Ooyah

In a scenario such as this, I would usually go for the cuter option... but I just love the spooky, "old school Halloween" feel of the NA cover. It makes me feel very nostalgic, even though I've never seen it before!

I wonder if we will get a Donkey Kong Game and Watch? They did so for the Mario and Zelda anniversaries. You never know... maybe it could have two screens! That would be cool.

Well, of course it has to be Rainbow Islands for me! 😆

Oh... that hot dog carry case is sublime. Damn... I'm in the UK, so probably not much chance of snagging one. ☹️ Also... the Sriracha ones make me think of Nando's. Have never heard of Sriracha before.

These are all great! 😆

It's funny... I bought Pokemon Blue on the day it came out... but it's Gold that I will always remember. That game was just magical for me. Am still gutted that I somehow missed out on Heart Gold and Soul Silver. I would truly love to play them

@BillyB
I have always considered there to exist a Taito Holy Trinity... Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, and The New Zealand Story. And now we have all three! Parasol Stars is also on the way (not from Hamster). If we could get Memories and Symphony as well, that would be amazing! Also... respect for completing Bubble Bobble... not at all easy, even in multi-player. How close have you got in single player? I think that Round 75 or so is my record.

Well, at long last, we have Rainbow Islands! I thought it would never happen. Also... The Monty Mole Collection! I absolutely love "Wanted", so am enjoying failing miserably at the game, just like the good old days! 😆 I was also enjoying Hammerwatch 2, but the bugs have stopped me for now... hopefully there should be a patch soon. So... have just started Legend Of Grimrock. Man... I would kill for an Eye Of The Beholder Collection! Have a great weekend, guys, and stay safe out there.

This game blew my mind on the xBox 360. Beautiful and deep, and a very clever adaptation of the source material. It has a unique atmosphere, and the relationship between Lucifel and Enoch (and God!) is adorable. They also have a lot of fun with the idea that the angels know everything, but have no concept of timelines... leading to my favourite scene involving an umbrella. 😊 A really incredible achievement, this game. Very, very hard at points, though!

@GooseLoose1 @CharlieZee
"A nice break"? "Lez"? "Non woke"?
It's nothing that we need a "break" from, and accepting that a woman can love a woman, or a man can love a man, is not "woke". People being in love is normal. People.

@GalaxicGlobe
I remember when 2025 was half a century away! 😆

Dunno why I'm laughing, though! 😆

I hope they continue to produce smaller and quirkier games like Dungeon Encounters and Paranormasight, whilst continuing with excellent remakes like Live A Live, Star Ocean Second Story R, and Crisis Core. I think that Square have been excellent recently.

They need to be careful that people don't confuse it with the rumoured upgraded Switch... so I don't think they can go with "Switch Plus", "Switch Pro", or "Super Switch". Remember that some people believed the Wii U to be just an upgraded Wii, thanks to the very similar name. I think it will be either "Switch 2", or a completely new name.

@Solomon_Rambling
I have over a thousand hours on the Switch version of Isaac... I stopped playing soon after upgrading to Repentance... I just couldn't get on with it, and I wish that I could roll back the changes. I do often wonder how I would have got on with Repentance had I not played the previous versions.

The thing is, in order for this to work, time travel would be needed, for the associated context of the experience. For example... Super Mario 64. If I really was playing it for the first time now, it would be nowhere near as mind-blowing as it was back then, because of all the other 3D platformers that I have played since then. The excitement of experiencing it at that point in time cannot be recaptured, and that was a big part of the overall experience, I think. Also, I was young, and held more joy in my heart than I do now. I'm older and darker now. ☹️

Maybe this would work for something purely story related... so I might go for something like Killer7.

I would like to recommend adding "The Spirit And The Mouse" to this list. Very easy, relaxing, no pressures, no way to die (I think!)... just a chill romp through a beautiful and peaceful town. No need for guides, and can be completed in around 5 hours. Lovely little game.

Wow, this is an odd one! It is indeed quite bizarre that Mario himself was not featured on the Japan box, but it is also strangely refreshing? Maybe? I like the Japan artwork, though, and the NA cover is really bland, so I went for Japan.

@LinktotheFuture
Hey there! Oh, gosh... thank you for this, that doesn't sound great. Particularly if it doesn't have the same feel. I remember it being quite a tense game. I threw quite a few of my precious 10 pences into that machine! 😆

I have very fond memories of playing Berzerk in the arcades when I was but a little Ooyah, so I am tempted by the Recharged version.

Atari 50 was great, it's just a shame that they couldn't include titles such as Pitfall, H.E.R.O., and Indiana Jones (for licensing reasons, I assume). Heck, I actually associate Pitfall more closely with Atari than Activision!

@Nagi
Maybe an AI bot wrote it? 😆

Am hoping that 2024 will be a year where I do more than simply survive. 😆 Last year was a bit of a nightmare. Surely was a great year for games, though! And, no matter what I face, every day begins and ends with NL, and the community here. Am wishing you all a healthy and safe year, full of warmth and comfort.

Santa was good to me, and I got lots of eShop cards! So... I played through The Spirit And The Mouse, which is short, but gorgeous and lovely. 20 Minutes Till Dawn desperately needs fleshing out, but is good for what it is. Dredge was amazing. I may go for Ebenezer And The Invisible World next, as I was really looking forward to it, but am a bit cautious now due to the bugs. Persona 5 Royal is up after that and, seeing as they were both on sale, I picked up P5 Strikers too. I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas, and is anticipating a great 2024!

