@TheMudHutDweller You are the one citing 90% of games. AVS will support 100% old, new, and future homebrew games.
@retro_player_22 The Analogue NT mostly had issues because it utilized a beta version of the HDMI NES mod. It was caused by some sort of timing issue with the cart bus. Those issues have been largely fixed (CVIII and EverDrive are now working) but owners will need a firmware update to fix it. I have no idea how that would be handled on the NT as I don't own one.
Retro AVS will support firmware updates through the mini USB using standard drivers, in addition you can connect it to PC to upload scores to Nintendoage (scoreboard), and possibly cart dumping as well.
@tanookisuit AVS is not an emulator, and none of those launch homebrews will run on the Retron5 because it doesn't support the mapper.
@TheMudHutDweller "This thing is bargainous, even if it can only play 90% of the back catalogue."
You have the AVS confused with some NOAC clone or emulation box. Compatibility with vintage, new, and future games, including flash carts, should be 100% out of the box. And the AVS can technically read the logic inputs from a Zapper, only issue it is your HDTV that doesn't work with lightgun games.
Compared to Low Budget's Super Eight, the Analogue NT, or Kevtris/Game Tech HDMI NES upgrade, the AVS does all of those things and is a steal at $185. It's also the only console that doesn't use recycled components from old game hardware, crappy Chinese clone chips or stolen emulators.
@Kirk Regarding your NES clone in a cart, that is using a cheap crappy NOAC chip like all the other clones. Some people want quality. The AVS is far smaller than the original NES toaster but has nice sturdy plastic construction and a high quality PCB design. Too many manufacturers are already taking the "Let's make this as tiny and use the fewest resources possible so that it barely functions out of the box," approach.
Do you really expect collectors and gamers who care about quality will want to buy another $20-$40 clone system? What of the purported 100% compatibility? This system has a very nice retro inspired design that would fit in well with a vintage game collection. If you think it's cheap junk, then buy all means, get a Retron5 or $20 clone and watch it fail to load certain games or even fail completely after a couple months of service. AVS is built to last...
AVS is a day one purchase for me as I have been waiting and drooling over this thing since if was first announced on January 1st, 2013. I am so glad NintendoLife is covering this system because Brian Parker (founder of RetroUSB) needs all the hype, fanfare, and support he can get!
@retro_player_22 This is not an ordinary Famiclone. The Retron5 and Retro Freak do not work with homebrew or flash carts. Most Famiclones don't like Castlevania III and have audio or graphical issues with numerous titles.
AVS is an all new FPGA implementation that does not rely on Chinese clone chips or crapulation, and should have 100% compatability with all NES and Famicom accessories. AVS can technically work the Zapper, at least it can read the trigger pull and light detect inputs from it, so it can be used for playing homebrew stuff like Russian Roulette.
Your HDMI enabled flat panel HDTV is not compatible with Zapper, and if you hook up an old school NES to an HDTV, you will quickly realize your Zapper does not work on it either. You still need an old school CRT for Zapper games, so don't throw out those tubes just yet!
I just ordered one of these and a FC30 from Play Asia. In hindsight, I should have bought an extra wireless receiver for my NES30.
@jbopatrick It uses B+A. I've always prefered this style for some reason. B/A on GBA, DS, Wii/Wii-U VC just feels natural to me. Just look at the NES Dogbone and Game Boy / GBA design. They slant the buttons lower left to upper right. I also always use "B" or alt control mode option when playing All Stars on SNES or New Mario Bros.
It's the B/Y pad layouts that feel awkward to me, but to each his own. Lots of gamers disagree with me and I'm perfectly okay with that.
@CHET_SWINGLINE @Kevlar44 Been a most interesting read, arguing over the semantics of libraries renting out video games. Sometimes I enjoy a good forum drama, so long as it doesn't devolve into insults...
This is sad really. I only had one stage get deleted that exploited the "walk on spikes" glitch. I need to really go back into Mario Maker some more...
This mod looks terrible. I cringed as he pried the little piece of rubber off. A better idea would have been to use or fabricate a slider to go on top of the nub.
But the nub doesn't work like a slider. The slider moves around with little force. The nub is actually a force sensor, detecting pressure applied to it. A lot of force moves it a tiny distance so a slider still won't feel right.
This thing was limited to 1000 copies and was on sale for $30USD as a preorder from Play Asia. It sold out roughly three days after release. The $50 price tag quoted in the article is what most resellers are charging for it.
