had ever seen! I decided that I'd never part with it, and kept it on display in my room until the day I moved out.

So what does MOBA stand for?

Aren't they doing the same thing with Shovel Knight? I already own both, which sucks because I do like physical so much more. Like I really want Darksiders II and it's on sale for $10 in the eShop right now, but I'll probably wait and get a physical copy for twice as much.
Releasing physical games so much later like this is just going to make me hesitate a few years before I buy any new eShop games from either company.

@SmithJurd Were you planning on having more kids? I don't think three is too many, as long as precautions are taken to prevent a fourth. Plus, you're probably over the age of 23, right?

Not that it's fair, but how many are they allowed to have and keep in China? One, or maybe it's two... If you imagine living there and having to give up a child, how would it feel to see a 25-year-old with more than twice as many kids that never had to concern themselves with anything like that?

This is sort of a separate issue, but the thing that bothers me most is the scumbags in the US that don't even work, and literally keep having more children to get more support from the government. That's just encouraging the worst kind of people to be having more children, to go ahead and have them. I think people who don't make their own money should get the same or even less assistance once they've had more than three kids.

@maceng Yeah, they're also selling the Japanese New 3DS for around $160 on there. That's what made me finally decide get one. I was already considering it because I live in the US and have no interest in an XL.

I imported the Nyuu Nyuu DX Pack from Japan, because I really wanted the cute little figurines...

@Kirk All five times that you used a semicolon in post #27, a comma would be more appropriate. Maybe DiscoGentleman can help you more, since I tend to only notice when they're out of place. What I never understood is why the keyboard's set up so that you need the shift button for a colon, but not for a semicolon. It seems to me like colons are much more common, so it should be the other way around.

@iphys Yeah, they should definitely do that. Of course it could be played with just the buttons, if they're willing to put in the effort. They should allow it to be played either way, so it'd be up to the player if they care more about touch control or the depth of the stereoscopic display.

It will definitely be a shame if they release another Picross 3D on the 3DS, but don't allow it to be in actual 3D.

@gamemasterb Yeah, I agree. Everyone who thinks it shouldn't be censored should go to this link - the original post that came before the link above, so you can post that you wouldn't be interested in a censored version...
https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHjMWFizMw
If you read his post about censoring it, he's saying that he thought the sales of Groove City were hurt by the M rating on the Wii U, but there's absolutely no reason to think that was the cause. Huxxny already posted and made a good point on there, that the lower sales could've been caused by the higher price on the Wii U version.

Anyway, the Twitter thing that was quoted in this article is misleading if they are going to release the original censored on Wii U. It said:
A press quote of the game we're currently porting to Wii U. "Visually stunning, hilarious, and brutally challenging.", 9/10, Destructoid.
...but if it's censored, the 9/10 rating may not apply to this version, and there's a very good chance that "hilarious" would not apply, either. Much of what I found amusing in Groove City would have been missing if it had been censored.

@GoneFishin Maybe I missed something, but I don't think anyone said that emulation of those consoles is illegal, just the ROMs that they're used to play. Yes, there's some perfectly legal software, but I don't know if I'd call it "plenty" ...certainly not when it comes to games that were actually released for the original systems.

You guys are/were so lucky... there were never soundtracks available from the NA Club Nintendo (except for one as an elite status reward for the year). So many other items I was jealous of too, like that speaker set that held the Wii with a little sub-woofer and nunchuck speakers.

@Trotterwatch "Enabling playing of region locked games is very much a good thing."

Most people agree with that, and if that's all that this was used for, I don't think there'd be much debate.

They kinda remind me of these Super Mario Maker Buttons that you can get in the US if you pre-order 2 select games out of 9 at Best-Buy by Sept. 10th...

@argh4430 Censored!? ARGH!

If they do censor anything in Electronic Super Joy, I'm definitely not interested in getting it - regardless of the price. That stuff is what made Groove City so uniquely charming...