I guess that it would have to be on a Switch 2, but I would love to see Lies Of P. One of the few games on other consoles which has interested me recently. Oh, and I still want Rare Replay, mainly for the Ultimate games! Lastly, for now... Killer 7. I still don't understand why we don't have the remaster on Switch. Love that game.

I loved Heroes Of Hammerwatch, and put over 100 hours into it. I must admit, this review leaves me unsure whether to go for this one or not, as it is lacking in detail a bit... are there lots of upgrade options? Does it have a fair amount of equipment to sift through? I must admit that I don't mind if characters don't remember the slaying of the first dragon. Hmmmm. I think that I just like this kind of thing, so I might give it a shot.

1- Mr. Sun's Hatbox
2 - Star Ocean Second Story R
3 - Silent Hope
4 - Vampire Survivors
5 - Dredge

Looks like 1 and 3 on my list didn't do very well... don't hear many people mentioning those, sadly.

Merry Christmas, all! I wish you all a warm and peaceful time, whether with loved ones or alone. Hopefully this will be a moment of respite for those whom have had a tough year. Try to grab some of that festive cheer!

Am sad that Silent Hope didn't make it... has 8.3 at the moment, but only 4 votes. I spent around 90 hours on that one... it is very good, in my opinion.

Am very happy to see Star Ocean up there, though! Gorgeous game.

Mr Sun's Hat Box is my GOTY, but few seem to have played that one.

Am saddened to see Flashback 2 up there. I was really looking forward to that one. Is it really that bad? The early glimpses of it looked promising.

@Kirbo100
I am also surprised by this! Maybe not enough places reviewed it? It did look absolutely shocking.

Cue confusion from Nintendo's lawyers. 😆

@Yoshimaster55
Thanks for this! It really does sound like my need for messing around will be satisfied, so I will definitely pick this up. 😊

@EVIL-C
Or maybe @TenEighty just has very specific tastes. Nothing wrong with that!

@Letemspin
Thanks for the reply! That sounds good to me. I'm a big fan of messing around and taking my time in RPGs. 😊

Persona 5 looks like a sitter... especially as I love JRPGs. But... I have a concern, because I'm a grinder. I just love level grinding in RPGs, and I like to be unrestricted when it comes to pottering around. Do the time limits make this impossible? Silly question maybe, but I would like to know before heading in.

Well, it definitely looks like something a bit different to the usual! It's certainly an unusual concept. I'm just worried that it may end up being just another FPS with a gimmick. Am certainly intrigued, though!

@Morsel
Sounds like a horrible time. I am sorry for the loss of your friend, and I hope that your mother makes a speedy recovery. Stay strong.

I don't know why, but I plucked Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX out of my backlog. Quite good fun, should keep me going until Christmas. Also, Wobbuffet is my favourite Pokemon, and he has some hilarious scenes in this game! Have a great weekend, guys, and please stay safe out there.

The Monty Mole Collection! Cripes, where on Earth did that one spring from? Hopefully it is out in Europe too! I never did complete Wanted. I wonder if adult me could do it. Hard game, but wonderfully bizarre!

Tough choice! But the doggy on the Japan cover is just so flipping cute that I just had to go for that one.

@CharlieZee
Would this be your first Pokemon game on the Switch? If so, maybe consider Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl. But if you do fancy a more modern rendition... I would say that Scarlet and Violet are better than Sword and Shield, even with the issues... although some may disagree with me on that one! But I have (somehow!) played all of the mainline Pokemon games, and I would rank Sword and Shield as the worst. Just my view, though! I really enjoyed Scarlet myself.

Oddly, I took a break from Star Ocean Second Story R to have a quick runthrough of Resident Evil. I have completed it over 20 times now... I guess I just needed a little comfort. I am somehow tempted to try and beat my best time of two hours.

Star Ocean is pretty amazing, but the combat really grates after a while... it is really only necessary to press the same button over and over. Still a sensational remake, though.

Isaac is also tempting me back, although I am not a big fan of the changes made for Repentance, and I kinda wish that I could roll back to the previous version.

Have a great weekend, guys, and stay safe out there.

@OctoCallie20
Spare a thought for the poor coders currently smacking their head against this problem. I'm sure there's a bit of anguish going on out there right now. It may appear to be a "simple" problem from the outside, but who knows what complexities hide in the code?

Oh, wow! That is such a cool choice! He certainly deserves to be celebrated! I am excited for this.

That darn water sample puzzle in Resident Evil 3 (the original... am not sure if it is in the remake). It took me hours to figure that one out, and I'm usually pretty good with puzzles!

Those can't be the finished shops, surely. Looks like they rented some units, threw in a few shelves, and said: "There we go!" Or are they just short term "pop-up" shops?

@NatiaAdamo
That's a bit harsh, geezer. It's an interesting and fun rumour, no?

Man, I wish we could get the Indiana Jones game, but I am sure that licensing issues would stop that. H.E.R.O. would be great.

Oh, woah, hang on! Is that bonus entry fair? It's for a different game (it's a package). We're not comparing the same games this week. AND the bonus entry is just SO flipping cute, it's going to trash the others. Ollie... as a great philosopher once said... "Naughty, naughty... very naughty!!!"

Argh... they're both adorable! Damn. I have the Snorlax one. I think that my wife would disown me if I got these too, but... WORTH IT! 😆

@Kiyata
Couldn't agree more with you on Kirby's voice... it's just perfect, and always makes me smile, which is what Kirby is all about.

NINTENDO EMPLOYEE: "Sir, people keep complaining that Japan gets all of the good stuff which never comes overseas."

MIYAMOTO: "Oh! I know something that we can give them!"

Is it just me, or does his hair look like rhubarb?