The soundtrack overall is very fresh and catchy; I am still amazed what the NES can do. I already had four other NES music carts in my collection, starting in 2012 with the Pink Floyd tribute album MOON8 by Brad Smith. For those wanting an uncut audiovisual demonstration of 8-bit Music Power in action, you can watch the full uncut video on my youtube channel, 43 minutes recorded live over composite from my unmodified AV Famicom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUih1OjG0XM
@ungibbed 8-bit Music Power does not use the Famicom expansion sound channel so should be compatible with NES hardware via an adapter. It runs on an MMC3 reproduction board using brand new parts.
Bayo all the way! I was clamouring about wanting her included ever since the game dropped. I hope they add in her Sarasaraland and Mushroom Kingdom princess costumes as alternates too...
Killing the frame rate by adding tons of objects is nothing new. I experienced this effect a lot in NES and SNES games, but especially noticeable in late era NES SHMUPs that were released simultaneously on 16-bit platforms. They became flicker fests in short order.
The Wii-U likely is limited in the number of simultaneous onscreen objects only by video RAM, which is probably large. As with any system, if you can cram enough mobile objects in a physics engine (all of which take away CPU resources), it will eventually slow down.
Honestly I'm kind of shocked so few objects can bog down a Gigahertz CPU core. Mario Maker was obviously not optimized well. Regardless, slowdown didn't break vintage game consoles and probably won't completely break the Mario Maker engine.
TTYD was/is amazing. The Gamecube version is a bit spendy but it's hands down the greatest in the series. It took everything great about the 64 version and expanded upon it.
Super was a hybrid adventure/platformer and was a great game in it's own right, but lacked turn based battle mechanic. The lack of badges and FP leaves a bit to be desired though.
Sticker Star made me want to cry. I played through the first 3 or 4 worlds before I lost interest.
Paper Jam I haven't bought yet so I can't comment. I have too much backloggery atm.
TTYD was/is amazing. The Gamecube version is a bit spendy but it's hands down the greatest in the series. It took everything great about the 64 version and expanded upon it.
Super was a hybrid adventure/platformer and was a great game in it's own right, but lacked turn based battle mechanic. The lack of badges and FP leaves a bit to be desired though.
Sticker Star made me want to cry. I played through the first 3 or 4 worlds before I lost interest.
Paper Jam I haven't bought yet so I can't comment. I have too much backloggery atm.
@shani Super Paper Mario was a great game, and I enjoyed it immensely. The dark and foreboding plot to "destroy all worlds" really developed a sense of urgency with the void growing as the game progressed, along with the destruction of the Sammar Kingdom. It just didn't feel like a true Paper Mario sequel without the battle mechanic. It was a platforming/adventure hybrid rather than a turn-based RPG. I think anyone can enjoy SPM if they look beyond the fact that it's not a turn based RPG. FP moves would have made a nice enhancement to the game however.
Sticker Star, on the other hand, the less said about it the better. Running out of stickers during a boss fight and being forced to resign is frustrating as heck, and the lack of partners or even a baseline jump/hammer attack created a deep void. Stickers are not sentient beings like pixels or partners but rather a disposable commodity. It's Paper Mario, but your only weapon is the item bag.
By comparison, Super Paper Mario had four party members to chose from, and a whole range of pixel assistants which took the place of traditional party members. This left a pretty big arsenal of moves and battle techniques. These pixels, especially Tippy/Tiptron, were bursting at the seams with personality. Also the game had gorgeous abstract art style.
@Souldin Year, all the Quick Change badge does is primarily make your party much more robust. You normally would waste either Mario's or a party member's turn to swap out. Like how Goombario/Goombella cannot attack spiked enemies and Koops/Kooper cannot attack flying enemies, so you essentially gotta waste a turn swapping out party members, or use an item or tactic instead of attacking. I thought you meant to say you can't swap partners in battle. In some games, this is true.
In Super Mario RPG for instance, you are limited to three party members at a time, Mario and two allies, who cannot be swapped out mid battle. Peach is initially the weakest, but once she ranks up and learns the healing ability, she becomes a valuable asset. I used Bowser because he's a brute and the strongest, with Peach last in line, so even if Mario or Boswer falls, she can revive everyone to full HP. Get too good whacks in per turn, heal, rinse and repeat. Although some Square fans prefer the Geno and Mallow combo for their powerful magic attacks which can make quick work of a boss. It's all preference.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can use everyone (all five) during the Smithy fight??? I made it to the last area of the game (Smithy's Castle) then shelved it for a while, only to find a year or two later that my save was deleted! The culprit, a busted solder joint on the replacement battery holder I installed. Ten minute fix, but that won't bring back the long hours I poured into the game...
