Ooyah

@gcunit I was just halding a little joke. Don't be angry... hald mercy!

@gcunit How can you not know what a hald is? Have you never heard the famous expression "Football is a game of two halds?". Honestly.

Everybody else is commenting about AAA batteries, so why can't I?

AAA batteries are hella cute.

It always looks like a rooster to me... 😆

It always makes me smile when even the staid and serious ESRB use the word "jiggle". 😆

I am horrified and captivated at the same time.

Great news! Hopefully this gets confirmed for Europe soon. I adored the first Mystical Ninja game on the N64 (sadly, I missed out on the second one). I don't mind if it's on the easier side, as it just sounds like a really fun experience.

The problem with the BotW version is that it looks like the branches are actually going through his eyes. Makes me wince every time that I see it!

@Doctor-Moo
"My name is Adol Christin. Pleased to meet you."

"My name is Boats. Just Boats."

EDIT: Also, just imagine a really dramatic scene, where they are desperately calling out to each other:

"ADOL!"

"BOOOOOAAAAAAATTTTTSSSSSSS!!!"

Oh man... the game will be a let down for me now! 😆

Ys VIII (Lacrimosa Of Dana) would be in my all time top 10 (which otherwise is mostly games from the 80s and 90s). I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed by IX, but I have very high hopes for this one.

I loved the last Shin Chan game, so am strongly tempted by this. Doesn't look quite as charming or goofy, but it still looks quite captivating.

...and, yeah... that was the day I stopped believing in Gavin. 😆

Blimey! This looks simply marvellous! Wow. Definitely count me in for this one.

Maybe it's just because I miss the games so much, but... I am getting Jack The Nipper vibes from this. I do like games where you can just mess about and cause chaos (like Untitled Goose Game), so I will most likely check this out.

I think that the Europe cover is moodier, and more atmospheric, so I went for that one. The NA / Japan cover is rather nice, but I prefer the sombre tone of isolation for Castlevania games.

I hate to say it, but I always found the character tedious, obnoxious, creepy, vain, delusional, and stupid. I like goofy characters, but he was just... stupid. Gosh, actually... I dislike him more than I realised! 😮

@Synecdoche I'm not sure if the objections are because there is no score... it's just that the review is unfinished. I guess it's a bit like a movie review where the critic only saw half of the film! Also.. there's no real clue here as to why the review is still in progress. It just breeds the feeling, for me, that the review is incomplete and, therefore, something is missing... but what exactly?

Gosh, I'm a bit confused by this! Why was this published without a score? Is it to give the devs time to patch it? If the review is in progress, then I guess that nothing should be taken from it for the moment, and it should be "ignored", so to speak? What I mean by that is no conclusions should be drawn just yet? Maybe a little note to say why it is still in progress would help?

@Thisdamian Am feeling you on all of that. Particularly what you say about adding more games feeling like an addiction. Maybe that's just the universal "thrill" of buying something new. I'm often scanning the eShop for something new to buy, even though I have untouched games. Talking about it like this gives me a feeling which I can't quite name, and I am not sure if I like it. It's a curious thing!

I have an absurd backlog. Some unstarted games, which I picked up on impulse or because of sales... and many more just unfinished. I remember, when I was a kid, getting a new game and playing it for weeks, or even months. And I would think to myself "When I grow up and get a job, I will buy all of the games!!!". But, now that I can, I wonder if this is actually better. Sigh.

I'm not sure what to think concerning Monb's missive!

Anyway, I have to go... another stupid came all over the place trying to steal my Weetabix!

@Ace-Lucario Well, the article uses the word "fidget", so one would hope so. They certainly look like they can be interacted with. They all look amazing!

I never know what to do with the Tales games. I absolutely loved Tales Of Hearts R, but I really disliked Symphonia and Zestiria. I have Vesperia, but haven't started it. The games seem to vary quite a bit in "tone". I loved the goofiness of Hearts. So I have no idea if Xillia will be for me or not.

I think that the EU/NA one looks a bit garish / sickly, to be honest. I really like the Japan one, it has a nice feel to it.

@acbarebear Brilliant point regarding the ghost replays. That would help massively. And I cannot really fault your concluding paragraph either, I think you're right. Speed running does lose something integral if one cannot compare their time to others. I can feel that.

Somewhat bizarrely, I had a sudden urge to play Diablo 3! So I started a new campaign in that, as a Barbarian. Looks like I dropped off it after 20 hours before, so let's see what happens this time. I will also be tempted to tinker more with my decks in Metal Slug Attack Reloaded. Have resisted the NES Championships thing... it just feels too "slight" and familiar. Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

@acbarebear @ironcore I wonder if this was a conscious decision by Nintendo, considering how often online leader boards find their top ten filled with hackers registering times below one second? So often, it is so hard to tell if times are legit or not. I find that really mars online leaderboards for me. Friend leader boards would work, though!

I will be tempted, but it has the feel of something that I have already played too many times. I wish they'd chosen an arena which feels fresher than NES games, to be honest.

I would just like to officially state that I am probably not working on Emio. Just to get that out of the way.

