Comments 77

Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Decayed Master Sword "Life-Size" Statue Coming Soon, Here's A First Look

raymond23

@JohnnyMind so, I’ve had to help move my mother out of her condo and into assisted living, and now into a nursing home. Priority to that, I help with the same process for her sister, and her mother. All had accumulated a lot of stuff that they spent good money on and viewed as heirlooms. None of these were things anyone today had any interest in owning. Usually, this is a process that plays out over a very brief period of time. I move the things that are needed (bed, chair, tv, dresser, clothing, etc), then whatever fits from the photos (top priority) to souvenirs, collectables, and other things to give as much of a homey feeling as possible. The rest is given to family (aside from newer electronics, nothing goes this way), then free if you pick up on FB marketplace (or similar), then everything that I can carry myself to goodwill, then try to recruit someone with a truck for a dump run (or 6). Those collectables that were popular a decade or more ago? With few exceptions (ie: 1950’s baseball cards), nobody wants. If the owner tried to guild a relative into taking something, they will typically oblige and toss at the first opportunity.

Every generation has these collectables (funco pops, beanie babies, precious moments, hummels, Norman Rockwell collectables plates, China sets, etc). The only thing that I’ve come across that is remotely worth dealing with is sterling silver flatware (since silver prices have doubled in the last year). The rest is mass produced stuff where demand is non-existent, or “limited editions” (which means “limited to how many we can sell). Collectors have short attention spans. Most of these items are “future trash” because we are all looking for the next big thing and have short attention spans…

Re: Surprise! 'Skyrim Anniversary Edition' Lands On Switch 2 Today

raymond23

Downloaded it for free. Never played the previous version that I bought at a deep discount (my backlog is out of control). Likely won’t get to it for awhile, so hopefully it gets a patch or two (based of some issues I saw skimming thru to comments). I have a 1 TB card so memory isn’t an issue at the moment, but that file size is nuts…

Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

raymond23

Seems like Nintendo first party games are divisive since the release of the Switch 2. Despite a lot of players loving their big releases, MKW has harsh critics for its lack of 3 lap races/boring intermissions/empty open world (I hate it). DK Bananza was very well received…until the DLC dropped (I loved all of it…DLC included). Kirby Air Riders seemed highly polished, but it didn’t click with many players (myself included). Metroid IV looks stunning, but criticized annoying NPCs, empty open world, amiibo paywall, short game (I have yet to get into Metroid, so I have no opinion). Generally, First party Nintendo games are knocked out of the park, but not so much recently (especially at the higher price point). I am starting to get concerned. Nintendo needs a game with Universal Acclaim (ideally a Mario or Zelda mainline game).

Re: Reminder: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Available With A Switch Game Voucher

raymond23

I will need to see the reviews before I decide on this one. Nintendo may have missed the mark on this one, but I’ll see what the consensus is before I buy. The voucher and upgrade route will be the way to go if I bite. The only other 1st party Nintendo game that I want and don’t yet have is Pikmin 3. I was hoping that and DKCR would both get good Black Friday deals…otherwise I would have vouchers them both. Since DK had a good sale, I was gonna wait for a future deal…but Metroid with upgrade gives me something else to get with the second voucher. Thanks for reminding us about that option Nintendo Life!

Re: Best Kirby Games Of All Time

raymond23

@KayFiOS you understand that this list is simply based on the user score for each game right? If a updated version is released, different users will be involved in the ranking, and a new updated version will be rated on its own merits based on user’s preferences at the time they rate the game. I doubt anyone looks back at their rating of previous games before rating a new version. This just gives readers an idea how a game ranks compared to others of the same genre. It also likely won’t take into account any patches/fixes/updates (I don’t obsessively re-review games after every patch). I thought it was interesting that air riders didn’t break the top 10 and will take that into account before dropping $70.

Don’t take this so seriously…

Re: Ongoing MicroSD Shortages Could Have A Knock-On Effect For Switch 2 Storage Availability

raymond23

Bought a 256 day 1 and already out of space. A 1 TB card just arrived yesterday and loading games up now. I had 1TB on my Switch OLED and I filled that up. I’m keeping the OLED for most older games, but most of the 1st Party games have been pulled over along with games that got a S2 upgrade (Hogwarts) or wasn’t playable on S1 (Arkham Knight). I’ll likely finally get RDR now that a Switch 2 version is coming and other games have ever expanding file sizes.