@Tempestryke "Is that a bare boobied purple chick? Anyway, I love SPM so yay!"
Yep. LOL Flurrie. Gotta love a big purple woman wearing naught but a pearl necklace and earrings. Her "bounce" is hypnotic, and the first thing she does when she joins the party is to glomp Mario with a flying smooch... She is my favorite character of the bunch. Great HP rating when leveled up. Second only to Admiral Bobery in terms of power.
@Souldin "I wouldn't classify it as easy to change between characters like that in combat. The only time I can think that I found that easy to do was Wonderful 101, and in that game, it was more like executing a different attack rather than switching."
Paper Mario and TTYD have a quick change badge which is incredibly useful in battle, even if it uses a whopping 7 points in the sequel. Soppose you need to execute ground attack or air attack or the enemy become electrified and your current partner becomes useless. Switcheroo without wasting a single turn. Shadow Queen levels up her attack power to insane levels? No prob. Mario can still get a lick or two in before swapping out Vivian for her cloaking ability. Now her massive attack with 20+ HP worth of damage is averted.
@mjc0961 Ideally, the best solution would have been an HDMI converter that plugs into the Digital out. I think there was a proprietary DVI adapter or something available in Japan.
I do sort of miss using the Wii Component but my current setup has a CRT for the retro systems and a 1080p ASUS LCD gaming monitor for my modern systems. The gaming monitor is VGA, DVI, and HDMI only. I also use an HDMI switch to pass sound to the stereo.
My Wii was starting to fail before I transferred all my data to Wii-U. Luckily the transfer went by with only a minor hiccup at 90%. I transferred what I could to the Wii-U and was then able to resume the process from my Wii and finish it. My launch Wii was getting crashes and errors and I haven't touched it since I transferred the data over, but sometime I'll see if a factory reset will revive it. I may install the Homebrew softmod if it still works.
I still use the Wii-U's HD upscaler for Wii games (they are still 480p prior to upscale) and the Game Cube's stock A/V looks fabulous on my CRT and sounds great through my stereo. I'm honestly more interested in the N64 HDMI mod as the composite on a stock N64 looks like [insert term for donkey's rear].
@DarthKirby The digital out port is digital only. The component cable has a DAC that converts it to analog. Few peo0le ever bought them so they became collector's items.
Great idea. I had the leaf eReader card that came with my SMA4 game but never got to use it as I didn't have the eReader accessory. I got into GBA kind of late (2004) and by them they had clearanced out all the eReader stuff. It's expensive collector crap on eBay now, not worth the price of admission really.
Hot diggity! And please, please, please, return to the old badge system. I'm currently doing a second playthrough of Thousand Year Door after ten years and it's still awesome.
Super Paper Mario was a good game but didn't feel like a Paper Mario as the focus was on platforming and they removed the battle mechanic. Story was good though.
Sticker Star didn't wow me at all with it's reliance on stickers and a total absense of partners. It felt devoid of personality. We still need a true sequel to PM and PM:TTYD.
Yeah MK64's Rainbow Road track was painfully long. I always lamented it was impossible to save a ghost on that one because the track length exceeded the save time.
My Shovel Knight arrived today. No foil whatsoever but I unboxed it anyway. I scanned it into Yoshi's Wholly World and disappointingly there's no costume to unlock. The game treats it as a generic Yoshi. Weird. I gotta try Super Mario Maker next.
Also I haven't played Shovel Knight in a month of Sundays. I can't wait to check out the enhancements.
The NX will most likely be tablet like console that serves as both a portable and set top box. I like to imagine a much slimmer Game Pad with a slightly larger screen and powerful ARM processor in it that rivals the likes of what Apple use in their latest gadgets. They will have a rather small dock with HDMI and/or display port to TV and USB sockets for charging controllers. The unit will be backwards compatible with Wii-U Pro controllers for local multiplayer but not Wii-U games. It will also sport a 3DS card slot for backwards comatability with the DS/2DS. The screen will not have 3D capability.
When the NX is docked in the console dock, the ARM CPU will run in a high power turbo state to push full HD 1920x1080p60 graphics to the HDTV. When undocked, it runs in a lower power state and pushes SD or 720p graphics to the NX Gamepad screen. There will also be two SKUs of the NX, one in a phone size with dual sliders and low profile buttons for true on the go gaming, and one tablet sized unit with full buttons and thumbpads for comfortable around the house use.
Households with multiple NX units are able to share a unified account and save data will be syncronized between them with the push of a button. Games will be primarily available through the eShop however some popular AAA releases will be also be released on special game cards with 30+ year flash retention, starting at around 8gbytes up to a max designed capacity of 32Gbytes for future expansion. These physical cards have a similar form factor to 3DS card but with a notch on either side to share the same legacy slot with 3DS games.
