blackice85

@Tempestryke I guess maybe our definitions just differ a bit here. Usually when I hear that word, I think of a game that wants you to backtrack or take a lot of detours to get things. That generally wasn't the case in Yoshi's Island, the levels were mostly linear so as long as you collected coins as you went, you generally wouldn't miss much.

It's not like the red coins and flowers were hidden in nooks and crannies everywhere, most of them were in plain view. The most easily missed ones were hidden in wooden posts you had to pound, but once you learned that and kept an eye out for them it wasn't bad either.

@liveswired Really? That's a shame, I thought most levels were a lot of fun and had a lot of variation between them. The only one that was a bit annoying the first time around was that one extra level that was a maze. Took me a bit to figure out the correct path, and I did miss some coins the first time.

@Gridatttack That's how it always was for me too. Even way back on my very first playthrough I'd often get 100%, or nearly so, on the first try. Most of the time it wasn't so much that items were hidden, it was just a matter of not overlooking something as you progressed through the level.

Am I the only one who thinks this wasn't a collectathon? It's not like you had to make lots of detours or backtracking to get the red coins or flowers, most of them are along the route. And I'm the kind of person who usually doesn't try to 100% games because it's often tedious, but I didn't think that was the case here. For the most part as long as you were thorough about collecting coins and stomping posts, you wouldn't miss much.

@Gridatttack If he's looking for one send him here, this guy compares tons of different options, but the XRGB-mini is generally the best overall atm

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

There's also a very long but still active thread about that unit here
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33450

It's a long read but it's worth it before deciding to buy expensive equipment like that, so he'll know what he's getting into and what else he'll need to connect his consoles. Bottom line is that getting a good one isn't cheap, but the results are worth it if it's something you're interested in.

Edit: Just realized that first link can be overwhelming, here's a direct link to the XRGB-mini review
http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/framemeister.html

@Gridatttack Yeah if you just hook them up directly to modern displays they'll look terrible. I personally use an XRGB-mini Framemeister, it's specifically designed for upscaling retro consoles to modern displays. There are lots of reviews on various forums and youtube, though the videos might not do it justice unless the video quality itself was good of course.

To get the most out of it you need to mod the console however, though it's an easy mod. Main problem here is the expense, that device is pricey ($300 atm), but you can get emulator-like results on your TV using the original hardware, which is what the signal is really like before it gets downgraded over the crappy RF/composite connections. It can even add scanlines, which give the old 240p games a more authentic CRT look.

And of course I don't expect you to go out and buy one just to compare games or anything, just throwing it out there that it's possible to get old systems to look good on new displays.

@Gridatttack Oh it's fine if you prefer it, I'm just saying the GBA port isn't as good for a number of reasons. And again, try playing the SNES version again if you get the chance, ideally on a system with a RGB mod and either a RGB capable monitor or upscaler (admittedly expensive if you're not already into that stuff), or good PC emulation. You mentioned nostalgia glasses in your prior post (now edited), but some of us here aren't just going off memories from 20 years ago.

I'm actually enjoying the visuals on old games even more than when I was a kid, since I'm not using RF or composite hookups. God those were horrible lol.

@Gridatttack In what way is it superior exactly? Aside from the extra levels it's worse. Lower framerate, lower quality music, worse (IMO) sound effects, cropped viewing area, brightened color palette, and some reduced visual effects. It's certainly playable and hardly the worst port job, but you're way off base if you think it's better.

Seriously play them side by side, either on a RGB modded SNES or good PC emulation, and the GBA version next to it. It will be very obvious which is better on a technical level.

Aww yeah, Yoshi's Island is my favorite Mario title, even over SMW. I loved the variety and the challenge was perfect. It took some skill but it never felt like it was unfairly difficult. Even getting perfect scores didn't feel too tedious. The game wasn't meant to be fast paced so you didn't feel like you were forced to slow down too much.

For favorite platformers, it's a close tie between this and the DKC trilogy (or more specifically DKC2).

That's what I find most amazing about those CDi games, that Nintendo gave them so much freedom with the IP. I'd love if I knew more details about that deal. I mean it would be one thing if the deal was for Nintendo to develop and release titles on the system, but to give Philips free reign like that? Unbelievable, I just can't imagine what made them do that.

My SNES was a bundle that included this and Super Mari World, so I put a crazy number of hours into this game. It was one of those games that I truly felt like I knew inside and out.