@umegames Same here (except for the part about Xenogears), my first and favorite RPG! Playing as Bowser for the first time in any game was mind-blowing at 11 years old. Geno's my favorite character though, and I've always wished I'd be able to play as him in another Mario game.

NOTE: Did anyone else think of this game when they noticed Conception II's full title ends with "of the Seven Stars"?

@Xeonhawk In the same way that people consider having a digital copy of a game owning the game. Not in a literal way. Using another method to play Nintendo's games without paying for them eliminates the incentive to spend money on Virtual Console games. Technically, whether you think it's like stealing or not, having ROMs for games you don't already own is illegal.

I would be much more supportive of this if it didn't allow emulation. That would make it much less controversial, and less of a problem for Nintendo.
Obviously they're not going to want people to have free access to GBA and SNES games when they're still making money selling them with the Virtual Console. That's basically stealing, especially if you've never owned the original game cartridges.

That's a shame about the sequel to Chasing Aurora... I definitely would've gotten it. I will probably get Electronic Super Joy some time when it's on sale, but I'd have been more interested in Secrets of Raetikon.

@GenoBeatsMallow Thanks, you're exactly right. If I was making a joke, I probably would've said something sarcastic. There's a reason why so many people "didn't think this game was that bad." ...Because it isn't.

I had always assumed it was bad because it's such a common game that nobody ever seemed interested in, but when I finally decided to give it a chance - I loved it! My opinion isn't swayed by nostalgia, because I hadn't actually played it until a couple years ago. That's when I knew for sure that you can't actually trust AVGN reviews, and that he's seriously lacking in gaming skills.

I was considering this one since it's on sale for half price now, but then I watched the eShop trailer. They're trying to be funny or something, but it's just so lame that it makes me sad.

@Scary_Old_Lady That was almost always true in the past, with the US getting earlier release dates, but I have seen quite a few the other way around lately. For example, some of the DLC for Hyrule Warriors came out 2 weeks earlier in Europe. When games are released even later than that in Europe, it's often because they're adding the extra languages, but releasing something later in NA means it's something very minor. I think if there's an issue that'll delay either release by a couple weeks or less, they should just hold off on the other one too and release them both on the same day. Considering how long it takes to make a quality game, they should be able to manage enough patience for that.

The button layout makes no sense at all! Is there any option to change it? The B button is the easiest one to hit by accident, so it seems like the worst choice for reset (although you did say to hold the button, so that's a little better).

For me, thanks to the SNES controller which uses the same ABXY layout, the only button that ever feels like the right one for jumping is B.

I lost my original Reggie Mii for some reason, but I didn't care for it anyway. I was upset when I lost my Honest Abe (Lincoln) Mii though, cuz that one was actually cool! I decided to try that exploit that I read about on here, but didn't realize he wasn't being sent out anymore!

@RadioShadow Yeah, A is always for confirming and B for cancel or decline (just like [A]ccelerate and [B]rake)... It's like he was purposely trying to trick her into choosing NO.

Despite the overly positive review, this looks disappointing. Nothing would be better than a new version of Tetrisphere in full 3D! That one still beats any other Tetris game in my opinion - though I still own and love the original on NES, Tetris Blast (GB), Tetris Plus (GB), Tetris & Dr. Mario (SNES), Tetris DX (GBC), The New Tetris (N64), 3-D Tetris (Virtual Boy), Tetris DS, Party Deluxe on Wii, and Axis.

The original Game Boy wasn't nearly THAT green! It also didn't look so faded, with much better contrast. Why make it look worse than the original games did?

Also, why would you release it on the Wii U instead of a handheld (3DS) like the original Game Boy? Even if only one screen's used, that would make a lot more sense.

I can't believe they still haven't made a Miiverse community for Shin Megami Tensei IV! I'm sure they'd want to disable screenshots for it, considering the phallic designs of some demons and the one with a totally exposed erection, but it seems like way too popular of a game to not have a community!

What's a riposte?

I'd get Nightmare Busters, if it wasn't $80!