NX will not be utilizing x86 as Sony and Microsoft because x86 consumes too much power to be viable for portable devices. PowerPC unfortunately is a dead architecture and will not be supported going forward so backwards compatibility with Wii/Wii-U will sadly not be possible. AAA third party developers will likely scorn the NX for it's refusal to use x86-64 architecture and Direct X, but with ARM quickly catching up in terms of Gigahertz and processing power, it will ultimately be a non issue with the next wave of ARM processors.
@GauBan North American Amiibo never had any paperwork but a couple PAL imports of mine did.
The scanning through the box defeat requires surgery of sorts. You make an incision on the base of the packaging where the back card meets the plastic, and use tweezers to remove the foil decal. More recent Amiibos I have purchased use a foil backed paperboard placed underneath the Amiibo base so the tweezer method won't work anymore. Also I noticed newer Amiibo have slimmer packaging too.
I don't see the big deal as I unbox all mine anyway. I believe they look better loose on a shelf than sealed on a wall or pegboard. The point of Amiibo are like real life Smash trophys. All loose too.
@Polyaqua SMRPG worked just fine on my Supaboy. I think it depends on what board revision you get. Kirby All Stars didn't work and that one uses the same chip.
They all run flawless on a genuine Super Nintendo or Super Retro Trio clone.
My Armatron with glass bezel (you can see the gears moving) costs $125 and looks way better than that hunk of junk. I mean, the bush isn't even the right color. Objects haphazardly placed. The designer apparently flunked fundamentals of design 101.
Comments 3,610
Re: retroUSB's HDMI NES, the AVS, is Heading for a Summer Release
@TheMudHutDweller Because I have been following this project for the past 3 years...
http://beta.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=92557
Re: retroUSB's HDMI NES, the AVS, is Heading for a Summer Release
@TheMudHutDweller You are the one citing 90% of games. AVS will support 100% old, new, and future homebrew games.
@retro_player_22 The Analogue NT mostly had issues because it utilized a beta version of the HDMI NES mod. It was caused by some sort of timing issue with the cart bus. Those issues have been largely fixed (CVIII and EverDrive are now working) but owners will need a firmware update to fix it. I have no idea how that would be handled on the NT as I don't own one.
Retro AVS will support firmware updates through the mini USB using standard drivers, in addition you can connect it to PC to upload scores to Nintendoage (scoreboard), and possibly cart dumping as well.
@tanookisuit AVS is not an emulator, and none of those launch homebrews will run on the Retron5 because it doesn't support the mapper.
Re: retroUSB's HDMI NES, the AVS, is Heading for a Summer Release
@TheMudHutDweller "This thing is bargainous, even if it can only play 90% of the back catalogue."
You have the AVS confused with some NOAC clone or emulation box. Compatibility with vintage, new, and future games, including flash carts, should be 100% out of the box. And the AVS can technically read the logic inputs from a Zapper, only issue it is your HDTV that doesn't work with lightgun games.
Compared to Low Budget's Super Eight, the Analogue NT, or Kevtris/Game Tech HDMI NES upgrade, the AVS does all of those things and is a steal at $185. It's also the only console that doesn't use recycled components from old game hardware, crappy Chinese clone chips or stolen emulators.
Re: retroUSB's HDMI NES, the AVS, is Heading for a Summer Release
@Kirk Regarding your NES clone in a cart, that is using a cheap crappy NOAC chip like all the other clones. Some people want quality. The AVS is far smaller than the original NES toaster but has nice sturdy plastic construction and a high quality PCB design. Too many manufacturers are already taking the "Let's make this as tiny and use the fewest resources possible so that it barely functions out of the box," approach.
Do you really expect collectors and gamers who care about quality will want to buy another $20-$40 clone system? What of the purported 100% compatibility? This system has a very nice retro inspired design that would fit in well with a vintage game collection. If you think it's cheap junk, then buy all means, get a Retron5 or $20 clone and watch it fail to load certain games or even fail completely after a couple months of service. AVS is built to last...
Re: retroUSB's HDMI NES, the AVS, is Heading for a Summer Release
AVS is a day one purchase for me as I have been waiting and drooling over this thing since if was first announced on January 1st, 2013. I am so glad NintendoLife is covering this system because Brian Parker (founder of RetroUSB) needs all the hype, fanfare, and support he can get!