I want all of my games on a single memory card. Swapping cartridges got old for me in the 1970’s…

Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Kirby Air Riders?

raymond23

Not paying $70. It’s cute, but won’t keep my interest. MKW was awful. I’ll keep playing MK8 until Sonic Cross-worlds gets a great sale for Switch 2 (can always count on Sega to drop the price fast). I might pick this up in a few years if it gets a decent sale for Black Friday 2032 or something…

Re: Review: Luigi's Mansion (GameCube) - A Spooky Little Romp That Still Sucks You In

raymond23

I just finished this game for the first time on NSO. I have LM3 in my backlog but never played it. So, no nostalgia factor.

It was ok, but I didn’t love it. A very short game with a lot of needless backtracking which probably doubled my playtime. Great atmosphere. Puzzles were hit and miss (some clever, others relied on luck). Collecting money was tedious and pointless until the very end.

I hated the controls. Sucking up ghosts looked like it should be fun but I always seemed to be fighting the controls (I hated FLUID in Mario Sunshine too…never completed the tutorial). They also didn’t really have the 3D thing figured out yet as I could never tell if I was correctly aligned with a heart or ghost.

Still, impressive for the hardware (especially being the launch title after the N64 with massive improvement in graphics and gameplay). Would likely seem remarkable the first time playing it at launch.

Hoping LM3 plays a little smoother.

I likely would have loved this if I had the nostalgia factor.

Re: Top 100 Nintendo Games, As Chosen By Nintendo Life & IGN

raymond23

It’s always challenging to make a list with current and retro games. Zelda-OOT was an amazing experience and what got me into gaming. Arguably the best game of all time…but I’m having a really hard time replaying it today because the graphics and gameplay are so clunky by today’s standards. Mario 64, I never got into (embarrassed to say that I ran around for 15 minutes back in the day, never figured out that I should jump into a painting, set it aside and never came back until 3D all stars. Now that I have played it without any nostalgia influencing me…it’s really clunky to play). I guess I could easily make 2 separate lists-funnest games to play today and most important games of all time. Fusing the two list will always cause arguments because of different opinions as to which is more important.

That said, BOTW/TOTK being 1+2 is a no brainer in my opinion. Bananza and Odyssey should be back to back as well in the top 5 (Bananza over Odyssey). Wonder should be top 10 along with MK8. OOT is easily the most important retro games (Wind Waker and MM both belong top 20). Interesting that Skyward Sword is the only 3D Zelda not on the list (and the only 3D Zelda game whose tutorial bored me so badly that I never finished it). Galaxy 1 should be higher on the list (back to back with Galaxy 2). MKW should not be on the list at all, but I’m glad to see it ranked so much lower than MK8.

Otherwise, mostly agree ignoring the games I haven’t played (and making notes about what to add to my backlog)

Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong Update Announced, Here Are The Patch Notes

raymond23

No easy mode? No interest. Sorry.

Devs can do what they want, but they are leaving a lot of money on the table by refusing to offer options to those who are more interested in the experience then the challenge. Put an emblem next to the high score and %completed to indicate that the player used “slacker mode”. Takes nothing away from the game as the devs intended or players who have conquered the game on default difficulty…

Re: Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites And Run-Based Games

raymond23

Not sure why Emerald Rush isn’t on the list. It’s a great roguelike which has been under appreciated by gamers and NL staff. I’m not sure I have ever seen a final verdict of a game stating “ If you don't vibe with the roguelike, there's nothing here for you”. NL should always list that critique as a negative (substituting “baseball”, “platformer”, “RPG” etc as needed for roguelikes). A truly baffling review…

Re: PSA: Don't Expect Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition To Include The DLC

raymond23

I already purchased the original DLC. I assume I still have access to that in the Switch 2 edition. Hope the original DLC gets the graphics bump (it better). I’ll be getting the Switch 2 edition for that and mouse control for decorating (the old method was always a hassle). $5 is worth it considering the hours I have sunk in this game.