It's just utter chaos, really, isn't it? 😆

@BillyB I had a tape of the Outrun music too! I think it came with C and VG, maybe? I remember that it had music from 720° on the other side. I listened to it so much, I wore it out! 😆 Yeah, the Speccy and the C64 had some amazing arcade conversions. Rainbow Islands was incredible too. I hope you continue to enjoy Parasol Stars!

I finally upgraded to a 1TB SD card! Had to archive a lot of games to make the transfer, so am now re-downloading everything. And... even though I have the physical on (never-ending!) pre-order from Strictly Limited, I downloaded the digital version of Parasol Stars. Still magical and gorgeous, even after all these years. Am still playing Metal Slug Attack: Reloaded, but am probably almost done with it now. Maybe! 😆 Also... I picked up some Evercade carts for my new Super Pocket, so will check those out. Yeah, I really treated myself this week... but I will leave the guilt until later!!! 😆 Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

@Ristar24 Believe it or not, I can still remember reading about this in Zzap!64. The headline was "Parasol Stars Scuppered". I was so gutted, particularly as the C64 ports of Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands were both sensational.

@joey302 Crikey. Well, we can always keep an eye on their excellent status updates, which always seem to be "ROM is currently in testing"... because, of course, it takes well over a year to test a ROM! Yep!!! 😆 It is particularly baffling in this specific case, as they have just released it digitally! I think it's because they still have (at the time of writing) "54% left" of their 2,500 allocation. They're probably waiting to sell more, although that seems unlikely now! Whatever is going on, it's pretty shoddy!

@-wc- It's funny that you should mention this, as I just became aware of it last week! Evercade have another Data East cart coming in November, and it is on there. I was only familiar with the other Joe & Mac games up to that point. Is it good? Would be lovely to hear what you think about it, if you have a moment. I was certainly intrigued to learn of it!

@BillyB Yep, it's much closer to Bubble Bobble than Rainbow Islands. It's in the same "elimination" genre. The "throwing" mechanic reminds me a bit of Rodland. That is also fantastic, and would be in my all time top ten (along with Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands!). I love this kind of game. Snow Bros. too!

@AllieKitsune True! I just think that I would prefer a slightly cheaper option, to be honest. As a Taito nut, though, it has always been a constant temptation!

God only knows when Strictly Limited plan to ship this (if ever!), so I downloaded it. Absolutely brilliant game. Looks simply gorgeous, and plays like a dream. Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, and this constitute a simply staggering trilogy, the best ever, in my opinion. Now if only there was an easy way to access Symphony and Memories...

I have this on an Evercade cart, but haven't played it yet! I must address that. Also, I'm glad to see Cool Spot being mentioned! I had that on the Amiga, it's fantastic... full of character and charm! But I guess that licensing issues would mess that one up these days. ☹️

That's a bit more like it! Nice selection. Dead Connection looks interesting. I consider myself to be quite a fan of Taito, but I've never heard of that one! Still no Chase HQ, though. It isn't on the Taito edition of the Super Pocket, either. Hopefully we will see it somewhere soon, as people seem to be very fond of it. Come on, Taito... "Let's go, Mr. Driver!" 😆

Cats and fish, living together... MASS HYSTERIA!

The NA cover is rather charming, I feel, but the EU/Japan one gets my vote. I too love the expression on the face of the guy doing the punching... "Oh no! Who left that manhole open! I didn't mean for that to happen!" 😆

I absolutely adored the last Shin-Chan game, it was magical. I am not sure if this will be quite as absurd, but if it has the same warmth and charm, I will be all over this.

@FishyS So, the Rabbit game has a dedicated "tantrum" button? I think that you have just sold me on this one! 😆

I had to check my calendar at first! 😆 But this actually looks fantastic... and hilarious. It is so nice to see something fun like this. I've never tried an entry in this series, but my interest is definitely piqued! I will look forward to seeing more. The movement in particular looks lovely.

I have mainly been plugging away at Metal Slug Attack: Reloaded. Somehow, I have passed 50 hours already, I have no idea how. Even though some of the difficulty spikes are absolutely insane, I have been thoroughly enjoying it. So I will be carrying on with that. I am already eyeing up Battle Cats, which has just dropped in the EU eshop! 😆 I hear that it is similar, but better. I have also just picked up a Super Pocket! Taito edition, of course. 😊 Thought that I would, ahead of the release of the Thalamus Collection. Can't wait to play C.R.E.A.T.U.R.E.S. and Summer Camp again. Have a great weekend, guys, and take great care of yourselves out there.

I don't usually criticise but, my goodness... people will post anything these days. What will the next innovation be? I mean... if I Pat Cashed into my Gamecube, would that mean it is now a toilet? For crying out loud!

EDIT: Sorry... man, have I been in a bad mood today! Stroppy Ooyah... 😆

I'm really looking forward to the Thalamus collection on Evercade. Back in the day, I adored C.R.E.A.T.U.R.E.S. and Summer Camp, and I am anxious to see if they hold up still. I think that they will. I re-played Kokotoni Wilf the other day, and absolutely loved it!

Balatro, for me. Am over 230 hours now, and still playing. Has been a while since a game gripped me quite this hard. The only other contender that I have so far is Library Of Ruina, which blew me away. Although I should mention Pocket Card Jockey also!

Ah, they got the D and the K the wrong way around. This is a Kong Dong game, correct? Well, even with that mistake, I will go for the Europe cover.