Comments 1,175

Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Metroid Prime Remastered?

cyrus_zuo

It is so pretty!

...my only complaint?
More save spots please! I don't always have 1 hr+ to get to the next one, and others in my family will play the Switch, so suspend isn't the answer.

I've really enjoyed many of the Metroids in that they can have 15-20 minute play sessions between save spots - that fits my active lifestyle better!

Re: Ubisoft Share Price Tumbles After Dire Sales Report

cyrus_zuo

Sparks of Hope looks great...
...and it is space themed (which typically doesn't do as well in a casual marketplace)
...and they discounted the first one SO HEAVILY after I bought it that I wouldn't consider buying Sparks of Hope until it is <$20 - and the problem is by then I may be busy playing something else (I don't understand why Ubisoft and others discount their games so heavily - but I'm sure they do).

Re: Here Are Metacritic's Highest-Rated Switch Games Of 2022

cyrus_zuo

I don't agree with or find the list useful for helping me pick out what games I'll buy, but I'm glad others do.

At the same time, I wish there was a review site that reflected my interest in Nintendo. I feel like what makes Nintendo different has been getting more and more lost over the years since Iwata passed away.

Is this list of games any different than the types of games you find on other consoles?

For me:
I loved Kirby & Switch Sports this year and am still playing Switch Sports online weekly. I played a lot of the new DLC for Mario Kart.
My son and I played through Rogue Heroes.
My kids an I continued our 4+ year play of Spelunker Party.
My kids and wife kept Animal Crossing going.

Beyond that?

  • I put a lot of time into Skyward Sword getting to 100% and marveling at how beautiful the game was with camera controls.
  • I was enthralled by the 'feel' of Phantom Hourglass playing it on my WiiU. It feels like it was made by a Nintendo I remember, but don't see much anymore.
  • I have enjoyed Samus Returns on my 3DS. It is the rare game that looks so beautiful in 3D!
  • I restarted playing the Professor Layton with my wife on my DS XL. We're just starting the 3rd game. That series was so amazing!

Re: Talking Point: As Zelda: Wind Waker Turns 20, Doesn't Toon Link Deserve A Second Chance?

cyrus_zuo

Just started replaying Phantom Hourglass on WiiU after not having played since its DS release.
It feels like Nintendo of another era made this game (and maybe they did).
While I still WISH it wasn't stylus controlled with all the imprecisions the stylus creates, I love the upbeat positive feel to the game.

That positive, fun vibe is what I'd like more of!
Toon Link is a very nice connection to all of that, and it's unfortunate they've used Toon Link in so many poor games.

I'd love another Wind Waker!
I'd love more games that feel like the happy, fun, joyful Nintendo of 10-25 years ago. They are very rare anymore - instead we've got a lot more attitude, and if that is what I wanted there are already many other options.

Re: Best Nintendo Switch Football Games

cyrus_zuo

Said it before, will say it again...
Switch Sports Soccer with the leg strap is the best gaming experience I've had playing this year. It's crazy fun and rewarding online to kick in goals, and it replicates that feeling of 'wow, that was so fun' that I haven't felt since the original Wii sports all those years ago.

If you're overlooking Switch Sports, or bought it, but haven't tried the leg strap, you are seriously missing out!

I've been playing it for weeks now and while Soccer was ok before I discovered the leg strap it is an amazing revelation with it. That feeling of kicking in a last second goal or overtime goal to win the game does not get old.

Re: Poll: What Was The Best Wii U Launch Game?

cyrus_zuo

Nintendo Land - SO MUCH!

I wish we'd gotten more gaming like that - one person on the pad, 4 on the console - it was unique and remains unique, though I get it, MOST everyone wants more of the same (I'm just not in the group that gets stoked for CoD 19!)

Based on hours my household had nearly 100 hours on NintendoLand (and similar amounts on many of the other amazing party games on Wii U).

Re: Nintendo Switch Sports Ad Tees Up Golf For November Release Date

cyrus_zuo

Switch sports, online soccer with the leg strap is easily the most fun gaming experience I've had this year.

It's the first experience to recapture the feeling of the first time I played the original Wii sports all those years ago, and because you're online the competing is more fun than in playing the CPU.

Re: Feature: From 'Retro Bowl' To 'Retro Goal' - How New Star Games Returned To Its Grass Roots

cyrus_zuo

Interested.
What I loved about NSS will be hard to capture w/o a lot of depth. I loved running a team and having players playing on my team and international team and competing to move my team up a division, there was just so much to the game...
...and then there was all the training exercises that actually made you better at playing the game.

This should be interesting, and I'll be interested to see if it goes beyond an arcade Soccer game.
Simon and team do great work!

Re: Retro Goal Is Ready To Kick Off The World Cup Spirit On Switch This Month

cyrus_zuo

I thought Retro Bowl was really not great - fun for a short bit, but the running game was not good, leaving me let down (I much prefer Football Heroes Turbo - IMO its gameplay is vastly superior)

That said, I usually really like what New Star Games does. New Star Soccer on PC was one of the best sport games ever in my opinion.