@retro_player_22 This is not an ordinary Famiclone. The Retron5 and Retro Freak do not work with homebrew or flash carts. Most Famiclones don't like Castlevania III and have audio or graphical issues with numerous titles.
AVS is an all new FPGA implementation that does not rely on Chinese clone chips or crapulation, and should have 100% compatability with all NES and Famicom accessories. AVS can technically work the Zapper, at least it can read the trigger pull and light detect inputs from it, so it can be used for playing homebrew stuff like Russian Roulette.
Your HDMI enabled flat panel HDTV is not compatible with Zapper, and if you hook up an old school NES to an HDTV, you will quickly realize your Zapper does not work on it either. You still need an old school CRT for Zapper games, so don't throw out those tubes just yet!
Re: The Retro Receiver Allows You to Use Modern Bluetooth Controllers With the NES
I just ordered one of these and a FC30 from Play Asia. In hindsight, I should have bought an extra wireless receiver for my NES30.
@jbopatrick It uses B+A. I've always prefered this style for some reason. B/A on GBA, DS, Wii/Wii-U VC just feels natural to me. Just look at the NES Dogbone and Game Boy / GBA design. They slant the buttons lower left to upper right. I also always use "B" or alt control mode option when playing All Stars on SNES or New Mario Bros.
It's the B/Y pad layouts that feel awkward to me, but to each his own. Lots of gamers disagree with me and I'm perfectly okay with that.
Re: Nintendo Download: 21st April (North America)
Holy Cow Pinball is here!!!
EDIT: I just spent like $130 on season packs 1-4
Re: Weirdness: This Has To Be The Most Underhanded Way Of Obtaining The N64's Rarest Fighter
@CHET_SWINGLINE Yup.
Re: Weirdness: This Has To Be The Most Underhanded Way Of Obtaining The N64's Rarest Fighter
@CHET_SWINGLINE @Kevlar44 Been a most interesting read, arguing over the semantics of libraries renting out video games. Sometimes I enjoy a good forum drama, so long as it doesn't devolve into insults...
Re: Unreleased SNES Game Starring Bill Clinton's Cat Could Yet See The Light Of Day
If the Kickstarter fails, maybe Piko Interactive will buy it?
Re: Fooling The World With a 3D Printed NX Controller
With the way this story went viral, dude could make a mint off it on eBay...
Re: Soapbox: It's too Early to Judge Paper Mario: Color Splash
Please bring back partners...
Re: Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut Launches on the European Wii U eShop on 24th March
Awesome. I can't wait to replay the DSi classic again on Wii-U. I finished Pirates Curse but never got around to finishing the DSi game...
Re: Nintendo Seems To Be Deleting Super Mario Maker Levels Without Explanation Or Warning
This is sad really. I only had one stage get deleted that exploited the "walk on spikes" glitch. I need to really go back into Mario Maker some more...
Re: Random: New 3DS Owner Replaces the C-Stick With a PSP Stick
This mod looks terrible. I cringed as he pried the little piece of rubber off. A better idea would have been to use or fabricate a slider to go on top of the nub.
But the nub doesn't work like a slider. The slider moves around with little force. The nub is actually a force sensor, detecting pressure applied to it. A lot of force moves it a tiny distance so a slider still won't feel right.
I'd just leave well enough alone.
Re: Music: 8Bit Music Power Review
This thing was limited to 1000 copies and was on sale for $30USD as a preorder from Play Asia. It sold out roughly three days after release. The $50 price tag quoted in the article is what most resellers are charging for it.
The soundtrack overall is very fresh and catchy; I am still amazed what the NES can do. I already had four other NES music carts in my collection, starting in 2012 with the Pink Floyd tribute album MOON8 by Brad Smith. For those wanting an uncut audiovisual demonstration of 8-bit Music Power in action, you can watch the full uncut video on my youtube channel, 43 minutes recorded live over composite from my unmodified AV Famicom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUih1OjG0XM
@ungibbed 8-bit Music Power does not use the Famicom expansion sound channel so should be compatible with NES hardware via an adapter. It runs on an MMC3 reproduction board using brand new parts.
Re: 8 Bit Music Power is a New Famicom Release, Due Out 31st January
Longplay on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUih1OjG0XM
Re: Soapbox: Bayonetta Deserves to be in Super Smash Bros.
Bayo all the way! I was clamouring about wanting her included ever since the game dropped. I hope they add in her Sarasaraland and Mushroom Kingdom princess costumes as alternates too...
Re: USK Listing Reveals Picross 3D: Round 2 for Europe
I imported the Japanese edition of Picross 3D for DS before it ever dropped in North America and loved it. Too bad 3DS is region locked...