I am annoyed by the Zelda/Splatoon paywall for those additions. There should be other ways to access that content. Hopefully that stuff pops up on the cheet islands because I’m not buying amibo just for Zelda decor…

Re: Donkey Kong Bananza's First DLC In-Game Event Kicks Off Next Week

raymond23

I love the DLC. I have put in more hours with Emerald Rush then I have with the main game. For $20, it was well worth it to me. Really looking forward to a few more statues for the collection! I’m happy to see that they are putting in more content and events. Hope to see statues of all 5 Kong Bananzas in the future…

Re: Team Cherry Explains Hollow Knight: Silksong's "Steep Difficulty"

raymond23

@Dark_Isatari personally, I appreciate when any game has adjustable difficulty. I would be fine with Yoshi to have an instant death mode just like I would appreciate Silksong to have a story mode. Devs can peg the difficulty at whatever level they wish so that it can deliver the experience they choose, and end users can adjust if they choose. I don’t expect that with Silksong (or Yoshi), but it is nice when devs offer the option…

Re: Team Cherry Explains Hollow Knight: Silksong's "Steep Difficulty"

raymond23

Still not touching this one unless they add an easy option for us wimps. I know the limits of my platform if skill and this is well past that. This will just frustrate me (at best) or rage even at the begging of the game. I bought HK on sale and got nowhere. Glad others love it, but this is a ridiculously easy pass for me…

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) - DLC That's Ripe With Fun, But Could've Been More

raymond23

@Dunan I played Hades and wasn’t a fan of it. This dlc seems as fully realized as Hades was. 104 perks, dozens of skills, 11 worlds with 7 difficulty levels each, a bunch of unlockables, and a big boss fight at the end. It’s worth the same as Hades if you like the genre. It is also more accessible to newbies to the rogue like genre since the levels are familiar, but there is still a steep learning curve. I haven’t successfully completed any level past difficulty 3/7, but you don’t have to in order to progress. Everyone can pick a difficulty level that challenges them.

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) - DLC That's Ripe With Fun, But Could've Been More

raymond23

@lumothesinner exactly. I don’t care if Nintendo completed this dlc pack at the same time as the main game or not, it is a completely different type of mode then the main game. Bananza is a complete experience with a ton of post credit content. This dlc is a way to re-explore the levels in a new game style. It has a ton of collectibles…but different than the main game. Everyone seems fixated on dk island as a “level” that was carved out of the main game. It isn’t. It’s a hub world for a rogue like and the tutorial/training area. It’s also a museum for one of the new collectibles. $20 is a perfectly reasonable price point for this content. I might go and buy Splatoon Side Order now since I’m enjoying this new content so much…

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) - DLC That's Ripe With Fun, But Could've Been More

raymond23

Not enough content? 11 levels with 7 levels of difficulty each, 104 perks (power ups), 87 statues to collect) a new island (tutorial for the game/statue museum/fan service), multiple costumes, new disks, a boss battle, new game mechanic (rogue like) that is completely different from the base game (so you didn’t get anything taken away from you in the base game), and it breaths new life into an already superbly constructed game. I never even liked rogue likes until now. All for $20. How is that a rip-off? Certainly better value then the Jamboree Switch 2 edition, old Wii games for $40, or a cardboard holder for Virtual Boy games (that you need a subscription for). There is a good value in this dlc…

Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 For Switch?

raymond23

At $70 price point, I’ll be holding off on a bunch of upcoming Nintendo releases (Metroid, Air Riders, Age of Imprisonment, etc) until there is a sale (I’ll wait years if need be). I’ll make exceptions for mainline Zelda and Mario Games. Galaxy 1 was one of my favorite games of all times, and I never played Galaxy 2. I hate the price but I really want both on my Switch library so I will be getting them. I will feel icky doing so and my frustration with Nintendo is only gonna get worse with this purchase. But I’ll still pull the trigger on this one…

Re: Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 Prices Are Live, And It's Sticker Shock Time

raymond23

So, what are the differences between this new version of Galaxy and the 3D All Star version? The touch screen to collect stars just didn’t play well in 3D all stars and it sounds like we may be able to use motion control in this one (I don’t think I ever played 3D All Stars docked, so maybe that was there and I never noticed?) Just don’t see the need to double dip unless there are significant enhancements. Galaxy 2 will be a must buy, but damn that price…

Re: Talking Point: Is Hollow Knight: Silksong Too Difficult?

raymond23

Giving difficulty option opens the game to more players and takes NOTHING away from hardcore gamers. I bought HK on sale since I figured I would get frustrated and would never play it. I was right. If they added difficulty options, I would dive right in.