I'll look forward to this.

Re: Konami's Earnings Report Reveals A Substantial Profit Drop In The First Half Of 2022

cyrus_zuo

They made more money.
Revenue was up 4%

This article and that twitter post are both terribly misleading. The extra details are the difference between making a correct and incorrect conclusion - and there aren't enough details, and what is there should be reported correctly.

Revenue was up. (made more money on games than before!)
Costs were up more (labor and marketing).
Profit was down. (costs were up more than revenue)

Re: Frantic Wii U Party Game 'Chompy Chomp Chomp Party' Coming To Switch With New Content

cyrus_zuo

I LOVE 8 player games and own MOST Of them on Wii, WiiU and Switch...

...this is not a great game
At least on the WiiU it was hard to keep attention for more than a few minutes (and we tried playing it many times)

Better options include:

  • Pico Park
  • Runbow
  • Party Golf
  • Baron: Fur is Gonna Fly
  • 12 Orbits
  • Knight Squad
    (my daughter would say Om Nom: Run - which is fun for 5-10 minutes and is again the next and each time you play it!)

...and there are many more options, I'm just listing ones that usually are enjoyed when I've introduced them to a large group.

Re: 2D Multiplayer Game 'Killer Queen Black' To Shut Down Next Month

cyrus_zuo

I didn't love the change they made to combat with the queen for the home version, which I though made combat really the only way to go 90% of the time breaking the 3 ways to win that makes the game so fun in the arcade.

Disappointing about Amazon shutting them down by not supporting Gamesparks. It's the danger of using a service provider and as we saw w/Google Stadia earlier this week, it doesn't matter how big of a partner you have, shut-downs come and can break your heart and your game.

Re: Ecco The Dolphin Devs Are Offering Money To Anyone Who Can Beat Them In Their New Game

cyrus_zuo

Bought it...

Worth $2 for sure.
It's a push/pull RTS, thankfully units pass by each other instead of always stopping to fight, which creates some unique strategies.
I find the difficulty to be pretty high, but it's one of those games that when you figure out what you're supposed to do you go from hopeless loss to dominating win.

I really, really wish it had a restart button - that feels like a big miss, but for $2? It was worth the money and the time.

Re: Soapbox: 20 Years Later, Super Mario Sunshine Is Still The Best 3D Mario

cyrus_zuo

?
Couldn't disagree more.
Not being able to do a crouch then a high jump was a big disappointment that took away from the ease of exploration.

...then there was the water backpack - it made movement so much harder than any other Mario game.
It's ok, but dead last of the 3D games and doesn't measure up to Mario standards in my opinion.

...but then if this is the first Mario game you played it would probably stand out...

Re: Japanese Charts: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Takes The Top Spot

cyrus_zuo

...I see challenges here - last year was rough for new Switch games, this year is MUCH worse. Less than 100K for Fire Emblem warriors is not a good start.
The overall sales for Switch games are all pretty poor - it's clear that there is a momentum issue on Switch and it's unclear how it will change (Splatoon 3? Pokemon? ???)

Re: Super Bomberman R 2 Coming To Switch In 2023

cyrus_zuo

IDK

I bought the original on release day and still haven't unlocked a bunch (1/2) of the stages, let alone characters and other content b/c the currency system in the game is a RIDICULOUS GRIND. (oh and the online was unplayable due to lag)

I paid for the online pack for the game they are closing down...

...and now they want me to buy another game, which I can tell has a LOT of the same content I've paid for in the last two games.

...and truth be told - the WiiWare game remains superior to the 'R' series.

I think I'll wait for a huge discount.

I wish they were less focused on modes like 'Castle' and more focused on getting the core gameplay tight b/c it simply IS NOT as good gameplay wise as it was for all the years from the TG-16 through the WiiWare release on the Wii.

Re: Best Nintendo Switch Sports Games

cyrus_zuo

This article needs some serious updating. Much of the text is years old, making the whole article feel like the EA approach to FIFA. Print it once and then reprint forever with minor updates. (Which is sort of ironic no?)

Oh, and Retro Bowl isn't good. Super repetitive, no running game and defense is CPU run. Football Heroes Turbo is a dramatically better game.

Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Dominates As Kirby Holds Strong

cyrus_zuo

@Yosher I honestly don't know what you mean. The game has 10x the meat of the original Wii Sports (which I played and loved to death - shaking Reggie's hand right after playing it at E3).

The online of Switch sports is fantastic! It is the main game mode, the predominate menu item and so full of goodness. I remain mystified by the comments of people not liking Switch Sports and it always seems to come to people playing offline and wanting the game to be just like the old games were - offline party affairs and not being interested in what the new game is - and online power-house (imo).

Your mileage may vary, but I personally couldn't disagree more with the narrative that it's an incomplete game. It's far more beefy than the original Wii Sports and far more beefy than the Wii Sports remake on WiiU.
It does lack single-player practice exercises like those games - but the online is so rich in difficulty and thoughtful modes and unlocks - I absolutely love it! (if I only played offline I'd just go back to the old games - but then I've been there, done that anyway...)