Re: Video: See the Very First Wii U & 3DS Game to Use Every Single amiibo
BUTTBUTT. LOL!
Re: Gallery: Legend Of Zelda Meets Minecraft In These Amazing Fan-Made Voxel Images
3D Dot Heroes was an excellent game. First thing I thought of when I saw this...
Re: 8 Bit Music Power is a New Famicom Release, Due Out 31st January
Mine just shipped from Play Asia. Looking forward to getting it.
Re: Video: See How Super Mario Maker's Slow Motion Glitch Works its Magic
Killing the frame rate by adding tons of objects is nothing new. I experienced this effect a lot in NES and SNES games, but especially noticeable in late era NES SHMUPs that were released simultaneously on 16-bit platforms. They became flicker fests in short order.
The Wii-U likely is limited in the number of simultaneous onscreen objects only by video RAM, which is probably large. As with any system, if you can cram enough mobile objects in a physics engine (all of which take away CPU resources), it will eventually slow down.
Honestly I'm kind of shocked so few objects can bog down a Gigahertz CPU core. Mario Maker was obviously not optimized well. Regardless, slowdown didn't break vintage game consoles and probably won't completely break the Mario Maker engine.
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
TTYD was/is amazing. The Gamecube version is a bit spendy but it's hands down the greatest in the series. It took everything great about the 64 version and expanded upon it.
Super was a hybrid adventure/platformer and was a great game in it's own right, but lacked turn based battle mechanic. The lack of badges and FP leaves a bit to be desired though.
Sticker Star made me want to cry. I played through the first 3 or 4 worlds before I lost interest.
Paper Jam I haven't bought yet so I can't comment. I have too much backloggery atm.
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
TTYD was/is amazing. The Gamecube version is a bit spendy but it's hands down the greatest in the series. It took everything great about the 64 version and expanded upon it.
Super was a hybrid adventure/platformer and was a great game in it's own right, but lacked turn based battle mechanic. The lack of badges and FP leaves a bit to be desired though.
Sticker Star made me want to cry. I played through the first 3 or 4 worlds before I lost interest.
Paper Jam I haven't bought yet so I can't comment. I have too much backloggery atm.
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
@shani Super Paper Mario was a great game, and I enjoyed it immensely. The dark and foreboding plot to "destroy all worlds" really developed a sense of urgency with the void growing as the game progressed, along with the destruction of the Sammar Kingdom. It just didn't feel like a true Paper Mario sequel without the battle mechanic. It was a platforming/adventure hybrid rather than a turn-based RPG. I think anyone can enjoy SPM if they look beyond the fact that it's not a turn based RPG. FP moves would have made a nice enhancement to the game however.
Sticker Star, on the other hand, the less said about it the better. Running out of stickers during a boss fight and being forced to resign is frustrating as heck, and the lack of partners or even a baseline jump/hammer attack created a deep void. Stickers are not sentient beings like pixels or partners but rather a disposable commodity. It's Paper Mario, but your only weapon is the item bag.
By comparison, Super Paper Mario had four party members to chose from, and a whole range of pixel assistants which took the place of traditional party members. This left a pretty big arsenal of moves and battle techniques. These pixels, especially Tippy/Tiptron, were bursting at the seams with personality. Also the game had gorgeous abstract art style.
@Souldin Year, all the Quick Change badge does is primarily make your party much more robust. You normally would waste either Mario's or a party member's turn to swap out. Like how Goombario/Goombella cannot attack spiked enemies and Koops/Kooper cannot attack flying enemies, so you essentially gotta waste a turn swapping out party members, or use an item or tactic instead of attacking. I thought you meant to say you can't swap partners in battle. In some games, this is true.
In Super Mario RPG for instance, you are limited to three party members at a time, Mario and two allies, who cannot be swapped out mid battle. Peach is initially the weakest, but once she ranks up and learns the healing ability, she becomes a valuable asset. I used Bowser because he's a brute and the strongest, with Peach last in line, so even if Mario or Boswer falls, she can revive everyone to full HP. Get too good whacks in per turn, heal, rinse and repeat. Although some Square fans prefer the Geno and Mallow combo for their powerful magic attacks which can make quick work of a boss. It's all preference.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can use everyone (all five) during the Smithy fight??? I made it to the last area of the game (Smithy's Castle) then shelved it for a while, only to find a year or two later that my save was deleted! The culprit, a busted solder joint on the replacement battery holder I installed. Ten minute fix, but that won't bring back the long hours I poured into the game...
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
@Tempestryke "Is that a bare boobied purple chick? Anyway, I love SPM so yay!"