As it is, I won’t buy Silksong at any price unless they provide options for novice gamers.

Old school games didn’t have that, so I love when they are reissues with accessibility options for those who want them. Back in the arcade era (yep, I’m that old), the whole point was to swallow as many quarters as possible, so of course it was brutal…devs didn’t want you playing for more then 30 seconds. They added continue options since they knew that players would drop $20 to get by a tough section. Same thing with microtransactions today. But, when you sell the whole game at a single price, why wouldn’t devs want to give options to appeal to as many gamers as possible.

Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong's Upcoming Patch Will Nerf The Difficulty In Certain Areas

raymond23

Devs need to have difficulty options for their games. I’m a casual gamer and enjoy the experience but will get frustrated by an overly difficult game and give up on it. Other players enjoy the challenge of a hardcore mode. I never got far in Hallow Knight and I won’t be getting this game since the only difficulty option is harder than I would enjoy. Please add an easy mode to these games.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th September)

raymond23

Kirby. I never played it before and really enjoying it. I’ve basically completed Bananza (except for the boss rush and the other rush (forget what it’s called). Im not skilled at platforming but I enjoy it as long as it’s not too hard. Those two final challenges are more frustrating than fun so I’m dropping my quest to 100% that game (so close…). Speaking of hard games, I’m one of the few that is not picking up Silksong as HK was way too hard for me. Both games need an easy mode. I’ll wait for a sale on Star Wars Outlaws. MKW is still dead to me.. .

Re: Nintendo Life Reader Survey 2025

raymond23

Yep, you need to add questions about how many games purchased on sale. The only game I can think of that I bought full price was Bananza because I wanted something good to play on my new system. MKW was bundled so I “only” paid $50 for it (not worth it even at that price). Almost all of my Nintendo games I purchased on sale (my first Switch was an OLED…so a huge library of games and a few would go on sale every once in awhile), or I would use a game voucher if nothing else. Third party games, I will frequently wait for 50% off or more…

Re: Poll: Three Months In, How Would You Rate Switch 2's Library So Far?

raymond23

Bonanza is the only must play game on the system. MKW was a huge disappointment. Kirby, Zelda, Hogswarts and most other upgrade releases (especially the free ones) are nice. Jamboree should have done a graphical upgrade across the board. The rest of it is just software trying to sell us otherwise needless hardware, so that should have been free to encourage purchase of overpriced hardware. Don’t get me going on the welcome tour. So, I’m underwhelmed…

Re: First Impressions: Same But Different? - Our Initial Hours With Hollow Knight: Silksong

raymond23

I’m not a skilled gamer. I enjoy the experience but I get frustrated if something is too challenging and end up shelving games that are otherwise fantastic. I really wish the devs would offer an “easy mode” for this and Hallow Knight. I never got far with Hallow Knight and I suspect this will be more of the same so I will likely pass unless the devs offer this option in the future.

Unrelated question. I noticed a Switch 1 version of the game with a free Switch 2 upgrade pack, and a separate Switch 2 edition for the same price. If I buy the Switch 2 version, will I be able to play on my switch 1? I assume both purchase options will yield both versions of the game?

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (30th August)

raymond23

@kmtrain83 yeah, I picked up Prime awhile back on sale and it’s been in my backlog ever since. I need to work on that backlog and the current price point for new games will make that easier. If a mainline Zelda or Mario comes out, day one purchase. Metroid, I need to fall in love with these games game series before I’ll gamble $80 on one game. The series is beloved so I may well get there. Otherwise, I’ll wait a few years for a sale (or skip).

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (30th August)

raymond23

Mostly finished Bananza. MKW is dead to me. Never played Kirby so I started that and really enjoying it. I need to give Metroid Prime a go before Metroid 4 comes out. Never got into Metroid (haven’t given it a chance since I’m generally not a FPS kind of guy). I want to really get a feel for these games game so I can decide if I want to drop $70 (what am I thinking…$80 minimum) when it releases. The days of buying games on a whim and putting it in the backlog are over at these price points. I’m not dropping $80 on a game unless it is something that looks really special (and MKW is making me rethink that). I think most of my gaming for the foreseeable future will be my game backlog…

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