@The__Goomba He could get sued even if he was no longer employed there, so he'd better hope they don't trace it to him. And if they did find out it was him, not only would there be the lawsuit but it would further ruin his chances at further employment. So basically it's a suicidal act on his part.

@Kirk But he made a legal agreement to not express his opinions or reveal information. Nintendo didn't have a wiretap on his phone and listen to his private conversations (which could still get him in trouble if something became public by accident), he made public statements willingly. Yes it sucks he lost his job, but he chose that.

@TTGlider Yep, regardless of the content, he would be seen as a liability who can't keep secrets. I doubt his boss took any joy over firing him, they know what that's going to do to his personal life and his future in the industry, but what he did was a big deal and the company can't take that kind of risk. They're probably just thankful that's all he said.

@Kirk Freedom and rights relate to government authority, not a private entity that employs you and that you willingly work for. He undoubtedly signed a contract agreeing not to disclose private information without authorization, again something he did willingly. He didn't have any 'right' to speak to the public about the company he works for, not without suffering the consequences. Yeah it seems harsh that it's having such a big effect on himself and his family, but it can be damaging to the company, which in turn can be damaging to the rest of it's employees.

Breaking a NDA is probably one of the worst offenses you can commit in a corporation, especially an entertainment related one.

@FLUX_CAPACITOR Yup, I'm shocked at how many people are angry at Nintendo over this. It sucks that he got himself fired and is now out of his dream job, but NDAs are standard practice. Nintendo wasn't being especially mean, any company would have fired him. Like you said, sounds like a lot of people have never held a corporate job (not that there's anything wrong with that). But I always figured it was common knowledge myself.

It might seem like too harsh a punishment, but how else would you ensure secrecy? Think about it, for all the hundreds and thousands of individuals working in the industry, there's very few leaks about developing games or other internal stuff. That's because of NDAs, and the certainty of being fired for breaking them. Very few people are willing to risk their job and career in the industry, so they keep their mouths shut, and it generally works as a result.

@Yorumi It reminds me of the stupid messages I see in some 3DS games telling me not to play too long. It's not overly disruptive or anything, but it's just kinda insulting.

That's not good that there is a difference like that between retail and development machines, kinda defeats the purpose of using them when it comes to testing.

@HawkeyeWii That's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to Shiness, it's got a style that's not seen too often nowadays.

Never played the original but it sounds like I'll have fun with it, and especially at that price it's hard to say no.

@Vineleaf Heh, I feel that way with my own game library. Yeah digital takes up less physical space obviously and is thus more convenient, but looking over titles on a screen doesn't feel the same as browsing over my own shelves.

@bstoppel I don't blame them for having the small amount of flash, but I'd have preferred it if the system were slightly larger for a 2.5" HDD bay.

I had been saying this all along with the Wii U. They really should have had Mario Kart or Smash Bros ready as a launch title or soon after. The sidescrolling Mario platformers are good of course, but I just don't think they have the same kind of lasting impact that the other two do, it's not a system seller for most. The co-op action is a great advertisement too, that would help get those friends to buy their own system to play on.

@SupremeAllah Yeah I was an AMD user back in the day, really liked my Athlon XP and the Duron before it. Intel has them beat now on raw power and efficiency, but they're still great value for the money.

I don't know if an APU would be inherently bad, since the PS4 uses one. It does make me wonder if they'll go that route though, since that's what AMD is pushing. That would probably necessitate a switch from PowerPC, I wonder how difficult backwards compatibility would be then.

@123akis Well obviously lol, I was talking in context of gaming consoles.

I couldn't say which is more significant for them at this point, but winning the contracts to make GPUs for all three systems this generation must have been very good for them.

@Benjelo AMD? Oh yeah they've been in business for quite a while, they've always been the underdog to Intel's CPU business. More recently in 2006 they acquired ATI, which was Nvidia's main competitor in GPUs, so now they produce both CPUs and GPUs, as well as the more recent APUs which combine both on a single chip. But yeah I'm not surprised that they're doing the GPUs again either.

@Benjelo They made the CPU/GPU for both the PS4 and Xbone, and the GPU for Wii U (uses Power PC for CPU). They also did the GPU for the 360, as well as the Gamecube and Wii (think they were still ATI then), and possibly others. So yeah they've been doing console work for a while now.

@DefHalan Pretty sure it's just aesthetics, yes.

@Tsusasi And what fan feedback would there even be? We've not seen a whole lot of the game to begin with.