Yep. LOL Flurrie. Gotta love a big purple woman wearing naught but a pearl necklace and earrings. Her "bounce" is hypnotic, and the first thing she does when she joins the party is to glomp Mario with a flying smooch... She is my favorite character of the bunch. Great HP rating when leveled up. Second only to Admiral Bobery in terms of power.
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
@Souldin "I wouldn't classify it as easy to change between characters like that in combat. The only time I can think that I found that easy to do was Wonderful 101, and in that game, it was more like executing a different attack rather than switching."
Paper Mario and TTYD have a quick change badge which is incredibly useful in battle, even if it uses a whopping 7 points in the sequel. Soppose you need to execute ground attack or air attack or the enemy become electrified and your current partner becomes useless. Switcheroo without wasting a single turn. Shadow Queen levels up her attack power to insane levels? No prob. Mario can still get a lick or two in before swapping out Vivian for her cloaking ability. Now her massive attack with 20+ HP worth of damage is averted.
Re: Hardware Review: We Look at a Definitive GameCube HDMI Mod
@mjc0961 Ideally, the best solution would have been an HDMI converter that plugs into the Digital out. I think there was a proprietary DVI adapter or something available in Japan.
I do sort of miss using the Wii Component but my current setup has a CRT for the retro systems and a 1080p ASUS LCD gaming monitor for my modern systems. The gaming monitor is VGA, DVI, and HDMI only. I also use an HDMI switch to pass sound to the stereo.
My Wii was starting to fail before I transferred all my data to Wii-U. Luckily the transfer went by with only a minor hiccup at 90%. I transferred what I could to the Wii-U and was then able to resume the process from my Wii and finish it. My launch Wii was getting crashes and errors and I haven't touched it since I transferred the data over, but sometime I'll see if a factory reset will revive it. I may install the Homebrew softmod if it still works.
I still use the Wii-U's HD upscaler for Wii games (they are still 480p prior to upscale) and the Game Cube's stock A/V looks fabulous on my CRT and sounds great through my stereo. I'm honestly more interested in the N64 HDMI mod as the composite on a stock N64 looks like [insert term for donkey's rear].
Re: Hardware Review: We Look at a Definitive GameCube HDMI Mod
@wazlon If you purchased at launch, you're covered. Only the later released Game Cubes removed the digital port, because nobody used them.
But Wii Component is good enough in my opinion if you have a b/c model.
Re: Hardware Review: We Look at a Definitive GameCube HDMI Mod
@DarthKirby The digital out port is digital only. The component cable has a DAC that converts it to analog. Few peo0le ever bought them so they became collector's items.
Re: Here's a Breakdown of the Extra e-Reader Levels in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Wii U
Great idea. I had the leaf eReader card that came with my SMA4 game but never got to use it as I didn't have the eReader accessory. I got into GBA kind of late (2004) and by them they had clearanced out all the eReader stuff. It's expensive collector crap on eBay now, not worth the price of admission really.
Re: Rumour: Intelligent Systems Is Working On New Paper Mario For Wii U
Hot diggity! And please, please, please, return to the old badge system. I'm currently doing a second playthrough of Thousand Year Door after ten years and it's still awesome.
Super Paper Mario was a good game but didn't feel like a Paper Mario as the focus was on platforming and they removed the battle mechanic. Story was good though.
Sticker Star didn't wow me at all with it's reliance on stickers and a total absense of partners. It felt devoid of personality. We still need a true sequel to PM and PM:TTYD.
Re: Video: See How Much Mario Kart has Changed Since Mario Kart 64
Yeah MK64's Rainbow Road track was painfully long. I always lamented it was impossible to save a ghost on that one because the track length exceeded the save time.
Re: Wii U Emulator, Cemu, Runs Games Like Super Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8 in Version 1.3.0
I can't say I'm not both impressed and a bit disappointed by this news...
Re: Hyperkin's GameCube-Inspired ProCube Pad is Now Up for Pre-Order
Seems to me this would be a bad choice for SNES Wii-U VC games...
Re: Bayonetta 2 to Have a Standalone North American Release on 19th February
The fact there will be an Amiibo released for this Smash Bros DLC makes me all giddy inside like a schoolgirl. Bayonetta is smexy!
Re: 1994 Patent Reveals Nintendo Was Looking To Create A Super Mario Maker-Style Experience Through Unique Hardware
Fascinating... I would have loved to tinker with such a setup.
Re: Yes, You Can Scan The Shovel Knight amiibo While It's Still In Its Box
My Shovel Knight arrived today. No foil whatsoever but I unboxed it anyway. I scanned it into Yoshi's Wholly World and disappointingly there's no costume to unlock. The game treats it as a generic Yoshi. Weird. I gotta try Super Mario Maker next.
Also I haven't played Shovel Knight in a month of Sundays. I can't wait to check out the enhancements.
Re: Video: Everything We Know About Nintendo NX, So Far
The NX will most likely be tablet like console that serves as both a portable and set top box. I like to imagine a much slimmer Game Pad with a slightly larger screen and powerful ARM processor in it that rivals the likes of what Apple use in their latest gadgets. They will have a rather small dock with HDMI and/or display port to TV and USB sockets for charging controllers. The unit will be backwards compatible with Wii-U Pro controllers for local multiplayer but not Wii-U games. It will also sport a 3DS card slot for backwards comatability with the DS/2DS. The screen will not have 3D capability.
When the NX is docked in the console dock, the ARM CPU will run in a high power turbo state to push full HD 1920x1080p60 graphics to the HDTV. When undocked, it runs in a lower power state and pushes SD or 720p graphics to the NX Gamepad screen. There will also be two SKUs of the NX, one in a phone size with dual sliders and low profile buttons for true on the go gaming, and one tablet sized unit with full buttons and thumbpads for comfortable around the house use.
Households with multiple NX units are able to share a unified account and save data will be syncronized between them with the push of a button. Games will be primarily available through the eShop however some popular AAA releases will be also be released on special game cards with 30+ year flash retention, starting at around 8gbytes up to a max designed capacity of 32Gbytes for future expansion. These physical cards have a similar form factor to 3DS card but with a notch on either side to share the same legacy slot with 3DS games.
NX will not be utilizing x86 as Sony and Microsoft because x86 consumes too much power to be viable for portable devices. PowerPC unfortunately is a dead architecture and will not be supported going forward so backwards compatibility with Wii/Wii-U will sadly not be possible. AAA third party developers will likely scorn the NX for it's refusal to use x86-64 architecture and Direct X, but with ARM quickly catching up in terms of Gigahertz and processing power, it will ultimately be a non issue with the next wave of ARM processors.
Re: The Princess Daisy Costume is Finally Coming to Super Mario Maker
I'm still waiting on that fabled Mario Party wave 2 Amiibo with Classic Wario costume, a new pose Rosalina, and of course Daisy and Waluigi Amiibos...
Re: Yes, You Can Scan The Shovel Knight amiibo While It's Still In Its Box
@GauBan North American Amiibo never had any paperwork but a couple PAL imports of mine did.
The scanning through the box defeat requires surgery of sorts. You make an incision on the base of the packaging where the back card meets the plastic, and use tweezers to remove the foil decal. More recent Amiibos I have purchased use a foil backed paperboard placed underneath the Amiibo base so the tweezer method won't work anymore. Also I noticed newer Amiibo have slimmer packaging too.
I don't see the big deal as I unbox all mine anyway. I believe they look better loose on a shelf than sealed on a wall or pegboard. The point of Amiibo are like real life Smash trophys. All loose too.
Re: Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Wii U eShop / SNES)
@Polyaqua SMRPG worked just fine on my Supaboy. I think it depends on what board revision you get. Kirby All Stars didn't work and that one uses the same chip.
They all run flawless on a genuine Super Nintendo or Super Retro Trio clone.
Re: Weirdness: Conceptual Artist Attempts Tetris World Record as a Metaphor of Capitalism
@Kasplat Nice vid thanx 4 sharing...
Re: Weirdness: Conceptual Artist Attempts Tetris World Record as a Metaphor of Capitalism
How is this a world record? There's tons of youtube videos online of people rolling the score at a million.
Re: Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Wii U eShop / SNES)
No love for NA?
Re: Masahiro Sakurai Talks About the New Fighters Soon to be Added to Super Smash Bros.
Awesome Sauce!!!
Re: Random: Take a Look at This Unofficial Version of Moonview Highway on Mario Kart 7
Textures could use improvement but overall very nice. Moonview highway was one of my favorite Wii courses.
Re: Random: Check Out the Most Expensive Super Mario Watch in the World
My Armatron with glass bezel (you can see the gears moving) costs $125 and looks way better than that hunk of junk. I mean, the bush isn't even the right color. Objects haphazardly placed. The designer apparently flunked fundamentals of design 101.
Re: 8 Bit Music Power is a New Famicom Release, Due Out 31st January
Do want. I have three music carts so far, MOON8, BitPuritans, and Silicone Statue. I also collect Famicom and chiptunes on Vinyl.