@EllenJMiller That's a good point about the print run. It's the kind of game I'd usually wait to pick up later rather than at launch, but in this case that may come back to bite me later.

@MrGuinea That would be hard to beat, with their combined exclusive properties along with the power and 3rd party support.

@RCMADIAX I still think Sega would have screwed itself over and died, but possibly a bit slower. Yeah the Playstation and PS2 wrecked the Saturn and Dreamcast, but Sega made a number of missteps leading up to that point (actually the Saturn itself was a big one). It wasn't one critical failure, and it wasn't just because they were behind in sales. They had wasted a lot of money over the years.

I like multiplayer games in concept, local co-op in particular, but personally it's just been less practical as an adult. It's just harder for me to meet up with friends in general, and it's not always to play videogames either. So lately I tend to only focus on single player experiences, multiplayer is just a bonus.

@Tsurii That's the problems with ratings in general, it's all relative. At the time yes it was easily 9/10 or better. But you can't really rate it the same way today because it's obviously going to be compared to what came after it, including games that took inspiration from it. You can still call it a 10/10 game or whatever you'd rate it as, but it's important to qualify that statement and note what you're comparing it to.

@gaby_gabito Agreed. The 3DS versions of OoT and MM are the definitive versions IMO, unless you absolutely hate playing on a portable. The FPS change alone, while it sounds small, makes the gameplay more fluid and faster. And not so much that it feels sped up, but that the original felt like it was slowed down from what it should have been.

@faint Same here, I've heard of people asking for it on the 3DS, but not anything from Nintendo.

@JakeOfAllTrades Yeah they're usually enjoyable but usually not different enough from one another that you're hyped about it. This one just has so much potential.

@RupeeClock You'd also have to add functions for environment triggers, like a gate opening when you hit a switch. It's not impossible, but they're right that it'd be quite a bit more complex, regardless of which style(s) of Zelda games they base it on.

@Captain_Gonru Well you probably wouldn't be able to fly far enough to get everywhere (and it only recharges when you disembark), but vehicle mode doesn't consume fuel and is still pretty fast.

@aaronsullivan Oh I'll play with it sure, but I'm typically not the sort who makes mods or levels or anything. I did like how fast and easy it looked too, this would probably be a pain without the stylus and touchscreen.

I'm just excited that we'll have a more centralized place to share levels. Running hacked roms isn't that hard but it's not intuitive for most people, if they're even aware of them in the first place.

@aaronsullivan Yeah I'm not much of a designer but I'll get this just to play the levels people make. And there will be tons, people have already been hacking Mario ROMs for years, but now there is finally an intuitive platform to easily edit and share them between people. I think there will be plenty of value in the title.

I really hope there is DLC for this to expand it's capabilities, like adding SMB2 tile sets and mechanics. Even better would be Yoshi's Island too, but that might be a lot more complicated.

@Spectra_Twilight Ah ok, makes sense. Thanks

I don't think I've actually seen an example of it, but I'm assuming you'd grow into a larger version with a mushroom right?

@whodatninja It always baffles me when companies make those kinds of decisions. Do they not even bother to ask people outside the company what they would think? Of course the fanbase is going to be insulted, even if this turns out to be a good game in its own right. Like you, I'm feeling bad for the developers.

I would take issue with 3 and 4, I think both can be legitimate tactics.

@MrMario02 Yeah it's amazing what they were able to accomplish with it. That's why some programmers have said that having limitations like that can be a good thing, it forces them to get creative and make the most of what little they have.

@CaviarMeths Yeah I'd love to learn it myself, but come on that's easier said than done lol. I mean I know some people can pick up new languages more easily than others, but for most that's no small feat and requires quite a time investment.

Hah, that's cool. It's a pretty good game, though it had a fatal flaw that still baffles me: no saving. The game isn't actually that long if you know where everything is and what order to do it in, but chances are you'll spend quite a while wandering around which made completing it in one sitting difficult.

I wonder if he's got any of the second game, Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues. That was a decent Contra clone, I had a blast with the co-op. Another game that wasn't that long but was challenging enough that you probably wouldn't finish too quickly.

@GoneFishin Last I checked it was supposedly cycle accurate with everything, provided your machine could handle it of course.

@retro_player_22 Same, that's about as 'official' of a release as we'll ever get.

@IceClimbers Well they will be having their own press conference at E3, but I'm not getting my hopes up.